Ouch! You just took a sip of your favorite drink and now experiencing a sharp pain through your teeth or it’s your favorite hot or cold dish that’s setting off these pains. Either way, you may have sensitive teeth.

Several factors could trigger tooth sensitivity pain, including receding gums, teeth whitening, tooth decay, or genetics. However, there are ways to relieve your pain. In this post, we’ll share 5 ways to get rid of tooth sensitivity.

1. Use toothpaste made for sensitive teeth
   • There are plenty of brands, such as Clinproo 5000 or Sensodyne, that are designed to help people with sensitive teeth. Look for the ingredient potassium nitrate, which helps combat tooth sensitivity and stop the pain. Combine your toothpaste with a mouth rinse with stannous fluoride to desensitize your teeth better.
2. Swap out your toothbrush and habits
   • The way you brush and type of toothbrush you can use can aggravate your teeth sensitivity, so it’s crucial you take a hard look at your brushing habits. Be sure you’re using a soft-bristled toothbrush while gently brushing your teeth. Aggressive brushing with hard bristles will contribute to receding gums, exposing your sensitive teeth and wearing away enamel, increasing sensitivity.
3. Avoid acidic foods and drinks
   • The Mayo Clinic reports acidic foods and drinks, such as coffee and citrus fruits, can dissolve your enamel, thus creating teeth sensitivity. Try to avoid those acidic foods altogether, but we understand it’s hard to give up your morning coffee. Instead, try to limit your exposure to these by drinking through a straw. Also, by drinking a glass of milk after acidic foods it will help neutralize the acid.
4. Nightguard
   • Do you grind or clench your teeth at night? If so, this will cause you to wear away your tooth enamel, making your teeth sensitive and sore. At First Impressions Family Dentistry, we can make you a customized night guard. This is molded to your smile, cushioning and protecting your teeth from the nightly grinding and clinching.
5. See your dentist 
   • In the end, Dr. Wells, can help you! Be sure to visit every six months to ensure Dr. Wells can go over any treatment to help with your sensitivity.

The American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) and The American Dental Association (ADA) have designated March 5th – March 11th of 2017 as Dental Assistant Recognition Week. Here at First Impressions Family Dentistry we have four amazing assistants, we definitely could not do our job without them! These wonderful women work extremely hard to help provide excellent care and experiences to our patients. During this special week we would like to recognize and say thank you to our incredible dental assistants here at our office. Their job is essential for making your experience here a positive one!

We will be celebrating our dedicated, exceptional assistants with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts stating “We DONUT know what we would have done without you!”

Dental assistants; Amy, Viviana, Deneen, Katie

Our dental assistants play a very important role in our office. They help to make your appointments go smoothly as they work with you. By doing this they make you and your family comfortable in the dental chair. Also, they take on an essential role assisting our dentists during procedures. This allows us to give our patients the quality dental care they deserve. Most importantly they provide educational and informative communications to patients.  This helps extend the understanding of what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how our patients did during the procedures. We hope that you will join us in recognizing them as a special service provider in our community.

We appreciate everything they do on a daily basis!

Thank you!

Spring is in the air! This means it is time to plant flowers. At First Impressions Family Dentistry we love flowers! If you’re an avid gardener or if you’re starting your very first flower bed, you’ll interested to know about some of the most popular varieties available to you. While there are number of popular flowers on the market, starting with these five varieties will certainly get your garden going.

Pansies

Gardeners love pansies, especially beginners, because these flowers are easy! When they bloom in the spring, they show in a variety of different colors, from deep blues to bright yellows. They are often used to complement other flowers because they bloom from spring to fall. These popular flowers grow close to the ground and are found front and center in a flower garden.

Periwinkle

The periwinkle’s a popular purple petal can be perennial or annual. They grow closer to the ground than the pansies and are often used for ground cover. Also, they will make a garden bed or yard look colorful, but they need well-drained soil. They work best in looser soils. This flower will spread on its own through your yard, so if you want your whole yard will be covered, don’t hold this plant back!

Lily of the Valley

This is a delicate looking flower. This white bell shaped petals hang from a vine like stalk. The plant only blooms from late spring to early summer, but these are popular because they are so very pretty. It thrives in shade, so many planters will use them under trees or in the shadow of a home. It is easy to grown in dark soil and make sure the flowers are spread out from each other

Poppies

Poppies are famous for their large petals with dark centers. They raise from the foliage to bloom in the springtime, giving a splash of color to the center of the garden. Some grow as tall as four feet, and are planted to hang over ground cover or behind shorter flower types. Poppies come in a variety of colors and sizes, which makes them one of the most sought after flowers for the garden.

Tulips

Tulips represent springtime, the Easter holiday and warmer weather. There are a wide variety of different types of tulips, which means they also come in different colors. Due to a range variety, these flowers are favored in many different types of soils and areas of the country. They work well for beginning gardens!