Blog
Stay Updated with the VP Dental Blog in Raleigh, NC
This dental blog in Raleigh, NC aims to give you oral health tips and dental care news to help you get more information about maintaining good dental health. Our team at VP Dental puts a big emphasis on patient education because we care about you and your family’s overall well-being.
Latest Dental News and Tips
Our dental articles will discuss a variety of problems, such as cavities, plaque, and chipped or damaged teeth. We will also emphasize the need to maintain good dental hygiene. You will discover that there are additional ways to enhance your oral health, even if you think you brush and floss regularly.
For expert advice and other important information to support you on your path to the best possible dental health, we invite you to read our VP Dental blog.
Dental Health PSA: Stop Chewing Ice!
WHY DO DENTISTS always warn against chewing ice? It’s because it’s a habit that can do serious…
Nutrition for Building Healthy Smiles
HOPEFULLY WE ALL know how crucial daily flossing and twice-daily brushing are to keeping a growing child’s smile…
Most Childhood Tooth Injuries Are Preventable
MOST OF US can remember the scraped knees and other bumps and bruises we got as we were…
Dental Careers and Specialties
THE DENTAL CAREER everyone is most familiar with is the private practice dentist, meaning an…
Why Are Oral Cancer Screenings Important?
THIS YEAR ALONE, the American Cancer Society estimates over 54,000 new cases of oral cancer just…
Show Off With Some Weird Mouth Trivia
THE NEXT TIME you need an ice-breaker, why not toss out a few weird mouth facts? We’re…
Make a Plan for the First Loose Tooth!
LOSING BABY TEETH is a perfectly normal part of growing up, but it can still be a scary new experience…
Baby Teeth Traditions of the World
AS DENTAL HEALTH professionals, our favorite figure in the magic of childhood has to be the Tooth Fairy. We all…
What Triggers a Canker Sore?
A CANKER SORE, a shallow ulcer that can develop on the inside of the cheeks or lips, can mean…
3 Incredible Women in Dental History
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, WOMEN have faced numerous challenges in pursuing their careers. Dentistry…
Which Kids’ Toothbrush Is Best?
HERE’S A HANDY GUIDE that can help parents navigate the toothbrush aisle the next…
Tips for Teaching Kids Effective Flossing
AS PARENTS, THERE ARE so many things we must teach our children so that they are ready…
Tips for Men’s Oral Health
ON AVERAGE, BOYS and men are up to 20% less likely to brush twice a day and even…
Dental Health and Eating Disorders
EATING DISORDERS ARE incredibly dangerous, sometimes life-threatening mental conditions. The first…
Kissing and Contagious Cavities
THE REASON DAILY brushing and flossing are so important for keeping harmful oral…
Being Lip-Tied or Tongue-Tied
IT’S COMMON ENOUGH to be tongue-tied in the sense of not being able to get your words out, but a tongue tie is…
Women’s Dental Health
WOMEN FACE A different set of challenges than men do in caring for their teeth and gums, and they…
Soothing a Sensitive Tooth
IF EVERY BITE of ice cream or every sip of coffee gives your teeth a nasty jolt, then you…
Childhood Gum Disease
MANY HEALTH ISSUES rarely impact children, but that’s not the case with gum disease. Harmful…
It’s Time for a Dentist FAQ Session
DO YOU HAVE questions for the dentist? There’s a good chance one of your questions…
Smoking and Vaping Versus Teeth
SMOKING IS AN incredibly unhealthy habit for the entire body, and that includes teeth and gums. 80%…
The History of Fluoride and Healthy Teeth
IN ORDER TO EARN the ADA’s Seal of Acceptance, a tube of toothpaste must contain fluoride and…
Dental Emergency Preparedness
HAVING A PLANalready in place can make a huge difference if an emergency comes up, and…
When a Child Gets a Toothache
TOOTHACHES ARE NEVER fun, particularly for little kids who might not…
What Is Toothpaste Made Of?
PEOPLE HAVE USED some form of paste to help keep their teeth clean since at least 3000 BC in…
How Does Diabetes Impact Oral Health?
DIABETES (ANY TYPE) tends to make good dental health a much more difficult goal to achieve, and…
What is Internal Bleaching, and do I Need It?
VP Dental | Cosmetic Dentist in Raleigh, NC You may have heard about the cosmetic dentistry procedure called Internal bleaching. But do you know what it is? At VP Dental in Raleigh, North Carolina, internal bleaching is one of our many cosmetic dentistry services. Please read on to learn more about it. What is Internal…
We’re Observing TMJ Awareness Month
AROUND 35 MILLION people in the US are affected by temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD or TMJ), which is…
Happy Halloween From the Dentist!
WHY IS SUGAR so bad for our teeth? Because harmful oral bacteria love to eat it, then excrete…
What’s Causing Caries in Childhood?
TWO OUT OF every five kids develop one or more cavity by the time they turn eleven. That makes…
How Can We Guard Against Gum Recession?
MANY PEOPLE HAVE the idea that gum recession is only a concern for older people (that’s where…
4 Treatments for Beautiful Smiles | Cosmetic Dentistry in Raleigh, NC
VP Dental | Cosmetic Dentist in Raleigh Are you looking for information about cosmetic dentistry in Raleigh, NC? It is common knowledge that a great smile creates a lasting impression on a first meeting. People of all ages are looking for ways to achieve a beautiful and flawless smile that stops people in their tracks. …
TikTok Is Full of Dangerous Dental Advice
TIKTOK ISN’T THE best place to go for dental health advice — unless your dentist is active on the app. We’ve…
Attention Parents: Follow These Teeth Tips
PARENTS CAN DO a few different things to give their kids’ smiles a healthy…
How Do Dental Sealants Prevent Cavities?
AS A PARENT, maybe you spend a lot of your time worrying about whether your child’s teeth will develop cavities. Obviously, it’s…
How Do We Find the Right Toothpaste?
THERE ARE SO many choices of toothpaste in our grocery stores. With an…
Weird Dental History Highlight: “Tooth Worms”
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN getting cavities as long as there have been people, and people before modern dentistry had some strange theories…
Your Prescriptions and Your Oral Health
MOST MEDICATIONS come with a list of possible side effects, including side effects that impact oral health. These side…
When Is Thumbsucking a Problem?
A PACIFIER OR THUMB/finger-sucking habit that lasts beyond the toddler years can have a negative impact on a child’s…
Can We Smile Our Way to Better Health?
IT’S NOT ACTUALLY true that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile; smiling takes at least ten muscles while frowning…
How We Breathe Can Affect Our Teeth
YOU MAY HAVE heard the insult “mouth-breather” in recent years thanks to the popularity of the show Stranger Things. There are…
A Cosmetic Dentist Builds Beautiful Smiles
EVERYONE WANTS A perfect smile, but stains, discoloration, wear, chips, misalignment, gaps, and other issues can get in the way of our smile goals. That’s where VP Dental, your Raleigh cosmetic dentist, comes in. We offer…
Elizabethan England’s Rotten Sweet Tooth
IN ONE OF HIS sonnets, Shakespeare described the reeking breath of his lady love, and the subject came up again in two of his plays. He sets…
When to Expect Baby Teeth to Appear
A COUPLE OF the biggest rites of passage in childhood are the first baby teeth coming in and the…
Cavities: The Most Common Childhood Disease
40% OF KIDS WILL develop at least one cavity by the time they turn eleven, which makes tooth decay the most common disease of childhood. That…
How Do Swimming and Diving Affect Teeth?
“SWIMMER’S CALCULUS” SOUNDS more like advanced mathematics than anything to do with teeth, but it’s actually the term for yellow…
Dental Health in Ancient Cultures
WE TEND TO ASSUME that people from earlier eras (especially the pre-industrial ones) must have had terrible dental health, but that’s…
Never Forget That Teeth Are Not Tools
TEETH HAVE MANY different uses, from chewing our food to helping us speak clearly to forming the structure…
How to Get Ready for the First Dental Visit
PARENTS CAN DO a lot to help their child come into the dentist’s office feeling relaxed and…
A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Dental Habits
PARENTING CAN BE such a wild time that you might struggle to find a moment to brush your own teeth, let alone brush theirs and…
Time for a Lesson in Dental Anatomy!
THERE WON’T BE a pop-quiz later, but we still want our patients to be familiar with the anatomy of their teeth…
Where is the Best Cosmetic Dentist Near Me in Raleigh?
VP Dental | Cosmetic Dentist Near Me Cosmetic dentistry can improve your smile, confidence, and overall quality of life. If you are interested in enhancing your smile, you may be thinking, “Where is the best cosmetic dentist near me?” Finding the right cosmetic dentist near you can make a massive difference in your specific treatment…
Medieval England Versus Bad Breath
NOT MUCH WAS understood in Medieval England about cavities or gum disease, but they…
What Can Parents Do About Teething?
SOME OF US remember the soreness and discomfort of our incoming adult molars, not to mention…
Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and Teeth
SLEEP APNEA AFFECTS over 18 million adults and up to 20% of habitually snoring children in the United States alone. Sleep apnea is a…
Chewing Ice Is Bad for Our Teeth
WE HEAR A LOT that it’s bad to chew ice. It’s because ice can do a lot of damage to our teeth and gums.
Brighter Teeth from your Dentist in Raleigh, NC
Dentist in Raleigh, NC | Professional Teeth Whitening Who doesn’t want a sparkling smile? Smiling and knowing your teeth are white makes a huge difference to confidence levels. When you have white teeth that you’re proud of, you’re far more likely to relax and smile, flooding your brain with feel-good endorphins. Teeth whitening is a…
History Includes Some Odd Teeth Traditions
THERE’S A LOT OF strange stuff buried in the history of dental health and hygiene, but there are a…
How to Protect Against Childhood Tooth Injuries
CHILDHOOD IS A TIME of scraped knees and bumps and bruises as kids run around discovering the world. As pediatric…
What Builds Healthy Smiles?
DAILY BRUSHING AND flossing are essential to keep a growing child’s smile healthy, but we already know that. We hopefully…
Oral Cancer Awareness Month Is Here!
STAYING INFORMED ABOUT the symptoms and risk factors of oral cancer is incredibly important. We oral health…
The Many Dental Career Paths
WHAT DOES A CAREER in dentistry look like? Being a dentist is an incredibly rewarding career, and beyond helping our patients maintain…
Do Your Friends Know These 6 Mouth Facts?
IF YOU’RE SHORT on fun topics of conversation for your next party, might we interest you…
The Tooth Fairy Across Time and Cultures
ONE OF THE most prominent figures of the magic of childhood is the Tooth Fairy, but depending on…
What’s Your Plan for the First Loose Tooth?
MOST OF US can still remember what it was like to lose a baby tooth, especially that major Big Kid milestone of losing the first…
Pioneers of Women in Dentistry
MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, so we’re celebrating two trailblazers for women dentists in…
Training a Generation of Flossing Masters
NEXT TO BRUSHING, the best tool we have for preventing tooth decay and gum disease is daily flossing, which is why it’s important…
Your Child’s Toothbrush
THESE DAYS, THERE are so many toothbrushes to choose from that it’s hard to find the right one for…
The First Black Woman Dentist in the US
IDA GRAY WAS BORN in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1867. She became an orphan when…
How to Choose a Great Dentist in Raleigh, NC
THERE ARE A NUMBER of reasons why someone in Raleigh, NC might need a new dentist. Maybe their…
Stress and Our Smiles
MENTAL HEALTH AND physical health are tied together in ways we don’t always expect. That even…
Oral Health Goal: Cut Sugar Intake in Half
SUGAR GOES BY MANY NAMES and hides where we’d least expect it. Molasses and…
What Causes Tooth Sensitivity?
IT CAN BE DIFFICULT to get any enjoyment out of a cozy mug of hot cocoa if every…
Dental Health: Men Vs. Women
MEN AND WOMEN have a lot in common, but they face significantly different challenges…
Wait, Radioactive Toothpaste Was a Thing?
RADIATION AND THE harm it can do to humans wasn’t well understood in the early years after…
The Fascinating History of Fluoride
THE ONE INGREDIENT a tube of toothpaste must contain to earn the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance…
Let’s Answer Some Dental FAQs!
A LOT OF PATIENTS and parents of patients come to us with the same dental health questions, so…
Gum Disease in Children
SOME HEALTH ISSUES only impact adults, but gum disease is not one of them. Oral bacteria…
What to Do With a Knocked-Out Tooth?
LOSING BABY TEETH is a totally normal part of a child’s development, but what happens if…
Smoking and Vaping Versus Dental Health
A SMOKING HABIT damages every organ and system in the body, including teeth and…
What’s in Toothpaste?
MOST OF THE TIME, the only toothpaste ingredient that really gets talked about is fluoride, the active ingredient that…
What to Do for a Child’s Toothache
NOBODY ENJOYS HAVING a toothache, especially a young child who might be experiencing it for…
Diabetes and Our Teeth
DIABETES, WHETHER TYPE 1, 2, or even gestational, makes it more difficult to maintain…
The Main Causes of Childhood Caries
WHAT LOVES SUGAR just as much as kids? Cavity-causing bacteria. That’s why…
Have a Dentist-Approved Halloween!
SPOOKY SEASON HAS been lots of fun this year, and Halloween is just around…
Beware of TikTok Dental Fads!
UNLESS THE DENTIST is on TikTok, it’s not a great platform to get dental health advice…
A Smile Makeover in Raleigh, NC.
DO YOU FEEL CONSCIOUS about your smile? If you think your teeth are beyond hope, you might be in for a great surprise. Cosmetic dentistry can improve your smile in many different ways with a smile makeover. Dr. Preston can create something extraordinary, transformative, and life-changing for you. What is a Smile Makeover? Your smile…
Finding Your Perfect Toothpaste
HOW DO YOU choose the right toothpaste out of the wall of colorful boxes on the store shelf? Is it better to get…
Dental Sealants for Cavity Prevention
THERE ARE MANY pits and grooves in the chewing surface of a molar where bacteria can grow and lead to…
Dental Care Tips for Parents of Young Kids
THE LIFE OF A PARENT is a hectic one. Keeping track of everything your…
The Advanced Dental Care of Ancient China
RUDIMENTARY DENTAL EXTRACTIONS were performed in China as early as 6,000 BC, and there is…
Medicine’s Relationship With Oral Health
POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS are a concern with pretty much every medication that exists. We can…
How We Breathe Impacts our Teeth for Life
MOUTH-BREATHING CAN cause all kinds of short-term issues, many of which are connected to…
When to Start Discouraging Thumbsucking
IT MIGHT BE CLICHÉD to say it, but it’s true that kids grow up fast. They’re constantly outgrowing…
The Decayed Teeth of Early Modern England
THERE WAS SOMETHING rotten in the state of England during the Early Modern Era: everyone’s…
Improving Our Mood and Health With Smiles
THE OLD LINE “it takes fewer muscles to smile than frown” isn’t actually true. It takes at…
40% of Kids Have a Cavity by Age 11!
TWO OUT OF EVERY FIVE kids will end up with one or more cavities by their…
The Typical Timeline for Baby Teeth
TWO OF THE BIGGEST milestones of child development are when their baby teeth start…
Dental Health of Early Native Americans
WHEN WE PICTURE people of earlier eras, particularly pre-industrial ones, we tend to…