According to a 2018 report by the Arizona Department of Health Services, the number of Arizonans diagnosed with diabetes jumped 10% from 2011 to 2016. AZDHS estimates nearly 600,000 adults with diabetes live in Arizona, many of whom are unaware of that diabetics are at higher risk for various secondary complications, including gum disease. Why […]

3 Common Tooth Brushing Mistakes & How To Brush Properly
Brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste is a key step in preventing cavities. But there are several common mistakes you can make when brushing your teeth that can leave plaque behind, cause receding gum lines and damage tooth enamel. Find out what you’re doing wrong—and how to break these bad brushing habits. […]

Dentist Spotlight: Dr. Kevin Haley
This month, we’d like to introduce you to Delta Dental dentist Dr. Kevin Haley of Cañada Hills Dental in Oro Valley. Do you brush and floss as much as you recommend? Yes! Probably 20 times more than I recommend. What is your favorite flavor floss? Glide floss in mint flavor. Electric or manual toothbrush? Electric–Sonicare […]

LifeSmile Score Identifies Your Risk for Oral & Dental Diseases
Even while practicing the recommended brushing and flossing routine and visiting the dentist the recommended twice per year, some people still suffer from dental health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one in four adults in the Unites States has untreated tooth decay, or cavities. 46 percent of […]

How Much Does the Luck of Genetics Play into the Health of Your Smile?
DNA is the building blocks of our bodies. Our DNA is a mixture of our mother and father’s DNA. Has anyone ever told you that you have your father’s nose or your mother’s eyes? DNA affects everything from our skin and hair color to our height and shoe size, but can it also affect how […]

2 Tooth-Friendly Recipes Endurance Athletes Will Love
Whether you’re an amateur athlete, a weekend warrior, or a professional endurance competitor, it’s likely you have a nutritional routine that includes eating and drinking sugar and carbohydrates to fuel your activities. You probably consume quite a bit to stay fueled and feed your muscles the nutrients they need. U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, for […]

How Safe Is My Bottled Water?
Coffee, juice, soda: these are the drinks that we know can damage our teeth and our health. We would never put water in that category, right? We’ll let you decide, as new studies are looking at how the effects of plastic water bottles extend beyond the environment and into our bodies. The results might make […]

She Has Your Cavities: Why Parents Have Kids with Cavities
We love it when our child has our eyes or our partner’s dimples. But, children don’t only inherit our good traits. They can take on our bad habits, too, like poor dental hygiene practices. Parents with anxiety or fear of the dentist are more likely to have kids with cavities. As a parent, if fear […]