National Toothache Day: Celebrate Being Toothache Free in Douglasville

Every year on February 9th, we commemorate National Toothache Day. And while having a toothache is no holiday, being toothache free is something we can definitely celebrate.  The Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams likes to use National Toothache Day to remind all of our patients how to stay toothache free and why keeping up with your dental care is so important.

In fact, avoiding toothaches isn’t all that difficult, and it starts with a good dental hygiene protocol at home. By making sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day for a minimum of two minutes each time, and by flossing at least once a day, you’re already taking the first steps to being toothache free. Flossing and brushing away the day’s bacteria aids in keeping your pearly whites clean and germ free. And if your teeth are clean, there’s less chance for plaque and bacteria to get comfortable and start causing problems.

In addition to your at-home hygiene routine, keeping up with professional cleanings and checkups with Dr. Jim Williams in Douglasville is just as important for a toothache free mouth. Professional hygiene visits take your teeth to a whole new level of clean, and our hygienists work deep below the gum line to remove anything you may have missed. Your regular checkups are also a great time for Dr. Jim Williams to catch any potential problems before they turn into major issues.

If you are experiencing a toothache in Douglasville, don’t wait for the pain to pass. A toothache is your body’s way of telling you that something’s not quite right, and you should listen. Don’t live with the discomfort of a toothache. Give Dr. Jim Williams a call and we’ll work together to determine the cause of the pain and get you back to being toothache free and smiling.

Stressed? Your Oral Health May be at Risk.

We all get stressed. It’s a part of life. And while we’re all familiar with what stress does to our bodies –anxiety disorders, panic attacks, irritability – our mouths can also be affected by stress. In fact, researchers have found a significant link between stress and certain oral health conditions. At the Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams, we’d like to talk a little bit about why staying calm isn’t just important for your mind and body, but why it’s also crucial to the health of your mouth.

Stress can cause us to grind our teeth at night, and sometimes, we don’t even realize we’re doing it. Nighttime tooth grinding, also known as bruxism, can lead to tooth damage and even problems with your TMJ (jaw) joint.

Additionally, several studies have confirmed that long-term stress affects our immune systems which can increase our susceptibility to infections. This is especially concerning for your Douglasville dentist as a lowered immune system can increase your chance of periodontal disease.

Dry mouth also often results from conditions caused by stress or can be a side effect of some medicines used to treat depression and other diseases. Dry mouth may sound like it’s just uncomfortable, but it can actually lead to a chronic sore throat, difficulty swallowing and speaking, and can even increase the risk for gum disease, tooth decay, and mouth infections.

Although avoiding all stress isn’t possible, learning to handle it and relieve it in healthy ways can help keep your mouth, and your body, in good shape. However, if you have, or even think you have, any of the conditions or symptoms we discussed above, don’t hesitate to call the dental office of Dr. Jim Williams in Douglasville.  We can discuss what’s going on in your mouth and work together to fix it.

Ring in the New Year with a New Smile!

For a lot of us, the new year means making resolutions to look better, get healthier, be happier, or improve life as a whole. Whatever specifics your resolutions may include, don’t overlook the chance to enhance your smile with cosmetic dentistry from Dr. Jim Williams in Douglasville.

There’s a lot to say about a healthy, beautiful smile. Some people are lucky to have been born with one. Others have to battle against genetics, accidents, or aging. When time, or life itself, takes a toll on your teeth, your confidence can dwindle and it’s common to begin hiding your smile. However, you don’t need to hide forever. Dr. Jim Williams can help.

Our Douglasville cosmetic dentistry options can get you smiling again, help boost your confidence, and fulfill your New Year’s resolution to look better, feel better, and be happier. Whether you need a professional whitening to brighten your smile, veneers to enhance the aesthetics of your teeth, or a complete smile makeover, we’re here to make it all possible.

There’s never been a better time to get healthy and confident for life. If you’re ready to stop hiding and start smiling, give us a call to schedule an appointment today. We’ll work with you to find the best cosmetic dentistry treatment for you. This is the year, ring in the New Year with a new smile from Dr. Jim Williams.

Teeth Whitening: DIY or Visit your Dentist in Douglasville?

Do you hide your smile because your teeth aren’t as bright or white as you’d like? You’re not alone. Many people don’t like the color of their smiles and are turning towards teeth whitening as a fix.With so many whitening options available, choosing the right one for you can be confusing. From professional whitenings to over-the-counter, drugstore kits, how do you know if one is better than other? Where do you start?

You start with Dr. Jim Williams!

All of us at our dental office in Douglasville want to encourage our patients to come see us before deciding on a whitening treatment. Although whitening your smile may seem simple and harmless, there are a few things to consider before taking the leap.

Over-the-counter whitening kits may seem like the ideal solution with their slim price tags and convenience, but it’s important to be aware of their potential dangers. Since many of these kits provide a whitening tray that isn’t custom fitted to your smile, the bleaching solution can easily sit on the gums for a prolonged period of time and cause irritation. Additionally, some products that you find at your local drugstore can lead to tooth pain or can be too mild to yield desired results.

An alternative to these kits is a professional whitening with your Douglasville dentist. This option is safer as custom trays are used and protective measures are taken to avoid any gum irritation. You’re also often able to keep your smile whiter for longer.

Whichever choice you make, make sure to visit Dr. Jim Williams for an initial smile whitening consultation. We’ll help you choose the best option for you and your teeth and make sure you’re a candidate for a smile whitening procedure. If smile whitening isn’t your best option, we can discuss alternatives like veneers or bonding. Don’t remain tight-lipped! Show your smile to the world. Start by calling us today!

Why Should you Visit Your Douglasville Dentist Regularly?

In order to maintain a healthy mouth, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that you visit your dentist at least twice a year, and we agree. All of us at the dental office of Dr. Jim Williams in Douglasville want to express the importance of visiting us at least every six months for optimum oral and overall health.

When you maintain regular visits with your Douglasville dentist, you can avoid certain dental issues like tooth decay and swollen gums. While these may not seem problematic at first, they can lead to other major dental problems such as gum disease, abscesses, and sometimes even tooth loss if left untreated. During biannual visits, we not only conduct a thorough cleaning, we can also help diagnose any lurking problems and treat them before they become dangerous to your smile, and your health.

Many dental issues can lead to other serious health conditions like strokes, heart disease, and even certain cancers. Regular dental visits help prevent these scary health problems with early diagnosis and treatment. At your six month checkups, we’ll look for gum disease, oral cancer, evaluate your bite, and perform other preventive screenings. If you’re at higher risk for gum disease or decay, we’ll often recommend that you make appointments more frequently than every six months.

Don’t wait for dental problems to creep up on your or cause serious health problems. Be proactive with your health and call Dr. Jim Williams in Douglasville to schedule an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and help keep your smile, and your body, healthy.

Are You Flossing Correctly?

A lot of times we are presented with the question, “Do I really need to floss, or is brushing enough?” Dr. Jim Williams in Douglasville wants you to know that flossing isn’t just a suggestion; it’s an essential part of a healthy oral-wellness routine.

Proper flossing can help reduce the risk of gum disease and cavities, and is an important step toward having an overall healthy mouth. In fact, The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends flossing at least once a day in order to achieve optimal oral health.

Daily flossing removes plaque and bacteria from between the teeth — where a toothbrush can’t reach. If you’re just starting to adopt a good flossing habit, you may experience minor discomfort. It’s important that you don’t stop. If the discomfort doesn’t go away after a week or two of daily flossing, be sure to visit our Douglasville dental office as soon as possible.

Flossing Tips for Healthy Gums

• Floss before brushing your teeth

• Glide the floss in between each tooth using a sawing motion

• Angle the floss in a “c” shape around the tooth and slightly below the gumline

• Repeat on the opposite tooth

• Unravel the floss from your fingers, supplying fresh floss for each set of teeth

• Finish up with a proper brushing

Even if you do floss habitually and correctly, it’s still very important to maintain regular visits with your dentist in Douglasville. If you’re in need of a professional cleaning or check up, or if you just want to show off your healthy gums, call us to schedule an appointment today.

Tips for Proper Brushing

Brushing your teeth is something we all learn to do at an early age, and is even considered fun in the beginning. However, over the years, we become so used to brushing our teeth that we have a tendency to not really pay attention to how well we’re doing it. This could lead to a less than optimal clean and put you at risk for dental problems. At the Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams,we want everyone to know that it’s not only important to brush your teeth, but to also make sure that you’re doing it properly.

Although we’re always happy to hear that our patients are brushing their teeth twice a day, we also want them to know that an incorrect technique can leave teeth exposed to harmful plaque and tartar. Proper brushing helps you successfully remove these oral health dangers along with other harmful bacteria, and helps protect against cavities, gum disease and bad breath.

We recommend brushing at least twice day, in the morning and before bed, and also following our proper brushing techniques, which include:

• Aiming your bristles at a 45-degree angle to reach under the gum line

• Using soft, circular strokes instead of horizontal ones to avoid abrasions

• Cleaning your entire mouth including front, back and chewing surface of each tooth and your tongue

• Making sure that each brushing session lasts for at least two minutes

No matter how perfect your technique may be, it’s still very important that you visit your Douglasville dentist for routine checkups and professional cleanings. If you’re due for a checkup or cleaning, give Dr. Jim Williams a call to schedule your appointment today.

Choosing the Right Toothpaste for Your Douglasville Smile

Choosing a toothpaste for you and your family isn’t as easy as it used to be. With so many options to pick from, how do you know if you’re using the right toothpaste? From fluoride to tartar control, whitening to easing tooth sensitivity, the multitude of options is confusing. But don’t worry, the Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams wants to go back to the basics and explain what you should look for.

When choosing a toothpaste for you and your family, you should first narrow your search by looking for products with the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of approval. The ADA seal means that the product is safe and it does what it claims it will do. ADA approved toothpastes have undergone clinical studies by the association and the claims, whether it’s cavity fighting or tartar control, are backed by scientific findings.

Besides looking for the ADA’s approval, the most important component of a toothpaste is the ingredient fluoride. Fluoride has been proven to protect tooth enamel from decay and is crucial to maintain a healthy gums and teeth. In fact, according to the Academy of General Dentistry, brushing with a fluoride toothpaste twice daily can reduce tooth decay by as much as 40%.

In addition to fluoride as a key ingredient to the best toothpastes, flavor is also important. While there are no real clinical benefits to certain flavors over others, it is important to like the flavor of your chosen toothpaste to encourage brushing twice a day.

Whether you choose a cavity fighting, tartar controlling spearmint toothpaste or opt for one that helps with sensitivity, using the right toothpaste is only part of maintaining a healthy mouth.

While using a fluoride infused toothpaste twice a day is a great at-home routine, it’s also very important to keep up with regularly scheduled professional cleanings and checkups. The Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams can help get your smile back to health and keep it that way. If you’re due for a checkup or dental cleaning, give us a call today to schedule your appointment.

Choosing the Right Toothbrush in Douglasville

Walking down the toothbrush aisle at the local supermarket can be an overwhelming experience –  especially if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for. When choosing the right toothbrush for your smile, there are a few important characteristics to take into consideration other than simply your favorite color or the one that’s on sale. At the dental office of Dr. Jim Williams, we want to go back to the basics and discuss a few of the things you should look for when buying your next toothbrush.

Size and Shape

The size and shape of your toothbrush is a good starting point when choosing the ideal toothbrush for you. The head of the toothbrush should easily fit into your mouth without any strain or discomfort. The toothbrush should also fit comfortably in your hand and should feel as natural as holding a fork.

Bristles

The bristles of your toothbrush are also important and should be taken into consideration. While many people tend to think that harder bristles will be better for cleaning teeth, it is, in fact, the opposite. Hard bristles can irritate the gums and even damage teeth. Our dental office in Douglasville prefers and recommends soft-bristle toothbrushes.

Manual or Powered?

According to the American Dental Association, both manual and powered toothbrushes are effective and thorough at cleaning your teeth. However, some individuals have difficulty using a manual toothbrush to successfully reach all areas of the mouth and find that powered toothbrushes are easier and more comfortable.
Whether you decide on manual or powered, it’s ultimately more important to make sure that your toothbrush is easy to use and that you’re comfortable with it. Dr. Jim Williams also recommends that you brush your teeth twice a day and to visit our Douglasville dental office regularly for professional cleanings and exams.

Protecting Your Teeth with Sports Mouth Guards in Douglasville

Most of us aren’t surprised to see ice hockey players with missing teeth. But you don’t need to be an ice hockey player to be susceptible to sports
related dental injuries. In fact, some of the most common dental injuries are the result of contact sports like basketball, soccer or lacrosse. However, with sports mouth guards made in our Douglasville dental office, your chances of getting a dental injury during a sporting event is greatly decreased.

Using a sports mouth guard while playing any contact sport reduces the risk of injuries to your lips, tongue, gums, jaw, and of course, your teeth, and protects your mouth from some of the most common dental injuries.

Sports mouth guards not only protect the inside of your mouth, they can also help protect you against concussions and jaw fractures. However, not every mouth guard can protect you equally.

There are three basic types of sports mouth guards:

• Stock mouth guards often fit loosely over the upper teeth, aren’t individually shaped, can interfere with breathing and speech, and tend to move around a lot and therefore don’t fully protect your teeth.

• Self-adapted mouth guards (often referred to as boil and bite) can be individually shaped during a heating-biting process but are still prone to move around in the mouth, are easily bitten through and can’t protect as well as a custom-made mouthguard.

• Custom-made sports mouth guards from your Douglasville dentist are constructed to fit your mouth like a glove. They last longer, are more comfortable and provide the ultimate level of protection.

Both the American Dental Association and the Academy for Sports Dentistry recommend a properly fitted custom-made mouth guard to reduce the risk of sports related dental injuries, and your Douglasville dentist can properly fit you for one.

If you’re joining a recreation league, your kids are trying their hand at basketball, or if you’ve been playing forever, the dental office of Dr. Jim Williams can help protect your mouth, and your smile. Contact us today to learn more about sports mouth guards in Douglasville.