Category Archives: Uncategorized

Home hygiene tools for the technically inclined!

Brush DJ Overview

Ok, sorry for the time span between post! But I’m happy to announce the birth of my daughter Ansley May Esco. She has been an enormous blessing and her and I have spent more than a few late evenings watching television in the last few months. I must say that I never noticed how popular infomercials are. They seem to be on every channel and I get upset because I really don’t want to like any of those seemingly useful new innovative products, never the less, many of them do appear to make everyday life easier and that gave me an idea.

Brush DJBrush DJ

Are you tired of going to the dentist for a routine cleaning only to leave the office with an appointment to return for cavity care? Do you get frustrated when you don’t remember when its time to change your toothbrush? or how long you have even been brushing? As dental patients we have all been led to the widely accepted preventive routine of brushing our teeth twice a day and flossing AT LEAST once a day. Well, most of us are still ironing out the kinks in our schedule to allow time for such a routine!

Plus as we gaze into the mirror and our minds wander with the events of the day and we find ourselves not really brushing adequately, worse still, maybe we walk around the house directing traffic and doing gymnastics to over piles of toys and the pets in a hurry to get things done.

Well, good news! Some brilliant and generous software engineers have created an app for both the iOS and Android called Brush DJ.

Brush DJ is a brilliant little app that will play music from YOUR playlists on any mobile device you may have. It will play your favorite music for two minutes while you brush. (Which is our recommended time, to adequately remove plaque and massage the gums) allowing you start the day with a good song in your head and a happy healthy smile!
One of the beautiful things about this app is that it is universal. Most of the more expensive electric toothbrushes come with a two minute timer built in, but they can be a pain to understand and certainly don’t play music form your playlists. It can be a real challenge for people with manual brushes to reach that limit without assistance because quit frankly two minutes can feel like an eternity while brushing your teeth.
Brush DJ AP Settings Brush DJ Information Page Brush DJ Reminder Settings
One of the beautiful things about this app is that it is universal. Most of the more expensive electric toothbrushes come with a two minute timer built in, but they can be a pain to understand and certainly don’t play music form your playlists. It can be a real challenge for people with manual brushes to reach that limit without assistance because quit frankly two minutes can feel like an eternity while brushing your teeth.
Dental Information Page for Children and Young AdultsAdult Dental Care
Included in the Brush DJ app is a nice little suite of tools that can remind to change your toothbrush and floss as well as help you remember your next appointment with the hygienist or with the dentist.

“but wait there’s more…..” Brush DJ also has a database of helpful tips to aid with home care habits and prevention for those super zealous dental patients who want to maximize there at home care and believe that knowledge is power! Brush DJ is for you!

Download now and we’ll give you this whole app that will help you become your hygienists favorite patient for FREE! Thats right if you download now or anytime in the future this app will be absolutely Free! No three easy payments or buy one get one, just take the time to download and we’ll give it to you!

All joking aside, I really do like this app it does make brushing and keeping up with my home care easier.

I have been introducing and recommending this app to children within our practice for a few months now, however I have realized that our adult patients are more excited about it than the kids. I hope you will at least download the app (after all it is free) brush with it a few times and see it helps you change your habits to better improve your home care.

Dr. Esco
Brookwood Dentistry

Electric Toothbrushes, are they worth it?

tooth brush advice

We have had some very interesting discussions around the office lately about how to use modern oral care products to help make home care both more efficient and effective. One of the largest differences can be made with an electric toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes aren’t exactly new, in fact they have been around since 1954. When the first electric toothbrushes hit the market we offered and recommended them to patients who had a hard time brushing adequately with a manual toothbrush such as those individuals with arthritis and Parkinson’s disease. The dental community then began recommending them to patients who had shown signs and progression of gum disease. Today electric toothbrushes are as common in the dental care isle as toothpaste and we highly recommend them to everyone. However, the choices can be daunting. So, we thought it might be helpful to help you wade through the options.

Brushing Action:
The motion the brush head makes when the unit is powered on is a large part of the difference. Most of the more cost friendly models offer an action that is a simple spin or turn, back and forth.
The Oral-B toothbrush models actually have a patented spin and turn action with a little push and pull into the gums to help it reach in between the teeth.
Finally, another patented design is from Phillips called Sonicare. Sonicare brushes offer an action that moves several hundred complete back and forth motions in a second. It also claims to effectively flush toothpaste and water through the tooth contacts.
All of the designs are better than nothing especially if you or someone you know struggles with adequate brushing.

Longevity:
Unfortunately, the old adage “You get what you pay for” applies to the electric tooth brush market. The more cost friendly brushes also tend to have the shortest life and it may be more advantageous to simply replace the entire brush as opposed to replacing the brush tip every six months.
The opposite is true for the higher end brushes. An Oral-B or Sonicare brush may cost you a little more up front but you can expect years of life and continued cleaning efficiency with new brush heads every six months. The brush heads run about $10 each.

Good brushing habits

Portability:
The original electric toothbrushes from the 50’s and 60’s plugged into an AC wall outlet, much like a hair dryer would. Today, every electric toothbrush is equipped to accept or include batteries. Again most of the more cost friendly models require either AA or AAA batteries and the higher end models are equipped with lifetime rechargeable lithium batteries and most can hold a charge and provide 2-3 weeks of use without needing to be recharged. Plus the higher end Oral-B and Sonicare models include a container or sleeve to carry the tooth brush with you in a convenient way.

Effectiveness of care:
First, Let me say that ALL tooth brushes whether electric or manual are limited by the individuals habits. How long do you brush?, How frequently do you brush?, How thoroughly are you brushing? The higher end brushes from Oral-B and Sonicare attempt to help you comply with your hygienist and dentists’ recommendations. Both companies offer some form of a timer with the brush to help you clean your teeth for the recommended 2 minutes, Oral-B makes a timer that you can visualize while you brush, but also the brush automatically turns off after 2 minutes. Sonicare offers a series of pulses as prompts to keep you on track and moving throughout the mouth until you have reached the 2 minute mark and it too will power off.
Both companies also help you focus your brushing by helping you make sure you don’t miss any teeth by breaking the 2 minutes up into four 30 second cycles. The intent is to guide you towards brushing in “quadrants” for instance the upper right molars to the right front tooth is 1 quadrant.

In conclusion, If you are thinking about buying an electric toothbrush then congratulations because you are about to experience a new level of at home care and more than likely healthier gums. All of the the electric tooth brushes work and are an improvement from the manual tooth brush and companies like Oral-B and Sonicare offer products that are not only more effective than a manual brush but also have some feedback prompts to help you do a better job at brushing as well. My recommendation is to find a toothbrush that appeals to you and is within your budget, take it home and give yourself a few days to get used to it then enjoy better check up’s from your dentist and hygienist.

Electric toothbrushes near me

Brandon L. Esco DMD
Brookwood Dentistry

Stay Hydrated!

Even though we have roughly another month and a half before Summer ends, most of us have started turning our attention to the Fall season. School is starting again and sport practices will not be far behind. Staying hydrated will be just as important, if not more important in the weeks to come as they were in mid June. One of the more common causes of tooth decay can be traced back to the choices we make on what to drink. Most of us know that Soda’s are bad for our teeth, but what about sports drinks or fruit juice?

stay hydrated with the right drinks

Fruit Juice: Apple juice, Orange juice, Grape juice, etc. IF made from 100% fruit juice then it is a healthy and nutritious addition to your day. However, the natural sugars in fruit juice provide enough food for bacteria to thrive and start causing tooth decay. Typically, fruit juices are also fairly acidic. Being acidic compounds the rate of tooth decay.

Sports drinks: Powerade, Gatorade, Vitamin Water, etc. Sports drinks are designed and formulated to replace what your body loses when you sweat (electrolytes, carbohydrates, etc). Sports drinks, like juices, have enough sugars in them to cause tooth decay, in fact the effect may be worse due to the fact that when we sweat our saliva flow is minimal and that is why many of us experience dry mouth during exercise. Saliva is beneficial to our bodies in many ways and one such way is by raising the PH of our mouth to fight the effects of acid caused by bacteria and also to flush the sugars off of our teeth.

Soda: Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Mountain Dew, Sprite, etc., aside from being a very enjoyable treat, almost all sodas are relatively unhealthy and contribute very poorly to rehydration. Sodas are loaded with sugar and are highly acidic; bathing your teeth in soda on a regular basis will not only lead to tooth decay but also, worn, stained and chipped teeth due to the effects of the acid level. Mountain Dew and Sprite are worse still, because of the citric acid used to give them their distinct flavor. Typically the citrus based sodas have more sugar (some up to 2x more) and are severely more acidic.

coke image.jpg

What about Diet sodas? It is true that a diet soda doesn’t contribute to a sugar level that would normally cause severe damage to our teeth. However, be very careful as diet sodas are still very acidic and still serve a risk for stains, worn and chipped teeth.

My recommendation is that if you wish to enjoy a soda on occasion go right ahead. If you are exercising and want to stay as refreshed as possible then go ahead and drink a sports drink, there is no denying that they help. If you like orange juice or some other kind of 100% fruit juice in the morning, again go right ahead. Most fruit juices are a great source for vitamins and antioxidants which are good for us.
However, to minimize your risk for new tooth decay, buy a bottle of water to rinse with after you are finished. Drink sodas through a straw to minimize the contact with your teeth. Finally, don’t sip on one drink all day. If you decide to drink something other than water, then please drink it quickly, so you can minimize the time that your teeth are in contact with the sugars and acid. Follow through with brushing and flossing on a daily basis will help to keep cavities to a minimum.

We hope everyone had a safe and exciting summer and we look forward to seeing you in the office in the Fall.

Dr. Brandon Esco
Brookwood Dentistry

Office buzz!

Welcome back to the Brookwood Dentistry Blog.

We have had a great week and a busy weekend is on the Horizon. Jaimee our lead team assistant and her daughter Rylee are headed to Kentucky for an archery tournament. Good luck Rylee.

Dr. Hutchinson is out next Monday and Tuesday to volunteer at the Ben Massell Dental clinic in Atlanta. The Ben Massell Dental clinic is a volunteer based operation that provides dentistry and care, free of charge. It is a true mission of mercy.
Thank you Dr. Hutchinson.

My Wife graduated last weekend from The University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine and she will be caring for your pets at Auburn Veterinary clinic in Aubrun, Georgia.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Mystery image

Busy week at Brookwood Dentistry

What a week! Thanks for the great response from our last blog post and for a lot of good guesses on the mystery item. The item was a patient napkin holder chain! Look again if you need too.
Hopefully this weeks mystery item will inspire even more intrigue.

This week at the office we celebrated Ashley’s (one of our exceptional dental assistants) birthday, thank you Ashley, for all you do!

I will be traveling to Nashville, TN for a dental implant update course. I am eager to learn even more ways to provide you with exceptional care and obtain the most up to date information. I may also, have a few comments on the Nashville Barbeque scene, when I return.

Over the next few weeks we are planning on addressing some hot topic issues, such as the recent MSNBC story about the correlation between dental x-rays and brain tumors. Also, some interesting research comparing a water jet flosser vs. traditional dental floss. Please plan to visit our blog again and join the conversation.

Now, for this weeks mystery item. What do you think?

Mystery Photo

Brookwood Dentistry

Welcome to the new Brookwood Dentistry Blog

Welcome to the Brookwood dentistry blog! Our goal is to keep you informed of all the current issues associated with your dental health along with some interesting and fun topics mixed in.

Each week we plan to post 1-2 topics that will help you stay informed of the practice, oral health, as well as just some fun and thought provoking ideas.

Please plan to return weekly for the current topic.

Starting today and each Thursday after we will post a picture of a mystery object, then sit back and watch the fun begin as you try to guess what it is.

Have fun and have a great weekend!

A Mystery Object

What is it?

– Dr. Esco,

Brookwood Dentistry