Oral Health and the Health of Your Heart

In just a few days, couples across the country will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. Given how much the heart figures into Valentine’s cards, candy and decorations, now seems like a good time to make you aware of the connection between your oral health—and specifically gum disease—and your overall health. Are you surprised to hear that there’s a connection at all? Many people don’t realize that one exists, but according to recent data, it does.

Gum disease starts with the accumulation of bacteria and plaque around the gum line. Over time, as these two irritate the mouth’s soft tissues, an infection will develop, resulting in symptoms like bleeding, sensitivity, swelling and more. Given enough time, gum disease creates pockets between the teeth and gum line. From these pockets bacteria and plaque can gain access to the body’s bloodstream, traveling to, among other places, the heart, where they can contribute to clotting and even heart attacks.

Gum disease has also been linked to other kinds of health problems, including:

• Alzheimer’s
• Stroke
• Pre-term birth
• Diabetes
• Pneumonia

How can you prevent health problems related to gum disease? By following a few simple steps.

First, make sure you’re following a good brushing and flossing regimen. Brushing twice a day—or after every meal, if you can—will help you keep bacteria and plaque from building up around your teeth, while flossing once a day will help you clean between your teeth. You can also add an antibacterial mouthwash to your routine to make it more effective.

The next step you can take is to see Dr. Folck or Dr. Santos on a regular basis for checkups and cleanings. Checkups will help us spot gum disease before it develops into a serious problem; cleanings give us a chance to remove bacteria and plaque you couldn’t get by yourself at home.

Do you have questions about the oral health-heart health connection? Is it time for your next checkup and cleaning? Call Smile by Design today for an appointment. We serve patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond. 

Why Are Dental Implants So Effective?

You may have heard about dental implants and how effective they are, but do you know why they’re so effective? It’s because of how they’re structured and how they interact with your smile.

Natural teeth are made up of two parts: the tooth itself, which is what everyone sees, and the root underneath that anchors each tooth to the jaw. A full row of healthy teeth is important for smiling, speaking clearly and enjoying a nutritious diet. Meanwhile, your tooth roots have the very important job of holding those teeth in place and keeping the jaw healthy throughout life.

What happens when you lose one or more teeth? You not only lose what’s on top, you also lose the root underneath. As a result, you’ll eventually lose bone tissue where the root was. Traditional bridges, partials and dentures replace what you’ve lost but don’t replace the part of your smile responsible for keeping the rest of your jaw strong and healthy.

The only service that replaces missing roots is dental implants. Using small posts made of titanium—a biocompatible metal—this restorative service can help you achieve results that look natural and functional naturally as well. Imagine smiling with confidence and enjoying all your favorite foods again. With dental implants from Smile by Design, Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck can help.

Do you want to know if you’re a candidate for dental implants? Call us today for a consultation. Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck want to help you enjoy optimal oral health, and for some patients dental implants are the best way to make that happen.

Smile by Design offers restorative care to patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond. 

Help Your Family Achieve Optimal Oral Health In 2014

Among the questions that dentists get asked on a regular basis, one of the most common is: How often should I have a checkup and cleaning? For a basic medical checkup, once a year is a good rule of thumb, but for your oral health the ideal number of visits per year is two.

Why so often? Because common oral health issues like tooth decay and gum disease can develop easily, in children as well as adults. With regular checkups, your local dentist can help you watch for changes and provide care early on, when it can be less invasive.

At Smile by Design in Virginia Beach, family dental care is a central focus of ours. Every day, we’re helping children, parents, and seniors enjoy better oral health through oral exams and cleanings.

What are we looking for during a checkup? The most common oral health issues are tooth decay and gum disease. But that’s not all Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck will be on the lookout for. During your exam, our Virginia Beach team will also check for signs of teeth grinding (bruxism), TMJ dysfunction, and even oral cancer, because treating any of these early is very important.

Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck can also talk to you and your little one about home care. Two checkups a year aren’t enough to keep your smile in tip-top shape. Regular brushing and flossing are also important. If you have any questions about how to brush and floss effectively, we’d be more than happy to answer them.

Do you want to schedule your family’s first visit of 2014? Call Smile by Design today. Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck are happy to offer family dentistry to patients from Fort Story, Sandbridge, and nearby communities.

Restorative Dentistry for Virginia Beach and Beyond

A full, healthy smile is important for a wide variety of reasons. Not only does a full smile make it easier to enjoy a broadly nutritious diet, it also makes it easier to speak clearly and smile confidently. A smile with missing teeth, on the other hand, or one held by back cavities or a broken tooth, can make it more difficult to do all of these.

That’s why Dr. Stephanie Santos and Dr. Vinita Folck of Smile by Design offer several of today’s best restorative dentistry services. With these services, we can help patients enjoy good oral health, in addition to restoring appearance and functionality.

Our restorative dentistry services include:

• Dental Implants
• Dentures and Partials
• Bridges
• Tooth-Colored Fillings
• CEREC One-Visit Crowns

During the course of a consultation visit, Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck will get to know you personally before thoroughly assessing your oral health needs. Every treatment plan we put together is designed to meet the very specific needs of our patients. If you have any questions about what we recommend, we’re happy to answer any questions or concerns you might have.

Are you ready to make 2014 the year you restore your smile’s functionality and appearance? Find out how Dr. Folck and Dr. Santos can help. Call Smile by Design in Virginia Beach today for an appointment. We’re happy to help patients from Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond.

Quality, Custom-Made CEREC Crowns in a Single Hour

When a tooth becomes damaged, whether by decay or an injury, it needs to be repaired. In many cases that’s done with a dental crown. During a crown procedure, Dr. Folck or Dr. Santos will cover (or cap) your damaged tooth with a custom-made restoration that resembles the tooth they’re treating.

The goal with a crown is to restore your smile’s appearance and functionality for both the short and long term. In the short term, you’re free from the discomfort that comes with a damaged tooth; in the long term, the supportive root underneath your tooth is preserved, ensuring that your jaw stays strong. Losing a tooth, and the root underneath it, can cause the jaw to weaken and can put otherwise healthy teeth in danger of becoming lost as well. The idea behind capping a tooth with a crown is that the entire tooth is saved, and functionality and appearance are restored as well.

Traditional crowns take at least two appointments to put in place. CEREC crowns from Smile by Design take just a single appointment. In just one visit, Dr. Folck or Dr. Santos will assess your health, design your crown, and use their CEREC machine to mill a high-quality, porcelain restoration while you wait comfortably in our Virginia Beach dental office. Once your brand new CEREC crown has been completed and attached, you can leave our office feeling better about your oral health and about how you look.

Do you need help restoring a tooth with a custom-made crown? Call Smile by Design today for an appointment with Dr. Folck or Dr. Santos. We offer restorative care to patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, and Sandbridge.

What Are Your Oral Health Goals for 2014?

There are still a few weeks left in 2013, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start thinking about your oral health goals for 2014. In fact, now’s the perfect time to start thinking about what you’d like to change and what you’d like to do differently. With early planning, you can give your smile a fresh start for the New Year.

At Smile by Design, Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck offer a wide variety of general, cosmetic, and restorative services to help you make whatever kind of change you need. Maybe all you want is a whiter smile. With Zoom! Whitening, you can brighten your teeth by six to ten shades in about an hour. Or maybe you want a smile that looks whiter and straighter. Our Virginia Beach team can help you achieve stunning results with porcelain veneers in just two appointments.

We also offer helpful restorative services, like CEREC one-visit crowns, dentures & partials, and dental implants. Other patients may just need to commit seeing Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck more regularly for checkups and cleanings.

Do you want to schedule an appointment with Smile by Design for early January? Call us today to reserve an appointment. We will listen to your goals and design a personalized treatment plan to help you achieve the smile you’re dreaming of. Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck serve patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, and Sandbridge.

New Possibilities for Your Smile with Cosmetic Dentistry

We don’t have to tell you how important a healthy smile is, but a beautiful smile also has its advantages.Whether you’re hoping to make a good impression with a new client or you’re about to re-enter the dating scene, a white, dazzling smile can be to your advantage.

At Smile by Design, Dr. Stephanie Santos and Dr. Vinita Folck offer three popular cosmetic dentistry services to help patients from Virginia Beach and beyond enjoy better oral health but also improved self-esteem. Those services include:

• Zoom! Whitening
• Tooth-Colored Fillings
• Porcelain Veneers

Depending on your needs, Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck will recommend one or more service during a consultative appointment. Every plan we create is designed to deliver truly personal results. If you have any questions about what we propose, don’t hesitate to let us know. We want our patients from Virginia Beach and beyond to feel comfortable with the solution we put forward.

Often you can achieve a healthier, more beautiful smile in just one appointment, though some services require at least two. Find out how long your smile makeover could take during a consultation appointment.

Call us today. Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck offer exceptional cosmetic dental care to patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and nearby communities.