This month, we’d like to introduce you to Delta Dental dentists Dr. Bradford Allen and Dr. Charles Falk of All West Family Dentistry in Peoria.
Do you brush and floss as much as you recommend?
Dr. Falk: Ouch! I brush as much as I recommend and floss regularly.
Dr. Allen: Yes, I brush 3-4 times a day and floss 3-4 times a week.
What is your favorite flavor floss?
Dr. Falk: Cinnamon floss. If I could create my own flavor, it’d be hot wing sauce floss.
Dr. Allen: Mint, for fresher breath.
Electric or manual toothbrush?
Dr. Falk: I recommend an electric toothbrush for most patients because it keeps them from over brushing and is easier on their gums, but I use a manual toothbrush.
Dr. Allen: I also use a manual toothbrush, but I recommend based on my patient’s needs. If they are not very coordinated, electric would do a better job. In cases when patients brush too hard, electric toothbrushes minimize abrasion.
What is your favorite tooth-friendly Valentine’s candy?
Dr. Falk: Sugar-free Werthers.
Dr. Allen: Oh, that sounds good!
Which celebrity has the best smile?
Dr. Falk: That’s a tough one. I like Jennifer Aniston’s.
Dr. Allen: Julia Roberts. They’re not perfect teeth but they are beautiful teeth and she shows a lot of them. Tom Cruise’s new crowns and veneers are also nice.
If you could tell patients to stop doing one thing, what would it be?
Dr. Falk: Clenching and grinding their teeth. It doesn’t work that way, but it’d be easier.
Dr. Allen: I’m not telling people to stop brushing twice a day, but if you’re only going to brush once a day, do it at night. When you’re sleeping, there is no saliva flow, your lips aren’t moving and there isn’t any food brushing things off your teeth so bacteria is having a heyday.
What is the best dental advice you’ve ever received?
Dr. Falk: “Do good work and the rest will come.” That was from an instructor in dental school.
Dr. Allen: “The decay is mine; the tooth is theirs.” Try to preserve as much tooth structure as I can.
What is the best thing about being a Delta Dental dentist?
Dr. Falk: The sense of community.
Dr. Allen: Delta Dental has a good product for patients and dentists. There will be dentists out there that say we can’t raise our fees etc., but for the most part, Delta Dental is reasonable.
Any funny stories from the dental chair?
Dr. Falk: Hundreds! How about the time when Brad (Dr. Allen) went to do an exam and the patient had a plastic cockroach in her mouth?
Dr. Allen: I jumped and there might have been a few choice words. LOL.
What is your favorite dental joke?
Dr. Falk: You don’t have to floss all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep. Or be true to your teeth or they will be false to you.
Dr. Allen: Oh, I like that! That’s mine!
Anything else you want to add?
Dr. Falk: Things that turned out to be hard in dentistry were not what I expected. The hardest part is management.
Dr. Allen: We truly care about the patients and I think it shows in the quality of our work and through the patients who come back and refer their friends and family. Our only marketing is being nice to the patients and calling them. We call every patient that we give a shot to.
If you’d like to nominate a dentist to be featured in the Delta Dental AZ Blog, contact us.
