Thanks to Invisalign®, Mom and Dad can have a perfect smile, too! From Gentle Dental Associates

Hey parents! Focusing on your kids' teeth and oral health so much that you're neglecting your own? If you've been thinking wistfully about having your own set of perfect teeth, our staff at Gentle Dental Associates can help! We are specially trained to offer an adult-friendly option for straightening teeth called Invisalign.

This course of treatment consists of a set of clear aligners that are molded to fit your teeth using a proprietary technology. You wear them all day and night, except for meals, brushing, and flossing – when you can easily slip them out to make eating and cleaning a snap!

Because they're clear, your teeth will be steadily straightening – and no one will know it but you!

Please give us a call to set up a consultation, so we can discuss the specifics of your treatment.

Gentle Dental Associates, Taking Steps to Reduce Our Impact on the Environment

Earth Day is this Friday, April 22nd, and we thought this would a great time to discuss the things that Gentle Dental Associates does to conserve our natural resources and the environment.

Currently our office is working on a three year plan to become completely paperless. Some of the ways we work towards this goal is through our Patient Login system powered by Sesame, which gives us the ability to offer our patients 24/7 online account access. It also lets us contact our patients through email rather than standard mail thus eliminating the use of the paper resources necessary to mail appointment reminders, statements, birthday greetings, newsletters, and other announcements. This service also saves our patient’s resources by allowing them to pay online. We also use software that records our patient’s periodontal health and progression and saves this information electronically which eliminates the use of large amounts of paper and printing materials. Gentle Dental Associates was the first office in Ann Arbor MI to offer digital radiography which eliminates the need for a toxic dark room and also allows us to send x-rays electronically to insurance companies and other doctors. We also encourage our patients to use white fillings that do not contain mercury and other metals. Our office has participated in the Ann Arbor Recycling program for five years. We continue to make sure and recycle our paper, plastic, glass, and metal.

We’d love to hear how you minimize your impact on the environment. Leave us a comment below or you can also visit our Facebook page and post something on our wall.

Happy Earth Day!

$1.50 for a Cavity!

Vending machines are a quick way to satisfy hunger. You put in $1.50 and you get back a candy bar, bag of chips or even a soda…but that’s not all! Gentle Dental Associates would like to remind you that vending machines not only dispense sweet treats and caffeine bursts, but they also dispense cavities!

Every time you chow down on that chocolate bar the bacteria in your mouth have a party feasting on the sugar. The sugar quickly turns into acid; that’s right, ACID!!! The acid sits on your teeth and eats away at the tooth’s natural enamel (the stuff that protects your tooth from decay). When this enamel is eaten away by the acid on your tooth, you get a cavity! Brushing your teeth after eating a sugary treat can help prevent cavities; but before you indulge remind yourself: “can’t brush? Hold the sugar!”

When choosing a snack, consider these nutritional options that will not only satisfy your hunger and that “sweet tooth,” but won’t cause acid build up resulting in cavities:

• Fresh Fruits (berries, oranges, melon, pears, etc)
• Raw Vegetables (broccoli, celery, carrots, etc)
• Bread
• Pretzels (low salt)
• Milk (low or non-fat)
• Cheese (low or non-fat)
• Nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc)
• Sliced meat

If you want more advice on how you can prevent cavities, ask your dentist during your next appointment at Gentle Dental Associates.

April is National Facial Protection Month!

With spring here, many children, teens and adults in Ann Arbor will once again pick up the ball, bring the bat out of seasonal retirement, and lace up their cleats to hit the fields for the return of spring sports! April is National Facial Protection Month, and during this time, The dedicated Gentle Dental Associates team urge our young athletes to play it safe when out on the field. According to the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, children, high-school athletes and adults will have more than 5,000,000 teeth knocked out in sporting events this year.

Here are a few ways to ensure your mouth’s safety this spring:

1. Wear mouth guards for contact sports such as baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.
2. Wear a helmet
3. Wear protective eyewear
4. Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin
5. Be alert, even as a spectator

We hope that helps. Protective gear is vital for anyone engaging in tooth or mouth-threatening activities. If you have any further questions about any of these tips, please contact Gentle Dental Associates. Stay safe and have fun!