The Bare Facts About Your Teeth, from Your Dallas Dentist

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Knowing your teeth well is the first step to giving them the excellent care they deserve. Although most people can recite the main reasons why you should brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day, not nearly as many can describe the anatomy of your tooth, or even how many different kinds of teeth there are in a human mouth. If you’d like to learn more about the tools that allow you to eat and speak, review these tooth facts, brought to you by your Dallas area dentist Dr. Truong.

Get to Know Your Teeth

  • Humans develop two separate sets of teeth in our lifetimes; our first set consists of 20 baby teeth (or milk teeth) that usually begin to fall out by age six. Our baby teeth are replaced by our 32 permanent teeth, which grow in stages until about 12 years old (the last teeth to grow in are our wisdom teeth, which typically begin to grown in during the late teens and early twenties.
  • Our mouths contain four different kinds of permanent teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars (wisdom teeth are considered third, or last, molars).
  • The human tooth is divided into two main parts: the crown, which protrudes above the gum line and is the only part of the tooth that is visible.  The crown is protected by a layer of enamel, a highly mineralized substance that is almost as hard as diamond. The enamel does not extend under the gum line to protect the second half of your tooth, the root, which anchors into your supporting jaw bone. (more…)

filed under: Dallas Dentist, Oral Health

Dallas Dentist Explains the Rule of Seven for Healthy Teeth

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Do you maintain a disciplined oral hygiene routine by brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day, but your teeth still develop cavities? Rest easy, you’re not going crazy. There is a scientific reason why your teeth can still be susceptible to decay, even if you maintain an exceptional daily routine. Dallas dentist Dr. Truong explains how the rule of seven can reduce acid attacks on your teeth in between brushing times.

Seven Minutes and Counting…

If you brush your teeth twelve hours apart, you are probably doing a good job of controlling the bacterial population within your mouth before it has a chance to infect your oral tissue. Unfortunately, it only takes seven minutes for the acid from your food to cause damage to your teeth. The first “seven” in the Rule of Seven is the natural pH (acid alkaline balance) of your mouth. A pH of seven means your mouth is neutral (seven is also the pH of water). If a solution has a pH of less than seven, it is considered acidic. When foods and beverages drop the pH level in your mouth to 5.5 or below, the acids begin to attack your teeth. In normal cases, your saliva has natural pH-balancing properties that help regulate the acidity in your mouth to prevent it from attacking. However, what we eat can change the pH of saliva as well. The second “seven” measures an amount of time; it only takes seven minutes for your teeth to incur damage from acid attacks, which leads to tooth decay (cavities). (more…)

filed under: Nutrition, Oral Health

Is Bottled Water Really Better than Tap?

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If you asked a random person this question, you’d have about a 50% chance of them agreeing that bottled water is indeed better than tap. Judging by the $50 to $100 billion that America spends on bottled water every year, a safe assumption would be that many people agree. Contrary to popular belief, however, mass agreement does not make something true. Your Dallas area dentist Dr. Truong gives you these facts that may make you think twice before shelling out your hard earned money for a few ounces of water.

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

  • Assuming that a 20 oz. bottle of water costs one dollar, the bottle would equal out to five cents an ounce. At approximately one cent per gallon, tap water proves undeniably more economical than bottled water.
  • Aside from cost, one of the main advantages of tap water is fluoride. By 1960, water fluoridation was widely used throughout the United States and continues today. Studies have shown that small amounts of fluoride (the common ratio of fluoride to water is 1:1,000,000) can help promote healthy teeth and prevent the formation of dental caries (cavities). Fluoride is a major mineral in the formation of your tooth’s enamel, and fluoride treatment can strengthen enamel by replenishing it with this mineral. By contrast, bottled water has little to no fluoride and even less benefit to your oral health. (more…)

filed under: General Dentistry, Nutrition

The History of Dental Sedation

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Dentistry evolves as innovative treatments and methods are introduced. Nitrous oxide has been used to relieve discomfort and minimize dental fear since the 1840s, and sedation techniques have changed the way many people feel about their dental visits. Although these procedures have improved throughout history, making them safer and more effective than ever before, about 30 percent of Americans today still avoid visiting the dentist due to anxiety. Let’s take a look at the history of dental sedation and how Dr. Truong can use this treatment to calm your nerves.

Beginning of Sedation Dentistry

In 1845, Horace Wells introduced the use of nitrous oxide as an anesthetic agent, but audiences were unimpressed by his demonstration. Instead, most of the credit for sedation dentistry goes to a Massachusetts dentist named William Morton. Dr. Morton wanted a powerful agent to help avoid dental discomfort. In 1846, after experimenting with ether, Dr. Morton treated Eben Frost for a terrible toothache. Dr. Morton used ether to successfully sedate Frost while he extracted the tooth. After Morton’s public demonstration, the use of general anesthetics became widely accepted.

President Abraham Lincoln would later attest to the pain-alleviating qualities of anesthesia. During one visit, his dentist broke part of his jaw during an extraction without anesthesia. President Lincoln developed dental anxiety as a result of the incident. In 1862, before having a tooth extracted due to severe pain, Lincoln inhaled a container of ether to calm his uneasiness. (more…)

filed under: Dallas Dentist, Sedation Dentistry

Dallas Dentist Gives a Brief History of the Toothbrush

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Arguably the most important of your dental hygiene tools, the toothbrush is a deceptively simple instrument. It consists of a handle and a head with bristles attached to it, yet the modern toothbrush has only been around for a couple of hundred years. The idea of tooth care, however, is much older than that. This week, take a trip through the evolution of the toothbrush with Viva Dental.

Toothbrush History

  • Civilizations as old as the Babylonians chewed on sticks that resembled large toothpicks to keep their teeth clean and their breath fresh.
  • The chewing stick was shortened and modified around 1600 BC in China. The Chinese chew stick was about the size of a pencil with a pointed end to use as a toothpick. The other end was softened and used as a sort of brush.
  • In the Middle Ages, the Chinese revolutionized the toothbrush again with the advent of the first bristled brush. The bristles were made of cold-climate hog’s hair and were attached to a bamboo stick. (more…)

filed under: General Dentistry, Oral Health

Dallas Dentist Gives You the Facts About Milk

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Every morning, millions of people start their day washing breakfast down with a glass of milk. The benefits of milk are widely known, especially the calcium it provides to strengthen your bones and keep your body strong. But can milk help your teeth, also? Milk’s effects on your teeth are not often discussed, but you may not be surprised to learn that milk is as important to your dental health as it is to your overall wellbeing. June is National Dairy Month, and to celebrate, Dr. Truong offers these interesting facts about the most important beverage of the day.

Fun Milk Facts

  • Milk contains high levels of calcium and phosphate; the same mineral found in your tooth enamel. Sugars and starches can turn the bacteria and plaque in your mouth acidic, causing them to attack your tooth enamel. Acidic bacteria drain the minerals from your enamel, making it weak and vulnerable to decay. Drinking milk replenishes these minerals so your enamel can become strong again.
  • About 90% of your body’s calcium rests in your bones and teeth. When blood calcium levels are low, your body takes calcium from your bones and teeth to regulate blood levels. (more…)

filed under: General Dentistry, Oral Health

Toothpaste Massage After Lunch, Anyone?

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A study by a Swedish research team found that massaging highly fluoridated toothpaste into teeth can boost the mineral’s protection of tooth enamel by 400%! An article at Science Daily explains, nearly a decade ago, a toothpaste with three-times as much fluoride as normal toothpaste went on the market in Sweden. This super-toothpaste was available over the counter, without a prescription, and was intended to help people who have a higher-than-average rate of tooth decay.

Why Fluoride Helps

When we eat acids, sugars, and starches, our saliva turns acidic and temporarily extracts minerals from our teeth. Without sufficient minerals, tooth enamel softens and becomes vulnerable to erosion and bacterial decay. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that, when topically applied, absorbs into teeth and attracts other minerals that help strengthen tooth enamel. Most public water supplies contain fluoride, as do many ADA-approved toothpastes and mouthwashes. (more…)

filed under: News in Dentistry

Do Dallas Residents Know More About Their Cars than Their Teeth?

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What do you know about your teeth? Without them, your refrigerator’s contents would probably look very different. You may not have much luck communicating by phone, either. Teeth help you eat, speak, and feel good about your appearance. You know to brush twice and floss once a day, and people say that you should go to the dentist for checkups or a toothache.

Now consider, what do you know about your car? It gets you where you need to go, and it costs a lot of money to maintain. You probably also know that the odometer tells you how many miles you’ve traveled; the fuel gauge lets you know when to stop for gas; and the tires should be changed when they begin to wear. You may also know where gas, oil, radiator fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield wiper soap goes. If your car does not perform properly, you take it to a mechanic. The state mandates that your car meet certain standards – but no one mandates your oral health.

Do you know more about your car than you do your teeth? Hmmm. This quiz will determine your dental IQ. Are you up to the challenge?

1. How often should you schedule a dental checkup with your Dallas dentist?

a. Every six months

b. Once a year

c. Whenever it’s convenient

The answer is a, every six months. Each checkup at VivaDental involves a thorough cleaning, oral examination, and a discussion about your dental needs and desires. Besides maintaining a bright smile, checkups are important for the prevention of serious oral health issues, such as gum disease and oral cancer.

2. At Viva Dental, we offer amalgam-free fillings. Do you why?

a. Amalgam fillings are silver-colored and unsightly.

b. Amalgam contains trace amounts of mercury.

c. Both

The answer is c, both. In addition, amalgam expands and contracts with variances in temperature, which, over time, could lead to tooth fracture and infection beneath the filling. (more…)

filed under: General Dentistry, Oral Health

Comfort Dentistry in Dallas and Richardson

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Visiting the dentist can cause anxiety and stress for many patients. We here at VivaDental would like for that to change. Not only are our offices equipped with plenty of comfort amenities, but we also offer sedation dentistry for patients who are especially apprehensive. Your Dallas and Richardson family dentist, Dr. Truong, encourages you to pay us a visit and experience the friendly, relaxing environment that we provide.

Comfort Amenities

Patient comfort is of great importance at VivaDental. Along with a friendly staff, our offices contain the following amenities.

  • Reading area
  • Video games
  • Movies with wireless headphones (more…)

filed under: About The Office, Sedation Dentistry

Meet Your Dallas Dentist, Dr. Diep Truong!

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Dr. Diep (pronounced “Zip”) Truong of VivaDental was born and raised in Texas and has always had an extreme fondness for the Lone Star state. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Dallas at Irving, after which she attended Baylor College of Dentistry.

Dr. Truong has always had a strong passion for helping her community because she feels that it is so important to give back to the city and people that have been such a significant part of her life. Some of her community service involvement includes Free Sealant Day at Baylor Dental School and volunteering at the Martin Luther King Clinic on Give Kids a Smile Day.

In her free time, Dr. Truong enjoys doing volunteer work and spending quality time with her husband and five-year old son. Her hobbies include playing piano, traveling, biking, and fishing. (more…)

filed under: General Dentistry, Meet Our Team