Break Bad Dental Habits And Replace Them With Better Ones

The habits we have created in adulthood can be tricky to break. There may be food habits you are holding on to, or maybe you don’t like flossing and so you just skip that part of the dental routine. Quitting anything and changing that habit, while it takes dedication and a positive outlook, can be done with these 3 tips from Dr. Judy Strutz and her team.

1.     Set a calendar invite in your phone to remind you to brush and floss every day. Or if you want to quit eating snacks at 3:00 pm, which can lead to decay and other dental problems, create a calendar invite that can remind you of why are choosing a healthy habit.

2.     Find a phrase or mantra that you can say to yourself when you want to give up on your plan.

3.     Write down your plan. Research shows that people who write down their goal and steps they are going to use to implement that change can be a powerful motivator to change negative patterns of behavior.

You are worth having a fantastic and healthy smile. Change your habits today. For more information, contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team.

Bone Grafting-What is it? & Why Do I Need It?

Bone grafting is a procedure which allows your prosthodontist to synthetically help your body grow bone. This is done in order to fill extraction sites with synthetic bone.  Your dentist may recommend this procedure to you if you have a tooth that needs to be extracted and bone needs to be retained in the area; especially if an implant may be added in the future to the extraction site.  Dental implants usually require at least six millimeters of bone to attach to. The synthetic bone is placed in the extraction site to build up that area of the jaw.

Bone grafting procedures can be done using bone from your own body - removed usually from the hip area, it can be created and grown in a lab, or it can come from another animal. While all choices offer a viable solution according to Dr. Judy Strutz, this fantastic opportunity allows patients to regain a beautiful smile because once the bone grafting surgery is completed then implants or veneers can be created to build your new smile.

If an implant is placed on an inadequate amount of bone then the implant will not hold and you could end up in pain or require more extreme dental procedures in order to adequately fix your smile.  Dr. Strutz states, "once the bone is placed in the proper location, healing time will vary from person to person." However, once the site is built up correctly you can move forward and get that long lasting beautiful smile you have always desired.