Koch Aesthetic Dentistry Birmingham Alabama – Blog

We advise our Birmingham dental clients at Koch Aesthetic Dentistry to watch their sugar intake to prevent cavities and other health problems.

If you are trying to unsweeten your diet, you are probably skipping the usual suspects: candy, soda, and baked treats. But not all sugar is as obvious as the frosting on a piece of chocolate cake or the powdery stuff in pixie stix.

Here are some foods found in Birmingham grocery stores and Vestavia Hills, Crestline school cafeterias with a surprisingly high sugar content:

• Ketchup
• Low Fat versions of snack foods (Manufacturers often replace fat with sugar.)
• Salad Dressing
• Breads, buns, rolls
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Protein Bars
• Granola
• Canned soup
• Peanut Butter
• Yogurt
• Fast food meals (Hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, and salads are often loaded with sugar, not to mention the dessert items.)
• Antacids
• Cough drops
• Fruit smoothies (Even a small serving has a whopping amount of sugar.)

Reading the fine print on labels is a must. The following terms are all types of sugar:

raw sugar, cane sugar, glucose, lactose, galactose, fructose, dextrose, honey, sorghum, molasses, cane sugar, confectioner’s sugar, crystallized cane juice, invert sugar, maltodextrin (or dextrin), maple syrup, concentrated fruit juices, evaporated cane juice (what kind of cane do you think we are talking about?)

Do the math: when shopping at Birmingham markets or health food stores, carefully decipher food labels before you buy. Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Add up all the grams of every type of sugar listed and divide by four to truly understand how much sugar an item contains.

At Koch Aesthetic Dentistry, we advocate and practice preventative care for lifelong dental health. For more information on how your diet affects your dental health, contact us at 205-202-8618. We also offer sedation dentistry, cosmetic dentistry services such as porcelain veneers.

We are located at 2311 Highland Avenue South, Suite 323 in Birmingham.

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

Dr. J. Paul Koch recommends 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 Koch Aesthetic Dentistry, along with diligent brushing and flossing, helps prevent gum problems that are 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 205-202-8618. 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 Koch Aesthetic Dentistry during your pregnancy, be sure to inform Dr. J. Paul Koch that you are expecting. This will affect decisions about X-rays, pain relievers, antibiotics, and sedation dentistry.

Hormonal changes cause an increase in plague 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 Birmingham Ob/Gyn can give you specific recommendations for your age, height, weight and medical conditions.

At Koch Aesthetic Dentistry, we take special care of our clients who are expecting. We also offer cosmetic dentistry services such as teeth whitening.

Periodontal disease in Alabama is more common than you might think, and can be cured with varying degrees of treatment depending on the severity.

What is periodontal disease? According to this article on Wikipedia, periodontal disease is ‘the name of a collection of inflammatory diseases affecting the tissues that surround and support the teeth.’

Periodontal disease, more commonly called ‘gum disease’, is an inflammation or infection of the gums. Periodontal disease can be very painful in some extreme conditions, and can limit your ability to eat normally. In some cases, periodontal disease can affect your smile, and can create cosmetic concerns.

If left untreated, periodontal disease can cause irreversible damage. When caught early by your cosmetic dentist and treated, periodontal disease can be little more than an inconvenience. However the best policy is to practice good dental hygiene to keep periodontal disease at bay.

One of the best ways to avoid periodontal disease is to get a regular dental check up at your local Birmingham dentist.

Give us a call at 205-202-8618 to schedule your next dental checkup; we look forward to seeing you.  We also provide implant dentistry and sedation dentistry services.

— Dr. J. Paul Koch

When Dr. J. Paul Koch of Koch Aesthetic Dentistry in Birmingham 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 Vestavia Hills, Crestline, Homewood, or Hoover.) 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 Koch Aesthetic Dentistry. They are usually bigger than a conventional filling yet smaller than complete dental crowns. 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 Koch Aesthetic Dentistry, the inlays and onlays we place for our Vestavia Hills, Crestline and Homewood clients are indistinguishable from their natural teeth.  Dr. J. Paul Koch has the finely-honed eye for detail and complete mastery of dental aesthetics to create an exact match.

Koch Aesthetic Dentistry 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 205-202-8618 to book a cosmetic dental consultation today.  We also offer sedation dentistry for patients who fear dental procedures.

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

Facial injuries occur all too often in the Birmingham area. Vestavia Hills, Crestline Little Leaguers get hit by inside pitches, Hoover construction workers suffer falls and other accidents at the worksite, and Alabama motorists sustain injuries in collisions every single day. Accidents at home can also result in serious injury to the face.

Serious facial injuries can affect the victim’s ability to eat, breathe, and speak. Because of the essential physical processes at risk, a person who has suffered a facial injury should receive medical care as soon as possible. Injuries to the mouth are treated by cosmetic dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

At Koch Aesthetic Dentistry, we strongly advocate the use of protective equipment for every type of sport, whether it is a team sport or individual activity. Call us at 205-202-8618 for mouthguard recommendations regarding your (or your child’s) specific sport.

Likewise, the Birmingham workplace injury rate can be reduced with increased use of appropriate protective equipment and adherence to safety procedures. With respect to Birmingham motor vehicle injuries, the following instructions bear repetition: Wear your seatbelt and don’t send or read text messages while driving!

If you have suffered a recent injury to your face, mouth or jaw, schedule a dental consultation with Dr. J. Paul Koch of Koch Aesthetic Dentistry. If you are having dental problems (functional or aesthetic) due to an untreated past injury, I can also develop an effective treatment plan.  We offer cosmetic dentistry procedures such as dental implants and porcelain veneers.

My office is located at 2311 Highland Avenue South, Suite 323 in Birmingham.

Dr. Paul Koch.