Our Blog

Dental professionals are infectious control experts required to implement sterilization standards and protocols. In a pre-COVID world, our dental office was one of the most sterile environments you could find due to the required infectious control standards set by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (TSBDE), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In a post-COVID world, we have elevated our sterile standards. Our joke in the office is “we were sterile before COVID…and now we are sterile on STEROIDS!”

Dr. Bill, and our team, are thankful that the healthcare world has learned what we have known for years:

• Overall healthcare begins with oral healthcare
• Dental healthcare - including periodontal and proactive cleanings - IS essential healthcare
• Postponing smaller procedures/cleanings can lead to longer term issues and more costly procedures in the future
• Dental visits are safe if your dentist follows these infectious control standards

Article Links that enforce these principles:

• U.S. News & World Report - https://health.usnews.com/conditions/coronavirus-and-your-health/how-to-best-seek-medical-treatment-during-the-pandemic
• It’s Safe to go to the Dentist - https://www.insider.com/its-safe-to-go-the-dentist-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-9
• Consumer Reports - https://www.consumerreports.org/children-s-health/get-your-kids-back-on-track-with-medical-dental-care/
• Correlation of Routine Dental Care to COVID-19 -https://www.cda.org/Home/News-and-Events/Newsroom/Article-Details/routine-dental-care-may-protect-against-severe-covid-19-related-complications

Per the CDC dental office statistics published every Thursday, there have not been ANY documented cases of COVID transmission in a stand-alone dental office across the entire country. As such, the TSBDE allowed the COVID Emergency Rule 108.7 (16) to expire at midnight on Friday, June 18, 2021. This means that we can get back to practicing dentistry in the same sterile environment that we have practiced in for years.

How can you prevent contracting or spreading COVID-19?

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds. If you do not have access to soap and water, use 70% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Do not use your hands
• Get the vaccine. At 95% efficacy, the vaccine is extraordinarily effective at protecting you from the virus.
• Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Calling in advance will allow your healthcare provider to quickly direct you to the right healthcare facility.

If you have any questions regarding our infectious control standards, please contact our office at 214-320-9679.

We look forward to seeing you again soon at your next dental visit!

If you participate in sports or other physical activities, it’s wise to consider getting a mouthguard. Also known as mouth protectors, mouthguards are a device worn over the teeth to lessen the impact of a blow to the face.

This reduces the chance that you might lose teeth or sustain other serious oral injuries. We recommend that all patients involved in a contact sport such as wrestling, football, or hockey wear a mouthguard because of the high risk of such injuries.

However, anyone involved in a physically demanding sport or activity should wear a mouthguard as well.

Can you imagine what it would be like to lose a few of your front teeth? The way you talk, eat, and smile would all change. Potential injuries when you don’t wear a mouthguard include chipped and broken teeth, fractured jaws, root damage, damage to crowns and bridgework, concussions, and/or injury to the lips, cheeks, or gums.

Types of Mouthguards

There are three different types of mouthguards — typically made of a soft plastic material or laminate. You can decide which works best for you in terms of budget, fit, and comfort.

• Stock mouthguards are prefabricated to a standard size. They offer adequate protection, but you need to make sure you find one that fits properly and comfortably. Stock mouthguards are readily available at department stores, sporting goods stores, and online.
• Boil-and-bite mouthguards are placed in boiling water to soften them, then into the mouth so they can conform to the shape of the teeth. Boil-and-bite mouthguards are more expensive, but offer a more customized fit than stock ones. You can find these in department stores, pharmacies, sporting goods stores, and online.
• Custom-made mouthguards are created just for you by Dr. Bill Whitley. These offer the best fit and comfort of all the options, but they are also the most expensive. Ask a member of our Dallas team for more information.

The American Dental Association says a good mouthguard should be easy to clean, fit properly, be comfortable, and resist tearing or damage. It shouldn’t restrict speech or breathing.

Still not sure if you need a mouthguard or which kind is right for you? Ask Dr. Bill Whitley or one of our staff members for more information.

“Shouldn’t that be healthy gums,” you’re thinking? And, of course, you’re correct. Healthy gums are extremely important not only for our dental well-being, but for our overall physical health.

But that’s a subject for another blog! Today, we’re talking about healthy gum—chewing gum, that is. Because choosing the right chewing gum can actually improve your dental health.

Oral bacteria use the foods we eat, especially sugars and simple carbs, as fuel to produce acid. These acids attack our tooth enamel, gradually weakening the minerals in the tooth surface and allowing cavities to develop. Clearly, we want to reduce these acids to help prevent decay. Luckily, our bodies have a natural defense against acid attacks—saliva.

Saliva works to protect our enamel in three ways:

• It helps neutralize and wash away acids in the mouth.
• It rinses away the food particles which bacteria feed on.
• It strengthens teeth by providing the necessary minerals our enamel needs to “remineralize” after acids have weakened the tooth surface.

Studies have concluded that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minute after a meal can help prevent cavities. Why? Because chewing gum increases saliva production. You are actually reducing the effects of harmful acids, washing food particles away from your teeth, and strengthening weakened enamel with every stick! Some artificial sweeteners are even thought to inhibit the growth of the bacteria that lead to decay.

With all that in mind, it’s also healthy to know when you shouldn’t chew gum:

• When the gum contains sugar. Even with an increase in saliva production, bathing your teeth in sugar as you chew does your enamel no favors!
• When you wear braces. Gum can stick to your brackets and between your brackets and your wires. And while trying to clean gum from your appliance is no one’s idea of fun, an even more unpleasant possibility is the chance that gum might bend your wires out of shape. Sugarless gum is not quite as sticky as regular gum, but before you open that first pack, check with your orthodontist to see if you might be putting your orthodontic work at risk.
• When you have jaw problems such as TMD, TMJ or other temporomandibular concerns, or if you develop jaw pain while chewing gum.
• You should never give gum to a child too young to understand that it should not be swallowed. Beyond acting as a choking hazard, continual gum swallowing can lead to diarrhea, blockages, abdominal pain and other serious problems. Talk to your Dr. Bill Whitley about the right age for chewing gum.

While chewing sugarless gum has the potential to improve dental health, remember it should never take the place of regular brushing and flossing—still the best way to prevent cavities at home. Talk to Dr. Bill Whitley about the possible benefits of sugarless gum at your next visit to our Dallas office, and we can make recommendations based on your individual dental history. Because whether it’s healthy gums or healthy gum, we’re here to help.

After your son or daughter departs for college, the last thing you want to get is a call or text to learn he or she is in pain. Dr. Bill Whitley and our team at Whitley Family Dental will tell you there aren’t many emergency situations that can be avoided when it comes to dental health, but one crisis that can easily be prevented before your teen heads hundreds of miles away for college is wisdom tooth extraction.

What are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars that erupt in the late teen years to early 20s. Spacing and crowding problems often cause impaction and infections, which is why many people elect to have their wisdom teeth removed. Wisdom teeth can go from barely noticeable to extremely painful in a very short period of time.

When your teen’s wisdom teeth erupt, they may cause overcrowding of his or her teeth, which can have a negative effect on their alignment. Most people’s mouths do not have enough room for wisdom teeth to erupt fully and remain perfectly aligned. Thus, pain, swelling, infection, damage to adjacent teeth, and decay are often the most common problems associated with wisdom teeth. These problems can brew beneath the surface for weeks or months, offering no warning before painful symptoms hit.

If your child does elect to go through wisdom tooth extraction, we want to inform you that the first few days of recovery consist of careful measures to control bleeding and swelling, an adherence to a special soft diet, as well as a medication routine that must be followed as recommended by Dr. Bill Whitley after surgery.

Dr. Bill Whitley and our team are dedicated to providing exceptional service before, during, and after your wisdom tooth procedure, so you can have peace of mind knowing that your child’s oral health is in good hands. We will do everything we can to minimize discomfort and help your child heal safely and quickly.

Summer break is the perfect time to remove wisdom teeth so that your child can avoid the stressful scenario of experiencing this medical emergency far away from home. If you have any questions on wisdom teeth removal or to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Bill Whitley, give us a call today!