The importance of smiling, from the Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas team

Good news, folks! People with big, happy smiles may live than those who don’t, according to a new study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. We’ve known for a long time that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university used information from the Baseball Register to look at photos of 230 players who began their baseball careers prior to 1950.

The players' photos were enlarged, and researchers studied their smile intensity (wide smile, no smile or partial smile). The players' smile ratings were compared with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through last year. The researchers then took into account other factors associated with longevity, such as body mass index, or BMI, career length and college attendance. They found that players who weren't smiling died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old.

The take-away from the new study? Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer! Have you tried perfecting your smile by visiting Dr. Dunn lately? If not, give our team at Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas a call today!

Omega-3s and your dental health, from Dr. Jerry Dunn

Recently, our staff at Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas came across an article about the dental health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids of marine and plant origin. A recent study from the University of Kentucky reveals that all types of food-borne omega-3 fats (like tuna, walnuts and spinach) cut the numbers of oral disease bacteria by half or more.

The study found that "the dental health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids of marine and plant origin have been found to have strong anti-bacterial activity against a range of oral pathogens and "may include anti-bacterial effects, extending the benefits beyond inflammation." Drs. Ebersole and Huang said that they planned to conduct further studies needed to prove that omega-3s acids work in people’s mouths. While this is encouraging news, Dr. Jerry Dunn wants to remind you that self–examination is another simple way of looking after yourself. If you are unsure about self-examining your mouth, please give us a call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Dunn!

Dr. Dunn wants to know: What are you thinking?

Week after week, Dr. Jerry Dunn and team discuss important topics pertinent to dental care. This week, we thought we’d step back and ask: what’s on your mind? What would you like to know about dentistry? What would you like us to focus on our blog? Let us know! Dr. Dunn would love to hear from you!

Five helpful tips to avoid plaque, from Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas

Dr. Jerry Dunn knows nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth, courtesy of our friends at WebMD.

Let’s start with not brushing regularly. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.

Next on the list is not flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.

Also, avoiding a trip to visit Dr. Dunn is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting your dentist at least twice a year, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your teeth.

You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables.

Finally, before you pick that candy up, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be. If you have any questions, please give us a call!

At Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas, a pursuit of excellence

At Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas, we make every effort to provide you with the best dental treatment. For Dr. Jerry Dunn and our team that means achieving consistently great results. There are many things that help Dr. Dunn do that. Some of them are:

1. Using the most up to date and proven dental technologies available
2. Spending time and resources on continuing education to stay current and relevant
3. Training our entire team on new dental techniques
4. Educating our patients about the pursuit of excellence

If you or a family member has been thinking about cosmetic dental treatment, please give us a call. The team at Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas look forward to seeing you.