Spring is in the air! As you probably know, you can always connect with us on our Facebook page, but we invite you to please contact our office with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so that we may be able to reach you.
We also encourage you to call us and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!
Thank you! Have a great week!
Happy Friday! Thanks again to everyone who has already entered our "Show Us Your Cute Pet Photos" Contest! We LOVE all of your adorable pet photos! Don't forget, today is the last day to fill out your entry by selecting the CONTESTS tab on the left-hand side of our Facebook page.
The voting phase of our contest will take place Feb. 18-20. The more votes that your photo receives, the better your chance of winning an iPad 2!
GOOD LUCK!
-The team at Baer Dental Designs
Whether you have a dog, cat, giraffe, or zebra, our team at Baer Dental Designs wants to see the cutest pet photo you have. Submit your cute pet photo in our Facebook contest, have your friends and family vote for your entry, and you’ll have a chance to WIN an iPad 2.
To enter, simply LIKE the Baer Dental Designs Facebook page and then submit your cute pet photo by clicking on the CONTESTS tab from the left side of the page. We will be accepting contest entries through Friday, Feb. 17th.
We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
The year is almost over, so we wanted to ask what was memorable about 2011 for you, and what are you looking forward to in 2012? Do you have a new year's resolution, or any exciting plans for the coming year?
Have a safe and happy New Year, from Baer Dental Designs
At Baer Dental Designs, we know your smile is important. And we know you want to keep it sparkling and looking its very best. Recently, we came across an article that suggests at least 20 things can ruin that perfect smile you have.
These include:
- Sports drinks
- Tobacco
- Coffee
- Wine
- Soft drinks
- Citrus and acidic foods
Dr. Christopher Baer and our team encourage you to read the rest of the article and ask us here on our blog or during your next visit to our convenient Aurora office. For more tips or for general questions about your ongoing dental treatment, we invite you to ask Dr. Christopher Baer during your next visit! We also invite you to ask us on Facebook!
At Baer Dental Designs, it is our mission to provide our patients with the highest quality of care in a comfortable and professional atmosphere. We strive to inspire our values of honesty, integrity, and equality in everything that we do for our patients, our team, and our community.
The bottom line is, we know having a beautiful smile is important to you. It’s important to us, too.
And speaking of smiling, in a poll conducted by Glamour Magazine earlier this year, people were asked, “If you had to pick between having perfect teeth, eyesight or hair, which would you choose?”
Well, 44 percent of folks out there chose teeth! In addition, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, or AACD, conducted a study and found that 99.7 percent of those polled believed a smile is an important social asset. Respondents said straightness, whiteness, cleanliness, as well as the sincerity and sparkle of one’s smile were all important factors not only socially, but career-wise as well.
Take the next step toward a healthier, brighter smile! Please contact our Aurora dental office and schedule an appointment. See you soon!
Cold and flu season is here yet again. The folks at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a common cold usually includes sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and coughing. Symptoms can last for up to two weeks.
To promote a healthy and clean environment, Dr. Christopher Baer and our entire staff give a great deal of attention to sanitation and sterilization in our Aurora office at all times, as well as following all requirements for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces. For the protection of other patients and our staff at Baer Dental Designs, we always ask that patients reschedule their appointments if they have any type of cold or illness that can infect others.
And remember to constantly wash your hands and avoid contact with those who are ill! Stay Healthy!
Happy Veterans’ Day! We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the veterans and those currently on active duty who have put their lives on the line for the freedoms we all enjoy.
Thanks to all of you who have given us so much.
- Dr. Christopher Baer and team at Baer Dental Designs
At Baer Dental Designs, we know nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth, courtesy of WebMD.
Let’s start with brushing regularly. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.
Next on the list is flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.
Also, evading a trip to visit Dr. Christopher Baer is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting Baer Dental Designs at least twice a year or as recommended, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your natural teeth.
You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you’re wearing braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.
Finally, before you pick up that candy bar, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be. If you have any questions, give us a call or ask us on Facebook!
Just as there are so many different types of toothbrushes to choose from, each brush also has a different type of bristle! There are generally three different types of bristles; hard, medium, and soft. Our team at Baer Dental Designs always recommend that our patients, especially children and seniors, use a soft bristled toothbrush.
Using a hard and medium bristled brush can actually harm your teeth and gums by stripping the enamel from the teeth and irritating the gums so that they become red and sore, and can even cause gum recession. If you do use a hard or medium bristled brush as a personal preference, we recommend using an electric toothbrush.
Soft bristles are much gentler on your teeth and gums, and while patients of all ages are recommended to use soft bristled brushes, they are particularly great for children, seniors, patients recovering from a dental procedure, and patients wearing braces.
Soft bristles, and even extra-soft bristles are every bit as effective when it comes to cleaning your teeth; in fact, if you currently use a hard or medium bristled brush, try a soft bristled brush next time you buy a toothbrush and we bet you won’t even notice a difference!
Happy brushing!
At Baer Dental Designs we know one thing no patient likes hearing when visiting our office is “root canal.” But what, exactly, is a root canal, and when might you need one? A root canal is a treatment Dr. Christopher Baer uses to repair and save a tooth that is infected or badly decayed to the point where the nerve is involved. In the past, if a patient had a tooth with a diseased nerve, dentists in most cases would recommend an extraction. Today, however, with a procedure called root canal therapy, available at our office, you may save that tooth—and your beautiful smile—after all!
Here are some symptoms that indicate a decayed or infected tooth, courtesy of WebMD:
• Severe toothache pain upon chewing, biting or application of pressure
• One tooth consistently more sensitive to hot or cold than other teeth
• Pain that hurts without any stimulus, keeps you awake or wakes you up at night
• A tooth that feels loose
• Discoloration (a darkening) of the tooth
• Pain that persists weeks following a filling or replacement of a filling
• Chronic pain and/or pressure that may extend to the ear, eye or neck
If any of these symptoms apply to you, we recommend you schedule an appointment with our office.
The best way to avoid a root canal is to practice good oral hygiene at home, and that includes brushing at least twice a day and flossing to reduce plaque and bacteria. For more tips on how to avoid root canal therapy or for general questions about your dental treatment, we invite you to ask Dr. Baer during your next visit at our convenient Aurora, CO office! We also invite you to ask us on Facebook!
Everyone loves fun facts and dental tips. Fun, fun, fun! Dr. Baer and our team at Baer Dental Designs came across these dental fun facts recently and thought you might enjoy!
• The second most common disease in the United States is cavities. The first is the common cold.
• There are almost 9,000 accidental pockings and piercings with toothpicks per year.
• X-rays may be an effective tool in preventing strokes.
• A child will have 20 baby teeth by the time he or she is 2 years old. Through childhood, kids gradually lose baby teeth and grow 32 permanent teeth, including wisdom teeth.
• According to consumer reports, dentists are among the 5 most trusted professionals in the United States.
• Approximately $2 billion a year is spent on dental products like toothpastes, mouthwashes and dental floss.
• The average American spends about 38 days brushing teeth over his or her lifetime.
• Kids in North America spend half a billion dollars per year on chewing gum.
• Approximately 94 percent of Americans say they brush nightly while only 81 percent say they brush first thing in the morning.
• Grand Rapids, MI was the first American city to fluoridate its water.
• Earliest record of a toothbrush was found in Chinese literature about 1600 AD
• The natural bristles of early toothbrushes were taken from the necks and shoulders of swine, especially pigs living in colder climates like Siberia and China.
At Baer Dental Designs, we are determined to give our patients only the best in dental care. As such, we make sure to stay up-to-date on all of the latest technologies available to us. The internet, for example, has had a significant impact on our office. It has broadened the way we manage our office and communicate with our patients. Here are just a couple of the benefits from our internet services:
-- We can send email reminders for appointments
-- X-rays can be quickly emailed to referring doctors in order to facilitate patient treatment
-- We can quickly look up and verify a patient's dental insurance benefits
These benefits, and more, help Baer Dental Designs make dental care easy and efficient for you and your family. We look forward to seeing you at your next appointment!
At Baer Dental Designs, we know most folks enjoy a hot-brewed coffee or tea in the morning, followed by a cola (or more coffee) in the afternoon. But what many don’t know is that both coffee and tea are especially tough on your teeth, because tannic acid (the substance that makes the dark color) etches into the pits and grooves of tooth enamel, and can stain your pearly whites brown.
So, if you can't give up that morning cup o’joe, what can you do? Dr. Christopher Baer and team suggest rinsing with a glass of water after every cup. If you enjoy iced coffee or tea, drink your beverage with a straw so that tannins don’t make contact with your front upper and lower teeth. Even if you’re not a big coffee drinker, Dr. Baer encourages you to swish and swallow some water at the end of each meal. Water, after all, helps neutralize acids left in your mouth after eating and also reduces cavity-causing bacteria.
Our team at Baer Dental Designs also invite you to visit our convenient Aurora office for whitening options. We can help bleach your teeth with proven and professional products. To learn more about whitening options at our office, please visit our website, ask us on Facebook or give us a call!
Everybody is jumping on the electric toothbrush bandwagon in recent years, with many experts in the dental field claiming electric toothbrushes provide superior dental care. It’s true that electric toothbrushes are recommended for those who can’t do a good job brushing manually or who have arthritis or other conditions. But manual toothbrushes do have some advantages, according to an article we recently found including:
• Cost. While electric toothbrushes may be expensive for many people, manual toothbrushes are both inexpensive and accessible.
• Less pressure on your teeth & gums. While we can feel the amount of pressure we’re using as we grasp our manual toothbrush, we can’t feel the pressure nearly as well with an electric toothbrush. Placing too much pressure on our teeth can wear away at the tooth enamel, which causes pain, sensitivity, as well as an increased risk of tooth decay.
• Simple to pack. Manual toothbrushes are easy to carry around for those business or family trips. People are less likely to let their good dental care habits lapse on vacation with a toothbrush that they can easily bring along!
• Better for kids. Learning at a young age how to properly use a manual toothbrush helps children get a feel for how to properly take care of their oral hygiene.
Electric toothbrushes, on the other hand, are more effective in removing plaque and are considered a better alternative to maintaining gum health. Remember, whether you choose a manual or an electric toothbrush, Dr. Baer and our team encourage you to choose one with soft bristles and be sure to change the bristles on the electric brush when they become worn down. We also encourage you to replace your toothbrush every three months, when the bristles are no longer straight and firm or after you recover from a cold.
Give us a call at Baer Dental Designs if you have any questions or ask us on Facebook!
Happy brushing!
If you are a patient in our practice, then you have met Tonya, our office manager. What many of you might not know is that Tonya helps to get your insurance to pay your dental claims. She does a tremendous amount of work filing insurance claims, verifying dental eligibility and benefits for all of our patients - something that patients sometimes take for granted. It is actually a patient's responsibility to do this, but in our office, Tonya does this for all of our patients to make sure you know what your insurance covers and what your out of pocket costs will be.
This takes a lot of work and dedication, and because it all happens while you are not in the office, her hard work can often go unnoticed.
We are honored to have someone of her caliber doing this for our patients. We know that our office would not run smoothly without her.
Thank you, Tonya!
Our team always enjoys receiving thank you notes! Today, we wanted to share a thank you that Dr. Baer received from the Grandview High School Pom Squad. It is always our pleasure to support local organizations and sports teams within our Aurora, Colorado community.
From your very first visit to Baer Dental Designs, Dr. Baer and team strive to provide superior treatment in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. We thought we’d ask you, our wonderful patients: Have you been especially impressed by Dr. Baer's work? Did our team go out of their way to make your day? Are you in love with your new smile?
Whether you’ve just come in for a consultation or your family has been visiting our office for years, we’d love to hear your feedback. Just select the "Write a Review" button below to write a review on our Google Place Page. We look forward to reading your reviews!
Thank you,
The team at Baer Dental Designs
Routine trips to the dentist can help you avoid costly dental treatment. Neglecting your oral health is often easy to do because things like gum disease and small cavities are often painless. We recognize that summer is a time of travel for families and many people would like to be out on vacation or enjoying the sunny Colorado weather...we would too!
Our top 5 reasons to schedule an appointment this summer are:
5. Routine dental treatment helps prevent more costly treatment in the future
4. Come in and get your teeth whitened with one of our summer teeth whitening specials
3. That toothache just shouldn't wait!
2. Your teeth are sensitive to cold and you cannot eat ice cream or drink iced tea (or a cold adult beverage!)
1. You just want to keep the fuzz off your teeth! :)
Everywhere you look you see bright, white smiles. At Baer Dental Designs we receive a lot of questions about teeth whitening. Dr. Christopher Baer recently sat down to answer some of your frequently asked questions. Here is what he had to say:
Q. What is the difference between in-office whitening, take-home whitening kits, and over-the-counter products?
A. The difference between the products is that the over-the-counter products are a one size fits all option, that is often lower in strength. Some people get great results with these kits if they have an "average size" mouth and "average size teeth". The take home whitening kits we sell in our office have custom made trays that precisely fit your teeth and optimize the bleaching agent contact with your teeth and minimize tooth sensitivity. It also minimizes the burning of the gum tissue by sealing at the tooth/gum tissue interface. We get great results with this type of bleaching. The in-office whitening is the fastest way to whiten your teeth and we get weekly calls for this option. It only takes two hours and you leave with whiter teeth!
Q. Do whitening toothpastes really make a difference?
A. We do not recommend the routine use of whitening toothpastes. They contain a lot of abrasives and take off more enamel than a regular cavity protection toothpaste. A whitening toothpaste is ok for occasional use, but can also cause tooth sensitivity.
Q. Can I use whitening products on my teeth while receiving orthodontic treatment?
A. For patients undergoing orthodontic treatment we do have whitening trays for them to keep their teeth white and brite during treatment. Ask us about this at your next appointment or call our office!
Q. Can I use whitening products on my dentures?
A. Unfortunately there is no way to whiten denture teeth without changing the teeth themselves. However, that only takes 24 hours and, as part of the process, we can also help improve the fit of the denture. Feel free to ask us about this option if you are interested.
If you have more questions about teeth whitening, contact our office or post a question to our Facebook wall. We are happy to answer all of your questions!