The value of a beautiful smile!

We are blessed to have such awesome Patients everyday! And every day is a great experience with each and every one, we discuss and we learn from every beautiful smile that comes through our door! And we do our best to make sure everyone leaves with a healthier, happy, beautiful smile!
And most people understand the value of a beautiful smile, how others see you and how people make their first impression about you, or how they form an opinion in the long run. We try to make the case of a healthy, beautiful smile as the first thing people see, notice and remember about you. Also, how they perceive a smile that they don't like as a lower social status, and you can find more details in this blog.
But sometimes people who otherwise take smart, educated decisions - don't see the value of improved dental health. We see people who are in the process of buying a new house or remodeling an old one, so they clearly understand what smart decisions are, not recognizing the importance of a bright, beautiful, healthy smile. Yes, buying a new house can be a great investment for your future, yes, remodeling your old one will most likely increases the value of your home. Yes, even buying a new car, a cool one might change how other people look at you and the way they perceive your status. Those are all good reasons to upgrade your life and move up on the ladder of social acceptance. Every time your friends will visit your home, and every time they see you coming out of that new flashy automobile they will think more of you, they will recognize your smart addition. Your boss might think - hmm, she seems smart and takes great decisions, or he understands the value and what it represents, maybe I'll consider this person for a promotion or give them more tasks because they look capable to handle more. And they would be right, the more good decisions you take - the more people will entrust you with other important things in their lives or work.
But what is the value of your beautiful smile? I hope more people would see their beautiful, healthy, trusty smile as an investment, as important as your house or fancy truck. If not more important, since they might only see your house once or twice a year, and you car maybe once or twice a week. But they will see your bright white smile all the time they are with you, and that might be 8 hours a day at work! Or they might just see it once at an important meeting or a sales visit if they are your customer, but that would make a great difference in the outcome if they trust you more and if they see how you understand good value.
Ready to improve your smile, improve the way others see you, get better first impressions, better friendships, better relationships, a better job, a better life and ultimately a better you? Make an appointment online at AlisoViejoDental.com, or call/text us at 949-425-1447

What is preventive care?

The skinny? Preventive healthcare (or prophylaxis) refers to measures taken to prevent illnesses or diseases, as opposed to treating them. That is because cavities, and oral health problems begin way before individuals realize they are affected. That's why if you miss your regular cleanings you might need a deep cleaning, which is way more expensive and not covered by insurance! All that for missing a 1 hour visit with a Hygienist every 6 months or so! Same with cavities, we can find them early and treat them when a small filling (covered by insurance sometimes), rather than wait till you need a root canal, extraction or an implant! Think about it - a short visit for (a possibly almost free) filling or thousands of dollars and tons of anesthesia to get an implant? Unfortunately too many choose the latter, don't be that guy!

It also includes counseling to prevent health problems down the road because getting preventative care (both forms of this word are correct), such as screenings and regular cleaning, can help you and your family stay healthy. They say that oral cancer screenings save lives, and that is true! Think about it: getting a free screening in our office or possibly paying for cancer treatment later! All these mean less surprises, pain, or emergency visits, which keep our Patients happy! 

Admit it, the first thing that pops to mind is - why would my dentist want me to have less visits and save more money, right? Well, here is why: we love it when our Patients have a good oral health, that is the reason we entered this profession in the first place. 
But there is also another component to this: under most PPO and HMO insurance plans regular cleanings are 100% covered, fillings are at least partially covered, and that means no or little out-of-pocket costs, so you can use this saved money for improving an already healthy smile, like teeth whitening, veneers or Invisalign! Imagine that - healthy AND beautiful smiles! What would a dentist like more than that! Right?

Referrals! A happy Patient will tell everyone and our Patients' beautiful smiles are our business cards! Everybody will compliment you for a brighter smile, whiter teeth, straighter teeth, or an overall happier smile! If you don't get those compliments then you need to contact us today!

Wellness

There is an increasing interest into an active process of making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life and of becoming aware, rather than treating sickness. Preventing is easier and cheaper, not to mention better for you and as a life choice than treating an illness after it occurs. Wellness is more than being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of changing and growth and staying away from getting sick in the first place.

Maintaining an optimal level of wellness is an important part of living a higher quality life. Everything we do and every emotion we feel relates to our well-being. The other side of the coin is true too, our well-being directly affects our actions and emotions, it’s an ongoing cycle. We need to achieve optimal wellness in order to minimize stress, reduce the risk of illness and ensure positive interactions and relations.

There are at least 8 dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, social, intellectual, and occupational and they are all interrelated.
Although a Dentist can influence your Emotional wellness (a beautiful smile will help you with better relationships) or Occupational wellness (statistically people with better oral health and teeth are perceived as smarter and get better jobs easier), probably the most help you'll get with your Physical Wellness.

Understanding the relationship between your oral health and your overall health is very important in order to develop a balanced physical wellness.
Applying a few principles of good health and knowledge will affect your behavior patterns towards a healthier lifestyle. Here are a few easy steps to take to maintain an optimal level of physical wellness:

• Engage in some physical activity every 30 minutes, even if it's just to get up and go get a glass of water or walk outside for a minute, seating for too long is bad. Try to workout everyday too.
• Use stairs instead of the elevator or escalator and park farther to give yourself a chance to walk more.
• Use better nutrition, natural, fresh ingredients as much as possible to boost your immune system. Also, try to control your meal portions.
• Maintain a regular sleep schedule and get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
• Maintain your good health by keeping a good oral hygiene with regular checkups an cleanings, daily flossing and brushing. Ask us if you need more advice, a good oral hygiene helps with your overall health.
• Avoid toxic food, ingredients, containers or situations and procedures, chose a natural, non-toxic environment whenever possible.

There is more to do, but this is a good start, please contact us for more information.