Center for Smiles Blog

What are your summer plans?

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:55:16 +0000

The dog days of summer are almost upon us, and what better time for us to ask our patients’ summer plans!

Whether you’re going camping, hitting America’s great open roads, visiting our nation’s capitol, or just staying in town and hanging out, we want to know how you’re all going to spending your summer! Please feel free to share your summer plans and experiences with us below or on our Facebook page!

We look forward to reading all about your summer adventures!

Ask Dr. Ortiz: “What should I expect during my first visit?”

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:41 +0000

Thanks for the question. Your first visit typically includes an x-ray that allows us to view the structure of the jaw, the position of any teeth that have not yet erupted, malformed roots, and tooth decay.

The initial visit also involves getting your medical history. When you share your medical history with us, be sure to provide complete, up-to-date information on your health. Please let us know if you have experienced recent hospitalization or surgery, or if you have recently been ill. Also tell us the names, doses, and frequency of any medications you are taking — whether prescription or over-the-counter products — and the name of your physician. Please also let us know about any changes in your health or medications. This information will us select the most safe and effective method of treatment path for you.

Have any more questions about your first visit? Please give us a call!

A healthy smile is waiting for you at the Center for Smiles! Contact our Oldsmar dental office to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Ortiz and learn about all the treatments and services we offer. We are always accepting new patients and look forward to welcoming you into our dental family!

May marks National Teen Self-Esteem Month, from Dr. Ortiz

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:06:14 +0000

At Center for Smiles, we know image is everything. May happens to be National Teen Self-Esteem Month, and during this time, parents are encouraged to act as positive role models, help stop negative self-images, and improve confidence and security among teenagers.

We know one of the great ways to improve your confidence is to improve your smile. And that begins with a visit to our Oldsmar office. Has your child visited Dr. Ortiz’s office in the past six months for his or her regular check-up? We invite you to give us a call to book your appointment!

See you soon!

Straight talk with Dr. Ortiz

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:00:40 +0000

We’ve had patients ask us why Dr. Ortiz and our team at Center for Smiles work so hard to give our patients straight teeth using Invisalign. Of course it’s nice to have a smile full of evenly aligned teeth, but did you know that straightening your teeth can keep them healthier? Straight teeth lead to better oral hygiene, increasing your chances of keeping your own natural teeth for a lifetime.

Straight teeth, Dr. Ortiz will tell you, are less prone to decay, because they collect less plaque—the sticky colorless substance that forms on our teeth and leads to tooth decay; and they are easier to keep clean!

If you’re wondering whether your teeth might cause problems because they are out of alignment, please contact our Oldsmar dental office to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Ortiz and learn about all the treatments and services we offer. We are always accepting new patients and look forward to welcoming you into our dental family!

“What should I do if my child has a toothache?”

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:00:53 +0000

Toothaches occur when the nerve root of a tooth is irritated and can be caused by an infection, gum disease, decay (cavities), or injury. If your child complains of a toothache, rinse his or her mouth with warm water and inspect the teeth to be sure there is nothing caught between them. If pain continues, use a cold compress to ease the pain. Do not apply heat or any kind of aspirin or topical pain reliever directly to the affected area, as this can cause damage to the gums. Children’s pain relievers may be taken orally.

If the toothache persists, it is important to give us a call to determine the cause of the pain and provide relief. Immediate contact should be pursued if your child experiences:

· Pain that is not be relieved by over-the-counter drugs
· Severe pain after a tooth is pulled which may be dry socket syndrome
· Pain associated with swelling of the gums or face, or discharge around a tooth, especially if accompanied by a fever
· Broken or knocked-out teeth from an accident or injury

We hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions below or by giving us a call!

Spring is here! Does Dr. Ortiz have your current contact info?

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:00:22 +0000

Spring is in the air! We also encourage you to call us and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!

As you probably know, you can always connect with us on our Facebook page, but we invite you to please contact our office with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so that we may be able to reach you.

Thank you! Have a great week!

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, from Dr. Ortiz & Center for Smiles

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:00:10 +0000

Visiting our office regularly will not only help keep your teeth and mouth healthy, but will also help keep the rest of your body healthy. The fact is, every hour of every day in the U.S., someone dies of oral cancer, which is the sixth-most common diagnosed form of the disease. The five-year survival rate is only 50 percent, and oral cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved. Since April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we would like to take this opportunity to remind all of our patients about the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene.

We are trained to diagnose, treat, and prevent oral health problems. Please let us now if you have any questions about your oral health during your next appointment. Take care of your teeth!

The Scoop on Dental X-rays

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:18:32 +0000

Dental X-rays are an essential and invaluable tool to help assist us in evaluating your oral health. With X-rays, we can see what’s happening beneath the surface of your teeth and gums and identify oral health issues otherwise hidden during a visual exam, including:

· small areas of decay between the teeth or below existing restorations (fillings)
· infections in the bone
· periodontal (gum) disease
· abscesses or cysts
· developmental abnormalities
· types of tumors

If left untreated, these problems can lead to expensive, time-consuming, and painful conditions, so it’s important to find and treat them early.

Dental X-rays are extremely safe, and our team is certified in the proper use of our digital X-ray equipment. The amount of radiation that you are exposed to from dental X-rays is very small compared to your daily exposure from things like atmospheric radiation and naturally-occurring radioactive elements, as well as medical X-rays you may have gotten at your doctor’s office or hospital. In fact our digital system dramatically decreases the already minimal amount of exposure even further. We try to be as conservative as possible when prescribing x-rays but do need them to see what is going on where our eyes can’t see.

The importance of flossing, from Dr. Ortiz

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:00:52 +0000

At Center for Smiles, we hope you’re not a part of the 51 percent of Americans who don’t floss daily. Or worse, we hope you’re not part of the 10 percent who never floss at all. Dr. Ortiz and our staff will always tell you that proper flossing is just as important for your dental health as brushing regularly. Flossing cleans food and plaque that build up between teeth and below the gumline, key areas that brushing simply cannot reach.

Flossing 3-to-5 minutes everyday is recommended, but even 60 seconds of flossing has a great benefit over not flossing at all. Also, make sure to always brush your teeth after you floss, and to rinse with water or mouthwash. When you begin flossing you may experience gum pain or bleeding, but with daily flossing and brushing this should stop within a week or so.

On a side note, has it been at least six months since your last checkup at our Oldsmar dental office? If the answer is yes, we encourage you to schedule an appointment by giving us a call!

Connect with us on Facebook!

googlelogin0571@sesamesearch.com — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:40:26 +0000

We will be rolling out our new Facebook Timeline page soon and would love for you to check it out! You’ll find all the useful information that was there before, but now in a fun, new layout. When you Like us on Facebook, you’ll be able to check out photos of our office, find out about new events and contests, or you can even leave a note about how much you enjoyed your visit at our office. We love hearing your feedback to make our practice serve you and your family even better. To make life even easier, if you “Like” us on Facebook, you’ll automatically receive updates from our office right on your own news feed!

See you on Facebook!