Welker Dental

PREVENTION is key! It is so important to come in for your dental check ups so that we can help you keep that beautiful smile healthy!

JUNE 17TH is national Eat Your Veggies Day! Good for you and good for your teeth, be sure to get a full serving of vegetables today!

This past weekend, we enjoyed SPRINKLING our amazing hygienist, Morgan, in anticipation of her sweet baby boy!

Jacob and Caroline had the best dental visit this morning with their amazing mom/hygienist, Dianna!

We random acts of kindness! One of our amazing patients needed to switch appointment times and another equally amazing patient was happy to do it! Today, pass it forward.

IT’S THAT TIME of the year!!! We want to make sure you can enjoy cold, delicious treats on a hot summer day.

IN THE SPIRIT OF Black History Month, we’re spotlighting Robert Tanner Freeman, the first professionally trained black dentist in the US. Robert was the son of a carpenter who bought his family’s freedom and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. In his teens, Robert was mentored by Dr. Noble, a Washington D.C. dentist. He applied to and was rejected by two colleges for his skin color before being accepted into the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine. He was one of the... first six African Americans in the college, alongside George Franklin Grant, who had a similar background and later became the first black Harvard faculty member. After graduating with his DMD in 1869, Dr. Freeman returned to D.C. and practiced dentistry in the same building as his old mentor. Tragically, he died a few short years later due to a water-borne disease. For one who had to overcome so many obstacles and who died so young, Dr. Freeman left behind a great legacy, including paving the way for the successful dental careers of generations of black Americans and a grandson who became the first African American member of the U.S. Cabinet. #blackhistorymonth #blackvoices #oralhealth

YOU ALL have a pizza our hearts! We love our followers and patients and want to wish you a happy National Pizza Day! #nationalpizzaday #pizza #pun

THIS MONTH IS National Children’s Dental Health Month, and we want to remind you that it’s so important for kids to start practicing good dental habits while they’re young. #childrensdentalhealthmonth #childrensdentalhealth #healthysmile

HOW OFTEN should we replace our toothbrushes? The answer is easy: every three months! #dentaltip #healthysmile #dentist

HERE'S A BIG THANK YOU, this and every month, to those who have made Black history. Happy Black History Month, we're taking this time to celebrate and learn about Black voices. #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #equality

HELLO WEEKEND, we're excited you're here! What is everybody up to this weekend? #weekend #friday #tgif

A GOOD ELECTRIC toothbrush can really level up everyone’s oral health game! Need a recommendation for a great electric toothbrush? Give us a call or ask a team member, we are happy to help. #recommendation #oralhealth #healthysmile

WHICH OF THESE classic holiday gifts would you rather receive: a tin of popcorn or a fruitcake? And if you do get these treats as gifts this holiday season, make sure to enjoy in moderation for a healthy smile and teeth! #holidayseason #fruitcake #popcorn

NOT MUCH TODAY, but back in the Middle Ages, the roles of barber, surgeon, and dentist were all rolled into one. Trained physicians were only available to the wealthy, but everyone had access to a barber! Some of the operations these barber-surgeons performed included lancing infections, applying poultices, setting broken bones, and you guessed it pulling teeth. Nobody understood what caused cavities back then, so if someone was unlucky enough to get one and it resulted... in a painful toothache, the only option was to head to the barber dentist to have the problem tooth pulled. As limited as medical and dental knowledge were, a lot of barber-dentists were pretty impressive. One of them, Ambroise Paré, is even considered the father of modern surgery. He made important strides in dentistry in the 1500s, developing a procedure to help an impacted tooth erupt, improving extraction techniques, and even inventing dental implants. One of his satisfied patients was a princess who had lost a front tooth, which he replaced successfully! We’ve come a long way since Paré and his fellow barber-surgeons. Now we can do so much more to keep teeth healthy that extractions have become a last resort, and there are specialists who focus entirely on treating pediatric patients or straightening crooked teeth or saving infected teeth with root canal therapy, just as a few examples. It’s amazing to look back at how dentistry used to be!

THE HISTORY OF dentistry is fascinating, and one of the giants who stands out is Pierre Fauchard, who lived from 1678 to 1761. He was the guy who made the connection between sugar and cavities, beginning the ongoing trend of dentists recommending cutting back on sugar intake! Pulling teeth was the main thing dentists did in the early 1700s, but not Fauchard. He made amazing advances in filling cavities, cleaning away tartar, and oral surgery. He even made false teeth and an... early version of braces! One puzzle he couldn’t solve was what happens to the roots of baby teeth. Today we know they break down on the cellular level as the adult teeth come in. Because Fauchard was the first in many ways, he had to make a lot of the tools he used. He took inspiration from the tools of watchmakers, barbers, and jewelers. He even came up with the dentist chair for the comfort of patient and dentist alike, and he developed an early version of the light above the chair too! Fauchard cared deeply for his patients, advocating for their comfort and fighting hard against charlatans who would give them shoddy fillings or deliberately damage their teeth. He came to be recognized as the best dental surgeon in France while he lived, and his books were the gold standard of dentistry for a century after that. It’s an honor to carry out his legacy. #oralhealth #history #funfacts

VETERANS DAY IS THE PERFECT day to remember how thankful we are for those who have served for our country. What are some ways you show your gratitude for them? #veteransday #military #thankyou

WE’RE READY FOR some holiday cheer! Comment below with your favorite thing about the holiday season! #holidays #happyholidays #holidayseason

DO YOU KNOW how long you have till insurance benefits run out? Don’t let them go to waste; give us a call to schedule an appointment today! #insurancebenefits #insurance #scheduleanappointment

IT’S BEEN 79 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor. We’re posting in remembrance of that day. #pearlharborday #inremembrance #history

PREGNANCY GINGIVITIS HAS SYMPTOMS like swelling and tenderness of the gums. It can be detected and treated by a dentist, so if you are pregnant and think you might be experiencing this, give us a call so we can help! #pregnancy #pregnancygingivitis #dentalhealth

NOVEMBER IS MEN'S HEALTH AWARENESS Month and in honor, will you be growing your mo‘ this year? Comment below and let us know! #movember #menshealthawareness #growyourmo

WHEN GINGERBREAD MEN don’t floss, they get gingivitis. To protect teeth and gums, make sure to floss! #gingerbread #holidayseason #healthysmile

DID YOU KNOW yesterday was National Brushing Day? In honor of this pretty cool holiday, we want to know: do you prefer a classic or electric toothbrush? #nationalbrushingday #toothbrush #poll

WHAT WAS the last song that got you on your feet and dancin’. Comment below and tell us! We may just play your suggestions and do some dancing too! #music #poll #fun

IT’S IMPORTANT TO wash hands for at least 20 seconds to successfully kill germs. An easy way to measure 20 seconds is to sing happy birthday while washing! #washyourhands #stopthespread #stayhealthy

IT’S SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY and we want to hear about the small businesses in our community that our followers recommend! Comment with, or tag, a small business you love in the comments below! #shopsmall ##smallbusinesssaturday #supportsmall

IT'S NATIONAL FLOSSING DAY and we recommend that everyone celebrates by flossing their teeth! #flossing #nationalflossingday #remembertofloss

IT'S THANKSGIVING and we want to let you know that we're grateful for you. #thanksgiving #thanksgiving2020 #blessed

EVERYONE’S HAD A dentist tell them at least once that they should be brushing twice a day for two full minutes. This is excellent advice, because a good daily bruising habit, along with flossing daily, is vital to keeping the continuous encroachment of plaque at bay. However, it is very possible to brush the wrong way or with the wrong tool. We recommend avoiding toothbrushes with firm bristles or using a lot of force to brush. If the bristles start bending outward after a... while, that’s a sign of brushing too hard, or overbrushing. Overbrushing can actually scrape away tooth enamel over time and wear down the gum tissue. Eventually, it could even result in gum recession. Teeth and gums aren’t designed to withstand multiple harsh scourings a day, which is why we recommend a Goldilocks approach to brushing. Do brush twice a day, but make sure to use a soft-bristled toothbrush and not too much pressure. If scrubbing hard is what comes naturally, try holding the toothbrush like it’s a pencil and trading the sawing back and forth motions for small circles. #oralhealth #toothbrushtips #brushyourteeth

MANY PATIENTS DON'T KNOW that they have a crack in the enamel of a tooth. Regular dental appointments are important so we have the chance to catch sneaky problems like this. #dentalcare #oralhealth #healthysmile

WE CAN’T STOP thinking about all of the delicious food we love to eat on Thanksgiving. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side? Comment your answer below! #thanksgiving #thanksgiving2020 #food