Comstock Park Family Dentistry

Categories: General Dentistry

Family Dentistry For Comstock Park Your child’s dental health is essential to overall health and vitality. At Stewart & Hull, Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull love working with you and your child to ensure a healthy smile for life. Why? The health of your child’s teeth and gums can affect their speech development, eating habits and self-esteem.

General and family dentistry care is critical, and that is why we recommend bringing your Comstock Park area child in for a first exam before age one, or when their first tooth erupts. During the initial visit, we can discuss general dentistry treatments such as sealants, fluoride treatments, brushing and flossing techniques and clear braces.

Family dentists also counsel parents about thumb-sucking, pacifier use and other habits that affect your child’s dental health. Our caring staff will make you and your child feel comfortable during their dental visit.

In additional to offering experienced family dentistry, we are also a full-service cosmetic dentistry practice. We offer advice and care on porcelain veneers, dental implants, teeth whitening, and laser dentistry.

We hope to be your Comstock Park area family dentist.

Dr. Bruce A. Stewart
Dr. Eric D. Hull, DDS
616-827-7019

Healthy Teeth and Your Rockford MI Diet

Categories: Oral Health

Dental Health 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.

Raise Your Dental IQ In Grand Rapids

Categories: General Dentistry

Raise Your Dental Health IQ In Grand Rapids

There are many simple things that the average Grand Rapids area resident can do to raise their Dental IQ and improve their dental health. One simple lesson involves bacteria, and everyone’s mouth has a lot of it.

But, don’t worry, bacteria per se isn’t the problem. Dental problems occur when the balance of bacteria becomes unhealthy. This is where brushing and flossing might come into play. Another precaution you can take to guard against the wrong kind of bacteria is to keep your toothbrush as far away from the toilet as possible and close the lid of the toilet before you flush.

Make sure to wash your hands before you brush and floss. No exceptions!

When it comes to a good toothbrush, don’t get sentimental. The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every three to four months. If you can avoid the unhealthy balance of bacteria in your mouth, you can avoid gum disease, tooth decay, as well as bad breath.

If you can avoid decay, it’s less likely that you will need more extensive dental work such as dental implants and crowns.

Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull are passionate about helping cosmetic dentistry patients have healthy mouths and beautiful smiles. If you would like to know more about a custom smile makeover in Rockford MI, Comstock Park, Grand Rapids or the surrounding areas, give us a call at 616-827-7019 and a member of our very friendly and educated staff will answer any questions you have and schedule a consultation at your convenience.

Call today!

Dr. Bruce A. Stewart
Dr. Eric D. Hull
Stewart & Hull
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan
616-827-7019
https://www.greatmismiles.com/what-sets-us-apart

Are you on following us on Facebook? View our post from March 22nd or click this link to win 2 tickets to hear University of Michigan Football Coach Brady Hoke speak in Grand Rapids on May 13th!

https://www.facebook.com/TheGrandRapidsCosmeticDentists/app_141149985924076

You can be one of four lucky patients to be our guest to have lunch, listen to Coach Hoke and get fired up for the coming football season! This contest ends April 30th, 2013.

Pregnancy And Oral Health In Comstock Park

Categories: General Dentistry

Pregnancy And Dental Health In Rockford MI

In today’s Stewart & Hull blog we will discuss how pregnancy impacts your dental health. Dr. Eric Hull and I want all expectant mothers to realize the importance of good oral hygiene during pregnancy. Because of the changes going on in a pregnant woman’s body there are potential dental health issues that may arise.

Many Comstock Park and Rockford MI area women experience morning sickness accompanied with vomiting. The gastric acid increases the acidity in the mouth which can easily lead to enamel loss and tooth decay. Heightened levels of progesterone and estrogen may relax the ligaments that support the teeth causing them to loosen. During pregnancy the hormonal changes increase your risk for gingivitis. Without proper dental care gingivitis can lead to gum disease.

We at Stewart & Hull recommend pregnant women use a soft bristled toothbrush for daily brushing, floss carefully and rinse their mouths with a fluoride wash. If you experience morning sickness, clean your mouth with a baking soda and water mixture.

If you are planning to become pregnant, it is a good idea to have a professional cleaning and exam prior to your pregnancy. If you need any general dentistry procedures, it is a good idea to get them done as soon as possible. If you experience any dental problems during your pregnancy please call and schedule an appointment at 616-827-7019. Untreated dental disease can affect your overall health.

At Stewart & Hull we not only offer excellent dental care to our pregnant clients, we provide quality preventative care and cosmetic dentistry for the entire family. Our Grand Rapids and surrounding area patients can expect professional general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and laser dentistry.

Dr. Bruce A. Stewart
Dr. Eric D. Hull
Stewart & Hull
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan
616-827-7019
https://www.greatmismiles.com/dental-services

Are you on following us on Facebook? View our post from March 22nd or click this link to win 2 tickets to hear University of Michigan Football Coach Brady Hoke speak in Grand Rapids on May 13th!

https://www.facebook.com/TheGrandRapidsCosmeticDentists/app_141149985924076

You can be one of four lucky patients to be our guest to have lunch, listen to Coach Hoke and get fired up for the coming football season! This contest ends April 30th, 2013.

Tooth Brushing Basics For Healthy Smiles In Grand Rapids

Good Dental Hygiene In Grand Rapids Why should everyone brush at least twice a day? Let’s take a look at why this is so important.

Brushing and flossing is the best way to prevent decay.

Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and carefully flossing removes the food from our teeth and inhibits the build up of plaque. If we let food stay on our teeth, the starches in the food will mix with the plaque. This nasty mixture forms an acid which immediately starts drilling into the enamel to form cavities. Brushing can’t get all the spaces between your teeth, so you need to floss also.

Brushing and flossing keeps gums and bone healthy. Talk to your Grand Rapids area cosmetic dentist about how to keep your teeth healthy and strong.

If you let gum disease go untreated, you can lose teeth that are cavity-free!

The progression of gum disease (gingivitis) goes like this:

  1. Plaque build-up irritates gums
  2. Irritated gums pull away from teeth
  3. Bacteria multiplies in the spaces between the gum and tooth
  4. The bone holding the tooth is eaten by the bacteria
  5. Say goodbye to the tooth

The good news is that gingivitis can be reversed if detected early.

Call Stewart & Hull at 616-827-7019 to schedule a dental health evaluation at our office in Comstock Park. We proudly serve Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, Rockford MI and the surrounding communities.

Teeth: What Have They Done For You Lately?

Dental Health And Your Teeth In Rockford MI

Welcome to the Comstock Park area dental blog! Today we are going to look at the secret life of our teeth.

The shape of each tooth gives a clue to what it does. The incisors, or your front teeth, are sharp. They need to be because they are there to cut food and their curvature helps move food inside the mouth.

Behind the incisors, you find the canine teeth. Their roots go far into the jaw bone because they are designed to hold onto food and tear through it.

Premolars, found just behind the canines, are flat on the surface. This allows them to crush your food as you chew. And, finally, in the very back are the molars. They are large and have nice, flat chewing surfaces that help them to grind food down into smaller, more digestible pieces.

We’re Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull, local Comstock Park dentists, and we hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about the different teeth in your mouth.
If you are in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, or Rockford MI area and would like to make a dental health appointment at our practice, Stewart & Hull, please give Dr. Stewart or Dr. Hull a call at 616-827-7019. We can schedule an appointment and tell you about cosmetic dentistry procedures such as teeth whitening or laser dentistry.

If you’ve ever been interested in a smile makeover, come in and we’ll discuss the possibilities. We want all our dental patients including those in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park and Rockford MI area to have healthy mouths and beautiful smiles. At Stewart & Hull, we offer comprehensive dental services including:

cosmetic dentistry
restorative dentistry
Invisalign

What Is Lurking Under Your Gumline?

Fighting Gum Disease In Grand Rapids

Hello Grand Rapids residents! Your overall dental health depends not only on healthy teeth but also healthy gums. Proper oral hygiene helps keep both your teeth and gums in good shape.

When brushing, hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle with the bristle tips aimed at the line where the tooth and gum meet. The bristles of a soft toothbrush can clean the food particles in the pockets in front and in back of the tooth, but you need floss to clean between the teeth. Make sure you get the floss into the pocket between the teeth and scrape food particles up and out of the pocket.

Back to toothbrushing: if the toothbrush is not held at the correct angle, the bristles can’t get in the pockets to clean out the bacteria before it turns into enamel-damaging plaque. If plaque multiplies in the pockets around the teeth, the gum will start pulling away. Eventually, the pockets will become too deep for your toothbrush bristles to reach. Unfortunately, the tooth structure below the gumline is more susceptible to decay than the enamel above the gumline.

There is more than one way to damage your teeth – even if the visible parts of your teeth are cavity-free, gum disease can cause problems with the parts you can’t see.

We are Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull. We, along with our friendly staff, promote preventative dentistry by working with our patients of all ages to establish essential oral hygiene habits.

If you haven’t had a check-up in a while, or are experiencing gum soreness or recession, call our Grand Rapids area dental practice today at 616-827-7019 to schedule a thorough tooth and gum examination in Comstock Park.
During your exam, Dr. Bruce Stewart or Dr. Eric Hull will measure the depth of the pockets around each tooth. If you already have gum disease, we will help you restore gum health.

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry in Comstock Park, we provide full general and cosmetic dental services including dental veneers and restorative dentistry. If you have healthy teeth and gums but want to brighten your smile, ask us about tooth bleaching procedures we perform in-office.

Bruce A. Stewart, DDS, FAGD
Eric D. Hull, DDS
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan 49321
https://www.greatmismiles.com/