Do you love Spring or do you have allergies?

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, which is an important event in different cultures. We call it the Equinox (or St Patrick's Day, depending on who you ask!), Persians call it Nowruz, Japanese people call it Shunbun no Hi, and some even celebrate the World Storytelling Day, I guess you get the idea: people love Spring! Well, make that most people, because 58 million Americans with allergies almost hate it!

What causes springtime allergies? The biggest problem is the pollen, which is released into the air by trees, flowers, grasses and others (some say the level of pollution is a factor too). When pollen or other triggers enter the body of an allergic person, their immune system goes into overdrive.
Everybody knows the symptoms, allergies usually bring itchy and watery eyes, itchy ears and nose, sneezing, congestion, and sinus pressure. That's no bueno!

Can they affect your teeth? Most people don't know it, but yes! The maxillary sinus cavities are the ones most likely to be affected by congestion and pressure during allergy season. These sinuses are located right at the root of your molars and premolars. If pressure and congestion builds up in the sinuses, it can put pressure on the roots of these teeth and can cause tooth pain.

What you can do: If you suffer from allergies, try to limit going outside on high pollen days, but that defeats the purpose of spring! Also, you can try taking some OTC allergy medication or whatever your Doctor recommends. Antihistamines and decongestants can start to provide relief within an hour. However, for more severe allergies, you many want to try a nasal spray. If toothache symptoms persist, make an appointment with your Dentist.

You can afford it!

Every day we diagnose Patients and offer treatment plans that include the proposed treatment for their dental woes. We take care of the problem at hand first, from emergencies to tooth aches to prevention. But we always propose a Smile Improvement option, which is better known as Cosmetic Dentistry, to keep things simple. While some patients are happy since it might be the first time someone mentioned this to them and are eager to start improving their lives and overall health, we noticed that some Patients tend to put their smile improvement on the "back burner". It seems that "there are more important things to do first" or "I'm sure it's expensive and I can't afford it". But since we care about our Patients -we move mountains to get the right financial plan for them, just to prove that "it's not that expensive" and "you can afford $100/month with no interest"! CareCredit is a great tool to finance more costly procedures, or Sedation for patients who don't want to remember the experience of their Smile Makeover. But sometimes they are just surprised how affordable some procedures are and how big impact they have on their smile and the improved perception others will have of them (LASER Teeth Whitening comes to mind first!).

If you could improve your ‪smile‬ in any way, without worrying about money or pain of fear -what would you choose? ‪Teeth Whitening‬? Replace old, dark, potentially toxic amalgam/mercury ‪‎fillings‬ with new white ones? Straighten your teeth with ‪‎Invisalign‬? Would you get ‪‎Veneers‬? It's much easier than you think, and some of these procedures are less expensive than most people heard they cost. Call or come over and ask for a free evaluation for your Smile Improvement or just a LASER Teeth Whitening, with no strings attached, you don't have to switch Dentists or send old X-Rays. At least you have an idea of what it costs and you can plan it better, we won't pressure anyone to start a treatment until they are ready. Let's start the road to a better you today, we'll do it together!