Back to School Dental Tips

September 13th, 2017 by | No Comments

At Newman Family Dentistry, we provide dental services to people of all ages. This includes children, teens, and adults. We understand that children and teens have different dental health needs than adults. It is important to provide an environment where they can feel at ease and listened to. Our staff are experienced in working with young children as well as teenagers.

We provide a comfortable, family dentistry environment. Our staff also make sure to listen to each and every one of our patients. We will talk to parents and work with them to ensure their children have healthy oral hygiene routines. We will also work with children and parents to individualize a dental hygiene plan. At Newman Family Dentistry, we know that every child is different, and we are focused on providing individualized care. As a family dentist in Indianapolis and Carmel, we provide a variety of services including x-rays, check-ups, fillings, and much more.

Back to school is a great time to check-in on your family’s oral hygiene with a check-up at the dentist

The summertime is always busy and full of vacations, activities, and fun in the sun. It can also be hard to focus on routine in the summer. This is why back to school is a great time to get back into a schedule and think about the things we’ve neglected over the summer. This includes oral hygiene. Coming in for a check-up when school is back in session is a good idea to ensure your children’s oral health is in a good place.

Setting a routine teaches your children good oral hygiene habits

It’s also a great time to get children into a schedule that includes routine, daily oral health choices. This means teaching them to brush and floss their teeth each morning before school as well as every night before they go to bed. These simple habits can have positive, long-lasting impacts on your child’s oral hygiene. Also, teaching them about eating foods that strengthen teeth and gums can have a positive impact on their dental hygiene choices.

Schedule an Appointment

Newman Family Dentistry provides dental services for the whole family. We provide an environment where children, teens, and adults can feel comfortable and listened to. Please give us a call to schedule an appointment. Back to school is a great time to bring your children in for a check-up. Our friendly front desk staff are happy to help and answer any questions you might have.

Healthy Snacks for Healthy Teeth

August 21st, 2017 by | No Comments

Healthy Snacks for Healthy Kids

You know that the foods you pack in your child’s lunch are healthy for their body, but how will those snacks and main course items affect their teeth? Preventive dental care is all about warding off oral bacteria and protecting teeth from injury, which is why healthy snacks are an important part of the dental wellness equation. Here are a few go-to ingredients for a healthy lunch.

Go-To Ingredients For A Healthy Lunch

Crunchy Veggies

Crunchy vegetables like carrot sticks and celery act as natural toothbrushes for the teeth, scrubbing away food particles and plaque. Additionally, vegetables are naturally high in fiber and Vitamin C, keeping your child full throughout the day and improving their eye health.

Milk

Instead of packing a fruit punch or a soda for your child, pack a calcium rich beverage like milk. In addition to having loads of calcium, a natural mineral that helps bone health, most milk is fortified with Vitamin D, which helps to improve calcium absorption.

Nuts, Seeds, and Whole Grains

Nuts, seeds, and whole grains are filled with fiber and protein, providing your child with a crunchy element to their lunch while keeping them full for longer. Look for whole wheat bread with seeds in it, or pack a pouch of nuts. Keep in mind that since some children are allergic to nuts, you should encourage your child never to share their lunch to avoid sparking allergic reactions in other children.

Water

Fluoridated water helps the teeth to remineralize, while diluting bacterial acids and helping to rinse away food particles. Always pack an ample amount of water for your child’s lunch and backpack, and encourage them to drink frequently throughout the day.

A Stick of Sugar-Free Gum

Gum might not be allowed in class, but packing it in your child’s lunch might give them to keep their teeth clean right after eating. In addition to helping your child to clean the biting surfaces of their teeth in a fun way, sugar-free gum also increases saliva production in the mouth by about ten times, cleaning the teeth after meals.

Schedule Your Child’s Dental Checkup Today!

To make your schedule during the school year a little less hectic, consider scheduling your children’s dental checkups in the weeks leading up to school starting. During routine checkups, your family dentist in Indianapolis can check for everything from early dental decay and chips to incoming teeth and the need for orthodontic care. With a focus on family and a commitment to superior dentistry, Drs. Mikel, Marc, and Don Newman will do everything they can to give your child a healthy, comfortable smile before school starts.

Why Should You Brush Your Tongue?

July 25th, 2017 by | No Comments

Good Habits Lead to Better Oral Health

Having a healthy mouth and a bright, white smile starts with daily choices. Making sure that twice daily brushing and flossing is a regular part of your routine is essential. It is also important to teach these habits to your children, so they can have a healthy mouth as they grow. Of course, it is important to come into the office for regular check-ups and cleanings, but it is during the day to day routines that great oral health and beautiful smiles are really made.

We recommend brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day. Along with this, and something that many people don’t realize, is that you should brush your tongue twice daily, too. Making this a habit will keep your mouth healthier, reduce bad breath, and contribute to a cosmetic appearance with brighter teeth. Brushing your tongue is especially important to reducing bad breath and reducing bacteria in your mouth.

Why should you brush your tongue?

Why you should brush your tongue

The tongue plays host to many different kinds of bacteria. The bacteria can hide in the textured areas of the tongue and make a home there. When you brush your tongue, you can get rid of a large portion of this bacteria. This helps you have better breath and is a benefit to overall oral health.

Rinsing with water or mouthwash is not enough to remove the bacteria. This kind of bacteria creates a film on the tongue that needs to be gently scraped off. If you are worried about bad breath, regularly brushing your tongue can improve the breath of most people.

It’s Simple!

You don’t have to do much to add tongue brushing to your oral hygiene routine. It only takes a few extra seconds. Just brush back and forth and then side to side and rinse your mouth out with water. Also, you don’t have to brush too hard, just a gentle yet steady brushing technique will work great.

Schedule an Appointment

Newman Family Dentistry offers family dentistry in Carmel, and Indianapolis. With us, you can trust you are getting high quality care in a friendly, positive environment. We provide a wide range of family dentistry services including x-rays, check-ups, fillings, and more. Our staff are all committed to giving you the best experience possible from the moment you walk in the door. Our dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and all of our staff will listen to your concerns and address them. This also means we are concerned with helping you make smart, educated choices related to your oral hygiene.

Call Newman Family Dentistry to find oure more helpful tips or to schedule an appointment at our office. Our friendly front desk staff will be happy to help.

Protect Your Teeth This Summer

June 11th, 2017 by | No Comments

Enjoying Summer thanks to Newman Family Dentistry
Summertime brings a lot of good things, sunshine, outdoor activities and sports, just to name a few. Dentists around the country brace for an increase in emergency visits for patients who experience sports related injuries to their mouths. In general we like to warn others of the dangers of not protecting your mouth while playing sports and the types of injuries that can be prevented.

According to Sports Health, the most common types injuries to athletes are fractured and dislodged teeth.. If you happen to take a blow to the mouth while playing sports, a mouthguard will absorb some of the impact, which helps to protect your teeth.

Performance enhancing mouthguards do not just protect your teeth. They also create a buffer to help stabilize the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and further protect it from injury. Soft tissue damage to the lips and gums can also be greatly reduced when athletes wear mouth guards, face masks or other protective gear.

There are three types of mouthguards. Sock mouthguards are ready to wear from time of purchase but usually do not provide much personalized protection. Boil and bite mouthguards you mold at home with boiling water and biting down on the warm plastic. This can provide a level of protection stock guards cannot. Lastly, but most effectively, custom made mouthguards. These are made by your dentist and offer the best protection.

Whether it be an elbow to your teeth or a baseball to the jaw, our dentists can help repair the damage. Any traumatic injury to the face, especially to the mouth, can cause severe discomfort and be expensive to fix. Often times athletes want their injuries fixed quickly in order to get back to doing what they love. We understand their passion and have developed ways to help with temporary repairs while working on long term treatments.

We want you to enjoy your summer, and if there is a chance that you do need to come see us, please schedule an appointment today so we can get you in fast, and back out enjoying these wonderful months of summer!

How does Invisalign work?

May 31st, 2017 by | No Comments

At Newman Family Dentistry, we offer a wide range of services in cosmetic dentistry in Indianapolis. We are committed to giving every patient individualized care and listening to their concerns. We also want to educate our patients on the services we offer and how they work. We know that with a healthy, bright smile, your confidence will go up. Giving our patients a smile they can be proud of is something we take seriously!

invisalign logo

Invisalign available at Newman Family Dentistry in Indianapolis Indiana

Alternative to Conventional Braces

Many adults did not have braces as teens and are considering a way to straighten teeth in adulthood. If you are an adult who doesn’t want to go through the process of metal braces, we have an alternative method of teeth straightening known as Invisalign. This product is a clear aligner that is used to straighten teeth in both teens and adults. We have found that this product is very popular among adults and can benefit them in creating the smile they want without the time commitment and hassle of braces.

What is Invisalign and how does it work?

Invisalign is a very comfortable, nearly invisible way of straightening teeth without using conventional braces. While traditional braces involve metal brackets attached to teeth. The wires are then attached to the bracket and used to shift teeth. Invisalign uses clear aligners, that are made custom to fit your teeth, which apply a gentler pressure over time to move teeth. The aligners are refitted over time as your teeth shift. The process usually involves around 8-12 aligners over a period of about 12-24 months.

There are many benefits to using Invisalign over conventional braces. Many patients like using them for reasons such as:

  • They are mostly invisible even when eating or talking.
  • They are comfortable and relatively pain free.
  • Food doesn’t get trapped between them like it does in metal braces.
  • They can be easily taken out to clean and floss.
  • Patients can go about their daily routine and don’t need to cut certain foods out of their diet.
  • Patients don’t have to deal with the sometimes painful wire tightening appointments that come with metal braces.

Contact Us!

Newman Family Dentistry serves the Indianapolis and Carmel, Indiana areas. We can provide Invisalign for both teens and adults. If you are interested in getting started or to learn more, give our office a call.

The Ultimate Guide to Toothpaste

May 15th, 2017 by | No Comments

what is the best toothpaste?

An explosion of new toothpastes have hit the market, causing many stores to limit the number of new toothpaste brands they are willing to carry. From organic toothpaste to those approved by the American Dental Association (ADA), buying toothpaste can be confusing! Fortunately, at Newman Family Dentistry, we want to make buying toothpaste a little bit easier. Here is the ultimate guide to toothpaste:

  • Teeth whitening toothpaste – What is meant by teeth whitening toothpaste? Traditionally the toothpaste will contain coarse abrasives that scrub the tooth surface to remove stains that discolor the teeth.
  • Anti-decay toothpaste – Fluoride compounds are found in most toothpastes with anti-decay labels. Fluoride helps to restore the enamel of a tooth, reducing its vulnerabilities to bacteria, plaque, and cavities.
  • Anti-plaque toothpaste – Individuals seeking to fight gum disease often turn to anti-plaque toothpaste as it does help to inhibit plaque accumulation. Anti-plaque toothpaste contain Zinc, Triclosan, and other ingredients designed to reduce the effects of bacteria on the teeth and gums.

As a go to, we recommend patients seek out dental toothpaste approved by the American Dental Association (ADA). The ADA testing standards for toothpaste require manufacturers to meet certain standards of quality and effectiveness before the toothpaste can be sold. As a Dentist in New Albany, we have seen plenty of oral diseases that are not properly managed with the right toothpaste. Here are our top five toothpastes currently on the market to consider using to improve your oral health:

  1. Colgate Total – There is a reason Colgate has remained one of the top toothpaste brands, it works! Colgate Total includes fluoride and triclosan to fight plaque and bacteria.
  2. Crest Cavity Protection – Crest and Colgate tend to stay together as the leaders of the pack when it comes to toothpaste. Crest’s Cavity Protection toothpaste is designed to fight off bacteria that causes tooth decay.
  3. Arm and Hammer Complete Care – This toothpaste contains fluoride and other ingredients to prevent plaque, but it also contains baking soda, which helps to prevent bacteria from growing.
  4. Tom’s of Main Natural Care Fluoride Toothpaste – If you want a natural toothpaste, this is the one to use! Tom’s of Main contains fluoride to strengthen the enamel of the teeth, but it doesn’t contain many of the chemicals found in other name-brands.
  5. Nature’s Gate Cool Mint Gel – This all-natural toothpaste leaves a brusher with a minty-fresh mouth. It works well to destroy bacteria causing bad breath, but there isn’t enough about this new brand to consider long-term results against plaque.

To learn more about toothpaste options designed to meet your oral health needs, call our dental office to schedule an appointment.

April is Oral Health Awareness Month!

April 4th, 2017 by | No Comments

At Newman Family Dentistry, we know that your oral health is important every month of the year. As your Indianapolis family dentist, we are committed to keeping you updated on what goes on in the oral health world every day, week, and month of the year!

But, April is a particularly special month in the world of oral hygiene as it is Oral Health Awareness Month. This makes April the perfect time for us to remind our patients on the important and long-reaching impacts of having good oral hygiene. This also means April is a great month for you to look back on the last time you had a checkup or cleaning and evaluate if you are due for stopping in to make sure your oral health is in order.

Along with making sure you have good overall oral hygiene, Oral Health Awareness Month focuses on the risks and reality of oral cancer and how to prevent and screen for it. At Newman Family Dentistry, we take our role of educating the public on these issues seriously. We want our patients to know that oral cancer is a dangerous disease that is very preventable with regular, consistent oral health practices.

Best Ways to Prevent Oral Cancer

The best way to prevent oral cancer is by opportunistic screening. This is how we catch any signs of oral cancer early and make sure this does not become a deadly problem. The best way to make sure your oral health is in order is to incorporate smart choices into your life related to oral health. These practices include the things you should incorporate into your daily routine. Such as:

  • Brushing
  • Flossing
  • Not eating foods that are rough on your teeth.
  • Taking care of braces if you have them.

Oral health awareness also includes a focus on remembering to make a visit to the dentist every six months for a dental checkup and exam. Also, if you notice any pain or other strange oral health symptoms, it is recommend to make an appointment. We can screen for oral cancer at your regular visits or any other time you come in.

We are committed to giving you high quality service as your Indianapolis family dentist. At Newman Family Dentistry, we make it our goal to provide a positive, comfortable experience at the dentist. We want to help educate our patients and help them make smart, knowledgeable choices about their oral hygiene.

National Children’s Dental Health Month

February 8th, 2017 by | Comments Off on National Children’s Dental Health Month

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, reminding all of us about the importance of taking care of our children’s teeth. Early childhood dental decay is a worldwide epidemic, making it difficult for children to talk, eat, and drink comfortably. Poor dental health can also affect children’s self-confidence, since other kids might ask about dental decay or make comments about bad breath. If left untreated, dental decay can also pose serious health threats, allowing dangerous oral bacteria to leach into your child’s bloodstream.

February is Dental Health Month from Newman Family Dental

Fortunately, a proactive approach can help your child to enjoy a beautiful, healthy smile. Here are just a few tips for keeping your child’s teeth healthy.  

Tips To Keep Your Child’s Teeth Healthy

Offer Proper Amounts of Fluoride

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps to strengthen your child’s dental enamel, warding off dental decay. If you live in an area where fluoride is infused in the water supply, encourage your child to drink tap water. If you don’t talk with your dentist about fluoride supplements to keep your child’s teeth healthy and strong.

Perfect Your Child’s Daily Dental Routine

Work with your child daily to perfect their dental hygiene routine. Until your child is old enough to do it on their own, help them to brush and floss their teeth every day. After they have mastered brushing, check their teeth regularly to make sure that they are being cleaned properly.

Focus on Preventive Care

If you really want to focus on preventing dental decay, focus on preventive care by talking with your child’s dentist about dental sealants. Dental sealants are a clear plastic shield that is painted onto the teeth to protect them from food accumulation and bacteria. Talk with your Indianapolis family dentist about whether or not sealants are right for your child.

Schedule Your Child’s Preventive Checkup Today

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends bringing your child in for a dental checkup when they turn one or develop their first tooth, whichever comes first. Afterwards, children should be seen every six months with the rest of the family. If it has been awhile since your child’s last dental checkup, schedule an appointment with Newman Family Dentistry. In addition to focusing on keeping kids healthy and happy, our office is a fun family dentistry practice in Carmel where your kids will be comfortable.

Happy New Year from Newman Family Dentistry

January 4th, 2017 by | Comments Off on Happy New Year from Newman Family Dentistry

Happy New Year from Newman Family Dentistry

Every year only 9% of Americans feel they were successful at keeping their New Year’s resolutions. By February, people begin to backslide because they are expecting to see major results right away. With 2017 underway, let Newman Family Dentistry help you keep your dental health goals. The key to accomplishing your health resolutions is consistency. Here are some habits you can integrate into your daily dental routine as you work towards a more brilliant smile. A consistent dental health routine along with biannual dentist office exams will help keep your smile healthy and brilliant throughout the year.

Brush

Brushing teeth morning and night will remove food particles and clean the teeth, making it harder for plaque to grow. To avoid hurting the gums and causing recession, use a soft bristled toothbrush. Brush along all the surfaces of your teeth for two to three minutes using light circular motions. Sticky foods like caramels, taffy, or gummy like candies are some of the worst foods for your teeth. These candies will stick to the teeth, making it easier for bacteria to flourish and ultimately causing cavities or tooth decay if left unchecked. To avoid this, be sure to brush or rinse your mouth soon after consuming these types of foods.

Floss

Without flossing, you don’t have a complete dental routine. Flossing works to remove food particles and plaque from in between the teeth. If left to itself, plaque and other bacteria can lead to periodontal disease and tooth decay. To floss properly, take an 18-inch piece of floss and wrap each end around your pointer finger. Holding the floss taut, slide it gently between each tooth using a sawing motion.

Rinse

Rinsing with mouthwash morning and night can kill the bacteria that create plaque, gingivitis, cavities, and bad breath. Mouthwash does not replace the need for brushing and flossing. Rather, it reinforces the preventive efforts made to keep teeth clean and healthy while immediately freshening your breath.

Regular Dentist Visits

Has it been a while since your last teeth cleaning? Bi annual dental office visits play an invaluable role in keeping teeth healthy. These visits allow your dentist and hygienist to clean and polish teeth while checking for problems.  To get your dental health on track this year, reach out to our dentist office in Indianapolis by giving us a call today. We look forward to partnering with you to help you reach your dental health resolutions this year. From your friends at Newman Family Dentistry, may you have a healthy and joyous start to 2017 and thank you for choosing us as your family dentist.

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