Woodlands Dentist Discusses Electronic Toothbrushes

When electronic toothbrushes first arrived in the dental healthcare market, there was only one brand offering automatic oral health care. These days, however, there are many different electronic toothbrushes available to consumers with different options -- like re-chargeable batteries, smaller designs, and superb cleaning options. Because of this, it can be daunting when trying to figure out which electronic toothbrush is right for you.

Fortunately, Dr. Robert Dernick, a Woodlands dentist, wants to help guide you through the maze of modern electronic toothbrushes. First, let’s discuss the main difference between the two major electronic tooth brushes.

Electronic V. Sonic

Electronic toothbrushes are designed to mimic the motion of your hand when you brush your teeth with a regular toothbrush, except you get 3,000 to 7,500 rotations per minute. These toothbrushes do most of the work for you. Sonic toothbrushes dwarf regular electronic toothbrushes with 30,000 to 40,000 strokes per minute. The sonic toothbrushes rapid movements go a long way to remove plaque and ultimately, lead to an easy next check-up at Dr. Dernick’s Woodlands office.

How You Reap The Benefits

Recent studies have shown that electronic and Sonic toothbrushes help alleviate plaque and gingivitis -- reducing your risk of future gum disease as a result of gingivitis and eventually, periodontitis. Additionally, if you have any dexterity issues, having a toothbrush do the work for you, while also getting better than average results is another bonus. It might even influence users to brush more often, since there is less manual labor involved.

The only drawback associated with power toothbrushes is that they may be too expensive for some -- ranging in price from $15 to $100. Some even break the $100 dollar price point.

What Dr. Dernick Recommends

Since buying a power toothbrush can be a commitment of $100, Dr. Dernick knows how important it is to get the best one. As such, he advises his patients to ask their dental hygienist for their opinion on which electronic toothbrush is right for them during their next visit to our Woodlands, TX dental office.

Dr. Dernick and Family On Vacation

The skiing season is coming to a close, so in appreciation of a fun-filled holiday in the snow, Dr. Dernick is sharing his family's adventures in Deer Valley from this past winter. Have a look at some of the photos from the Dernick family:

Chris & Dr. Dernick

Lisa & Rawson

Lisa, Rawson & Dr. Dernick

Dan & Joy

Woodlands Dentist Discusses Tooth Wear

There are three major threats that lead to wearing down or injuring teeth: chewing, brushing, and grinding, along with accidental injuries. Today, Woodlands dentist Dr. Robert Dernick, discusses how you can avoid the daily wear your teeth encounter.

Accidental Injury

Biting down on a hard surface is how people normally imagine they’ll chip a tooth, or think they’ll chip a tooth. The reality is that chipping or breaking a tooth in this manner is actually quite uncommon. It is more likely that chipped teeth arise from those with root canals and fillings if you bite down on something hard.

Additionally, it is more likely that a chipped and/or broken teeth are a result of playing sports. Studies have found that wrestling, boxing, basketball, and karate are the biggest culprits of tooth injuries. If you play sports, be sure to protect your teeth by utilizing a mouthguard.

Unconscious Grinding: Bruxism

If you find yourself unconsciously grinding your teeth when you’re not chewing food, then you might be suffering from bruxism, and endangering the surface of your teeth. Not only does teeth grinding wear down the pointed shape of molars, but also create micro cracks on the enamel surface, making you more susceptible to tooth decay. As any with bruxism knows, grinding your teeth also creates headaches, muscle pain, and jaw injury.

Your Woodlands dentist, Dr. Robert Dernick, can usually spot the tell-tale signs of bruxism during an exam. You may not even know you suffer from teeth grinding until you go to your dental check-up. That’s another reason why it is important to see your oral health professionals twice a year.

Enamel Erosion and Acids

Teeth are built tough, but when the level of acid becomes imbalance in your mouth, the structural strength of teeth become compromised and susceptible to decay. Acidic foods and beverages and stomach acids (brought into the mouth by bulimia, morning sickness, or GERD) contribute to continued erosion of enamel.

Track Day at COTA In Austin

These were taken at the COTA track day in Austin, TX. As you'll see, Dr. Dernick, your Woodlands dentist, had quite a day racing Ferrari's with his son this past weekend. How many dentists do you know like to burn some rubber on a Formula One race track -- in exotic Italian sports cars? Probably not many. 

Or even record their laps with GoPros:

GoPro#2 captures all the turns!

Dan is setting the GoPro’s and microphone for optimal sound and review of the laps.

Son Dan ( who is also Dr. Dernick) & Bob are heading out for their first set of laps.

Reviewing the footage