Bernstein Dental Care: Blog

At Bernstein Dental Care, we advise our patients to change their toothbrush every 3-4 months or when their bristles become worn down and split. Overtime, toothbrushes become less effective the more they are used which means your teeth aren’t being cleaned as effectively as they should be. When buying a new toothbrush, you should consider how well you brush your teeth and for how long before deciding. Traditional toothbrushes work fine as long as you brush for a full two minutes. For patients who tend to brush for less than two minutes, we encourage you to get an electric toothbrush. Electric bristle’s rotate to help you remove plaque from your teeth and gums more effectively. The most important thing to us is that you brush twice a day to keep your teeth clean. We also advise our patients who haven’t had a cleaning in the last 6 months make an appointment with us to ensure your teeth are healthy. Dr. Paul Bernstein runs Bernstein Dental Care at 350 91 st  St, Suite 1C, Brooklyn, New Yo...

It’s just about time for Halloween, signaling the beginning of the sugar-filled holiday season. We at Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge thought our patients might appreciate some tips on how to avoid tooth decay and potential emergencies such as dislodged fillings, so we’ve put together this guide. The most important thing to remember about tooth decay is that the length of time teeth are exposed to food makes more of a difference than the food’s sugar content. In that regard, a stuck piece of bread could be more harmful than a quickly-swallowed piece of dark chocolate. The candies that present the greatest threat are those which are hard and have to be sucked on for a long time and those that are sticky. Syrupy drinks also contribute to tooth decay if they are drunk slowly over a long period, allowing sugar to accumulate in the mouth without water to wash it away. One good way of counteracting sugary candy is with sugar-free gum. It can pull food debris out from between teeth, althou...

It’s October, and that means its National Dental Hygiene Month. While most people know that brushing and flossing are essential to good health, they may be rusty in their technique. We at Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge thought the beginning of the holiday season would be an appropriate time to remind our patients. From the time a baby’s first tooth begins to erupt, peoples’ teeth should be brushed twice a day. (People with removable dentures should also brush their gums.) People using manual toothbrushes should brush for two minutes each time. When brushing the fronts of the teeth, use a side-to-side motion, but don’t skip over the parts near the gum line. When brushing the backs, use a vertical motion with each tooth. Floss by sliding the strand all the way down each side of each tooth, including the backsides of the back teeth. Pull the strand up with a sweeping motion to catch more plaque. A Waterpik is also an acceptable way of cleaning between teeth, but there are other means ...

We care dearly about all our patients’ comfort at Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge.  Children often get toothaches and they should be taken seriously. What causes them may differ slightly from what causes toothaches in adults, and they may be the first sign of a larger problem. Children often have trouble brushing. They are the age-group with the highest rate of caries, but they may also brush too hard and damage their gums. Brushing should be done for two minutes per session, with a soft-bristled toothbrush, and on every tooth surface. There are grips available for people who have difficulty with dexterity that can be used to hold a toothbrush. Sometimes, teeth are sensitive when they first erupt through the gum line, but this should resolve within a few days. Another potential cause of tooth sensitivity is a sinus infection, which can cause pain that radiates into the upper teeth. Fillings that come loose or “leak” need to be replaced and often cause sensitivity or allow new infect...

Which dental hygiene products are best for a patient will vary according to their needs. At Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge, we are attentive to all our patients’ unique challenges, which is why we want to help people choose between electric and manual toothbrushes. An electric toothbrush makes thousands of strokes per minute. A manual toothbrush can only make dozens. This means there is a greater risk of overbrushing with electric toothbrushes, but they are much easier to use for people with compromised motor skills. Studies have shown that the two kinds of toothbrushes are equally good at preventing decay when used properly, but to use a manual toothbrush properly, patients must brush for two full minutes per session. Brushing thoroughly is of little use if the patient frequently misses spots. Some newer electric toothbrushes are also compatible with apps that inform a user of when they’re skipping over tooth surfaces. Versions of the apps for children include video games which pr...

Bad breath can be a sign of bad health, and there are some particularly pressing reasons why a child may experience it. At Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge, we do more than just clean teeth; we’re a core part of each of our patients’ healthcare teams, and we want parents to understand how to help children with halitosis. Children have a harder time brushing their teeth. Consequently, even a child without health complications may develop oral infections, which are the most common reason for bad breath. It is important for children to know to brush their tongues as well as each tooth surface, and to do so for a full two minutes during each session. A child with trouble brushing will need more supervision. However, bad breath can also result from bacteria feeding in the back of the throat, where fluids can drip from the nasal cavity. Children get a lot of colds and can benefit from the use of a non-alcoholic mouthwash. Anybody who has difficulty grasping a toothbrush may be better off u...

Dental white spots aren’t just unpleasant to look at. They’re a warning sign of an oral health problem. At Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge, we want our patients to be satisfied with their smiles and to know when they need to improve their brushing. That’s why this week we’re discussing white spot lesions. Tooth enamel is a very hard substance, but it can be damaged by acid. When somebody suffers from frequent acid reflux, the enamel on their upper back teeth wears away, and the teeth look glazed and unnaturally white. The same thing can happen to any tooth when a dental infection is allowed to persist, which is why white spots are also called incipient lesions. Bacteria secrete acid, which creates white spots as enamel is demineralized. This most commonly happens on the sides of teeth, where bristles from most toothbrushes won’t reach them and near the gums. They are also common around orthodontic brackets and will result in the patient having hollow square-shaped spots on their tee...