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When it comes to taking care of our teeth, we generally hear the same kind of advice all of the time: brush and floss everyday and don’t eat too much candy. While this advice is extremely important, there are a lot of additional ways to keep your teeth healthy as well. We asked our dentists at Water Tower Dental Care to share some tips for taking care of your teeth that you probably haven’t heard before. Here are 6 unusual teeth tips straight from our dentists.

1. Eat Cheese (In Moderation)

Believe it or not, cheese is good for your teeth! Like the peroxide-based teeth-whitening solutions we described earlier, cheese helps to neutralize acids in your mouth, increasing your pH levels for about 30 minutes, according to the Academy of General Dentistry. This means less bacteria breeding in your mouth and less teeth erosion. Cheese also causes salivation, which helps get rid harmful bacteria and food particles. Finally, cheese contains casein phosphate, which keeps your teeth strong. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you should eat all of the cheese that you possibly can. You only need about ⅓ of a slice to get these oral benefits.

2. Whiten Your Teeth For Health & Cosmetic Reasons

While teeth whitening can make your teeth look better than ever, its benefits aren’t purely cosmetic. Teeth whitening can also help keep your teeth healthy by removing plaque and preventing tooth decay. Recent research has found that teeth whitening products that contain a peroxide-based solution can effectively get rid of plaque, reduce caries bacteria, and increase the pH level of your mouth, according to Professor Van B. Haywood.
When the pH level in your mouth becomes too low, this means that it is highly acidic. If your pH level is highly acidic, bacteria will begin to breed and your enamel will break down. Peroxide-based teeth-whitening solutions will neutralize your pH levels to a healthy 7 or 8, reducing the acidity in your mouth. This is especially helpful after you eat or drink highly acidic food, such as coffee, wine and citrus fruits. Ask us about our at-home teeth whitening kits to help your teeth look and feel healthier today!

3. Keep Your Mouth Healthy With Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has a ton of health benefits, from decreasing cholesterol levels to helping diabetes. It turns out that coconut oil is great for your oral health too. Through a method called oil pulling, coconut oil can actually help pull bacteria off of your teeth for a healthier and cleaner smile. All you have to do is swish around a teaspoon of coconut oil in your mouth for about 20 minutes. Of course, you should still keep up with your regular routine of brushing, flossing and using mouthwash.
If you’re questioning the validity of this claim, good for you. You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet, especially when it comes to oral health. Thankfully, there are various studies, including the following three, that have proved that oil pulling effectively fights off bacteria: Study 1, Study 2, Study 3. You can read more about oil pulling for your teeth here.

4. Use Oral Probiotics For Your Mouth

In the past, probiotics were thought to only help digestive and immune health. But recently, probiotics designed specifically for oral health have been found to naturally support gum and tooth health, make your breath fresh and whiten your teeth. Effective probiotics trigger the production of healthy bacteria that work to keep your mouth and gums healthy. They also reduce the nutrients for bacteria that cause bad breath, and produce low doses of hydrogen peroxide to gently whiten your teeth. Learn more about oral probiotics from Evora.

5. Don’t Use Your Teeth As Tools

While it may be more convenient to open that bag of chips with your teeth rather than finding scissors, using your teeth as tools can have serious (and expensive) consequences. Many of our patients have come in with broken, cracked or chipped teeth because they tried using their teeth to cut or open something. Your teeth are meant for chewing food in your mouth - Not for anything else. It’s not worth the pain or the price to fix your teeth.

6. You Can Use A Reversal Agent for Mouth Numbing

Some patients avoid important dental procedures because of the irritating and sometimes damaging numbing sensation that they experience hours afterwards. While it’s great to be numb in the dentist’s chair, it’s not so great when you’re hungry a couple hours afterwards. At worst, some patients chew their lip and gums because they can’t feel what their teeth are doing. Many patients may drool and not be able to talk properly, smile, or eat and drink because their mouths are numb. Thankfully, at Water Tower Dental Care, we offer reversal agents for teeth numbing, so that you can return to feeling your mouth much faster, and avoid the painful and embarrassing after effects.
We hope these unusual tips from our dentists, along with your normal health routine, help you to make your teeth even healthier. If you would like any more tips, reach out to us on our Facebook page. We’re full of helpful and creative ways to keep your teeth looking and feeling as good as new!

If your dentist asks to collect a sample of your saliva, try not to be too weirded out. It’s actually very common for dentists to perform saliva tests. Saliva tests are extremely easy procedures that require almost nothing from you other than a little bit of your spit. Best of all, these simple tests can save you from developing severe dental issues in the future.
At Water Tower Dental Care, we perform three different types of saliva tests to find out if you have HPV and to analyze what is causing your gum disease.

Saliva Test to Detect HPV

The most common saliva test we offer is the OralRisk HPV test. We perform this test regularly as part of your routine oral health exam to detect if you have oral HPV (Human Papillomavirus). Though HPV can eventually be identified by skin lesions, such as warts or sores, saliva tests can identify HPV early on, even before you start showing physical symptoms. Catching HPV when it first develops allows your dentist to treat it more effectively and prevent it from getting worse, which is important because it can eventually develop into cancer.

What is HPV?

HPV is one of the most common virus groups in the world. The virus can vary, from being low risk and causing warts, to being high-risk and causing cancer. Medical research has found that 90% of cervical cancers are linked to specific high-risk HPV types, according to OralDNA Labs. HPV can be caused by sexual contact or simply by close contact with another person. Research is currently being conducted to discover what else may cause HPV.

Salvia Test for Gum Disease

Along with the OralRisk HPV test, we also use saliva tests to analyze which bacteria are triggering a patient’s gum disease, or periodontal disease. We usually recommend this test, which is called MyPerioPath, to patients who have moderate-to-severe gum disease, patients who are currently receiving treatment for gum disease and are not seeing ideal results, or patients who have a great oral hygiene routine but still deal with bleeding gums. The saliva test allow us to identify what type of bacteria is causing your gum disease so that we can create a customized hygiene treatment to help you get rid of the disease once and for all.
Finally, we perform MyPerioID PST saliva tests to see if our patients with gum disease have any specific changes in their DNA, which could mean that they are at a greater risk of developing a more serious disease. This allows us to create a hygiene plan that will prevent those diseases.

What is Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease is simply another word for gum disease. In its most moderate state, it can be identified in the form of gum inflammation. If left untreated, it can develop into a severe disease that causes severe damage to your gums, teeth and bone. According to the FDA, 75% of all Americans over age 35 have some form of gum disease. Crazy, right? Some studies show that gum disease can also affect your overall health, not just your oral health. Gum disease is mostly caused by bad oral hygiene techniques, but can also develop as a result of smoking or chewing tobacco, crooked teeth, hormonal changes, stress, cancer, cancer treatment, poor diet, diabetes, medication, and through exchanging saliva with someone who has gum disease.

What Are Saliva Treatments Like?

Saliva treatments will probably be one of the easiest and quickest treatments you’ve ever experienced as a patient. All you have to do is swish a sterile saline solution around in your mouth for about 30 seconds. Then, you simply spit into a tube or a small container and your work is done! We’ll send the sample to OralDNA Labs and they’ll process it. When we get the results, we’ll contact you to discuss them. That’s all there is to it.
If it’s been awhile since you’ve received a saliva test for HPV or you think that you might have gum disease, come on into Water Tower Dental Care on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. We’d love to give you the information you need to keep your teeth healthy with a customized hygiene treatment plan.

There’s a reason Zoom! Teeth Whitening is so popular. It’s safe, fast and brightens smiles up to eight shades in about an hour. Sounds pretty amazing right? After you’ve received your Zoom! Teeth Whitening treatment and your teeth have finally become the pearly white color of your dreams, the last thing you want is to stain them back to their original color.
If you get your teeth whitening treatment done at Water Tower Dental Care in Chicago, you won’t have to worry about your teeth staining for a while. We’ll instruct you on how to best keep your teeth sparkling white for years to come after Zoom!, and offer you an at-home whitening kit along with an electric toothbrush whitening package. Still, it’s good to understand what you’ll have to do to keep your teeth white even before you go in for the treatment. Let’s take a more detailed look at exactly how to keep your teeth white after Zoom!

How Does Zoom! Teeth Whitening Work?

Zoom! Teeth whitening can make your teeth seven to eight shades whiter after just one short appointment. It’s considered one of the safest and most effective cosmetic dental treatments in dentistry. So how does it work? First, your dentist applies a special pH-balanced hydrogen peroxide solution to the surface of your teeth. The solution is then activated with a special low-heat light. The gel exfoliates your teeth stains from the inside out, leaving them looking better than ever. The entire procedure is made up of three 15-minute treatments that involve applying the solution and then heating it up. It’s as easy as that!

How to Keep Your Teeth White For Years To Come After Zoom!

Now that you know how we whiten your teeth, it’s time to discuss the most important part for you: keeping your teeth white after Zoom! When you come into our Chicago offices, we’ll give you more detailed instructions on how to do this and provide you with the tools to do so. But here is a general overview on how to keep those stains away after your Zoom! Teeth Whitening treatment.
First, you’ll want to avoid consuming any food or drinks that can stain your teeth for 24 hours after your treatment, such as coffee, red wine, pasta sauce, and tea. Zoom! makes your teeth porous for up to 24 hours, which leaves your teeth more susceptible to staining.
If you don’t already, you’ll want to consider using 3D whitening mouthwash and toothpaste. Depending on which brand you get, the ingredients in 3D whitening toothpaste and mouthwash can loosen up stains so that they are easier to brush away. You should use this toothpaste and mouthwash as many times a day as the maker recommends, or at least twice a day.
At Water Tower Dental Care, we will offer you a take home whitening kit to maintain your results over a longer period of time. We’ve ensured that these kits are safe and effective, so that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. They are easy to use and you won’t have to use them too often. Just make sure to follow our instructions, because you can overdo it.
Finally, we can also send you home with an electric toothbrush whitening package with whitening strips, so that you can take care of your pearly whites daily. This package is specifically designed for keeping your teeth white. Just follow our instructions, and you should be set!
Are you ready to get the smile of your dreams? Contact us to schedule an appointment at the #1 cosmetic dental practice in Chicago! You won’t be disappointed by your results.

The 13-block stretch that you find our office on is called Chicago’s Magnificent Mile for a reason. It’s filled with the best in shopping, restaurants and entertainment (and dentists!) in Chicago. It truly is magnificent.
When you visit us at Water Tower Place, you’ll be in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, with a bunch of food options around you if you’re feeling hungry. And we know the last thing you want to do before or after a dentist appointment is eat food that is bad for your teeth. We’ve rounded up a list of restaurants with the tastiest food options that are good for your teeth on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. This way, you can grab a delicious meal while taking care of your teeth when you’re visiting us, or anytime you’re in the area. Your mouth is in for a treat!
Restaurants featured:

1. Freshii (American)
2. Harry Caray’s 7^th Inning Stretch (Sports Bar, American)
3. The Signature Room (Fine Dining, American)
4. Foodlife (American, Pizza, Mexican)
5. Foodease (Specialty food)

Freshii

Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
If you’re looking for something fast and nutritious while you’re on the Magnificent Mile, look no further than Freshii. Freshii offers fresh, custom-made green wraps, salads, quinoa bowls, and pressed-juices.
Best Food Options for Your Teeth at Freshii:

• Metaboost, Ninja and Market wraps and salads: Chewing on wraps or salads packed with high-fiber veggies actually scrubs your teeth, leaving them squeaky clean.
• Low Fat Froyo: Frozen yogurt contains calcium and casein, a protein, which are essential keeping your tooth enamel strong.
• Strawberry Banana Smoothie: Strawberries naturally remove discoloration and whiten your enamel.

Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch

Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch is a fun and lively sports bar with some delicious food and drinks. If you’re a big sports fan, you’ve got to eat dinner or lunch here because you’ll get free access to the Chicago Sports Museum.
Best Food Options for Your Teeth at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch

• Mixed Greens and Sante Fe Salads: The chewy greens keep your teeth clean, while the onions’ anti-bacterial sulfur compounds will help to kill the bacteria that breed on your teeth and gums.
• Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon: The calcium and vitamin D in salmon will keep your teeth healthy and strong, and the baby spinach that comes with it will clean your teeth.
• Pizza: Yes, pizza is good for your teeth. Dairy products, especially cheese, help your enamel stabilize and repair itself. Harry Caray’s offers 5 different types of pizzas to suite your tastes.

The Signature Room

875 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
For a real delicacy, take the elevator to the top of the John Hancock Center. There, you’ll find The Signature Room. This fine dining restaurant offers exquisite food and a breathtaking skyline view of the city.
Best Food Options for Your Teeth at The Signature Room

• Dinner - Sautéed Scottish Salmon: With parmesan risotto, salmon roe butter and crispy salmon skin, your teeth and your taste buds will thank you for ordering this dish.
• Dinner - Vegetable Rigate Pasta: Cheese and shiitake mushrooms are key to making this dish good for your teeth. Cheese strengthens your enamel, and the natural sugar lentinan in shiitake mushrooms fights off the bacteria biofilm, which causes gingivitis.
• Lunch - Roasted Salmon Filet and Salmon Caesar Salad: By now, you should notice all of the salmon dishes we’re pointing out. The fish’s combination of vitamin D and calcium make it almost too good to be true.

Foodlife

Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Fresh, fast and made from scratch, you can find a wide variety of healthy and affordable food options at Foodlife.
Best Food Options for Your Teeth at Foodlife

• Sunshine and Mango Tango Smoothies: The orange in these smoothies provide you with a ton of vitamin C, which strengthens blood vessels and connective tissues, keeping your teeth strongly connected to your jaw. Vitamin C is also anti-inflammatory, so it can reduce and slow down the progression of gingivitis.
• Stir Fry with Veggies: Pack your bowl with crunchy, high-fiber veggies to give your teeth a good cleaning.
• Four Cheese Ravioli: Get your calcium and casein fix with this delicious pasta dish.

Foodease

Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
For the best in food quality, head on over to Foodease. You’ll find restaurant-quality food prepared to go, a grocery, hot entrees, bakery, salad bar, and more.
Best Food Options for Your Teeth at Foodease

• Salad Bar: Add chewy green veggies, like kale and spinach, and mushrooms to your salad to make it extra good for your teeth.
• Philadelphia Roll: Salmon is always your teeth’s friend.
• Maple Glazed Salmon: Again, you can’t go wrong with salmon. It’s delicious and incredibly good for your teeth.

Wondering if a specific type of food is good or bad for your teeth? Need more food recommendations for Water Tower Place or The Magnificent Mile? Ask us any questions you have on our Facebook page! We would love to help you make your diet better for your pearly whites.