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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 50-70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder. One of the most common sleep disorders is obstructive sleep apnea. It afflicts an estimated 54 million adults in the United States. Sleep apnea is a serious disease that can cause you to stop breathing up to hundreds of times per night for anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute. Untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of several other health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.

Parents sometimes fail to recognize the value of starting dental care at such an early age. Perhaps it's because they reason these are "only baby teeth," and think because those teeth will be lost in the future they aren't as important as "permanent teeth." However, just as preparing a solid foundation for a house is essential, your child's gums, baby teeth, and other oral structures are the preparation blocks for a strong and healthy maturing smile.

Are sharp winter winds starting to set your teeth on edge? We've all had those moments when something hot or cold can create unexpected twinges in your teeth. Maybe sweets or something as simple as breathing cold air has become a painful experience for you. Sensitivity can affect anyone.

How DID the end of the year get here so fast? Perhaps challenges in recent months have understandably riveted our focus on other things. Yet the days have moved quickly onward, and now we find ourselves about to head into a new year. Before this year is over, however, we’d like to give you a few important dental reminders.

It’s no secret that candies and cavities often go hand in hand. Indulging once in a while is fine – but only in moderation, and with special attention to prevent the negative after-effects that sugar and acidic candies can have on your smile. Because of this, one dentist in Macon, Dr. Sheila Shah, with MaconSmiles is offering “Cash for Candy” collected by kids during the upcoming trick-or-treat season, distributing it further to minimize exposure to kids who might otherwise consume excessive amounts from their Halloween holiday haul.

Worried about bad breath? Are you concerned and unsure whether mints, gum, and toothpaste are helping to cover your mouth odor? You aren’t alone. According to online sources, roughly 30% of the population complains of some sort of bad breath. In fact, just about everyone experiences bad breath from time to time. Maybe you’ve just awoken and have “morning breath,” or perhaps you had garlic or onions in your lunch, creating a temporary bad breath situation. Maybe coffee, alcoholic drinks, or tobacco smoking are the bad breath culprits of the moment. But, for some people, halitosis – the Latin word for “bad breath”, maybe a daily struggle.

Math and reading aren’t the only important skills that can affect your child for a lifetime. A healthy smile gives your child confidence and added social acceptance, increasing their chance for a successful future. Parents sometimes fail to recognize the value of starting dental care at an early age. Perhaps it’s because they reason these are “only baby teeth,” and think because those teeth will be lost in the future they aren’t as important as “permanent teeth.” However, just as preparing a solid foundation for a house is essential to building a strong home, your child’s gums, baby teeth, and other oral structures are the preparation blocks for a strong and healthy maturing smile.

Is the "daily grind" getting to you - or maybe to your teeth? Stress is one of many causes of teeth grinding, also known as "bruxism." Clenching, gnashing, or grinding your teeth is a common involuntary reaction to anger, fear, or stress. Most people likely do this unconsciously from time to time without problems. Done only occasionally, it usually does not cause any harm. If done regularly, however, teeth can become damaged and other oral health complications can arise.

Snoring may seem like a harmless sleeping habit, but it may be having a bigger impact on your daily life than you think.

Everyone experiences dental issues from time to time. Often those issues can be prevented by avoiding the common mistakes we mentioned in last month’s article. Remember, it’s always good to...

Let’s admit it. Few of us brush our teeth as well as we could. Often we’re in a hurry, running late for school or work, or we are tired and simply eager to relax. Maybe we just go to bed before brushing. Don’t. Skipping brushing your teeth is a mistake that can cost you in the long run. Investing in proper oral care means you’ll be less likely to have to invest in dental work down the road.

Did you know The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing for two minutes in the morning and two minutes at night with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste? You can brush more often if you like, or more often if needed, but the minimum for healthy teeth and gums follows the 2/2 rule – two minutes, twice per day.

How many times per day do you smile? According to an online Forbes article, “The Untapped Power of Smiling,” more than 30% of people smile more than 20 times a day, and less than 14% smile less than 5 times a day, while children smile as many as 400 times a day!

If you are simply a snorer or have only mild apnea, your dentist may recommend an oral appliance that you wear during sleep.

Are wintry winds setting your teeth on edge? We've all had those moments when something hot or cold can create unexpected twinges in your teeth. Maybe sweets or something as simple as breathing cold air has become a painful experience for you. Sensitivity can affect anyone.

Drop off your Halloween candy Monday, November 1st through Friday, November 11th, any time between 8:00am-5:00pm.

Have you seen a dentist for your second checkup of the year? Perhaps we should ask if you have seen a dentist for a first checkup this year. It’s okay. A lot of people are finding themselves in the same situation. Just, please, remember it’s normally best to schedule a dental visit at least once every six months.

Anyone who has experienced frequent migraine pain or has chronic headaches can tell you how disrupting they can be to normal daily routines. More than 36 million Americans suffer with such pain, thinking there is little which can be done. Those who live with TemporoMandibular Joint problems, more commonly referred to as TMJ, often believe there's little relief available. However, Macon Smiles can offer valuable solutions with our trained professionals (physicians or dentists).

Are you a person who smiles regularly? It's wonderful to be happy and confident with your smile. But what about those who don't smile as often? Perhaps it isn't because they are unhappy; it may simply be due to a lack of confidence in their smile.

A lot of patients not only want to improve their dental health but their dental appearance as well. This is where cosmetic dentistry comes into play. Teeth can stain, chip, or shift, changing the way your smile looks. However, some patients worry that cosmetic dental procedures will hurt. This can cause some patients to ignore cosmetic dental treatment. But do most cosmetic dental procedures hurt? Learn the facts from MaconSmiles, and how we can help you restore your smile.

Long gone are the days of your grandparent’s dental treatments. Today, dental technology has advanced at an accelerated rate where patients can find results faster and more effectively. Laser dentistry, specifically, has become a popular technique for improving tooth/gum health and appearance. At MaconSmiles, we have seen more and more patients seeking out laser treatments at our office, and it’s easy to see why. Learn how laser dental treatments can beneficially improve your oral health.

Many patients wonder if teeth whitening is safe, and whether or not there is a threshold to using teeth whitening products or getting teeth whitening procedures done. Can there be dangerous side effects? At MaconSmiles, let Dr. Shah down the facts about teeth whitening, and what you should know about how to brighten your smile safely and effectively.

Snoring, or sleep apnea is more than just an annoying nighttime occurrence. It is a sleep disorder that causes your airways to become blocked while you sleep, and can cause serious complications or at least a highly disrupted sleep cycle. MaconSmiles treats patients with sleep apnea in Macon, GA in a variety of ways. Our snoring therapy is tailored to alleviate your symptoms effectively and to suit your lifestyle. Here are 7 tips to help you get started relieving symptoms at home.

At Macon Smiles in North Macon, our dentist and staff work hard to provide each patient with customized dental treatments that meet their oral health needs. For some patients, that may mean getting dental veneers for their teeth. A veneer is a thin porcelain covering that has the same essential look and feel like the natural enamel of teeth, without the tendency to stain. Veneers can fix unsightly tooth chips, help with discoloration and stains, and give your teeth the shape you’ve always wanted. Ask our North Macon dentist how veneers can improve your smile!

Cavities are not just a concern of the sugar-toothed youth, but can affect patients of any age, often developing without symptoms until they reach the nerves inside the tooth and become very painful! Macon Smiles treats patients in North Macon of all ages, providing laser dental treatment, restorative dentistry, early treatment, and a range of cosmetic procedures in addition to general cleanings. Find out why adults tend to get cavities, and how we treat them effectively.

Snoring may seem like a harmless habit, but it could have a bigger impact on your daily life than you realize. Beyond the social stigma often associated with being a "snorer," snoring may also be a signal that your health could be compromised.

Headaches caused by TMJ can be constant and debilitating, having a negative impact on the patient’s day-to-day life, and making it hard to function normally. Macon Smiles has dedicated time and resources to search for the best ways to treat TMJ headaches so that you can find relief and a better quality of life. The experienced staff at our North Macon dental practice offer free introductory headaches and TMJ consultations. Your treatment will be tailored to you to provide you with the best possible improvement.

At MaconSmiles, our family dentist and staff provide comprehensive dental care to patients throughout North Macon and the surrounding communities. It is our mission to get to the root of a dental issue and alleviate any pain you may be experiencing. Many patients may not even realize that migraine pain and headaches can actually be associated with their dental health and teeth. In North Macon, we can treat migraines with NTI therapy and reduce your symptoms.

At MaconSmiles, we want to ensure that you and your child are equipped with all of the right tools and techniques to have a successful back-to-school dental appointment. Our Macon family dentist understands that some oral hygiene routines may have slipped a bit over the summer, that’s why it’s great to get back into the swing of things with a thorough dental appointment at the beginning of the school year. To confirm your child’s teeth are in tip-top shape and cavity-free, schedule their back-to-school dental appointment with our pediatric dentist in North Macon today!

Is it your wedding anniversary? Is Father’s Day coming up? Your best friend’s birthday? Did your child recently graduate? Whatever the occasion, giving someone a teeth whitening treatment may just be the gift they never forget. At MaconSmiles, we ensure our patients are pleased with their Zoom! Teeth Whitening results. We love to see the smiles on our patient’s faces when they realize what a difference our treatments make.

It’s possible that you haven’t heard about oral cancer—but that’s not because people aren’t dying every day as a result of oral cancer and related conditions. While it may not get as much coverage as some of the more talked about cancers, oral cancer kills thousands every year, at a rate of about one person per hour every day. Here at MaconSmiles we believe that awareness of the symptoms and willingness to get a screening is one of the most important ways to prevent oral cancer, so we are promoting Oral Cancer Awareness Month this April. Learn more about Oral Cancer Awareness month below and why it's so important that more people know about this deadly disease and how to stop it.

Chewing gum is a fun habit that most kids, teens, and adults enjoy. However, there are a few misconceptions about what gum can actually do for your oral health. At Macon Smiles, we are constantly working to educate our patients on the proper dental practices, how to improve their dental health, and what are the potential risk factors for poor dental health.

At Macon Smiles, we offer services for the entire family ranging from preventative dentistry to dentures & cosmetic options. In addition to our dental services, we love to give back to our community and support healthy lifestyles for all. That's why every Halloween, we offer a candy buyback program, giving you $1/lb for candy you don't want or can't eat. We then ship the candy packages to military troops with Operation Shoebox!

Summer is the perfect time to relax and enjoy some sunshine. However, there can be a lot of sugary temptations during the summer months. MaconSmiles encourages you to indulge in a treat once and while, but consume mostly healthy foods that are also great for your oral health.

Oral health is important, no matter what’s going on in the world. In order to help you enhance your oral health from the comfort of your home, we’ve got plenty of tips! Your dentist in Macon, Dr. Sheila Shah and her team members have come up with simple and easy ways to keep your teeth clean and maintain your oral hygiene.

This is a difficult time for all of us as we navigate our way through the coronavirus. From Dr. Shah and the entire staff at MaconSmiles, we certainly hope that you and your family are staying healthy as we get through this crisis together. As we learn more about COVID-19, we will be providing you with information about how it may impact your dental care and our office procedures.

When you begin wearing dentures, it is completely normal to experience gum pain or discomfort for the first few weeks as your mouth adjusts to its new dental appliance. Even people who have worn dentures for a long time can experience discomfort because the gums and bone structure change over time. However, once you address this discomfort and get used to wearing your dentures correctly, you’ll be happy with your beautiful smile. If you are experiencing pain from your dentures, the following are five tips to help alleviate any discomfort you may feel.

Whether you’re hosting a holiday party or you’re arriving to an event as a guest, you’ll want to make an exceptional impression as soon as you walk into the room. The best way to do so is to appear warm and approachable through your dazzling smile! But what happens when you look in the mirror and realize that your smile is not as dazzling as you’d hoped? Not to worry! MaconSmiles has got just the tips for you to make sure you’ll have beautiful pearly whites this holiday season!

At Macon Smiles, we're proud to offer comprehensive dental care ranging from general and preventive dentistry to convenient, effective cosmetic dental treatment. But beyond offering dental treatments here in our office, we also strive to support our patients through every aspect of achieving a healthy smile – and that becomes extra important this time of year. With Halloween just around the corner, we know plenty of kids in Macon and the surrounding areas are looking forward to a night of indulging in delicious candies and sweets. But those Halloween candies come with a downside, and that's why we're offering a candy buyback program for Halloween 2019. This year we will be I am buying wrapped candy from kids $1/lb during office hours, Monday Nov 04-Fri Nov 08, 2019 and sent to Operation Shoebox who will make care packages for our military troops serving overseas.

At MaconSmiles, our mission is to help each of our patients achieve a healthy, beautiful smile and maintain it for a lifetime. Much of the dental treatments we provide in our office focus on preventing cavities and keeping the teeth clean and healthy, but sometimes, dental problems go beyond decay – as in the case of sensitive teeth. Sensitive teeth can make eating, drinking, and even breathing cold air a painful experience, so if you've been struggling with sensitive teeth, here are a few easy ways to handle it.

Giving you a healthy smile is our number one priority here at Macon Smiles and we’re proud to offer our high-quality dentistry services for all those located in or around Macon, Forsyth, and North Macon, GA. As your all-inclusive stop for dentistry, one of these efficient dental options that we offer is our Macon periodontics. If you’re unsure what periodontitis is or what periodontitis treatment is like, we’d love to explain more about it right now.

In this day and age, so much technology has been introduced into the dental industry that it’s easier to achieve your dental goals in an easier, less painless, and faster way. Dr. Shah and her staff are ready to accommodate your requests! Lucky for you, one of their areas of expertise lies in teeth whitening!

At Macon Smiles, our passion is creating beautiful and healthy smiles for patients of all ages. As your dedicated children’s dentist, Dr. Shah and her friendly staff are committed to providing superior dental care to keep your child’s smile healthy, clean and sparkling.

Cavities are a direct result of damage to your tooth through weakening of the enamel. As adults age, weakening of the teeth may also lead to toothaches from cavities. Toothaches are not the only signs of a cavity, so here are a few others you can look out for.

Your smile is often one of the first things people notice about you. A sparkling white smile can boost your confidence and provide many social, professional, and relational benefits. At Macon Smiles, we proudly offer teeth whitening in North Macon and beyond, to help our patients smile with confidence.

For many people, losing their teeth is just a part of getting older. For others, poor dental hygiene or a traumatic injury may have led to dental loss. Whatever the reason, the most common solution is dentures.

From green vegetables to plain water, chances are your children are just as picky as most other kids. Unfortunately for you, their sensitivities may extend to the types of toothpaste they use. Luckily, our dentist in North Macon has some tips to help you choose a pediatric toothpaste that meets your high standards and pleases your child's taste buds as well.

Everyone knows that a quality toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss are building blocks of good oral hygiene. However, dental experts recommend additional tools for patients to use at home, in order to promote optimally healthy and clean teeth. Our Macon family dentist suggests the use of five essential dental tools.

At Macon Smiles, we are dedicated to creating and maintaining gorgeous smiles for patients throughout Macon and the surrounding areas. We accomplish this through our wide variety of dental treatments, including cosmetic dentistry. If you’re looking for a way to improve your smile, read on to discover how cosmetic dentistry can help.

While we all love a sweet treat like Halloween candy now and then, the amount of candy most kids get for Halloween is unhealthy and can lead to cavities, gingivitis, and other dental issues not to mention the impact eating all that candy will do to your body! Instead, Dr. Shah and our team at Macon Smiles have decided to participate in the Halloween Candy Buy Back. This program will start Thursday, November 1st and will continue the next week from November 5th through until the 8th. We will be giving each trick-or-treater $1 for every pound of candy they bring in. The candy that we receive will be donated to Operation Gratitude who works with volunteers to create and send care packages to troops serving overseas. With the help of Operation Gratitude and our patients, we can help prevent cavities in Macon and give our troops a much-deserved taste of home.

Your new dentures open up a whole world of possibilities when it comes to boosting your confidence and allowing you to feel like yourself again. While getting new dentures is exciting, there are some adjustments you will have to make, at least initially. While you won't have to modify your diet too much, these denture friendly foods will undoubtedly help you transition into your new smile.

Everybody knows that flossing is important to good oral health. While brushing removes plaque and food from the tooth surfaces, flossing finishes up the job by removing hidden plaque, bacteria, and food particles that get stuck between the teeth and under the gum line. While we may know how important flossing is, some simply don’t do it enough whether it be because of time or you simply forget.

At Macon Smiles, our mission is to help our patients achieve healthy, beautiful smiles through quality dental treatment. But in addition to providing treatment in our office, we strive to be a comprehensive resource for all you dental questions and needs. Dental veneers are among our most popular cosmetic dental treatments, but often, our patients aren't sure what the care and maintenance procedures are after getting veneers. If you're wondering if you still have to take care of teeth after getting veneers, we can help answer this question for you.

If you notice some discoloration in your teeth, the likelihood is that you’re not alone. Discoloration and staining are extremely common, since many foods and drinks have pigment that can stain our teeth, and our teeth will also naturally become discolored over time. Despite it being a natural process, we can’t help but want to have a whiter smile, because having a radiant smile is a big self-confidence booster.

At Macon Smiles, it is our mission to help our patients maintain strong overall dental health. Our family dentist is proud to offer a variety of quality dental treatment to patients throughout North Macon & surrounding areas. Our team can help with a number of dental problems, including bad breath.

At Macon Smiles, we’re glad to offer comprehensive dental treatment for patients of all ages with the goal of getting them a healthier smile. We place our patients first and we’re always willing to listen to any and all of your questions and concerns. As your trusted Macon dentist and dental team, we’d like to take the time to discuss one of these questions that we commonly get asked. That question is – “Should I replace my toothbrush after being sick?”

If you want a perfect smile, you have plenty of options out there to get it. The question is, which treatment option is the best fit for you? Some of the most popular treatment options that people choose for fixing their smiles are dental veneers, and braces. Both are vastly different in terms of the treatment itself, but they both have fantastic results for those looking for a better, healthier smile.

Are stained, chipped, discolored, or misaligned teeth causing you to want to hide your smile? If so, you're not alone. Many people experience a lack of confidence due to issues with their teeth. You’ll often find them covering their mouths when they laugh, speak or simply grin. Do you find yourself perhaps doing that as well?

As holiday season comes into full swing, here at Macon Smiles, we are dedicated to making sure that your smile remains healthy and beautiful. Our commitment to your oral health knows no bounds, so we are here to offer some helpful and healthy Thanksgiving tips for your teeth.

The vampires, the ghouls, the warlocks, the ghosts, the witches, the wizards, and the zombies, among others, come crawling out on Halloween. This holiday is usually a crowd-favorite and can be quite fun for kids and adults! Though we typically advocate for a very limited sugar load, we understand that this rule often gets broken on Halloween. With this, we want to prepare you with some tooth-safe candies for Halloween.

Dr. Shah recommends that patients visit the dentist at least twice per year for a thorough oral exam to check the health of the teeth and gums. At these important visits to our office, Dr. Shah also looks for any early signs of oral cancer and our hygienist cleans the teeth professionally to remove stubborn deposits to make the teeth look and feel great.

For a truly great smile that shines, it's important that your teeth are white and bright. However, many people cannot obtain bright, white smiles without the help of a cosmetic dentist. While there are a number of over-the-counter teeth whitening products which all claim they can do wonders, some work better than others at whitening and brightening smiles.

It is never pleasant to experience headaches or TMJ symptoms as your quality of life is affected. Fortunately, there is help available for people suffering from headaches and symptoms of TMJ so they can get the relief they need to live pain-free, normal lives.