Philly Dentistry

Everyone knows to keep a healthy mouth that you need to brush your teeth regularly, floss on a daily basis, and try not to eat foods with so much sugar. Food is essential for life and although no food will ever replace the need to brush your teeth, here are the top 7 foods that are unexpectedly healthy for your teeth.

Chewing gum

Many people may not consider this a food, but if you are chewing sugar-free gum it can actually be good for you. By chewing gum, it builds up saliva in your mouth helping rinse away any damaging acids making your mouth healthier. Plus, it makes your breath smell great!

Dark Chocolate

There are many different kinds of chocolate and most of them are not healthy for your teeth. However, if it’s dark chocolate then it can actually help harden tooth enamel. There is a compound in dark chocolate called CBH (Cocoa Bean Husk). It has been proven in tests to help prevent tooth decay from the hardening of tooth enamel and even help prevent cavities.

Cheese

When you think of healthy foods for your teeth, cheese does not come to mind, but it is surprisingly good for you. What makes cheese great is its ability to fight acid erosion of your teeth. After you eat or drink, whether it’s sweets, a full course meal, soda, and anything else you can think of, you are exposing your teeth too so much tooth decay-causing acids. By eating cheese after you finish your meal it counteracts the acid that is left behind. The best cheeses to eat after a meal are goat and sheep cheeses. Tip: Try not to eat cheese with saltine crackers because believe it or not (even worse than candy) saltine crackers are the number one food that causes cavities.

Salmon

Different vitamins help different parts of your body making you a healthier individual, something that salmon provides is Vitamin D, which is crucial for great oral health. What Vitamin D does is absorbs the calcium that you have and puts it to great use throughout your body, making salmon an overall perfect food to keep healthy teeth and gums.

Onions

Yes, you read it correctly, raw onions, though they may smell horrible, they are actually extremely healthy for your teeth. What makes them healthy is the antibacterial Sulphur found in them. What this Sulphur compound does is kills any harmful bacterial that is left on your teeth.

Green & Black Tea

 When I think of drinks that stain your teeth I think of coffee, soda, red wine, and tea. While these can cause your teeth to stain, green and black tea will actually help them become healthier. What makes green and black tea healthy for your teeth are polyphenols. Polyphenols help fight against bacteria and cavities, which make it a great option during or after you eat.

Oranges 

Surprisingly, oranges are good for your teeth even though they are citrus. Citrus contains acids, but oranges also have Vitamin C. Vitamin C does is strengthens your blood vessels along with your connective tissue and slows down any gum disease by reducing inflammation. Tip: It isn’t good to brush right after consuming any citrus fruits. 

Looking for a new job can be one of the most stressful journeys. With unemployment at a high, still suffering from the effects of COVID-19, there has been a surplus of people job seeking. You need to make a killer resume, write a cover letter that expresses your interest in the position and keep your eyes peeled for new listings. That’s before you even get a job interview too. We’re exhausted thinking about it!

Stressed for job interview?

Once you finally hear back from an employer, you need to prep for the interview. The interview process can be nerve-wracking for many. Statistically speaking, you only have 7 seconds to make a good first impression. Your potential employer will make an assumption about you as soon as you walk into the room. Therefore, you want to make sure you make it a good one. Don’t worry though, here at Philly Dentistry, we’ve cracked the code that will help you land your dream job.

Smile at your interview.

Smiling gives you confidence! Walk into that room with a warm smile on your face. We promise that it will set the tone for the interview. Smiles are contagious so, if you put out that energy, your potential employer will inevitably start smiling too. Don’t be a part of the 39% of the candidates that get rejected due to low confidence level and lack of smile.

Let’s make it happen.

Do you feel like your smile needs some work? Give us a call. Whether you just want a cleaning to feel fresh, a whitening to brighten your teeth, or a smile makeover, our staff and doctors at Philly Dentistry can bring all of your smile goals to life.

Our patient got a job!

Our new patient, Joshua K., found us on social media and knew that he needed to be our patient! In this video, he talks about how Philly Dentistry is the reason he got his new job. Check it out!

We want to help you land your dream job, just like Joshua! Give us a call at (215) 568-6222 and one of our team members will be able to set you up with an appointment. Check out our work on social media so you can see all of the amazing work our dentists do. We want to feature your smile transformation next! We are looking forward to seeing you soon.

It’s the holiday season and that means all of the treats are coming out! Holiday treats are always fun to enjoy. The sugar cookies, cakes, pies…mmm mmm mmm, we can’t get enough. We want you to enjoy all the treats too, but don’t forget to take care of your teeth. It is so important to stay consistent with good oral health. You don’t want to fall into any bad habits and start your new year in the dentist’s office because of cavities, mouth pain, or any infections. To help you stay on track, we made a list of tips to help you maintain your oral health during the holidays!

1. Stick to the normal routine. Be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss. This is the easiest way to ensure your smile is staying on track.
2. Schedule your post-holiday cleaning now. Prepare in advance and have this one already set. Plus, if you know you have a date with your hygienist, it might influence you to floss more!
3. Drink plenty of that H2O! Drinking water has so many benefits, but particularly for your oral health, water should be your best friend. Drinking water can freshen your breath, and help clean away bacteria in your mouth.
4. Don’t use your teeth for anything besides eating. Your teeth are not bottle opening or present opening tools. You don’t want to crack a tooth doing something like this. Keep your teeth intact and only use them when eating!
5. Make yourself a to-go dental kit. You never know when you’re going to wind up staying out for the night so a to-go dental kit is a great way to stay prepared. Use a Ziplock bag to store a toothbrush, a travel size toothpaste, and a pack of floss. You will be ready for any situation!

Halloween is coming, and if you don’t brush so will the cavities! Halloween is a fun time to enjoy all your favorite candies. However, it is important to eat treats in moderation and to brush right after. National Brush Day is celebrated on November 1st, the day after Halloween, to reinforce the importance of dental health and promote good brushing habits!

How to brush?

Let’s go over the correct way to brush your teeth. First, position your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums. Next, gently move the toothbrush up and down in short strokes. Then, brush the outer surfaces, the inner surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Be sure to use the tip of the brush to clean the inside surfaces of the front teeth, using gentle strokes! Finally, brush your tongue to remove any bacteria and to freshen your breath.

Want more tips? We got you!

• Be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day for 2 minutes each.
• Use toothpaste that contains fluoride.
• Floss daily to remove particles your toothbrush didn’t catch.
• Visit your hygienist every 6 months.

It’s also important to know when it’s time to replace your toothbrush. Always rinse your toothbrush with water after brushing. Store it in an upright position and let it air dry rather than placing it in a closed container. Toothbrush caps only create the growth of bacteria. The general rule of thumb is to replace your toothbrush every 3 months. Replace it sooner if you notice the bristles bending up or if you were recently sick.

All in all, it is important to maintain good oral hygiene in order to take care of yourself. Good oral health reflects good overall health. Give us a call at (215) 568-6222 to book your next cleaning! In the meantime, let’s get connected on social media! We love seeing our patient’s photos throughout their smile journey. Tag us @phillydentistry to be featured on our channels.

Did you know that 1 in 12 people clench or grind their teeth while they sleep? Teeth grinders can experience migraines, sore teeth, an aching jaw, and even morning headaches. By grinding or clenching while you sleep, you are damaging your teeth without even knowing it. This can result in chipping a tooth, wearing down your enamel, and jaw pains. One of the main factors that result in teeth grinding is stress. By managing your stress and wearing a custom-made nightguard you can relieve pain and protect your teeth at the same time. Let’s talk about some reasons why wearing a nightguard is so crucial.

1. Prevents damage

   When you are grinding and clenching your teeth you are wearing down your enamel, which in turn puts you at a higher risk of chipping, breaking, and damaging your teeth. Wearing a nightguard that shapes perfectly to your teeth will prevent your upper teeth from grinding and clenching with your lower teeth. This allows you to protect your smile!

2. Stress relief

   Nightguards are so comfortable that you will hardly feel it in your mouth. By having a nightguard molded specifically to your teeth, it reduces the stress that typically would be placed on your jaw and muscles.

3. Prevents migraines
   

   Patients often realize a difference instantly when they start wearing their night guard. They have reported that headaches and neck pains are reduced to few or zero pain at all. Your personalized nightguard is also designed to keep your teeth and bite aligned to keep tension off your jaw muscles.

4. Comfortable sleep

   Nightguards allow a better night’s sleep due to taking pressure off your head, jaw, and neck. The way your jaw is positioned when your night guard is in helps promote muscle relaxation and reduces stress in your jaw, which will give you a better night of sleep.

5. Financial relief

   If you are constantly clenching or grinding your teeth every night and you’re not using a night guard your teeth are slowly being destroyed. When your teeth are being worn down to nothing you will have serious dental problems. This will result in paying for restorative and cosmetic treatments and in the long run that is an expensive investment.

6. Prevents snoring

   Yes, wearing a nightguard could prevent you from snoring. So, if your significant other complains about your loud snores, this is the perfect solution for you! Let’s talk about how that works. When you’re wearing your nightguard, a small space in-between your jaw is created. This small space increases your air intake, which ultimately, allows you to breathe better.

Getting a custom-made nightguard is very simple and only takes 2 visits. During the first visit, a mold is created perfectly for your teeth. During the second visit, you will be in an out quickly, as the appointment is only for you to pick up your new nightguard and make any adjustments after a fitting. It’s that simple and the benefits are too great to ignore. Give us a call at (215) 568-6222 to schedule your appointment now!

October is National Dental Hygienist Month! This is the perfect time to celebrate our dental hygienists for all the work they do! Also, it’s a good time to educate about the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene. Making a positive impact in the community is something our dental hygienists are very passionate about. We do that by treating one patient at a time. We encourage our patients to stay healthy by brushing twice a day, followed by rinsing with mouthwash and flossing daily.

Our dental hygienists address many oral health issues with patients. The top ones are:

• Periodontal Disease (Gum Disease)
• General Oral Care
• Cavities
• Inflammation
• Cancer Screens

A big thank you to our dental hygienists for providing these top services to our patients:

• Education
• Prophylaxis
• Fluoride Treatments
• Periodontal Scaling & Root Planing

The mouth is incredibly important in the systemic function and overall well-being of patients. With that, it is important to maintain good oral hygiene in order to take care of yourself. Give us a call at (215) 568-6222 to book your next hygiene appointment. Our team will get you up to speed with the newest hygiene education and ensure you are in good health. Not to mention our team consists of some of the coolest ladies you’ll ever meet! Our patients tell us endlessly that they look forward to their hygiene appointments and catching up with their hygienists. We build relationships, educate, and get patients healthy. It is our greatest pleasure serving you and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Let’s get connected on social media! We love seeing our patient’s photos throughout their smile journey. Tag us @phillydentistry to be featured on our channels.

LOCATION

We are conveniently located in the Medical Arts Building at 1601 Walnut Street, Suite #1302. Just to give you a heads up, our entrance is on 16^th street next to the Rag & Bone. Our office is within easy walking distance to most Center City, Philadelphia office buildings, Rittenhouse Square, and Washington West.

PARKING

If you are driving into the city, please allow yourself some extra time. We have been recently experiencing more traffic and construction in the city. Parking is available nearby in many parking garages. Here are just a few that our staff utilizes daily.

• Latimer Parking Garage 1510 Latimer St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (4 min walk to our office)
• SP Parking 1616 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (1 min walk to our office)
• Double Tree Hotel 237 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (7 min walk to our office)
• Park America 220n S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (2 min walk to our office)

TRAINS

 We are conveniently located near Septa’s El, the Regional Rail trains, and the New Jersey PATCO.

• The Septa El drops you off at 15^th Street. (6 min walk to our office)
• The Regional Rail drops you off at 16th St. & JFK Blvd. (6 min walk to our office)
• The New Jersey PATCO drops you off at 15^th/16^th & Locust Street. (2 min walk to our office)

SEE YOU SOON!

We are looking forward to seeing you soon. If you have any questions before your appointment, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 215-568-6222 or email us at info@phillydentistry.com. Our team would be happy to answers any and all questions.

Philadelphia Dentistry

Dr. Ken Cirka, DMD
1601 Walnut Street
Suite 1302
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Check us out on Social Media before your visit!

Are you looking for a new general dentist? Maybe you are interested in having cosmetic work done. OUCH! You have a sudden emergency and need to see the dentist. Philly Dentistry is the place for you. We love new patients and we have a whole way of making you feel comfortable with your first visit. 

Calling all new patients!

When you give our office a call, one of the first questions we ask is if you’re a new patient. We do this because we want to make sure all new patient callers speak with our new patient coordinator. Yes, we have a whole position in our office dedicated to assisting our new patients. Our new patient coordinator will answer all your questions and get you set up in our schedule. Once you are scheduled and ready to go, our new patient coordinator will start a communication line with you so that we are connected in case you have any more questions leading up to your appointment. We will ask whether you prefer a text message or email. From there, we will send you a detailed message summarizing all of your appointment information so you don’t have to try and rack your brain trying to remember your initial phone call. 

It’s a date.

A day before your appointment, our new patient coordinator will send you a message making sure we are still on for your scheduled appointment. We want to make sure everything still works for you! We only book one patient for each appointment in the schedule so we always want to make sure everything works out. The time is dedicated specifically to you and your doctor. 

No waiting.

When you arrive at your appointment, we will provide you with some light paperwork. This gives us some more information about you before we get started. Once the paperwork is completed, your doctor will come to get you from the waiting area. Your visit will always run on-time with no surprises, that is guaranteed at our office. Check out this video of Dr. Cirka explains why being on time in an office is so important to him. You’re not just another appointment in our schedule, you’re an important patient. So, please give us a call at (215) 568-6222 to speak with our new patient coordinator. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Do you think you need a deep cleaning? What does a deep cleaning entail? Deep cleaning involves gum scaling and root planing. Scaling and root planing is a way that we treat gum infection. The symptoms that someone might experience when they need scaling and root planing could be bad breath, a bad taste in their mouth, bleeding, swelling, tender gums, and unfortunately, sometimes they don’t have any symptoms at all.

What happens?

Scaling and root planing is a procedure we do to clean the bacteria and tartar off the deeper surfaces of the tooth. When we treat a patient with scaling and root planing, we usually start off with a full set of X-rays, also known as a full mouth series. We do this so we can see the roots and all the surfaces were going to be working on.

Then we start by numbing the gums up gently to make the patient extra comfortable during the treatment. Our numbing technique in our office is very nice because most of the time it doesn’t involve needles and the patients love the fact that it doesn’t involve needles. The numbing jelly that we use here is very strong. It gets applied above and below the gum line and then once the jelly is set, we go in and we start working with our ultrasonic cavitron. This is an instrument that our hygienists use to shake and vibrate the heavy tartar off the teeth. The treatment is very satisfying. We are getting rid of all that build-up and leaving our patients with a fresh, healthy mouth. 

Benefits?

• Eliminates the bacteria that’s underneath the gum line
• Prevents any tooth mobility
• Prevents future bone loss
• Reduces or can eliminate risk for severe gum disease and tooth loss
• Prevents gingivitis
• No more bleeding gums
• Less gum recession
• Fewer cavities caused by plaque
• Better oral health

What to expect?

Since there is so much work being done, this treatment is often broken into multiple appointments. More importantly, multiple appointments are essential. It allows the doctor to monitor the healing of your gums and the depth of your pockets. If your pockets grow deeper, more treatment could be needed.

The importance?

All in all, it is important to practice good oral hygiene as it is systemic to our overall health and well-being. No one wants to wind up with gum disease, but unfortunately, it can happen. To help prevent gum disease, it is important to visit your dentist twice a year. During your checkup cleanings, your provider will be able to detect early signs of any problems and nip things in the bud. It is better to maintain oral health, rather than waiting for a big problem. Healthy teeth = a healthy life!

No more waiting!

Book your free new patient consultation with Philly Dentistry today to check whether you are a candidate for a deep cleaning! Call today (215) 607-6350 to speak with one of our awesome team members and we can get you all set up.

You know that icky feeling on your teeth when you first wake up in the morning? That’s plaque! Plaque is a clear, sticky bacteria that is constantly forming on your teeth. When it’s not cleaned regularly, the plaque hardens and creates calculus, which is also known as tartar. Calculus cannot be removed with before-bed and in-the-morning brushing. When this occurs, you need to visit the dentist for a professional cleaning. 

To take care of regular plaque, you need a good oral hygiene routine. Your routine should include three things. 

1. Thoroughly brush your teeth twice a day. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush in gentle circular motions to ensure proper cleaning. Also, it is important to pay special attention to your gum line when brushing. 
2. Floss at least once a day. Flossing isn’t everyone’s favorite thing to do, but hear us out. By flossing daily, you are removing plaque and other debris in your teeth that your toothbrush can’t reach. It’s quite satisfying after you make it a habit! You can also try other flossing methods by using other cleaning tools like water flossers or interdental brushes. 
3. You have to visit your dentist twice a year. Your dental hygienist will be able to give you a deep cleaning twice a year that removes all of the excess buildups on your teeth. Keeping up with these visits regularly will keep your mouth healthy! 

It’s normal to have dental plaque, but by maintaining a good oral hygiene routine, you can prevent plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth. When you take care of your oral health, you are taking care of your overall health. Keep your smile healthy and happy!