Getting braces is a huge milestone. You dream of the day when the braces will come off and you will have a beautiful, straight smile. However, there are five steps you need to take at home to ensure you have a healthy smile at the end of your treatment. Skipping these could lead to ugly white spots and cavities. Here's how to care for braces.

How do you keep your kids from eating too much Halloween candy? Here are six ideas that parents shared on our Coast Dental Facebook page. Plus, check out our Dentist's Guide to Halloween, which contains more ideas on how to keep your teeth cavity-free!

If you have high blood pressure, your medical doctor may prescribe calcium channel blockers to help control it. However, that can have a side effect that can be disturbing if you don't expect it. See the before-and-after pictures.

Are your teeth yellow, grey, or stained? Don't worry. There are many ways you can remove stains and whiten your teeth. Here's a look at the different methods, the benefits and drawbacks of each, and how much teeth whitening costs.

If your gums are puffy, tender or bleed when you floss, then you may be among the 75% of American adults who have some form of gum disease.

Gum disease, which is also called periodontal disease, starts as gingivitis. Many people are shocked to realized gingivitis is an infection caused by bacteria. And here's a scary new statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Half of all Americans over the age of 30 have gum disease beyond that first, reversible stage of gingivitis. In fact, periodontal disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in American adults.

Here's a quick overview of the different stages of the disease, and how you can stop it from advancing.

If you have had an artificial joint replacement or heart surgery, you need to let your dentist know before your appointment. The guidelines determining who needs to take an antibiotic before having certain dental procedures have changed, and the changes could affect you.

MI Paste is like vitamins for your teeth. It provides minerals such as calciuim and phosphate that strengthen teeth and protect the enamel from cavities. Here are 10 reasons your dentist might suggest you add it to your daily routine.

Would you know what to do if you or someone you loved knocked loose a tooth - or worse?

Coast Dental's Field Guide to Dental Injuries explains what you should do immediately, when you should seek care within six hours, and when you may be able to wait longer. Print out this guide and keep it in your car, on your refrigerator or anywhere else where it will be readily accessible!

Dental x-rays have gotten a bad rap this year and a lot of people are asking, "Are x-rays really necessary?"

The answer is yes. Dental x-rays are used for diagnosing and treating problems that can't be seen with the naked eye. X-rays reveal cavities between the teeth or hidden by fillings, infections in the bone, fractures, gum disease, abscesses, cysts, and tumors.

Have dentures? It's important to clean them properly. In this video, Coast Dental Chief Clinical Director Cindy Roark, DMD, shows you how you can keep your dentures clean without pills.