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Should You Brush Your Teeth Before or After Coffee?

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Should You Brush Your Teeth Before or After Your Morning Coffee?

Your alarm sounds, you roll out of bed and, if you’re like a lot of people, one of the first things you do is enjoy a cup of coffee (or two). And while coffee smells and tastes amazing when it’s straight from your mug in the morning, the same doesn’t hold true when it comes to your breath. So, understandably, your natural instinct might be to brush your teeth after having your coffee to ensure your mouth is fresh and clean as you go about your day. But there’s some debate about whether or not this is the right move. Well, the team at Naperville Dental Specialists is here to help. We’ll be weighing in on whether you should brush your teeth before or after coffee.

Should I Brush My Teeth Before or After Coffee?

Drumroll please….you should brush your teeth before having coffee, according to our Naperville dentists. We know, we know, it feels like that goes against all logic. After all, doesn’t coffee stain teeth? Won’t you be stuck with coffee breath? 

Yes, coffee does stain teeth and, sure, it can cause bad breath. However, there are two main reasons behind the recommendation for brushing your teeth before coffee:

  • Brushing your teeth eliminates plaque and gives your teeth a smooth surface. This makes it more difficult for the liquid to adhere to your enamel, which will prevent or reduce coffee stains on your teeth. It will also make lifting any superficial stains easier when you brush later. 
  • Coffee is acidic. Whenever you eat or drink something acidic, including coffee, it leaves your enamel vulnerable for about 30 to 60 minutes until your saliva neutralizes the acidity and the pH in your mouth returns to normal. If you brush when your enamel is temporarily weakened, it can cause erosion. As your enamel erodes, the underlying dentin becomes exposed. This can lead to tooth sensitivity, increase your risk of cavities and make your teeth look yellow. 

Wait, is coffee bad for your teeth?

The good news is, coffee (as long as you’re not adding sugar) doesn’t directly cause tooth decay and it’s no worse than any other drink that’s not water. However, the acidity, especially if you consistently brush your teeth right after your coffee, can eventually lead to enamel erosion, which will make you more susceptible to sensitivity and decay. Aside from the acid, coffee stains teeth too. It’s pigmented and, over time, it’s notorious for causing discoloration. 

But, overall, coffee may actually have some beneficial properties that can boost your oral health. For example, a 2009 study published in the Journal of Conservative Dentistry found that black coffee without any additives like sugar or cream helped prevent cavities thanks to its antibacterial effect. It’s thought the polyphenols in coffee are responsible for zapping bacteria. The bottom line: stick with black coffee and hold off on brushing your teeth afterwards. As long as you maintain good oral hygiene, you should be perfectly fine drinking it. 

brush your teeth before or after coffee

How Can I Prevent Coffee Breath and ‘Stains While Keeping My Enamel Safe?

Thoroughly rinsing your mouth with water after having a cup of coffee will go a long way in warding off coffee breath, keeping stains at bay and giving your mouth a clean sensation. Even better, rinse your mouth and then chew a piece of sugarless gum. (Bonus points if the gum contains xylitol since xylitol prevents bacteria buildup.) Chewing sugarless gum after any meal or beverage is a good practice for getting your saliva flowing and helping to prevent cavities. Having a piece after coffee has the added benefit of freshening your breath. 

If you drink a lot of coffee and other acidic beverages, you might also want to consider using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth that contains fluoride. The fluoride will help to remineralize your teeth and strengthen your enamel. Ingredients like potassium nitrate and stannous fluoride will reduce sensitivity by shielding the dentin and soothing the nerves inside of your teeth. 

The other thing to keep in mind is that the debate about whether you should brush your teeth before or after coffee refers to brushing soon after drinking it. The American Dental Association recommends waiting 60 minutes after eating or drinking before brushing your teeth. So, if you’re not in a rush, you can wait an hour until your oral pH is back to normal and then brush your teeth without any negative effects. 

Schedule a Visit With a Naperville Dentist Today

Do you have more questions about your oral health? Schedule a visit with a Naperville dentist today. We can fill you in on everything you need to know about caring for your teeth and gums, including how to develop a smile-friendly morning routine. If you’ve been brushing right after your coffee for years and now have sensitivity or discoloration, we can help with that too! 

Why can Clear Choice do same-day implants but other dentists can’t?

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I’m interested in getting 6 dental implants and now the information I received from Clear Choice has somewhat confused me about which option to choose. In May I saw 3 different prosthodontists and each of them gave me an estimate of how it much it will cost to do the work. On average it’s going to take about 4 months to finish all of the work. Of course when you’re going to make a major investment you start noticing ads and commercials about what you’re interested in. So although I’ve seen Clear Choice commercials before, after noticing a commercial 3 weeks ago I thought that maybe I should add them to my list of consultations. I went to the office and had an impressive tour, an exam, and digital x-rays. Clear Choice told me they can do the work in a day. So why the drastic difference between a day and an average of 4 months? I would like an independent answer because I’m afraid that either Clear Choice or one of the prosthodontists will try to convince me to choose them just because they want the business. Thank you. Bethany

Bethany – It’s great that you’ve had consultations with several providers. A prosthodontist is a dental specialist in restoring and replacing teeth. You made a wise choice in choosing prosthodontists for three of your consultations.

Clear Choice aggressively markets same-day implants, but their reviews from patients are mixed. Although they emphasize being able to do all of the implant procedure in one location, so can a prosthodontist.

Same-day implants include the implant procedures and temporary dental crowns. That’s the same service a prosthodontist provides. You will still have a healing period of several months before your permanent dental crowns can be placed.

Questions to Ask Clear Choice Dentists

When comparing providers—at Clear Choice and any other location—ask questions about the specific dentist who will be performing your implant surgery and preparing your dental crowns. Some of the questions are listed below:

  • Are you board certified in any areas of dentistry?
  • What training have you received in dental implants?
  • Do you participate in ongoing training?
  • On how many patients have you completed implants from start to finish?
  • How long have you been placing implants?
  • How many surgeries will be needed?
  • Do you use a surgical guide?
  • What is your success rate?
  • Will I need bone grafting?
  • Who does the restoring work (implant crowns)?
  • What is done to ensure my implant crowns look natural?
  • What precautions do you take to avoid dental implant failure?

The responses can help you choose a provider with confidence. Regardless of where you receive your implants, closely follow after-care instructions to help them heal properly.

 

This post is sponsored by Naperville board-certified prosthodontist and implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

 

My Clear Choice Review Isn’t Being Posted on Yelp

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My Clear Choice review isn’t getting posted on Yelp. I had a bad experience and I’m trying to warn other people of it. I got ripped off more than $7000 from Clear Choice and I can’t get a refund. I keep calling and being transferred to voicemail. I’ve even gone into the office and was told that the billing department doesn’t take walk-ins. They are supposed to call me back, but I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks for a call. I made the mistake of giving them a huge down payment. My sister asked me to get a second opinion before I commit to Clear Choice, so I did. After getting the second opinion, which was quite different from the recommendation Clear Choice made (All on 4), I decided to put a hold on getting the work done from them. I called and let them know that I wanted to cancel everything and since that time I’ve been waiting for a refund. So I’ve been trying to post my experience on Yelp. Any time I try to post, it seems to be filtered out and doesn’t make it as a review. I checked with Yelp through email and I keep getting an automated response about how to properly submit a review. I thought you might know something about how I can get the word out to the public. Thank you. Nicolas

Nicolas – Your Clear Choice review probably is getting rejected in a spam filter. Reviews that are considered fraudulent or not useful are filtered out completely or placed at the bottom of the page. Some suggestions are below.

  1. Avoid concealing your identity on Yelp. There are several ways to do it:
  • Don’t use programs that attempt to hide your IP address.
  • Use an active and valid e-mail account.
  • Use a private Wi-Fi connection.
  1. Make it clear that you’re not a spammer. Consider linking your Yelp and Facebook accounts (if you have one). Although Yelp doesn’t reveal its algorithm for blocking posts, the fact that you’ve verified your Facebook account can give your Yelp account some validity and get your Clear Choice review posted.
  2. Provide a full review. Short comments aren’t taken seriously. Provide details of your experience to ensure your review will be given consideration.
  3. Provide reviews for other businesses. If you review other businesses, it gives evidence that you’re not out to get a single business. A number of reviews on others businesses can get your Clear Choice review posted.
  4. Ensure you’re not affiliated with the company or its competitors. Your online history and credentials are scanned to sure that you’re neither affiliated with Clear Choice nor any of its competitors. If you have such an affiliation, all of your posts can be blocked form the site.

If you want others to know about your experience, you can submit it a Clear Choice review on the reviews form on the Naperville Implant Dentist website.

Meanwhile, your state Attorney General’s office or a consumer protection attorney can review your Clear Choice contract and advise you on how to proceed with getting all or some of your money back.

This post is sponsored by Naperville board-certified prosthodontist and implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

 

Clear Choice reviews were good, but I can’t get my deposit refunded

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I am getting implant dentures and after doing a lot of research I decided to go with Clear Choice. I saw more good reviews than bad ones. I don’t expect to see a 5-star rating from every patient. When I do, it makes me think that some reviews are planted. No company does everything perfect every time, so even if every client gives five stars, I believe that something might have been less than ideal for at least some of them if they really took time to think about it. Clear Choice has a good reputation among several of my colleagues too, so I didn’t think twice about going with them. I submitted a $1500 deposit and scheduled an appointment 3 weeks out. My husband, who is cautious about everything, asked me about the second opinion I had scheduled with another dentist. I had actually cancelled that appointment because I knew I was going with Clear Choice. He convinced me that I should reschedule the second opinion and push back the appointment even though I made a deposit. I saw the second opinion dentist last week. Surprisingly, he gave me more options and a much better price for the implant dentures. His credentials and his approach really make me feel more comfortable so I decided to go with him for the implant dentures. Guess what? Clear Choice won’t give me my deposit back. They told me it’s non-refundable. I want my deposit back before I move forward with the new dentist. Can they really keep my money? J.T.

J.T.,

Yours is not the only Clear Choice review that reveals issues with deposits made. Each location is independently owned. Although there isn’t an online policy about deposits and a refund, we recommend that you carefully read the paperwork you signed when you made the deposit.

If you signed an agreement for a non-refundable deposit, it will be difficult to get your money back. You can call the location you visited and ask to speak with the office manager. Because each location is independently owned, you probably won’t have success by calling the corporate office. There is a chance that the office manager might agree to at least partially refund your deposit. But again, if the agreement is for a non-refundable deposit, you might not get the results you want.

Start by speaking with the office manager. Remain calm and polite. Keep in mind that depending on the agreement, Clear Choice might have the right to keep your deposit. Be reasonable and negotiate to get the best outcome.

This post is sponsored by Naperville board-certified prosthodontist and implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

My experience with Clear Choice implants

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I had no problems at all with Clear Choice. The receptionist, scheduler, every dentist I came in contact with, even the sales person all treated me with respect. I was very impressed with the service there. It was, I must add, very expensive though. For some people, I imagine the Center is prohibitively expensive. Clear Choice was actually the most expensive of the 4 estimates I received. I think it was worth it. I hope I never need dental implants again, but if I do, based on this experience, I would return to the same office. Arturo

Arturo – Thank you for submitting your experience to us.

We often receive negative reviews about Clear Choice regarding the high-pressure sales personnel, dentists, the cost of the implants compared to other implants dentists, or the reaction of Clear Choice personnel when a potential customer decides to pursue other options. So we are glad that you had a positive experience.

Take good care of your dental implants, and they can last a lifetime.

This post is sponsored by Naperville board-certified prosthodontist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Confused with Clear Choice reviews

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After wearing dentures for 16 years I have finally given up. I really need implants. I am torn between all on 4 and just getting several standard implant dentures. I have been to a prosthodontist, an implant dentist and Clear Choice. I was very impressed with my Clear Choice visit, but I am confused with their reviews. Either the reviews are great or they are horrible. I don’t see much in between. It’s kind of making me nervous. I was impressed with the reviews from patients for the dentists at the other practices I visited. I know that I can’t depend only on reviews but I think patient comments mean something. I am disappointed because I wanted to be able to choose from 3 different dentists and I may be down to only 2. Doug K

Doug – Clear Choice reviews can be confusing. Reviews vary by location in the country. That’s understandable though, because there are different doctors at each location. The results you get partially depend on the skill of the implant surgeon. Have you been able to research the education, training, and experience for the

If you want to be able to choose from three different dental implant providers, we suggest that you consider getting a fourth opinion. Find a board-certified prosthodontist in a practice independent from those you have already visited.

Board-certification requires a dentist to pass oral and written tests, along with submitting successful cases that he or she has completed from start to finish. Don’t rush your decision. With carefully planning, quality implants, and a great surgeon, dental implants can last a lifetime. Ensure you get the best care possible.

This post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

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