Smiling in the Summer

Summer fun-no school, long, lazy days, family vacation. Unfortunately summer also brings sunburn, reading assignments and math packets, swimmer's ear, and swimmer's calculus.

Swimmer's calculus? Yes, those of you spending an extended amount of time in the pool this summer may be at risk for yellowish brown or dark brown staining on your teeth. This phenomenon occurs when one is exposed to the chemicals in the pool water for long periods of time. These chemicals give the pool water a higher pH than saliva, causing salivary proteins to break down more quickly and form deposits on your teeth, and creating "swimmer's calculus".

There is an easy fix to swimmer's calculus however. A quick visit to your dental hygienist for a professional cleaning at the Rockville, MD office of Dr. Victor Siegel and your swimmer's calculus will be gone!