Q&A: Dr. Camelia Cooper talks best dental practices

Camelia Cooper, DDS, is a general dentist who owns and operates Sweet Tooth Dental Loft in Frisco.

She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Science degree from Norfolk State University in Virginia. She obtained her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Sweet Tooth Dental Loft opened in 2013 in Frisco.

Dr. Cooper answered questions from Community Impact about best dental care practices, the importance of dental care and benefits of cosmetic dental procedures. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

If an adult has never been to the dentist, why would you say it's important to make an appointment?

It's always a good time to start. We like to meet you where you are and not criticize you. There are a number of reasons an adult is visiting the dentist for the first time including parents not having the money or people from other countries not having access. Sometimes people just don't know you should come, even if it's not hurting. It's always good to get a checkup—to know that your gums are healthy, get a few tips and tricks, and then we can just maintain and keep an eye on everything to make sure it stays healthy.

What is the best tip for someone who is cavity prone?

People tend to have the bacteria for gum disease or cavities. A lot of times people who have gum disease don't really have any cavities. People who have a lot of cavities tend to have healthier gums. I tell people who are cavity prone to drink water, water, water. The more water you're drinking you’re washing things off that tend to sit in your mouth. Sometimes they're cavity prone because they have dry mouth so another tip would be to chew gum that has xylitol after a meal because it will pull some food out of your teeth and it's going to stimulate some saliva, which then helps wash away more bacteria.

Why is it important to take care of our teeth?

The teeth are part of the body. Nowadays, teeth have leaned more towards aesthetics and not health. A lot of times we can see different diseases in the mouth. If you have diabetes, then a lot of times your gums are going to manifest differently. If you have vitamin deficiencies, we tend to see that in the mouth. If our patients are on certain blood pressure medicines, we can tell what medicine they're on based on looking at their gums. We have it in our head that we go to the physician for certain things and at certain intervals in life, but in dentistry, I feel like we've not drilled that in as much as being standard. Certain aspects of dentistry have gotten sensationalized, starting with extreme makeovers. Everyone wants pretty teeth, but don’t care what is underneath them, or the foundation for the gums. It's good when they look great when they're white and straight, but to us, they also look great if they're crooked and healthy. We want to make sure that we don't have things that are getting into their mouth, that's getting in the bloodstream.

What is the leading dental problem you see at Sweet Tooth Dental Loft? What are preventative measures people can take to avoid this problem?

We see lots of teeth grinding—bruxism. People internalize a lot of things. You go to bed with a lot of stuff on your mind. You'll grind harder when you're stressed, but it's subconscious. Some people grind even when they're not stressed. There’s nothing you can necessarily do to stop it, but you can lessen the damage with a custom fitting guard, what we call an occlusal guard.

What are the top three requested cosmetic procedures you provide? How do patients benefit from getting these services?

Whitening, veneers and Invisalign. We love Invisalign because it's functional—it's moving your teeth and straighter teeth don't leave your gums bunched up, so then it makes your gums healthier and it’s easier to brush and floss. With whitening, it's a good spruce up and confidence booster. We all have habits that wear on our enamel, whether it's dark, hot liquids, red wine or acid from either pops or different juices. Over time, the enamel thins and lets you see the layer under it, which is naturally kind of a yellowish color for everyone. So the less white you have on top, the more you see the darker layer behind it. So with the whitening, it's going through the white and it's bleaching the layer under it so that your tooth looks lighter. We'll do veneers when patients bring it up—If it bothers you, we can talk about it, I'm never going to bring it up. Veneers can also be functional for people who are grinding. Veneers are permanently added.

If someone has dentophobia, fear of dentists, what would you tell them to alleviate their fear?

Everybody walks out alive. I love the phobia the most with children, because children are very easy to win over. You just explain to them what's happening. They're a lot more trusting. Adults normally have a dentist they can put a name to that gave them that phobia. So sometimes that's a harder hill to climb. We're always very patient. I like to know what is making them scared. Is it the sound? We have headphones. Is it that you think that it's going to hurt? Maybe you weren't numb enough. Once I know what their fear is, I'm going to put extra effort into that thing, and let them know when we're over the hump.

What are a few easy lifestyle habits that promote healthy teeth and gums?

Of course we like a good balanced diet but we're into sweets with a name like ‘Sweet Tooth.’ We know everybody has a sweet tooth. We like to talk about ways to satisfy it, but pick an alternative that's not as heavy on sugar, or to just go over tips so sugar doesn't have a chance to sit and do damage to the enamel. When drinking hot dark liquids, especially coffee or tea, you can always use a straw so that it doesn't have as much contact time on your enamel. We like water after that, whether it's after coffee or after red wine. We also love brushing, flossing and a good mouthwash. There's no magic dental tool that's going to make your mouth a whole lot healthier. If you love a manual toothbrush, we may tell you what bristles to buy for the manual toothbrush, how to hold the brush. If you're brushing too fast, we can see it on your gums, we might give tips on how to slow down.

When should someone see a dentist?

Once you get your first tooth in it's a good time for a checkup. We take a look at the gums and the tooth. We go over tips for contact time for the milk that's on their teeth and anything that they may be doing to self-soothe—whether it's a pacifier or a thumb. We make sure the parent feels comfortable and the child gets used to getting their teeth cleaned. If you are past your first tooth, and you have all or none of your teeth, it’s still a good time to come to the dentist. Anytime you're ready to take that step for oral health, we're ready to help you.

• 8838 Coleman Blvd., Frisco
• www.sweettoothdentalloft.com