As a baby, you learn to smile by mimicking the expressions of others. When you smile, your body sends a message to your brain that makes you and others feel good. A smile is generally defined as an upturning of the lips, but you form different versions of your smile depending on your mood and emotions. This makes it hard for others who don’t know you well to tell what you really mean when you smile.
The key to diagnosing a smile meaning is to look at the eyes. You use two different sets of muscles when you smile. The zygomatic major muscles control the mouth to enlarge the cheeks and expose your teeth. The orbicularis oculi muscles pull back the eyes to make them narrow and create tiny wrinkles.
The Genuine Smile: A true smile is formed when you express happiness and joy. It’s honest and comes straight from the heart. A genuine smile can be recognized because your eyes will look smaller, your eyebrows will dip down, and you’ll have small wrinkles in the corners of your eyes.
Smirk: A smirk shows that you are secretive. Your lips will be pressed together in a straight line and your eyes may look squinty. This type of smile makes people think you are hiding something or being sarcastic.
Friendly Smile: A friendly smile is welcoming and inviting. It’s often used for introductions when you meet or greet people and can be genuine or fake, depending if you’re actually interested in the person.
Polite Smile: A polite smile is often faked. You can use your muscles to form a smile with your mouth, but your eyes won’t have the true wrinkles of a genuine smile. You use this type of smile when you’re pretending to be interested in someone to spare their feelings.
Embarrassed Smile: Some people smile when they’ve been embarrassed or caught doing something wrong. Your head will be tilted downwards and your lips will be together. It looks innocent, makes you feel better, and covers up your embarrassment.
Playful Smile: When you’re laughing or playing, you’ll widely open your mouth and show all your teeth. This type of smile is genuine when you’re excited or having fun.
It takes more facial muscles to frown than it does to smile. If you’re embarrassed to smile and show your teeth because of your dental problems, Dr. Coon can help you restore and whiten your smile. Contact Grinnell Street Dental at 307-672-7567 to schedule an appointment.
How to Floss Properly
Your entire life, you’ve been told that it’s important to brush and floss your teeth, but why? Why are both dental hygiene measures necessary to maintain a healthy and bacteria free mouth?
The truth is, brushing your teeth only does half of the job. Yes, brushing your teeth thoroughly can remove plaque and bacteria from the surfaces of your teeth, but what about the particles of food and sugar that become lodged in the dark, tight crevices between your teeth? Your toothbrush can’t reach those areas.
That’s where flossing comes in. Dental floss is designed to be pushed between your teeth to clean those tight spaces. By flossing properly at least once a day, you are removing the plaque and bacteria that hide between your teeth and escape the bristles of your toothbrush.
This is just one of the reasons why flossing is so important to your oral health.
Correct flossing is a pretty easy thing to learn, and there are two techniques to help you out.
The Spool Method
To use the spool method, take about 18 inches of floss, and wind most of it lightly around your middle finger. Then, wind the remaining floss around the middle finger on your other hand. Now, push the floss between your teeth using your index fingers and thumbs. Gently bring the floss up and down several times around both sides of each tooth, making sure to reach below the gum line, forming a “C” shape around each tooth with the floss.
The Loop Method
To use the loop method, pull off an 18-inch strand of floss, and make it into the shape of a circle. Tie the circle with three secure knots, and place all of your fingers (not your thumbs) into the loop. Next, use your index fingers to direct the floss through your lower teeth and your thumbs to direct it through your upper teeth. Again, be sure to clean below the gum line, and make the floss form a “C” shape around the sides of each tooth.
For more tips about oral hygiene and health, call Dr. Coon’s dental office Sheridan, Wyoming at (307) 672-7567.
Achieving Optimal Oral Health in Sheridan, Wyoming
As cosmetic and restorative dentists, Drs. Cody, Justin, and Donald Coon know the importance of a beautiful, fully functional smile. As dental caregivers, they know the importance of having a healthy smile.
That’s why they provide their patients with more than just cosmetic and restorative care at their dental practice in Sheridan, Wyoming. From routine dental checkups and cleanings, to more specialized treatments, including those for periodontal (gum) disease, oral infection, root canal therapy, and professional breath control, this trio of dentists care about the well being of their patients.
Your mouth is often referred to as “the window to the body,” and your oral health intensely impacts your overall health. For example, periodontal disease has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.
Don’t put yourself at risk. Come see us at Grinnell Street Dental for all of your dental needs, from minor restorative dental work, to porcelain veneers, and everything in between. Call (307) 672-7567 to reserve your appointment.
Diabetes and Dentistry
If you’re diabetic, it’s even more important for you to be in good oral health. Gum disease affects 80 percent of American adults, and you may not know you have it. Gum disease, clinically known as periodontal disease, is a bacterial infection of the mouth. In the early stages, symptoms may not be noticeable. However, mild to significant redness, swelling, tenderness, and bleeding of the gums may indicate the onset of gum disease.
Routine dental checkups are extremely important in the fight against gum disease. Plaque and hardened plaque, called tartar, are the primary causes of gum disease, and regular dental checkups, along with a quality at-home dental hygiene regiment, will protect you from the bacteria that thrive in the oral cavity.
According to Perio.org, the website for the American Academy of Periodontology, “Severe periodontal disease can increase blood sugar, contributing to increased periods of time when the body functions with a high blood sugar. This puts diabetics at increased risk for diabetic complications. Thus, diabetics who have periodontal disease should be treated to eliminate the periodontal infection.”
The best way to determine if you suffer from gum disease is to see your dentist regularly. By evaluating your teeth and gums and measuring periodontal pockets at the gum line, an oral health professional can diagnose the disease. If you have gum disease, treatment may involve scaling and root planning, called a deep cleaning. With scaling, a hygienist removes tartar from below the gum line. During root planning, rough areas on the roots of teeth are smoothed to reduce the risk for plaque buildup. Other treatments involve topical antibiotics, laser dentistry, and, in severe cases, oral surgery. On the flip side, treating gum disease in the earliest stage can save time, money, and healthy oral tissues.
Don’t ignore bleeding gums, especially if you’re diabetic. Call Grinnell Street Dental at (307) 672-7567 to reserve your appointment with Drs. Cody, Justin, and Donald Coon.
Screening for Oral Cancer Can Save Your Life
Do you know that approximately 37,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year? It’s true, but unfortunately, it is not a problem that many people know about.
Because oral cancer is often detected in the later stages, it has a higher mortality rate than that of other health problems, including several other forms of cancer.
Drs. Cody, Justin, and Donald Coon of Grinnell Street Dental make this pledge to you: They will do everything in their power to find and diagnose oral cancer early, when treatment is most effective.
With the help of modern technology, screening for oral cancer is easier than ever. Generally, oral cancer screening devices use fluorescent lights to detect abnormalities in the tissue of your mouth. The different kinds of tissue in your mouth will appear to “glow” different colors.
Screening for oral cancer is quick and does not require any rinses, stains, or discomfort whatsoever. This, along with a traditional visual exam, is an effective process for diagnosing this debilitating, and often fatal, disease.
All adults should have an annual oral cancer screening exam. Men over 40 and women between the ages of 20 and 40 are the most prone to the disease, but it can appear in anyone, even those who have no lifestyle factors to heighten their oral cancer risk. Those who use tobacco, consume alcohol daily, have viral infections, autoimmune deficiencies, or diabetes should be screened more frequently because these habits and conditions can contribute to a higher risk of developing oral cancer.
For more information about oral cancer screening and treatment, please call at (307) 672-7567. We’re here to help you keep your mouth healthy and cancer-free.
CEREC: Beautiful Dental Restorations in Just One Visit
Waiting for your dental restorations to be complete can disrupt your daily life. You have to schedule multiple appoints because tooth preparation and restoration placement are done separately. And you have to be careful when chewing and brushing because temporary restorations are not as sturdy as permanent ones. But CEREC technology allows the dentists at Grinnell Street Dental to place dental crowns, inlays, and onlays in just one office visit.
What Are Inlays and Onlays?
While dental crowns are probably familiar restorations, you might not know what inlays and onlays are. Inlays and onlays are both conservative alternatives to fillings, meaning they leave more of the tooth structure intact. Both dental restorations can also strengthen the teeth, improving chewing force by up to 70 percent.
An inlay can repair damage within the cusps, or raised areas on the biting surfaces, of teeth and an onlay can repair damage on the biting surface of teeth, including one or multiple cusps.
How Does CEREC Work?
CEREC is an acronym that stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. What that means is your restorations can be made while you wait. For traditional restorations, your dentist would have to take impressions of your teeth, place a temporary restoration, send those impressions to a dental lab, and then wait for the lab to send restorations before placing them. You would need to come in at least twice. (more…)
Get to Know Grinnell Street Dental with the Click of Your Mouse
When it comes to your most-noticed physical feature- your smile- you don’t want to entrust it to just anyone.
Choosing a cosmetic dentist is a big decision, and there are numerous factors to consider. You need to do your research to find out where the doctor went to school, what certifications they have, and what organizations they belong to. Also, you need to do research to find out what kinds of services the doctor provides. If you’re potentially interested in cosmetic bonding to repair your smile, don’t go to a dentist that does not offer or that does not like to use cosmetic bonding. Lastly, go with your gut. Make sure all of your questions are answered, and pay attention to the vibe you get in the dental office. If you feel uneasy or unwelcome by the dentist and their dental team, don’t let them go anywhere near your mouth.
Cosmetic dentistry is an investment of your time, your money, and your smile, so one of the best ways to see what a cosmetic dentist is all about is by checking out testimonials and photo galleries of past patient smile makeovers. Drs. Donald, Cody, and Justin Coon of Grinnell Street Dental encourage current and potential patients to do just that by visiting their practice website, and using the navigation menu on the left side to visit the “Guest Testimonials” and “Our Smile Gallery” pages.
Take a look around and find out what past Grinnell Street Dental patients think of their treatment time and what they think of their brand new smiles. If you like what you see and are ready to have a brand new, beautiful smile of your own, call Grinnell Street Dental in Sheridan, Wyoming at (307) 672-7567. The entire team looks forward to hearing from you!
Metal-Free Fillings Keep Your Teeth Protected and Your Smile Beautiful
Of all the restorative and cosmetic dental procedures available, many patients are most familiar with dental fillings.
Over the years, the composition of dental fillings has changed quite a big. If you had cavities when you were a child, it’s likely they were filled with dark amalgam fillings, which were initially developed from a combination of zinc, copper, tin, and mercury. In recent years, however, the mercury content in amalgam fillings has raised questions of safety among dentists and other health professionals.
In addition to being harmful to your health, traditional amalgam fillings often change shape, deteriorate, and leak as they wear down, making them an unstable dental restoration.
That’s why we use solid, attractive, tooth-colored fillings made of composite resin to fill cavities.
Tinted to blend with your natural tooth structure, composite fillings won’t compromise a beautiful smile with the dark patches associated with heavy metal dental fillings. Additionally, composite fillings are stronger than metal fillings because they bond directly to your tooth, creating a much more durable and natural-feeling restoration.
To place your composite fillings, we will carefully remove the decayed area of your tooth, clean the area thoroughly, and apply the restorative material. Your restoration will be shaped to fit in seamlessly with your surrounding teeth before the material is hardened with a curing light. Your filling will then be polished and buffed to give it a shiny and smooth look and feel.
If you are interested in upgrading your amalgam fillings from years ago for new, contemporary composite fillings, let us know at your appointment.
The dentists at Grinnell Street Dental in Sheridan, Wyoming have years of experience caring for the dental needs of their patients. They encourage you to call their dental office at (307) 672-7567 for more information about metal-free dentistry or to schedule an appointment.
Complete and Convenient Dental Care for Sheridan, Wyoming Families
For busy families on the go, sacrifices have to made. Maybe it’s a homemade meal occasionally, or switching off attending soccer games and dance recitals, but whatever the sacrifice, as a parent, it’s your responsibility to make sure your children are healthy, happy, and well taken care of.
That’s why going to the dentist can’t be one of the sacrifices you make when trying to juggle everyone’s schedules.
We’re the dentists at Grinnell Street Dental, and we’re here to help. How do we do this?
Well, we’re a family dental practice through and through. We’re a family of dentists, and we provide dental services for families. This means that we can treat you, your spouse, your children, and your grandmother all right here in our dental office in Sheridan, Wyoming.
It doesn’t get much more convenient than that! Our front office team will work with you to schedule appointments that fit into your busy schedule. If you want to be seen in the same appointment block as your kids, just say the word when you call us at (307) 672-7567.
We take our jobs as dental caregivers very seriously. We want to help you maintain a healthy and beautiful smile for yourself, and we also want to help you instill healthy dental hygiene habits in your kids, watch them grow, and promote lifelong oral and overall health.
We’re Drs. Donald Coon, Justin Coon, and Cody Coon, and we look forward to seeing you and your loved ones in our dental office!
Boost Your Appearance, Health, and Self Esteem with Dental Implants
When you have a missing tooth, your smile, oral health, and self esteem can suffer. You may experience dietary restrictions, speaking difficulties, and jaw bone degeneration. Additionally, people who do not replace missing teeth are also at higher risk for losing more teeth in the next four to eight years.
Dental implants can restore missing teeth, as well as health and vitality to your smile.
Dental implants are designed to look, function, and feel just like natural teeth. To achieve this, dental implants consist of two parts. A small titanium post is placed in your jaw. This post, which is the actual implant, serves as the “root” of your tooth and holds the replacement tooth (or teeth) in place. Once your implant heals, your prosthetic crown (or bridge, partial, or denture) is placed, completing your new tooth.
Additionally, your jawbone will naturally fuse to the biocompatible implant, creating a solid foundation for your new tooth.
At Grinnell Street Dental, located in Sheridan, Wyoming, we have created beautiful, healthy, and fully functional smiles with dental implants. If you’re ready to achieve a higher quality of life, we invite you to call our dental office at (307) 672-7567 to reserve your consultation appointment time.
