Everyone has a gift they’d like to receive during the holiday season. For most dentists, that gift is “patients who are still cavity-free after a month filled with sugary treats”! Luckily, this is a holiday wish you can easily grant with excellent oral hygiene habits and good decision-making when it comes to the foods you enjoy during this time of year. Here are 4 tips that will let you give your dentist – and yourself – the gift of a healthy smile.

Is your smile holiday ready? If you have stains, yellowing, or discoloration in your grin, you may not be feeling as excited for all the photo opportunities and family gatherings. However, you can get professional teeth whitening from your dentist to boost your confidence and improve your appearance. Teeth whitening is the perfect holiday gift, allowing you to have a white Christmas—even in San Diego! Keep reading to learn more about teeth whitening and why now is the best time for this treatment.

There’s a reason why patients smile so much after receiving porcelain veneers. These small, ultra-thin wafer-like coverings make it possible to hide impurities and feel confident in your smile again. But what can you do to keep it looking just as beautiful five years from now as the day you received them? Let a local cosmetic dentist offer some valuable tips and suggestions on how you can keep your new and improved smile looking its best today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

If you have a hard time passing up a soda for lunch or coffee each morning, you may be saddened to learn that some of your favorite, popular beverages can be doing serious harm to your teeth. If you’re tired of your smile not looking its best or wondering why you’re suddenly experiencing more toothaches, it might be time to trade the tall glass of caffeine you crave for ice water or another suitable beverage.

Do you frequently get headaches or experience a constant pain in your jaw? It could mean you have a TMJ disorder – in other words, there’s a problem with the joint that connects your lower jaw to your head. Unfortunately, if you wear dentures, there’s a chance they could be related to the pain – but the good news is that new dentures could also help treat a TMJ disorder as well!

Whether you pay for your own dental insurance or receive it as a benefit of your job, if it operates on the calendar year, it will be renewed at the beginning of January. That means any current benefits you have will essentially be lost once they’re reset. If you’ve kept up with the premiums all year and have met your deductible, it’s important to get your money’s worth by making sure you’ve utilized your dental insurance to the fullest before December 31st.

When it comes to improving the look of your smile, who do you think is most qualified to perform the type of procedure you need? Whether it is porcelain veneers, cosmetic bonding, or Invisalign, you want a highly-skilled, artistic individual to provide you with quality, long-lasting results, right? While it might not always be easy trying to determine whether a general or cosmetic dentist can give you the smile of your dreams, allow us to help you identify which dental professional is best for your individual needs.

As most of the country finally enters spring, April is a time to celebrate new beginnings, enjoy warmer weather, and prepare for summer adventures ahead. However, April is also an important month for your health—it’s Oral Cancer Awareness Month. As serious as this disease is, would you believe that one little oral cancer screening can mean the difference between life and death? If it’s been a while since your last dental appointment, take the opportunity this month to go in for this short but crucial service that your dentist can do for you.

With time and exposure to stress and other environmental factors, your face can begin to show signs of aging. Wrinkles can replace the youthful appearance your skin once had and can impact your self-confidence. Well, Botox is one solution that can restore your face’s glow. But did you know that your dentist may be able to administer Botox for you? As an expert in orofacial structures, they are the perfect person to help you get rid of your facial wrinkles. What else don’t you know about Botox? Here are some common Botox FAQs in San Diego and helpful answers.