Maintaining healthy teeth is an important concern for our local Staten Island residents. As your Dentist, it’s my job to help you understand how to care for your teeth and to keep them healthy. Everyone in Staten Island knows that maintaining healthy teeth requires regular daily brushing and flossing. Regular visits to your local Staten Island dental practice is 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. Examples of local Staten Island foods to include in your diet include foods rich in vitamin B such as breads and cereals. Foods rich in vitamin C, usually fruits and vegetables, help improve the health of your gums. Zinc and magnesium are also good for the health of your teeth and are found in foods like lean beef, fish, and poultry.
All foods increase the production of saliva. Saliva is important to 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 Staten Island area can be beneficial to the health of your teeth, 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 Staten Island area, contact Staten Island Dental Care at (347) 695-4370. We would love to hear from you.
-Dr. Fredrick S. Hecht
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Patients often come into our Staten Island New York dental practice and complain about ‘a toothache the size of Staten Island’. I understand this kind of pain, and realize that when you describe it like that, it really hurts. I can help.
Tooth ache pain for anyone in Staten Island can be unbearable. At the very least, toothache pain can cause you to avoid eating certain foods, certain temperatures, and even talking. Severe toothache pain can be downright debilitating, forcing patients to go to extreme measures to alleviate the pain.
Around Staten Island, the most common causes of a tooth ache include tooth infection, decay, injury, and loss of a tooth. Tooth pain can also occur after a tooth has been extracted, or after an oral surgery involving anything from a tooth or your jawbone.
I can help you better understand the source of your tooth ache pain, and in most cases can provide a nearly immediate remedy. In severe cases, we are equipped to council you on a variety of resolutions.
Of course, the best way to avoid tooth ache pain is to visit your Staten Island dentist often, and to care properly for your teeth including the regular regimen of brushing and flossing.
If you are experiencing tooth ache pain, and just can’t stand it any more, please give me a call; I am standing by to help.
-Dr. Fred Hecht, D.M.D
(347)695-4370
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Hi, I’m Dentist Dr. Fred Hecht, DMD. Most every day, I can be found at my 
Staten Island area dental office treating dental patients with tooth and gum problems or helping patients prevent them. There are many common medical conditions that pose a risk to oral health.
1) Staten Island diabetes patients with high blood glucose often have a higher risk of dental issues. If you have diabetes, let’s talk. My number is (718) 761-5757.
2) A persistent dry mouth due to an inadequate amount of saliva can accelerate tooth decay, cause or contribute to gum disease, and trigger chronic bad breath. Many medications used by thousands of New York folks, including those for high-blood pressure and depression, cause dry mouth. This side effect is not only unpleasant, it is dangerous. Anti-depressants (especially SSRI’s) and anti-psychotic drugs can also trigger tooth-grinding (bruxism).
3) Acid reflux in children and adults is associated with a host of dental problems such as decay and periodontal disease.
I help many dental patients prevent problems associated with medical conditions that sometimes seem unrelated to dental health. Regular professional dental care is essential for oral health, and an important part of your overall physical health.
http://www.afraidofthedentist.com/
General dentists in the Staten Island area are trained in a wide variety of dental procedures. However, sometimes, yo
ur general dentist will refer you to a local specialist, or include a specialist as part of your treatment team.
Following are some of the most common dental specialties found in the Staten Island area:
Endodontists
Endodontists specialize in root canal therapy and other procedures involving the root and surrounding parts of the tooth.
Periodontists
Periodontists treat the conditions affecting gum tissue and the bone surrounding the teeth. If you have gingivitis or more advanced periodontal disease, you may be referred to a periodontist in Staten Island.
Prosthodontists
Repairing damaged teeth and replacing lost teeth for Staten Island patients is called ‘restorative dentistry’. Prosthodontists have advanced training in procedures involving crowns, dental implants, bridges, veneers, inlays, and partial or complete dentures.
Pediatric Dentists
Infants, young children and teenagers have different dental needs than adults. Pediatric Dentists undergo additional training in the diagnosis and treatment of dental diseases affecting the youngest population in Staten Island.
Oral Surgeons
Oral Surgeons perform surgical procedures involving the teeth, mouth and jaw. These include dental implants, surgery to repair damage due to injury, tumor surgery, and cleft lip and palate reconstruction.
If you are interested in learning more about these specialties, or have a concern regarding your oral health, please visit us at Fred Hecht DDS. You will find us at 1520 Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10314. Please give us a call at (718) 761-5757.
-Dr. Fred Hecht, DDS