family dentist Archives - Eric Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry

Aug28

Can You Handle A Dental Emergency?

Can You Handle A Dental Emergency?

At Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry, we hope you never experience a serious dental emergency. It’s important, however, to know what to do in such a situation. Here is a quiz on dental emergencies.

Your five year-old falls off his bike, hits his face on the sidewalk, and knocks out one of his front teeth. What do you do before driving immediately to Dr. Stewart & Dr. Hull’s office or the ER?
Put the tooth back in the socket.
b. If the tooth is dirty, scrub it with a brush.
c. Put the tooth in milk.

The answer depends on whether it is a permanent tooth or a baby tooth. If a permanent tooth is knocked out, it may be successfully re-implanted if done quickly. Make sure you only hold the tooth by the crown, never touch the root. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it gently with water being cautious not to brush off any tissue attached. It is best to reinsert the tooth into the socket. This may not be possible with younger children. Because it is essential to keep the tooth from drying out on your way to our office or the emergency room, you can put the tooth in a cup of milk. Baby teeth should not be reinserted because it can potentially damage the emerging tooth.

One of your teeth suddenly darkens. What are the possible causes?
The nerve inside the tooth is damaged.
b. It is side effect of a medication you are taking.
c. Gum disease.
d. An infection.

The answer is all of the above.

For any dental emergency or other oral condition, call Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry in Comstock Park. We have been providing quality dental care for Belmont, Cedar Springs, Grand Rapids, Sparta, Walker and Rockford, MI residents since 1974. If you add our address and phone number (616-784-2377) to your phone contacts right now, you won’t have to search for it in the case of an emergency. When trying to save a knocked-out tooth, every minute counts.

Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan 49321
https://www.greatmismiles.com/meet-dr-bruce-stewart

Aug21

Why Is Dry Mouth Dangerous For Comstock Park Dental Patients?

Hello, welcome to the Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry blog. Today we are going to talk about Dry Mouth, an unpleasant condition that can actually endanger the oral health of Comstock Park Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry dentistry patients.

Reduction of saliva flow resulting in a dry mouth is a more common problem among older Comstock Park adults, however, people of all ages in the Rockford, MI area may experience the symptoms of dry mouth at one time or another. These symptoms include a dry, red tongue, difficulty swallowing, and persistent sore throat.

Sometimes dry mouth in Comstock Park dental patients is caused by a disease or infection, but a more frequent cause of dry mouth for patients in Rockford, MI is prescription medications.

Decongestants, blood pressure medications, antidepressants, and painkillers (all used extensively in Comstock Park) are just some of the drugs that list ‘dry mouth’ as a common side effect.

It is common for allergy-prone Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry dental patients to complain of dry mouth when they start taking antihistamines during the Rockford, MI hay fever season.

Aside from being an uncomfortable nuisance, untreated dry mouth can cause tooth damage for Comstock Park dental patients. Adequate saliva is necessary to keep the mouth lubricated, wash the food from teeth, and neutralize the acidic environment caused by plaque. Extensive tooth decay can occur in the absence of saliva for Rockford, MI dental patients with chronic dry mouth.

If you are unsure of the cause of your dry mouth, or if you are looking for dry mouth treatments, call Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry to schedule an appointment with Drs. Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull.

When you visit Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry in Comstock Park, please be sure to bring a list of medications you are taking so Drs. Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull can give you an accurate diagnosis.

Drs. Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull
Stewart and Hull Aesthetic and General Dentistry
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park Michigan
616-784-2377

Meet Dr. Bruce Stewart

Dec27

Make Your Teeth Happy In Comstock Park

Michigan is known for its beautiful smiles, and our local Grand Rapids community is no exception. Keeping your mouth healthy is an important factor in maintaining your beautiful smile. One of the benefits of regularly visiting the office of Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull and having a thorough teeth cleaning is a review of your brushing habits.

At Stewart & Hull we see patients from Belmont, Comstock Park, Grand Rapids, Sparta, Walker and Rockford, MI. Our dental hygienist will help you keep your mouth healthy by assessing the condition of your teeth and gums, and recommending improvements to your homecare habits.

Thoroughly brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day at home will help remove plaque (a sticky deposit that gets left on teeth in which bacteria thrives) and tartar (a calcium deposit that forms on teeth and aids in tooth decay). Thus, resulting in a cleaner, healthier mouth. A regular visit with our hygienist will help you stay on top of problems that can go unseen. These regular visits to our office can potentially prevent the undetected development of problems that can occur from neglecting to clean your teeth.

Call Stewart & Hull in Comstock Park Michigan to make an appointment. You can reach us right now at 616-827-7019.

Dr. Bruce Stewart & Dr. Eric Hull

Nov22

Sealants…A Proven Way to Fight Decay

Sealants are a thin coat of clear resin that is applied to the biting surfaces of teeth. Teeth with deep pits and grooves can easily trap bacteria that can later lead to decay. Sealants fill in the pits and grooves to create a smooth surface. Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull recommend sealants on permanent, unrestored, back teeth for patients of all ages; from young children to mature adults. Sealants are usually placed on the molars of our pediatric patients but in some cases anterior (front) teeth can benefit from sealants.

Dental sealants protect teeth that have no decay (primary prevention) and also prevent further decay progression in teeth that show very early signs of disease (secondary prevention).

At Stewart & Hull, we take special care of our Comstock Park, Walker, Grand Rapids and Rockford, MI patients. We want each child’s dental visit to be pleasant and painless so they will never develop a fear of the dentist. We advise parents on the specific dental issues associated with each stage of childhood. Ask us about fluoride, sports mouthguards, and orthodontic treatment. Call our office at 616-827-7019 to schedule a pediatric dental exam.

We provide comprehensive restorative and cosmetic dentistry for Comstock Park people of all ages. You can learn more about our practice at https://www.greatmismiles.com/meet-dr-bruce-stewart.

Sep13

Beware Of Hidden Sugar

We advise our Comstock Park dental clients at Stewart & Hull to watch their sugar intake to prevent cavities and other health problems.

If you are trying to unsweeten your diet, you are probably skipping the usual suspects: candy, soda, and baked treats. But not all sugar is as obvious as the frosting on a piece of chocolate cake or the powdery stuff in pixie stix.

Here are some foods found in Comstock Park grocery stores and Grand Rapids school cafeterias with a surprisingly high sugar content:

Ketchup
Low Fat versions of snack foods (Manufacturers often replace fat with sugar.)
Salad Dressing
Breads, buns, rolls
Spaghetti Sauce
Protein Bars
Granola
Canned soup
Peanut Butter
Yogurt
Fast food meals (Hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, and salads are often loaded with sugar, not to mention the dessert items.)
Antacids
Cough drops
Fruit smoothies (Even a small serving has a whopping amount of sugar.)

Reading the fine print on labels is a must. The following terms are all types of sugar:

raw sugar, cane sugar, glucose, lactose, galactose, fructose, dextrose, honey, sorghum, molasses, cane sugar, confectioner’s sugar, crystallized cane juice, invert sugar, maltodextrin (or dextrin), maple syrup, concentrated fruit juices, evaporated cane juice (what kind of cane do you think we are talking about?)

Do the math: when shopping at Comstock Park grocery or health food stores, carefully decipher food labels before you buy. Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Add up all the grams of every type of sugar listed and divide by four to truly understand how much sugar an item contains.

At Stewart & Hull, we advocate and practice preventative care for lifelong dental health. For more information on how your diet affects your dental health, please contact Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull at 616-827-7019. If you have a toddler or child who has not yet visited a family dentist, call us today for a pediatric oral examination and information on fluoride and sealants.

We are located at 769 York Creek Dr NW in Comstock Park.

May3

Healthy Teeth and Your Rockford MI Diet

Maintaining healthy teeth is an important concern for our local general dentistry patients. As your family dentists, it’s our job to help you understand how to care for your teeth and to keep them healthy. Everyone in the Grand Rapids area knows that maintaining healthy teeth requires regular daily brushing and flossing. Regular visits to your local family dentist are also necessary to keep watch for cavities and to help you maintain proper dental hygiene. We often forget that maintaining a healthy diet can also be beneficial for the health of your teeth.

A diet that includes foods that help your muscles and bones will also help you develop healthy gums and healthy teeth. Some examples are foods that are rich in vitamin B, such as breads and cereals, and foods rich in vitamin C, usually fruits and vegetables. Both help improve the health of your gums. Zinc and magnesium are also good for the health of your teeth and are found in lean beef, fish, and poultry.

All foods increase the production of saliva. Saliva is important for healthy teeth because it helps to maintain the pH balance in your mouth. Maintaining this balance helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. Foods high in fiber also encourage saliva production as does the chewing of sugar-free gum. Gum, however, can damage unhealthy teeth or pull out dental fillings, so always use caution when deciding whether to chew gum and which brand to chew.

Just as certain diet choices in the Rockford MI area can be beneficial to your dental health, others can be detrimental. Foods and drinks that are high in sugars are more likely to form the acids that attack your teeth and result in decay. And while table sugar is often associated with the formation of cavities, other sugars such as glucose, fructose, and maltose are also causes, and are often found in juices and sodas. Limiting the consumption of sugars to mealtimes lessens the amount of time your healthy teeth are exposed.

Making good diet choices and limiting between-meal sugar consumption can improve the health of your teeth and gums.

If you would like to learn how to better care for your healthy teeth in the Rockford MI, Grand Rapids, Comstock Park or surrounding areas, contact our cosmetic dental practice: Stewart & Hull at 616-827-7019. We would love to hear from you.

Feb8

Soft, Medium, or Buzz Lightyear?

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, Dr. Bruce Stewart is often asked how to choose the most basic tool of dental hygiene, the toothbrush. Picking a toothbrush in Rockford MI can be as difficult as choosing a paint color, and there seems to be just as many choices.

If you have visited the dental section of your local Grand Rapids grocery store or Rockford MI Walmart lately, you know what I am talking about. There are brushes with bristles of varying lengths, brushes that massage your gums, and brushes that change color when they are used up. (If I had to rate them purely on their fun factor, I would choose the Spiderman brush.)

Some toothbrush manufacturers claim their brushes freshen your breath or remove stains from your teeth. How do you choose?

One key factor is the firmness of the bristles. Hard bristles may be more effective for cleaning burnt steak off a grill or hard water deposits off a shower floor. However, this does not hold true for your teeth. Medium and firm brushes can damage your gums. Soft and extra-soft bristles are plenty stiff enough to clean plaque, food particles, and surface stains from your teeth. Soft bristles also offer more flexibility for hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

After having cosmetic dental work or oral surgery in Rockford MI, especially anything involving soft tissue grafts, make sure you use an extra-soft brush and be careful!

When buying a toothbrush for a child in Comstock Park, make sure the brush feels comfortable in their hand. If the size and angle feels awkward, the child will be less likely to use it long enough to clean all areas of the mouth. Children do not necessarily need a child-sized tooth brush. Some Rockford MI kids can manage an adult size brush better than a short, narrow child size brush. If you are unsure, ask your Comstock Park family dentist at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry.

What about the electric types and water-shooters? Some Comstock Park folks like the feeling of vibrating bristles or a mini-squirt gun blasting away at the plaque. Rockford MI people with arthritis or other movement-inhibiting conditions can benefit from powered brushes which take some strain off hands and arm muscles.

Is your toothbrush doing the job? Schedule an exam with your Comstock Park dentist at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry.

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, our very friendly and thorough dental hygienists instruct our pediatric clients and adult patients alike on proper brushing and flossing. If you haven’t experienced a dental deep cleaning at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, you don’t know how clean your teeth and gums can feel.

Schedule a thorough dental cleaning today by calling Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry at 616-827-7019. An outstanding feature of Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry is our wide selection of dental technology. We offer cosmetic dentistry and a full spectrum of restorative dental procedures.

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