Blog

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, teeth were the #1 feature that increased a child’s chances of being bullied. A person’s smile and teeth are often the first things people notice, and kids are no exception. Whalen Dentistry would like to share some ideas that can… (Read More)

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Open mouth, insert foot” to describe a moment in which someone’s said something they wish they hadn’t, but have you heard of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease?  Despite it being a relatively common virus, it’s one that makes a lot of parents furrow their brow in confusion. Maybe the awareness… (Read More)

Do you know the status of your occlusion? That’s the technical term used to describe the way your maxillary (upper) and mandibular (lower) teeth align. If you happen to have a bite that doesn’t connect quite right—or at all—it’s referred to as a malocclusion.  You might ask yourself, “Well, I can eat and speak without… (Read More)

Bad breath stinks, doesn’t it? Pardon the silly pun, but we think some icebreakers (get it, like the mint?) can make it easier to jump into what might be less than comfortable subjects. How do we know it isn’t a comfortable subject? Well, the fear of bad breath is so common, there’s even a name… (Read More)

At Whalen Dentistry, education is paramount in our mission to help our Cornelius friends and neighbors improve and maintain their oral health. For this reason, we try to avoid using dental jargon when we’re speaking with our valued patient family.  However, there are terms that can’t be broken down as easily; in those cases, we’ll… (Read More)

Although you may think of general health and dental health as two completely unrelated categories, they are much more connected than the average person suspects. Just as the information you share with your general practitioner assists them in keeping you healthy, your Cornelius dentist, Dr. Ryan Whalen at Whalen Dentistry, depends on your input for… (Read More)

All children are unique individuals with personal preferences, but sometimes special needs kids have a higher level of anxiety in new situations like visiting the dentist. Dentists like Dr. Ryan Whalen realize treating special needs kids requires patience and understanding, and while most dentists who treat children are capable of accommodating a variety of special… (Read More)

Diastema is the medical name for a space or gap between two teeth. While the most commonly gapped teeth are the two at upper front and center, a gap can occur between any two teeth. There are many potential causes for gapped teeth, including: Teeth that are too small for the jawbone Teeth that are… (Read More)

As brand-new humans, it seems logical that babies and children would have gleaming white teeth to go along with their bright eyes and soft skin. Baby teeth—also called primary teeth—generally do appear whiter than adult permanent teeth because they are more calcified. However,  it is not uncommon for a child’s teeth to appear less than… (Read More)

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is an antibiotic topical liquid solution brushed onto teeth to halt the progression of tooth decay. Research has shown the effectiveness of SDF in cavity prevention and arrest, and it has been used safely and successfully worldwide with patients of all age groups. Whalen Dentistry uses silver diamine fluoride to help… (Read More)