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We all want to have a smile that we’re happy with and proud to show off. However, if your smile isn’t as white as you’d like it to be you may choose to hide your grin behind tightly closed lips. At our dental office in Sparks, we can help transform your smile from dull or discolored to bright, white, and something with which you’re confident.

Schedule an Appointment

The path to a whiter smile begins by scheduling an appointment with your dentist in Sparks. During this visit you’ll talk with your dental team about what you don’t like about your smile, any areas that particularly bother you, and share what you’d ultimately like to see. After discussing your objectives, your dentist will make the best recommendation to help you get the look you want.

Veneers & Tooth Whitening

Two of the most common ways to get a whiter smile are with dental veneers or professional smile whitening. Veneers are custom-created to match the shape and size of the rest of your teeth, but can be brighter than your natural teeth. They’re adhered to the surface of your teeth and can totally transform your appearance. Tooth whitening, while is also often successful at brightening a smile, may be more appropriate for surface stains or stains that are fairly new. 

Eat Smart

Whether you decide to have dental treatment done or not, there are things you can do to help get and keep your teeth white. One way is to watch what you eat and drink. Coffee, tea, red wine, soda, and berries, for example, can all stain smiles. Instead, try to choose fresh fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apples, or celery. These foods aren’t only good for you, they can actually prevent stains from sticking to teeth. Besides limiting your intake of foods or drinks that can stain, try to use a straw whenever drinking. Straws will help keep liquids and their staining ingredients off of teeth.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking or using any type of tobacco product will increase the chance of tooth discoloration. The ingredients found in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco cause yellowing of teeth and may even make teeth appear brown and spotty. Using tobacco also raises the risk of developing gum disease and oral cancer, both of which are serious concerns that could lead to tooth loss and other problems throughout the body.

See Your Dentist

Perhaps the best way to keep your smile white and healthy is to see your dentist at least twice a year. These checkups will help remove sticky plaque from your teeth that you just may not be able to get at home. Plaque can act as almost a glue for stains and the more of it there is, the more likely stains will stick around.

If you’ve been eating well, drinking plenty of water, aren’t a tobacco user, and still aren’t happy with the way your smile looks, we encourage you to call our Sparks dental office to schedule a consultation. It’s the first step to getting a whiter smile.

When we talk about your mouth watering, we’re not referring to the sensation you may experience when smelling or eating something delicious. At our dental office in Sparks, we talk about mouth watering in terms of dental health. While saliva is an important part of maintaining good oral health, too much of it could be a sign of hypersalivation.

What is Hypersalivation?

Hypersalivation is the medical term used to describe the overproduction of saliva. Basically it means a person has too much saliva in their mouth which can cause them to drool and be uncomfortable or embarrassed. What’s more is that hypersalivation may also be a sign of an underlying problem.

What Causes Hypersalivation?

There are several things that may cause someone to produce too much saliva. Some of the most common explanations are temporary, easily treatable, and no cause for serious concern. However, other times hypersalivation may be sign of something bigger. A few reasons why someone may hypersalivate include:

• Infections including gum disease
• Ulcer
• Acid reflux
• Side effect of medication
• Neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease
• Toxic poisoning

How Much Saliva is Too Much?

Typically people produce around 1.5 quarts of saliva every day. This saliva helps break down food to make it more easily digestible and protects teeth against acids and bacteria that can lead to cavities. However, if someone produces even more than that it can lead to hypersalivation.

Signs & Symptoms

• Intense desire to spit a lot
• Drool spots on a pillow
• Feeling the constant need to swallow
• Saliva easily falls out during regular activities
• Difficulty eating or drinking

Excessive saliva production isn’t something that you should ignore. We recommend talking with your dentist in Sparks about your symptoms, how long you’ve been experiencing them, and your thorough medical history.

We’re always welcoming new patients at our Sparks dental office and will be happy to help. Schedule an appointment with our compassionate team and we’ll work with you to determine what’s causing hypersalivation and the best way to treat it. Give us a call today.