How Sugar Hurts the Teeth

If you want to keep your permanent teeth for a lifetime, then it’s time to throw the energy drinks, fruit juices, and soda in the trash. Sugar feeds on the bacteria in the mouth and provides no nutritional benefits for tooth enamel. Once tooth enamel is gone, Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS cannot restore it. Instead, she will need to explore cosmetic options, such as fillings and dental bonding to restore the tooth.

Soft drinks, diet soft drinks, and sports energy drinks contain high levels of sugar and/or acid that promote tooth decay. Fruit juices contain sugar and acid. To promote a healthy smile, Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS encourages patients to drink more water and milk. Water cleans the mouth with every sip, while milk contains calcium to to strenghen your bone.

If you have questions or concerns regarding diet and dental health, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.dentistnj.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS, here in our Holmdel, NJ office, call 732-264-8180. 

Thank You for Your Positive Reviews!

At the dental practice of Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS, we love to hear from our patients because it teaches us how to improve as a team. Though this particular patient chose to remain anonymous, we would still like to thank them for reviewing us. Additionally, we encourage the rest of our patients to write testimonials and thank each and every one of you for your feedback!   

“Dr. Shah and staff are very professional, go to educational classes (more certificates than her wall space!) to stay abreast with modern dentistry, explains everything well, cares and does dental work only what you need and can afford, works with fears, shows respect to patients in every sense, lets you know the cost of work before starting so no surprises, accommodates needs (special kids play room and staff, willing to help even with your kids so moms can get dental work done without paying for baby sitter), takes time to explain how to care for your teeth and health, stays in touch with her newsletter, which is full of educational information. Her dental work is excellent. She provides all dental work without sending you out to strange specialist from difficult root canal and implants to cosmetic dentistry and simple fillings! I have been going to her for many years and I highly recommend her as a dentist. Thank you Dr. Shah for being such a great family dentist.  –Anonymous”

If you would like to leave a testimonial or are interested in learning more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.dentistnj.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Dipika Shah DDS, here in our Holmdel, NJ office, call 732-264-8180. 

When to Start Orthodontics

At Dr. Dipika Shah’s Holmdel practice, we want to provide treatment for your entire family with good quality. Part of our exam is to determine whether our patients will need orthodontic treatment and to prepare them for braces or Invisalign. To help patients know what kind of treatment is appropriate, we’ve provided this guide.

Ten or eleven is the usual age to begin braces or Invisalign but children will begin being assessed several years before then. One of our specialties is the use of oral appliances to help combat problems such as tongue thrusting (which can result in malocclusions) and overly narrow jaws. Children may also need early orthodontic treatment if they are suffering from constricted airways or if they have lost a baby tooth before the permanent one was ready to erupt. In that case, they would need a spacer to ensure the permanent tooth will have room. Early adolescence is the recommended age at which to begin braces and Invisalign because the permanent teeth have all erupted but the skull is still somewhat flexible. Adults can undergo orthodontic treatment for misalignments and gap teeth, but guided canine eruption and underbite treatments work best on adolescents.

Dr. Dipika Shah, Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, operates at 723 N Beers St, Suite 2F, Holmdel, New Jersey, 07733-1512. To schedule an appointment, call 732-264-8180 or visit DentistNJ.com and fill out a contact form.

 

Diabetes and Orthodontics

Did you know that November is American Diabetes Month? At Dr. Dipika Shah’s Holmdel dental office, we’ve worked for years to help our patients understand how diabetes complicates oral health. This month, we want to focus on how orthodontics, in particular, is affected by diabetes.

People with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to gingivitis and periodontal disease. When periodontal disease goes untreated, it damages the jaw bone that supports your teeth and gums, allowing teeth to migrate. This kind of damage can influence poor results with orthodontics, braces make oral hygiene more difficult. For a diabetic person with uncontrolled periodontal disease, this becomes poor choice of treatment. On the other hand, Invisalign does not create additional challenges to oral hygiene. The aligners may be removed and the patient can brush and floss normally. Invisalign also puts gentler pressure on the teeth, which is preferable for diabetic patients. Everyone may not be a candidate for Invisalign but if the patient’s blood sugar is kept under control and they adhere to oral hygiene practices, they can still receive treatment with braces or Invisalign. Once treatment starts, your follow up visits, will give us an opportunity to ensure the patient’s teeth and gums are still healthy.

Dr. Dipika Shah, Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, operates at 723 N Beers St, Suite 2F, Holmdel, New Jersey, 07733-1512. To schedule an appointment, call 732-264-8180 or visit DentistNJ.com and fill out a contact form.

 

Reducing Children's Dental Anxiety

We love treating children at Dr. Dipika Shah’s Holmdel dental office. It is very important how they are introduced to dental office, staff and how they are handled on their first visit. Parents should be honest with themselves about whether they may be transmitting their own anxiety to their child. Emphasizing to children that they’ll get rewarded for being brave indicates that there’s something to be afraid of. Instead, the child should be taught to think of the dentist and hygienists as friends and dental office as a pleasant outing to get their teeth counted, brushed with tickle brush and play in a magic chair. In short, no negative words, just positive talk.

When your child arrives, we can describe the procedures in terms they will understand and give demonstrations with our tools. It is usually unnecessary to give descriptions of procedures that we are unlikely to do, but children often like to hear about the importance of fighting cavities and keeping their mouths guarded during sports depending upon their age. We have lots of options to distract them and make a dental visit real fun.

Dr. Dipika Shah, Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, operates at 723 N Beers St, Suite 2F, Holmdel, New Jersey, 07733-1512. To schedule an appointment, call 732-264-8180 or visit DentistNJ.com and fill out a contact form.