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Fort Worth, TX 76104
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David Tillman DDS' Blog

Apps to help you achieve those 2013 New Year’s Resolutions!

January 3, 2013

Filed under: About Our Office — Tags: , — dr_tillman @ 6:34 pm

With 2012 over, we thought we would ask you, our patients: what was memorable about 2012 for you, and what are you looking forward to in 2013? Do you have a new year’s resolution or any exciting plans for the coming year?

 

Here are the top resolutions for 2013, and some great free iOS and Android apps to help you achieve your 2013 resolutions!

 

Eat Healthier:

Fooducate

Lose weight, eat real food, and get healthy. Fooducate grades your groceries, explains what’s really inside each product, and offers healthier alternatives. We’ve got the largest database of UPCs – over 200,000 unique products and growing.

 

Work out / Exercise More:

NPT BOOM

Nike BOOM syncs your music to your dynamic training workouts, with the world’s most elite athletes and coaches motivating you along the way. Choose your type of workout, length of training, best workout music and favorite Nike athletes—then get to work.

 

Become More Organized:

Wunderlist

Wunderlist 2 is the easiest way to manage and share your daily to-do lists. Whether you’re planning an overseas adventure, sharing a shopping list with a loved one, or simply keeping track of your daily to-dos, Wunderlist is here to help you get things done.

 

Gain More Control of Finances:

Mint.com App

Mint.com allows you to track, budget and manage your money all in one place, so you can see where you’re spending and where you can save. Open an account, add your bank, credit, loan and retirement accounts and Mint will automatically pull in and categorize your transactions. It’s safe, secure and easy to keep your personal finances organized.

 

Expand Social Circle:

SupperKing

If you’re trying to expand your friend circle in 2013, or maybe just plan more exciting activities with your current friends, apps like Highlight can connect you to new people. A new iOS app called SupperKing is like Airbnb for at-home meals. You can charge strangers cash to enjoy a meal at your place with you — an idea that not everyone is game for. But the app is also great for organizing dinner parties with your friends.

We want to wish all our patients, friends, family and all our colleagues a happy and healthy New Year!

End of the year tooth tips!

December 27, 2012

Filed under: oral health — Tags: , — dr_tillman @ 2:24 pm

Today we thought we would remind our patients to practice good oral hygiene to keep those pearly whites shining and happy! This includes brushing and flossing on a regular basis, brushing after consuming foods that can stain your teeth and visiting our office every six months or as recommended.

The American Dental Association, or ADA, also recommends the following for ideal oral hygiene:

• Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won’t do a good job of cleaning your teeth.

• Clean between teeth daily with floss or an interdental cleaner. Tooth decay-causing bacteria still linger between teeth where your toothbrush bristles can’t reach. This helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.

• Eat a balanced diet and limit between-meal snacks.

• Visit our office on a regular basis for professional cleanings and oral exams.

Lastly, a great reason to smile is this: smiling can actually help you live longer according to recent studies! Have you visited our office lately for a cleaning or checkup? If not, give us a call to set up an appointment! The beginning of the year is a great time for a visit!

Season’s Greetings!

December 19, 2012

Filed under: About Our Office — Tags: — dr_tillman @ 7:02 pm

In this season given to tidings of comfort and joy, and as we reflect on the year that was, we’d like to ask you, our wonderful patients: What do you love about the holidays this year? Being with your loved ones? Hitting the slopes? A clean slate for 2013? Opening presents by the fireplace? All the delicious food?

Also, what gift are you most looking forward to getting this year? We’d love if you shared with us all the things you love about the holidays. Stay warm, and don’t forget to limit the amount of sweets you eat!

Happy holidays from our family to yours!

When You Have a Dental Emergency, We Are Here for You!

December 13, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — dr_tillman @ 5:03 pm

We know dental emergencies are never convenient nor timely. If you are a patient of record, we are committed to your dental health and are happy to see you.

When your dental health is at risk, we will do everything we can to make sure that you’re treated as soon as possible. While dental emergencies are certainly rare, we know they can happen at any moment, and it’s important to know how to deal with them.

Common dental emergencies may include:

• A bitten lip or tongue
• Broken or cracked tooth/teeth
• Permanent tooth that has been knocked out
• Object caught between teeth
• Severe toothache

If you have a dental emergency after regular office hours, please give us a call.

We hope you’re all having a great holiday season!

Fun fact time! Human and animal teeth

December 12, 2012

Filed under: oral health — Tags: , — dr_tillman @ 7:47 pm

Looking for ways to motivate your child to brush his or her teeth? Why not compare their teeth to those of their favorite animals? After all, everyone loves fun facts. Like people, some animals have several different kinds of teeth, while others have only one kind. Others don’t have any teeth at all! Animals’ teeth also give us clues about what they eat. Here are some fun facts comparing human teeth and animal teeth we thought you might enjoy, courtesy of the American Student Dental Association!

– Humans form two sets of teeth over the course of a lifetime, with baby teeth being replaced by adult teeth between the ages of 6 and 12.

– An average human being has around 32 teeth. This includes four wisdom teeth, eight incisors, four canines, twelve molars and eight premolars.

– When you see a hippopotamus opening its mouth, it seems as though they have only four teeth! But they actually have 40 pearly whites.

– Dogs rarely get cavities because their saliva has an extremely high pH, which prevents demineralization.

– An elephant’s molars can weigh up to 10 lbs.

– The teeth of the pocket gopher grow up to 15 inches a year!

– The blue whale is the largest mammal on earth, but it dines exclusively on tiny shrimp because it has no teeth

– Armadillos, common in the southwest, have 104 teeth.

– Snails can have more than 25,000 teeth, which are located on the tongue.

– Dolphins only get one set of teeth to last a lifetime!

– And here’s one from prehistoric times! The Tyrannosaurus Rex, or T-Rex, had more than 60 thick, conical, bone-crunching teeth that were up to 9 inches long. Its jaws were up to 4 feet long.

We hope you enjoyed these fun facts! Stay tuned for more soon!

Don’t throw those insurance benefits away!

November 28, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — dr_tillman @ 10:32 pm

We would like to give those patients with flex spend, health savings, or insurance benefits a friendly end of the year reminder that it’s about that time to schedule your last dental visit of 2012 so you can optimize your benefits!

Now is the time to reserve you appointment with us. Space is limited and we get very busy around the holidays, so don’t wait to give us a call! Happy holidays!

Two Thanksgiving Recipes For You!

November 21, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — dr_tillman @ 1:21 pm

Cranberry and Cinnamon Tart

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (5 1/4 ounces) fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • Pate Sucree
  • 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
  • 8 ounces cranberry jam or preserves
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 6 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) whole almonds, finely ground in a food processor
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Put fresh cranberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and the water into a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring to dissolve sugar, until cranberries have just softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool completely.
  2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch circle, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to an 8-by-2-inch springform pan, pressing crust into bottom and up sides. Trim excess flush with rim. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prick tart crust all over with a fork. Cut a 12-inch round of parchment, and place on top of chilled crust. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, and brush crust lightly with egg white. Return to oven, and bake until pale golden, about 25 minutes. Refrigerate remaining egg white. Let crust cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  4. Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spread jam over bottom of tart crust.
  5. Beat butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to medium. Slowly add ground almonds, cinnamon, and salt, and beat until just combined. Spread mixture over jam-covered crust.
  6. Bake tart until filling is set and has darkened slightly, 45 to 50 minutes. (If top darkens too quickly, cover loosely with foil.) Remove tart from oven, brush top with egg white, and sprinkle with sugar. Return to oven, and bake for 5 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and top with candied cranberries. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Cream Pie

Ingredients

For the Gingersnap Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups ground gingersnaps (from about 25 cookies)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the Pumpkin Cream Filling

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin (from one 15-ounce can)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, whisked to medium peaks
  • Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

  1. Make the gingersnap crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine gingersnaps, sugar , and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch metal pie dish. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Make the pumpkin cream filling: Bring milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, 1/4 cup sugar , and a pinch of salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks with cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl.
  3. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup milk mixture into yolk mixture. Gradually whisk in remaining milk mixture. Return entire mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbling in center, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Immediately whisk in pumpkin. Whisk in butter.
  4. Strain filling through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Pour into gingersnap crust, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream, and garnish with nutmeg.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 19, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — dr_tillman @ 11:12 pm

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we would like to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy a day filled of friends, family, and great food.

We are very thankful for all of our patients and their families. We’d like to know, what are you most thankful for this year? Leave us a comment, or if you have any stories, photos or recipes to share with us, we encourage you to share them below or on our Facebook page!

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month!

November 15, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — dr_tillman @ 9:18 pm

Our team knows the way you care for your teeth at home doesn’t just affect your oral health – it can impact your overall health as well. In recent years, researchers have found clear links between the mouth and other parts of the body, and the evidence is especially impactful for people with diabetes.

November marks Diabetes Awareness Month, and a great time to learn about how keeping your mouth healthy is vital to your overall health, too. If you are one of the nearly 26 million Americans currently living with diabetes, there is some good news: you can protect your gums and teeth from the effects of diabetes by visiting our dental office for regular check-ups and cleanings. Most people should have at least two dental appointments per year, but those folks living with diabetes may require additional visits to make sure their dental health remains in top shape. Many insurance plans provide expanded benefits for diabetic patients. We are the experts and can definitely tell you how often you need to come in for your dental visits!

For more information on how we can help, please give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

Tooth Discoloration: Common Causes and What You Can Do To Stop It

November 9, 2012

Filed under: oral health — Tags: , — dr_tillman @ 6:15 pm

Looking back at childhood photos, you may notice picture after picture of yourself with a mouthful of shiny white teeth. When you look in the mirror today, you wonder what happened to that beautiful smile. Many adults struggle with tooth discoloration and find it embarrassing to show off their teeth in a smile. Once you identify the cause of your tooth discoloration, there are treatment options that can restore your teeth and your confidence.

What Causes Tooth Discoloration?

There are a host of factors that may cause your teeth to discolor. Some are directly under your control, and others may not be preventable. Here is a list of common reasons that teeth become discolored.

• Genetics: Much of your dental health is determined by genetic factors beyond your control. Some people naturally have thinner enamel or discolored teeth.

• Medications: Several medications lead to tooth discoloration as a side effect. If you received the common antibiotics doxycycline or tetracycline as a child, your teeth may have discolored as a consequence. Antihistamines, high blood pressure medications, and antipsychotic drugs can also discolor teeth. If you think a medication may be leading to tooth discoloration, talk to your dentist. Never discontinue the use of a medication without consulting your doctor, however.

• Medical Conditions: Genetic conditions such as amelogenesis or dentinogenesis cause improper development of the enamel, and can lead to yellowed, discolored teeth.

• Poor Dental Hygiene: Failing to brush your teeth at least twice a day or regularly floss may lead to tooth decay and discoloration.

• Foods and Tobacco: Consumption of certain foods, including coffee, tea, wine, soda, apples, or potatoes, can cause tooth discoloration. Tobacco use also causes teeth to turn yellow or brown.

Treatments for Tooth Discoloration

There are a variety of treatments available to individuals with discolored teeth. One of the easiest ways to reduce tooth discoloration is through prevention. Avoid drinking red wine, soda, or coffee and stop using tobacco products. If you drink beverages that tend to leave stains, brush your teeth immediately or swish with water to reduce staining.

After determining the cause of tooth discoloration, our dentist can suggest other treatment options. Over-the-counter whitening agents might help, but in-office whitening treatments provided at our office would be more effective. When whitening agents do not help, bondings or veneers are among the alternative solutions for tooth discoloration.

If you are worried about your teeth becoming yellow or brown, think carefully about your diet and medication use. Talk to your dentist to identify substances that may be causing the problem. After treatment for tooth discoloration, you will have a beautiful white smile you can be proud to show off.

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