Can anything replace the good old flossing? The answer is NO!

Often when we ask our patient’s about their flossing habit we hear this answer, “I don’t floss but I use mouth rinse instead.” I would like to make it clear to everyone who reads this post, nothing but nothing can take the place of flossing. Although the dental product companies like to make you believe that mouth rinse will go in between your teeth and cleans the food residue, this is false.

Yes, mouth rinse is good in that it freshens your breath and in conjunction with brushing and flossing it helps in keeping your mouth clean by killing some of the bacteria (this is only true for the ones that have disinfectant component, some mouth rinses are simply breath fresheners!)

I wish if there was an easier way to scrape off all those food that got stuck in between the teeth through out the day! Just think about it, would you call your dirty dishes clean simply by running water over them, I am hoping your answer is NO! Same thing applies to your teeth and the space between them. In order to get your gums clean at the end of the day, you must use your muscles and scrape off the gunk!

Like everything else in life, there are no short cuts here either. As we (dentist) say among ourselves jokingly, “Just floss the teeth you like to keep.”

Hopefully you are planning to keep all your teeth!

Your little ones learn everything from you – all their good habits are a reflection of your good habit. I always think we re-live our life through our children. They learn their first worlds and first step from you.

We shape our children’s future in every aspect. One of the most important thing we owe to them is their good health and how to stay healthy.

Good oral health is a habit learned in early ages. You want your baby to watch you and try to mimic you when you are brushing. They look up to you and try to do everything you do. Let’s make an effort in creating a good role model for our little one. You and your little ones brush time should be a fun activity time to start and end the day with. You could name it as “me and my Daddy/ Mommy bubble making time.” Be creative in how to present the importance of good oral hygiene to them. The point is their brain is like a sponge and they love to copy you, so take advantage of their curious mind! To many happy healthy years.

I can’t help but to think what is missing from this picture.  She is surely dressed up nicely. The colors she chose are in perfect harmony.  She has a nice touch with jewelry.  The hair is done nicely and a good touch of lipstick.  Then what is missing??

I got it, she is missing the best accessory of all!  Her smile!  You can dress up to the best, but if you don’t have a smile to put the finishing touch on, it is simply not complete.

Looking at this other picture (below) makes me happy, I can’t help but to think this is how I want to be when I grow older. I want to be able to show how happy I am with a smile on my face to prove it.

A smile is beautiful when you have nice teeth.

Make sure you start to take care of your teeth while you are young so your teeth can stay with you for long time.

To avoid getting gum disease and bad breath see your hygienist on regular basis.  Have your routine check up done and please follow up with your dentist’s recommended treatment.

Your teeth are an investment of life time and it is one investment that you can not effort to lose.

Growing up we all heard from our parents,” If you don’t want a mouthful of cavities don’t eat candy.”

But is this a true statement or not?

The truth is when you eat candies the resident bacteria in your mouth enjoys the candies as much as you do.  The bacteria lives, plays and shares the remaining food you eat.  Bacteria in your mouth starts consuming the candies and produces acid as a product.  This acid dissolves the enamel of the tooth, which leads to dental decay, or cavities.  However, this happens when you eat anything that is a starch or carbohydrate.  Bacteria simply love carbohydrates, and candies are no different.  Food and snacks such as potato chips, crackers, bread, fruit, peanut butter and pasta have the same effect on your teeth.

So the question is … if all these foods have the same effect, why is it that candy has such a bad reputation.  The answer is … candy doesn’t have any nutritional value.  It is simply empty calories with no nutritional benefit.

But if you choose to have a piece of candy, or in the spirit of Halloween, let your kids enjoy their hard-earn candies and chocolate … then moderation is the key. Also, it is very important to brush and floss immediately after eating candy and other sweets.  Remember it is not candy that will harm your teeth, but the bacterial product that hurts your teeth and causes tooth decay.

So, enjoy your candy …

… just brush and floss immediately after.  Wishing everybody a healthy smile!

Dr. Negar Tehrani, DDS
Aura Center for Cosmetic Aesthetic Dentistry
Serving Tysons Corner, Vienna and Great Falls, Virginia

Many of my patients believe that the harder they brush the better they clean their teeth. When I ask my patients, “How often do you brush your teeth?” I get different answers. One answer I hear most is “only once day but I do it really hard and remove everything.” Dentists who care about you and your teeth do not like to hear this answer.

When you brush applying a lot of force using hard bristle brush in random directions you are actually causing more harm to your teeth than anything else.

Brushing your teeth should be done with soft or super soft bristle brushes. Gently hold the brush handle in 45 degrees angle.  Brush in soft and circular continuous movements, always from your gums toward your teeth.  To prevent recession of your gums and sensitivity of your teeth, never brush from the direction of the teeth towards gums.

Simply put, “Easy does it.”

Tyson’s Corner, McLean VA dentist
Dr. Negar Tehrani
Aura Center for Aesthetic Dentistry

We just moved to Tyson’s Corner from California and I was anxious to get my son into see the dentist for the first time. It was important for me to get Thomas used to seeing dentists so that he could start developing a healthy lifetime habit of taking care of his beautiful smile. Every time I saw a mom at Tyson’s Corner mall I would ask her for recommendations on who to see. Dr. Negar Tehrani of Aura Dentistry in McLean kept coming up again and again with almost every conversation. So, I decided to look her up and make my first appointment. Turns out that was one of the best decisions I made.

From the minute we entered Aura Dentistry, I knew that we found our family dentist. They had cartoons playing on a 50″ plasma TV in the waiting room. That kept Thomas from getting anxious. Meanwhile, I enjoyed a fresh cappuccino from their bar.

Kathy, one of Dr. Negar’s receptionists, was extraordinarily friendly, helpful and had a beautiful smile. Of course, she worked for a dentist.

When we entered the exam room, my son was thrilled to see a plasma TV on the ceiling.  That continued to keep his interest.  Everywhere I looked there was a big screen Macintosh.  I’ve never seen such a high-tech dental office.  They were completely up to date with electronic medical records and digital x-rays.

The dentist spent 15 or 20 minutes just talking and getting to know us and breaking the ice before she asked my son to look at his teeth.  Dr. Tehrani is a natural with children.  She has just the right touch.

…

You can see from the photo of my son (yes, we documented his first visit to the dentist and it’s in our family photo album), that he was a happy camper.  At one point, the entire dental office (receptionist, hygienist and dentist) were all in the room with us laughing and playing.

Thomas’ first visit to the dentist was just what I had hoped it to be: fun and positive.  Dr. Tehrani invested time teaching my son how to brush and floss and how important it is to maintain a healthy smile.  She even showed him some clay models of before and after teeth so he would learn the difference between a well-maintained set of teeth and neglected teeth.

The funnest part of the visit was Dr. Tehrani’s treasure chest.  She made a whole hide-and-seek game out of finding the chest and getting a little treasure to take home with him.

Only when Thomas was completely comfortable with the dentist did she ask to look in his mouth.  She gave him these cool glasses to wear so water wouldn’t splash in his eyes – and made him feel especially cool and grown up.  And when she was done, he got a special toothbrush kit that he took with us to DisneyWorld.

I am quite sure that, thanks to the entire staff at Aura Dentistry in McLean, that my son will never be afraid of coming to see a dentist ever again.  Thanks Dr. Tehrani.

This week in our blog, we wanted to talk about what makes us feel like we are doing our job for our patients. – As fate would have it, one of our patients let us know. Enjoy.

I just had an appointment in a new dental office in Mclean, VA. I never had an experience like this. The moment I walked in I notice the difference between this office and other ones I have been to. Have you guys ever been in an office when the dentist walks in and calls bunch of numbers and abbreviations and you don’t understand the inter office language of the dentist has told their assistant? Or, as you are checking out they tell you “So when would you like to schedule the appointment to have your cavities taken care of?” — But wait a minute the dentist didn’t tell me I have a cavity or that I need a filling? So how is this going to work? How many appointments will I need for this to be taken care of? The worst part is when you go ahead and have the work done and on your way out you realize – “hey, they never told me they cost!” Those types of offices make me feel like I am taking my car to the shop. Once everything is done they hand you the bill and you pay not even knowing what they did and why they are charging you so much. I have good news for you this all is about to change!

Wouldn’t be nice if all the dentists decide to treat their patient the same way as my new dentist in McLean, Virginia? What a refreshing change! I knew what was going on, what I needed to have done and why. More importantly, I was treated like a person! I wasn’t rushed in and rushed out, or treated like a number. If you are looking for a dental office that makes you comfortable, welcome, and informed; let me tell you Aura dentistry rocks!

Mclean Va Dentist – Graduation is upon us and our sons, daughters, nieces and nephews are off interviewing for summer jobs, internships and possibly the first job of their new career.  Wouldn’t it be great to give them a graduation gift that will help catapult their career in a positive direction?

Statistically, people are more likely to have a positive job interview and land a better job if they smile a lot during their job interview.  But, if your teeth are not straight, clean or white, that extra smiling could actually hurt your chances of winning that job interview.  In fact, people consider a great smile as a symbol of education, intelligence and attention-to-detail – exactly the qualities that a prospective employer looks for.

So, if you want to do well in your career and if you want the best for your family, then one of the best graduation gifts you can give your senior is a great smile.  Start by sending them to a great dentist who can help improve their smile and brighten their teeth.

And, if you live in the Northern Virginia area around McLean, Great Falls, Tysons Corner, Vienna or Falls Church, come and see Dr. Negar Tehrani at Aura Dentistry on Elm Street in Old Towne McLean.  She has a fun and friendly staff, plasma TVs on the ceiling and flexible scheduling.

Call now: 703.748.1900 to make your appointment.