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Coffee. Blueberries. Red wine. Tomato sauce. They might please our palate, but they are notorious for staining our teeth. Luckily, nature has balanced the scales for us! Here are just some of the foods that could actually help whiten your smile.

Apples

The crunchy texture of an apple makes it perfect for scrubbing your teeth as you chew. The more you chew, the more saliva you produce. And saliva helps lower the amount of the bacteria in our mouths that cause decay, while washing away food particles that can stain our teeth.

Broccoli

Raw broccoli florets look—and act—like tiny toothbrushes. Broccoli also contains high levels of iron which help protect our enamel from stains and erosion.

Carrots and Celery

More crunchy vegetables that scrub teeth. These are high in fiber, which acts as a gentle abrasive, and water, which stimulates healthy saliva production.

Nuts and Seeds

These are nutritious snacks that both act as abrasives and increase saliva production.

Pineapple

Pineapple is that rare fruit that produces bromelain, enzymes that help in digestion. These enzymes are also believed to help remove staining.

Strawberries

Malic acid considered by many to be a natural whitener which helps break down stains, and strawberries are a great source for this organic compound. But don’t overdo, because too much acid is hard on your enamel.

Of course, the real benefit of eating a balanced diet containing fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds is nutritional, and any whitening that takes place is an added bonus. And eating healthy foods won’t take the place of brushing to keep your teeth clean and bright, especially if you are relying on sugary fruits for their whitening effect. If you want help whitening your smile, and diet and brushing alone aren’t the answer, give our Michigan Center, MI office a call and we’ll be happy to suggest other options. Until then, bon appétit!

Hello again from Blue Spruce Dental! Practicing social distancing means we all have a little more time on our hands. In today’s blog we discuss how Dr. Timm is staying busy and active!

When Dr. Timm is not spending time at the Blue Spruce Dental office handling patient concerns and business matters; he enjoys working in the yard, both at the office and at home. He recently has turned on the waterfall feature at his home, to hear the flowing water makes him so happy! Dr. Timm has also turned on the waterfall at the office and was very happy to see so many koi fish in the pond that had survived the winter. When he isn’t working outside, Dr Timm is transferring VHS family/home videos to digital and YouTube. He has also been staying up-to-date by online webinars and continuing education regarding Covid-19 and other dental topics.

With the lovely spring weather in the 70s last week Dr. Timm and his wife Jennifer decided to uncover their pool! The day after, however, it snowed! At least they could see the nice pool water instead of the ugly pool cover. Dr Timm definitely already has summer on the mind - after the COVID-19 crisis leaves us they are hoping to enjoy a pool party.

Share with us in the comment section below how you are staying busy at home. We hope everyone stays home and stays safe! Though this time is challenging, take time to enjoy being with your family and be reassured that our dental team is missing all of our patients and are looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Happy April from Blue Spruce Dental! We hope all our patients are staying safe and healthy.

Due to our current Covid-19 State of Emergency Declaration, our office is temporarily closed until at least May 1, 2020. We are keeping patients scheduled in the month of May until further notice. If a patient is experiencing a Dental Emergency please contact our office at 517-764-3870 and be directed to Dr. Timm, which is option #4 when prompted.

Unfortunately, our office has had to cancel about 6 weeks of patient appointments that were already scheduled for hygiene. Dr. Timm is doing his best to call all of his patients to cancel appointments if needed and reschedule them to future dates.

We understand that this time contains a lot of stress and uncertainty. With that being said we hope our patients keep up their oral health routines! Dr. Timm and our team recommends brushing twice a day and flossing daily. Looking for more oral health tips? We have you covered! Here are some things you can do to maintain a healthy mouth and strong teeth:

-Drink fluoridated water and brush with fluoride toothpaste.
-Practice good oral hygiene. Brush teeth thoroughly twice a day and floss daily between the teeth to remove dental plaque.
-When we are open - visit your dentist at least once a year, even if you have no natural teeth or have dentures.
-Do not use any tobacco products. If you smoke, quit.
-Limit alcoholic drinks.

Besides oral health it’s important to factor in other areas of health as well. If you have diabetes, work to maintain control of the disease. This will decrease risk for other complications, including gum disease. Treating gum disease may help lower your blood sugar level. If your medication causes dry mouth, ask your doctor for a different medication that may not cause this condition. If dry mouth cannot be avoided, drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum, avoid tobacco products as well as alcohol. If you have sudden changes in taste and smell see your doctor or a dentist. If you have a role as a caregiver, help older individuals brush and floss their teeth if they are not able to perform these activities independently.

We hope you found our health tips helpful. Until we see you again, stay safe everyone.

Two studies – one conducted in Washington State, and whose findings were published in the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry in 2004, and another conducted in Madrid, Spain, and whose findings were reported in 2012 in Science Daily, reinforce earlier findings that show a direct relationship between parental dental fear and that of their children.

The Washington study looked at dental fear among 421 children whose ages ranged from 0.8 to 12.8 years. The children were all patients at 21 different private pediatric dental practices in Western Washington State. The Spanish study looked at 183 children between the ages of seven and 12, and their parents in Madrid.

The Washington study used the Dental Sub-scale of the Child Fear Survey Schedule. The survey responses came from either parents, or other parties charged with taking care of the children. The people responsible for each child filled out the survey, which consisted of 15 questions to which answers were given based on the child’s level of fear. The scale used was one to five, with one meaning the child wasn’t afraid at all, and five indicating the child was terrified. The maximum possible points (based on the greatest fear) was 75.

Spanish researchers found that like past studies, there is a direct connection between parental dental fear levels and those of their kids. The most important new discovery from the study conducted in Madrid, was that the more anxiety and fear a father has of going to the dentist, the higher the fear levels among the other family members.

Parents, but especially fathers, who suffer from fear of going to the dentist and fear of dental procedures in general pass those fears on to every member of the family. While parents may not feel like they have control over those fears, the best way to help your child understand the importance of going to the dentist is by not expressing your fears in front of them – or around the rest of the family.

Dr. Timm and our team understand that some patients are more fearful than others when it comes to visitingour Michigan Center, MI office. We work hard to make our practice as comfortable for our patients, both children and adults.