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Dec6

Traveling Advice from Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull

If you live in the Comstock Park, Grand Rapids, Walker, Belmont and Rockford MI area and are planning to take a vacation or business trip soon, we recommend you coordinate your dental care with your travel schedule. It is always a good idea to have a professional dental cleaning and examination with our office prior to leaving on long vacations, especially if your trip is taking you to developing areas with limited dental care options. This preventative checkup will help to ensure your mouth is ready to travel.

More importantly, if you have any dental procedures scheduled before you leave, discuss it with Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull to ensure comfortable travels. Some dental procedures may require more time for your body to heal than you may realize.

Also, if you’re leaving the Comstock Park, Grand Rapids, Walker, Belmont and Rockford MI area by plane, you should be aware that changes in the cabin pressure of the airplane may cause tooth pain or discomfort for patients who have just had extensive dental treatment. In addition, make sure you are aware of any necessary follow-up appointments with Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull.

Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull provide:

cosmetic dentistry
restorative dentistry
Invisalign
general dentistry
implant dentistry

If you are looking for general dental care or quality cosmetic dentistry in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, Walker or Rockford MI areas, please call us today and let our very friendly and thorough staff take care of you.

Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull
Stewart & Hull
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park Michigan
616-827-7019
https://www.greatmismiles.com/

The following online article was used as source material for this blog: “Tourism (Dental Care Away from Home)”, ADA.org, https://www.ada.org/3029.aspx?currentTab=1, accessed on Nov. 28, 2011

Aug23

Keep Teeth Healthy During Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, your dental health may be the last thing on your mind. However, many Rockford area women experience an increase in dental problems during pregnancy. This article contains important information for expectant Comstock Park and Grand Rapids area mothers and those planning to become pregnant.

Dr. Stewart & Dr. Hull recommend having a thorough dental cleaning early in your pregnancy. Lying in a dentist’s chair can be uncomfortable during the last trimester. A professional cleaning performed by one of the skilled dental hygienists at Stewart & Hull, along with diligent brushing and flossing, helps prevent gum disease that is often triggered by hormonal changes. The American Dental Association has found a positive correlation between periodontal disease and preterm deliveries and low birth weight.

If you are currently pregnant and have sore, swollen or bleeding gums, schedule an appointment today by calling 616-827-7019. Once the baby is here, it will probably be harder for you to make time for a dental visit.

If you receive dental treatment at Stewart & Hull during your pregnancy, be sure to inform Drs. Drs. Stewart & Hull that you are expecting. This will affect decisions about X-rays, pain relievers, antibiotics, and elective cosmetic dental procedures.

Hormonal changes cause an increase in plaque production which can lead to decay. If you are eating many small meals during the day, take care to brush after eating. If you avoid sweet snacks, your teeth will be less likely to develop cavities.

Remember, your oral care, nutrition and lifestyle affect your baby. It is essential that you eat a healthy diet with a variety of foods. A poor diet can harm your baby’s tooth and bone development. Be sure to get enough calcium, iron, vitamins A, D and C, protein, and phosphorus. Your Rockford MI Ob/Gyn can give you specific recommendations for your age, height, weight and medical conditions.

At Stewart & Hull, we take special care of our clients who are expecting.

Aug16

Smokeless Is Not Harmless For Comstock Park Tobacco Chewers

Today’s topic is ‘The Dangers of Smokeless Tobacco’

Cigarette sales at most Comstock Park stores have decreased in the past decade, but some Comstock Park tobacco consumers have switched to smokeless products. This can cause irritation, gum disease, and in many cases, chronic use will lead to oral cancer.

There is a common misconception in the Rockford MI area (especially among teens) that smokeless tobacco is harmless. This is absolutely not true. Regardless of the specific type: spit tobacco, snuff, chew, or pinch; this form of tobacco is as deadly as conventional cigarettes.

At Stewart & Hull, we encounter serious consequences of smokeless tobacco use because many occur in the mouth. Oral cancer, mouth lesions, gum disease and tooth decay are the most common dental problems caused by smokeless tobacco in Michigan.

Keeping a pinch between your cheek and gum all day is worse than keeping a sucker in your mouth all day. The tobacco contains almost as much sugar as the candy but delivers harmful chemicals as an added bonus. The dangers are two-fold: the tobacco erodes the teeth and causes the gums to pull away from teeth.

Precancerous Mouth Lesion Screening in Michigan: Mouth Lesions are painful sores that could eventually become cancer. If smokeless tobacco use is stopped, the lesions often disappear within a year for Michigan cosmetic dental patients.

Oral Cancer in Comstock Park: Smokeless tobacco use in the Comstock Park and Rockford increases the risk for several types of life-threatening cancers including those of the mouth, gums, lips, tongue, and throat.

Oral cancers can be as deadly as lung cancer and usually require surgery. If the Michigan patient is fortunate and the cancer is successfully removed with surgery, the collateral damage to the face, neck, or jaw is often significant.

At Stewart & Hull in Comstock Park, we perform oral cancer screenings and mouth lesion examinations. To schedule an appointment, call 616-827-7019.

If you want to quit using smokeless tobacco products, we recommend that you consult Dr. Stewart & Dr. Hull at Stewart & Hull, your Comstock Park primary care dentist, or your Comstock Park pharmacist.

Stewart & Hull https://www.greatmismiles.com/
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan 49321
Oral cancer screenings, Family Dentistry, General Dentistry

Jul12

Developing Good Dental Habits In Grand Rapids

Benjamin Franklin once said:

It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.

This holds true for almost everything in life, including dental care. For parents in the Comstock Park area, teaching your children good dental hygiene techniques early in life will help them avoid the lifelong consequences of poor oral health.

It is important to teach your children how to brush and floss at an early age, making sure they are thorough and brushing long enough. Developing these skills at an early age will prevent many future problems.

It’s very hard to convince older children that they should be spending two or three times longer brushing their teeth each morning and night than they do. But, proper brushing involves brushing for a minimum of two minutes. If children have brushed correctly for as long as they can remember, then their habits should be sufficient to avoid excessive dental decay or the need for children’s cosmetic dentistry in Comstock Park.

Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull are dentists serving the Rockford MI area. We know that helping children learn proper oral hygiene is an important indicator of future oral health, and we want to help Comstock Park parents teach these habits to their children.

If you are looking for quality dental care in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, or Rockford MI area, please call our office. We are currently accepting new patients, and we would love to help you learn how to teach kids good brushing habits or answer questions you may have about cosmetic dentistry or smile makeovers.

Our services include:

cosmetic dentistry
restorative dentistry
Invisalign
general dentistry
implant dentistry

Call today!

Stewart & Hull
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan
616-827-7019
https://www.greatmismiles.com/meet-dr-bruce-stewart

May3

Healthy Teeth and Your Rockford MI Diet

Maintaining healthy teeth is an important concern for our local general dentistry patients. As your family dentists, it’s our job to help you understand how to care for your teeth and to keep them healthy. Everyone in the Grand Rapids area knows that maintaining healthy teeth requires regular daily brushing and flossing. Regular visits to your local family dentist are also necessary to keep watch for cavities and to help you maintain proper dental hygiene. We often forget that maintaining a healthy diet can also be beneficial for the health of your teeth.

A diet that includes foods that help your muscles and bones will also help you develop healthy gums and healthy teeth. Some examples are foods that are rich in vitamin B, such as breads and cereals, and foods rich in vitamin C, usually fruits and vegetables. Both help improve the health of your gums. Zinc and magnesium are also good for the health of your teeth and are found in lean beef, fish, and poultry.

All foods increase the production of saliva. Saliva is important for healthy teeth because it helps to maintain the pH balance in your mouth. Maintaining this balance helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. Foods high in fiber also encourage saliva production as does the chewing of sugar-free gum. Gum, however, can damage unhealthy teeth or pull out dental fillings, so always use caution when deciding whether to chew gum and which brand to chew.

Just as certain diet choices in the Rockford MI area can be beneficial to your dental health, others can be detrimental. Foods and drinks that are high in sugars are more likely to form the acids that attack your teeth and result in decay. And while table sugar is often associated with the formation of cavities, other sugars such as glucose, fructose, and maltose are also causes, and are often found in juices and sodas. Limiting the consumption of sugars to mealtimes lessens the amount of time your healthy teeth are exposed.

Making good diet choices and limiting between-meal sugar consumption can improve the health of your teeth and gums.

If you would like to learn how to better care for your healthy teeth in the Rockford MI, Grand Rapids, Comstock Park or surrounding areas, contact our cosmetic dental practice: Stewart & Hull at 616-827-7019. We would love to hear from you.

Mar29

The Dangers of Oral Piercing

If you live in Rockford MI or the surrounding areas and are considering puncturing your lip or tongue, read this:

Infection
Your mouth is full of bacteria. Any opening in the tissue carries the risk of infection. The germs from your tongue and mouth can easily get into your bloodstream. Dentists and doctors in the Rockford MI, Comstock Park and Grand Rapids areas are continually treating serious infections caused by oral piercings. Oral infections can be a real problem, and should be a major consideration before getting an oral piercing.

Tooth Damage
It should come as no surprise that having a piece of metal bang around in your mouth can easily chip tooth enamel. Though tooth enamel is amazingly strong, once it’s chipped or cracked, it can only be restored with artificial material. Fortunately, Stewart & Hull in Comstock Park offers many tooth restoration options such as dental crowns and fillings, but our advice is to avoid the problem if you can.

Prolonged Bleeding and Swelling
The blood vessels in the tongue are often damaged when the tongue is pierced, causing prolonged bleeding and possible build-up of scar tissue. In some cases, the tongue swells up enough to block the airway.

Gum Recession
A number of periodontal disease studies have shown that wearing oral jewelry is linked to periodontal disease which can result in tooth loss. Periodontal disease, or ‘gum disease‘, can cause gum recession and expose the roots of your teeth, potentially causing hyper sensitivity and pain. Again, our advice is to avoid the problem right from the start.

These are just a few of the dangers. Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull can give you more information about the risks of oral piercings. If you already have damage, call 616-827-7019 to schedule a cosmetic dental consultation.

Are you on following us on Facebook? View our post from March 22nd or click this link to win 2 tickets to hear University of Michigan Football Coach Brady Hoke speak in Grand Rapids on May 13th!

You can be one of four lucky patients to be our guest to have lunch, listen to Coach Hoke and get fired up for the coming football season! This contest ends April 30th, 2013.

Mar8

Teeth: What Have They Done For You Lately?

Welcome to the Comstock Park area dental blog! Today we are going to look at the secret life of our teeth.

The shape of each tooth gives a clue to what it does. The incisors, or your front teeth, are sharp. They need to be because they are there to cut food and their curvature helps move food inside the mouth.

Behind the incisors, you find the canine teeth. Their roots go far into the jaw bone because they are designed to hold onto food and tear through it.

Premolars, found just behind the canines, are flat on the surface. This allows them to crush your food as you chew. And, finally, in the very back are the molars. They are large and have nice, flat chewing surfaces that help them to grind food down into smaller, more digestible pieces.

We’re Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull, local Comstock Park dentists, and we hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about the different teeth in your mouth. If you are in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, or Rockford MI area and would like to make a dental health appointment at our practice, Stewart & Hull, please give Dr. Stewart or Dr. Hull a call at 616-827-7019. We can schedule an appointment and tell you about cosmetic dentistry procedures such as teeth whitening or laser dentistry.

If you’ve ever been interested in a smile makeover, come in and we’ll discuss the possibilities. We want all our dental patients including those in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park and Rockford MI area to have healthy mouths and beautiful smiles. At Stewart & Hull, we offer comprehensive dental services including:

cosmetic dentistry
restorative dentistry
Invisalign

Feb8

Soft, Medium, or Buzz Lightyear?

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, Dr. Bruce Stewart is often asked how to choose the most basic tool of dental hygiene, the toothbrush. Picking a toothbrush in Rockford MI can be as difficult as choosing a paint color, and there seems to be just as many choices.

If you have visited the dental section of your local Grand Rapids grocery store or Rockford MI Walmart lately, you know what I am talking about. There are brushes with bristles of varying lengths, brushes that massage your gums, and brushes that change color when they are used up. (If I had to rate them purely on their fun factor, I would choose the Spiderman brush.)

Some toothbrush manufacturers claim their brushes freshen your breath or remove stains from your teeth. How do you choose?

One key factor is the firmness of the bristles. Hard bristles may be more effective for cleaning burnt steak off a grill or hard water deposits off a shower floor. However, this does not hold true for your teeth. Medium and firm brushes can damage your gums. Soft and extra-soft bristles are plenty stiff enough to clean plaque, food particles, and surface stains from your teeth. Soft bristles also offer more flexibility for hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

After having cosmetic dental work or oral surgery in Rockford MI, especially anything involving soft tissue grafts, make sure you use an extra-soft brush and be careful!

When buying a toothbrush for a child in Comstock Park, make sure the brush feels comfortable in their hand. If the size and angle feels awkward, the child will be less likely to use it long enough to clean all areas of the mouth. Children do not necessarily need a child-sized tooth brush. Some Rockford MI kids can manage an adult size brush better than a short, narrow child size brush. If you are unsure, ask your Comstock Park family dentist at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry.

What about the electric types and water-shooters? Some Comstock Park folks like the feeling of vibrating bristles or a mini-squirt gun blasting away at the plaque. Rockford MI people with arthritis or other movement-inhibiting conditions can benefit from powered brushes which take some strain off hands and arm muscles.

Is your toothbrush doing the job? Schedule an exam with your Comstock Park dentist at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry.

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, our very friendly and thorough dental hygienists instruct our pediatric clients and adult patients alike on proper brushing and flossing. If you haven’t experienced a dental deep cleaning at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, you don’t know how clean your teeth and gums can feel.

Schedule a thorough dental cleaning today by calling Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry at 616-827-7019. An outstanding feature of Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry is our wide selection of dental technology. We offer cosmetic dentistry and a full spectrum of restorative dental procedures.

Feb1

Do You Have Sore Gums?

Every dentistry patient’s mouth provides a cozy home for over 600 types of bacteria. If you are diligent about oral hygiene and have healthy gums, these microbes usually don’t affect your health. However, if you have gum disease, bacteria can enter your bloodstream through your gums and cause problems.

Gingivitis is the term for the mild gum disease. At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, we routinely discover gingivitis in Grand Rapids clients who are not even aware they have the condition.

The first signs of gingivitis are swollen, sore gums.

It is important for our Comstock Park and Rockford MI area dental patients to understand that it is not normal for gums to bleed when they are brushed or flossed. If you haven’t had an oral examination in a while and live in the Grand Rapids area, call Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry at 616-827-7019. Dr. Bruce Stewart thoroughly exams teeth and gums and takes time to discuss the results and recommendations with each general dentistry patient.

Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry is a full-service dental practice at 769 York Creek Dr NW in Comstock Park. We provide comprehensive general and cosmetic dentistry for clients who live in the nearby communities of Grand Rapids, Comstock Park and Rockford MI.

During your dentist consultation, we can discuss any cosmetic or restorative procedures in which you are interested. Some of the dental procedures that we use to create perfect smiles are porcelain veneers, clear braces, dental implants and tooth bleaching. Our hygienists are skilled professionals who perform the ultimate in dental deep-cleanings.

Oral health and overall health go hand in hand. Schedule a dental consultation today by calling 616-827-7019 or visiting us online at https://www.greatmismiles.com/.

Jan25

Have A Large Cavity In Your Tooth?

When Dr. Bruce Stewart of Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry in Comstock Park repairs a tooth that has decay or damage, the procedure chosen often depends on the location of the problem. (We’re talking tooth-specific locale here; it doesn’t matter whether you live in Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, or Rockford MI.) If there is a chip, crack or cavity on the biting surface of a tooth, an onlay or inlay is often used to restore the tooth.

Inlays and onlays are a type of tooth restoration used successfully at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry. They are usually bigger than a conventional filling yet smaller than a complete dental crown. An inlay is used to fill an area inside the cusp tips or bumps of a tooth. An onlay covers an area that includes more than one cusp.

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, the inlays and onlays we place for our Grand Rapids area general dentistry clients are indistinguishable from their natural teeth. Dr. Bruce Stewart has the finely-honed eye for detail and complete mastery of dental aesthetics to create an exact match.

Bruce A. Stewart, DDS, FAGD inlays and onlays:

Are stain resistant
Do not cause tooth sensitivity
Are beautifully matched to natural teeth
When bonded to the tooth, they strengthen the tooth and prevent further decay or damage

Call 616-784-2377 to book a cosmetic dental consultation today.

We’ll help you keep your smile happy and healthy!

Oral Health