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What Happens at a Dental Exam?
Saving Teeth and Lives, One Exam at a Time Many people become apprehensive when faced with going to see the dentist. In truth, it can be a little awkward when someone focuses all their attention on your mouth. Many are afraid of what “embarrassing” things the dentist...
The Importance of Flossing
When you go in for your semi-annual visit at the Placerville Dental Group, you’re likely quizzed on how often you floss your teeth. Like many patients, your honest answer may be “Not enough.” For some, slipping a string of floss between their teeth and moving it back...
What is “The Bacteria that Causes Bad Breath”?
Defining the Worst of the Worst Since you were a child, you have heard advertising and comments about “the bacteria that causes bad breath.” Mouthwash advertising especially enjoys this phrase, and we even used it in our last blog article about helpful oral bacteria....
The Power of Probiotics
Putting Helpful Bacteria to Work in Your Mouth In recent years, the word probiotics has increased in popularity around the subject of dentistry. In part, this is due to research undertaken in the last decade that shows how probiotics help improve and maintain oral...
What is Prophylaxis?
pro•phy•lax•is: measures designed to preserve health and prevent the spread of disease." — Mirriam-Webster Dictionary Prophylaxis sounds scary, but it is actually one of the most important procedures in dentistry for preventing frightening problems of the mouth....
The Lifespan of Your Teeth
How Long Can They Last? Many people consider losing teeth as just a part of getting old. In fact, by the time the average American reaches seventy years of age, they’ve lost at least a tooth or two. One report says that over 25% of adults from age 65 to 74 have lost...
Dental Diastemas
Mind the Gap? You don’t hear the word diastema in everyday conversation, but the condition is more common than you might think. Diastema is a dental term referring to a gap, or gaps, between the teeth. It’s a normal feature in humans – in fact, during medieval times,...
Mouthwash Matters
Mouthwash and Virus Safety Will using mouthwash keep you safe from COVID-19? The coronavirus pandemic has many people on edge. Daily reports inundate our media feeds. Some ideas about the coronavirus are outright fabrications. For example, early in the situation some...
Tooth and Bone
A recent Instagram search listed a post under the title “Amazing Facts.” In that post, it said that "Teeth are the only bones in the human body that are exposed to open air." Since the post had that authoritative title, many people might conclude that teeth are indeed...
Does Oil Pulling Work?
The Internet can easily overwhelm us with do-it-yourself ideas, home remedies, and traditional practices that claim to improve our lives and health. One traditional method of dental hygiene is called oil pulling. A practice of Eastern origin and thousands of years...
What is Medically Necessary Dentistry?
Dentists are doctors. As doctors, they provide treatments and procedures that restore, sustain, or improve your health. Even with this understanding, most dental procedures are not covered by medical insurance. Dental insurance fully covers cleanings, but typically...
What Are Bonding Trays?
Making Braces Easier — Bonding Trays The Placerville Dental Group wants to make sure your smile becomes the best it can be and then stays that way. When one of our patients opts to get braces, compared to clear aligners from Invisalign, the procedure requires a little...
Brushing to the Beat
From an early age, our children learn ways and routines that will be with them their entire life. That’s why a good routine in oral hygiene is so important — once in place at an early age, good habits like brushing and flossing are more likely to stay in place as they...
The Importance of Dental Checkups
Isn’t Daily Oral Hygiene Enough? Twice a year, every six months, semi-annually, no matter how you describe it, you should visit dentist at least two times every year. Yes, we already ask you to brush twice a day, and use floss daily. Isn’t that plenty of tooth...
Enamel Ebb and Flow
Up and down, back and forth, to and fro – there are countless examples of how nature works within a pendulum-like swing to maintain balance. Take the ocean tides, for instance. The water consistently goes in and out, keeping a balance. Humans do not have the ability...