Palm Dentistry Blog

The holiday season is a time for celebration, comfort food, and festive treats—but many of the dishes we enjoy this time of year aren’t exactly friendly to our teeth. While you don’t need to avoid these foods entirely, being mindful about how often and how you enjoy them can help prevent unexpected dental issues.

Here are some popular holiday foods that can harm your smile, along with tips to enjoy the season without putting your oral health at risk.

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, and, of course, delicious food. But while your favorite holiday dishes may warm your heart, they’re not always kind to your teeth. Sugary desserts, starchy sides, and acidic drinks can all take a toll on your enamel if you’re not careful. The good news? You don’t have to skip the feast to protect your smile. Here are 5 tips to make your Thanksgiving dinner tooth-friendly—without sacrificing flavor or fun.

Waking up with jaw pain on one side can be confusing and uncomfortable. You might wonder if it’s caused by a dental issue, muscle strain, or something more serious. While occasional discomfort isn’t uncommon, persistent pain on one side of the jaw can signal an underlying problem that deserves attention. Let’s explore the most common reasons your jaw might hurt on one side and what you can do about it.

Adjusting to life with dentures can take time, especially when it comes to speaking. Many people feel self-conscious about how their voice sounds or worry about dentures slipping when they talk. The good news is that with practice and the right techniques, you can regain confidence in your speech. Here are 5 helpful tips for speaking clearly and comfortably with dentures.

When most people think about tooth loss, they immediately focus on the impact it has on chewing, speaking, or smiling with confidence. But the effects go far beyond your mouth. Tooth loss can actually change the shape of your face over time, leading to noticeable differences in your appearance. Understanding why this happens can help you appreciate the importance of replacing missing teeth quickly.

It is estimated that half of all American adults have some degree of dental phobia, and of them, a full 20 percent have such severe anxiety that it may prevent them from getting even routine dental care. This can be extremely problematic, especially when you consider that the American Dental Association recommends you visit your dentist every six months for regular dental exams and cleanings. Skipping these important appointments can leave your smile vulnerable to a variety of problems ranging from cavities to gum disease to even oral cancer. But what’s causing all this fear? Here’s a closer look at some common reasons for dental phobia, and what you can do about it.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, has been used to help dental patients sit calmly and comfortably during their appointments for almost two hundred years. During that time, it has been found to be overwhelmingly safe and free from long-lasting side effects, which makes it a great option for almost everyone who has trouble remaining calm or still in the dental chair or who is receiving an especially long or intensive procedure. Here’s a brief guide to how nitrous oxide works and how it has helped many people enjoy healthy smiles.

As much as we’d like for the results of orthodontic treatment to be absolutely permanent, this is unfortunately not the case. Factors such as oral injuries, neglecting to wear your retainer, or grinding your teeth after wearing braces can cause the teeth to drift out of alignment again, which makes them harder to clean and easier to injure. Here’s how people who have already worn braces may be able to benefit from Invisalign and what the process looks like.

Dental implants are an increasingly popular method of tooth replacement, and it’s easy to see why. Not only do they look just like real teeth, but they also work like them too. In fact, these permanent restorations have nearly the same biteforce as your real teeth, and because they’re permanent, you never need to remove them to clean them like you do with dentures. Better yet, there’s no need to worry about them slipping out while you’re speaking or eating, and you can even sleep without taking them out.

But unlike dentures, dental implants do have a five percent chance of failure. Though rare, dental implant failure can result in the need for additional procedures such as bone grafts and reimplantation surgery. Here’s how you can improve your dental implant success and keep your beautiful new smile looking and feeling great for a lifetime!

Dental implants are remarkable prosthetic devices that can replace lost teeth with strong and beautifully lifelike restorations that function just like real teeth. The success of a patient’s dental implants largely depends on these appliances thoroughly integrating with the jawbone after being placed, as this allows them to exert maximum chewing pressure and last for several decades if they receive excellent care

Unfortunately, certain habits such as smoking can complicate your recovery after receiving dental implants and even cause them to fail. Here’s a guide to how you may still be able to replace your teeth with implants if you smoke.