Category: food

Porcelain veneers are the most widely requested type of veneer in cosmetic dentistry for a few reasons. Veneers are custom-made for your smile. They hide cracks, chips, gaps, and stains, while closely resembling the beauty of a natural smile. And, as a biocompatible material, porcelain is extremely durable. With proper care, porcelain veneers can maintain their appearance for 15, 20, or even 30 years.

What is the proper way to care for your porcelain veneers?

Caring for your porcelain veneers is mostly a matter of continuing your healthy oral hygiene routine. By following some simple guidelines, your veneers will look great for years to come.

Don’t forget to brush and floss

To keep your veneers as bright and healthy as possible, continue to brush twice daily and floss once a day. Although porcelain veneers are resistant to staining, brushing ensures any stain-causing foods and liquids are cleaned away each day.

Use a soft-bristled manual or electric toothbrush to avoid scratching the surface of your veneers. This will keep them looking their best. When flossing, take care not to snap the floss in place. Rather, make sure to floss well enough to remove particles caught between teeth. This ensures the ongoing Health of your mouth and gums.

Finally, when it comes to toothpaste, opt for a fluoride-based gel toothpaste that’s formulated for sensitive teeth. Steer clear of toothpaste with whitening ingredients or harsh abrasives like baking soda and hydrogen peroxide since they can scratch veneers.

Say yes to regular checkups

Plaque and tartar are constant enemies of good oral health. Visit Dr. Frahm for your regular Dental check-up and cleaning. During these visits, we’ll also check for and repair any damage that may have occurred to your veneers. At this time, we’ll professionally polish your veneers to bring back their luster. Simply by keeping your regularly scheduled dental appointments, you’ll prolong the life of your veneers.

Hold off on the hard stuff

Porcelain veneers are incredibly strong and adhere to your body’s natural DNA. But that doesn’t mean they are indestructible! Avoid chewing hard foods and objects to keep your veneers from cracking or chipping. Steer clear of ice, hard candy, and nuts. Avoid the temptation of chewing on pens, pencils, and fingernails, and don’t use your teeth to open packages.

Stay away from stains

Many foods and drinks can cause your teeth to become discolored and stained. Even though porcelain veneers are mostly stain-resistant, the adhesive that keeps them in place is not. That means that the edges of your veneers can darken due to consuming coffee, tea, red wine, dark sodas, and some dark fruits and vegetables. If you can’t eliminate these from your diet completely, always make sure to brush your teeth immediately after eating and drinking.

Stop the daily grind

Clenching and grinding teeth are harmful to your oral health. These unconscious habits are particularly harmful to your porcelain veneers. Grinding and clenching will shorten the lifespan of your veneers by wearing down them down and damaging the porcelain.

If you know you suffer from bruxism, talk to Dr. Frahm about treatment options such as the use of a nightguard to save the integrity of your teeth and gums.

Be a good sport

For active adults who engage in contact sports, special care should be taken with your porcelain veneers. If you enjoy shooting hoops or playing touch football with family and friends, invest in a mouth guard to protect your veneers, just as you would with your natural teeth.

Say no to smokes

Aside from the health benefits of quitting smoking, stopping the habit will also prolong the life of your veneers. Nicotine stains both teeth and veneers and dulls your beautiful smile. Save your health, prevent gum disease, and show us your smile!

Are you interested in hearing about the benefits of porcelain veneers? Schedule an appointment to talk to Dr. Frahm to discuss Emprethin veneers and our other cosmetic options.

Dr. Amy Anstead | Sphenoidotomy

Welcome to an insightful guide for optimizing your EcoWater Treatment system. Maintaining your system is not only about ensuring clean and soft water but also about understanding the essential care needed to keep it running smoothly. Let’s embark on this journey to elevate your understanding of EcoWater system maintenance.

How the Ecowater System’s Water Softener Works

The EcoWater treatment system’s water softener uses a resin charged with negative ions. The positive ions of the sodium solution activate the resin. When the resin is activated, it softens hard water by filtering out high minerals and other impurities. The resin must “regenerate” or be cleaned and recharged with sodium solution. The EcoWater treatment system performs proportional regeneration at least once or twice a week in the early morning hours, depending on the user’s water usage pattern.

Salt Maintenance for Your EcoWater System

Ensuring the proper salt level in your EcoWater system is crucial for its performance. The automated regeneration cycle handles most maintenance tasks, leaving users primarily responsible for maintaining the salt level in the tank. Maintaining the salt level at around half full is advised, ensuring it stays approximately three inches above the water level or at Level 5. Overfilling the salt tank should be avoided to prevent complications such as salt bridging and salt mushing.

What is the Best Salt for EcoWater Systems?

When choosing salt for your EcoWater water softener, consider pellet or nugget-shaped varieties, which come in several types:

• Evaporated Pellets: Considered the purest option, evaporated pellets are less prone to causing salt bridging or mushing. However, they tend to be the most expensive.
• Solar Pellets: These pellets dissolve more efficiently than rock salt pellets but may not be as effective in areas with very high water hardness.
• Rock Salt Pellets: Among the most economical options, rock salt pellets can pose maintenance challenges due to their higher calcium sulfate content.
• Potassium Chloride Pellets: Potassium chloride pellets can substitute for salt for individuals monitoring sodium intake. However, they may not always be readily available through EcoWater distributors and tend to be the priciest option. Increasing the dosage of water softeners by 10% is recommended to ensure proper resin regeneration.

Salt Bridges

Salt bridges are the hard crusts that form in the salt tank, away from the water. These crusts cannot recharge the resin. These crystalline formations occur due to factors like high humidity, sudden temperature shifts, or using an incompatible salt type. 

To dissolve the salt bridges back into the water, carefully insert a long object, such as a broom handle, into the salt tank and break apart the crusts. Mix the salt back into the water.

Salt Mushing

When salt clumps on the bottom of the salt tank, it can turn into a thick layer that does not regenerate the resin effectively and causes blockage. Salt mushing is often caused by using low-quality water softener salt, or the water hardness is too high for the type of salt used.

To remedy this, drain the salt tank of water. Remove the salt mush and replace it with fast-dissolving high-quality salt pellets.

There is a temporary solution if high-quality, fast-dissolving salt is not immediately available. Take out the salt mush, dissolve it in hot water, and return it to the tank. Do this until you can buy better-quality and higher-softening salt.

Maintaining the Venturi Valve

The Venturi and nozzle system suctions the salt water from the salt tank into the resin tank for regeneration. The Venturi valve is prone to sediments, impurities, and salt-mushing blockages. It will need to be cleaned every six months. Here is a guide on how to clean your Venturi valve.

I Am Still Getting Hard or Impure Water. What Should I Do?

There are two possibilities if you are still getting hard water or water with impurities:

1. You are getting said water during the EcoWater System’s regeneration time.
2. The water system requires deep cleaning. 

Faulty Regeneration Time

Regeneration time signifies a phase when the water circumvents the system. This process occurs during the early morning hours. It lasts about an hour. However, if the regeneration schedule is faulty, it can result in receiving untreated water during that hour. It can risk water heaters to have mineral buildup inside them.

To rectify this issue:

1. Ensure the water system’s clock maintains accuracy.
2. Verify if the regeneration schedule aligns correctly (consult the manual or contact an EcoWater dealer for guidance).
3. If the time and schedule seem correct, yet intermittent untreated water persists, seek Assistance from your EcoWater dealer to resolve the issue promptly.

Deep Cleaning the EcoWater Tank

The softener system maintenance consists of deep cleaning every 5-10 years. The older it gets, the shorter the years before it must be deep-cleaned again.

1. Drain the salt tank into a sewage drain and avoid throwing the salt water on the soil.
2. Remove the grid plate and wash the interior of the tank.
3. Soak the inside with bleach for 15 minutes before rinsing it.
4. Refill the tank with water and salt.

Questions? We’re Here to Help

Navigating the maintenance and care of your EcoWater treatment system is vital to ensuring its lasting efficiency and performance. Whether it’s understanding salt maintenance, troubleshooting regeneration issues, or planning system deep cleaning, our team, as an EcoWater Systems distributor, is here to assist you every step of the way. Learn more with the link below.

H2O Solutions

In recent years, the concept of modular homes has gained significant attention as a viable housing solution. These prefabricated dwellings, constructed in a factory and then assembled on-site, offer numerous advantages over traditional stick-built houses. This article explores the quality aspects of modular homes, highlighting their durability, customization options, energy efficiency, and affordability, while also examining the flexible financing options available to prospective homeowners.

Quality Construction and Durability

One of the common misconceptions about modular homes is that they lack the same level of quality as traditionally built houses. However, this is far from the truth. Modular homes are built to adhere to the same building codes and regulations as site-built homes, ensuring high-quality construction. The controlled factory environment allows for precise measurements, weather-independent construction, and efficient assembly processes.

Moreover, modular homes undergo rigorous quality control inspections throughout the manufacturing process, guaranteeing that they meet stringent standards. The materials used in their construction are often the same as those used in traditional homes, including high-quality lumber, steel, and energy-efficient insulation. As a result, modular homes offer durability that rivals or even exceeds that of conventional houses.

Customization Options

Modular homes are not limited to a one-size-fits-all approach. In fact, they offer remarkable flexibility in terms of design and customization. Homebuyers can choose from a wide range of floor plans, layouts, and architectural styles, enabling them to create a home that suits their specific needs and preferences.

Whether it’s a small cozy cottage or a spacious family home, modular construction can accommodate various sizes and configurations. Additionally, modular homes can be easily expanded or modified in the future to accommodate changing needs, making them a versatile housing solution for growing families or individuals seeking a flexible living space.

Energy Efficiency

With increasing focus on sustainability and energy conservation, modular homes have stepped up to the challenge. These dwellings are designed with energy efficiency in mind, incorporating features such as upgraded insulation, high-performance windows, and energy-saving appliances.

The factory construction process ensures precise installation of insulation materials, reducing thermal bridging and air infiltration. This results in better temperature regulation and lower energy consumption, leading to reduced utility bills and a smaller carbon footprint. In some cases, modular homes even surpass the energy efficiency of traditionally built houses, making them an environmentally conscious choice for homeowners.

Affordable Financing Options

When it comes to financing, modular homes offer a range of flexible options that make homeownership more accessible to a wider audience. Traditional mortgage lenders typically provide financing for modular homes, treating them on par with stick-built houses. This means that potential homeowners can secure a mortgage at competitive interest rates, just as they would for a conventional home. It leaves some people wondering why are construction loans hard to get?

In addition to traditional financing, there are specialized lenders who focus specifically on modular home loans. These lenders understand the unique aspects of modular construction and offer tailored loan products with attractive terms and rates.

Furthermore, modular homes often have a shorter construction timeline compared to site-built homes. This can translate into savings on construction loan interest and reduce overall financing costs. Additionally, because modular homes are built in a factory setting, construction delays due to weather conditions are minimized, further enhancing cost predictability.

Conclusion

Modular homes represent a modern and innovative approach to housing that combines quality construction, customization options, energy efficiency, and affordable financing. These dwellings offer durability on par with traditional homes while allowing homeowners to personalize their living spaces to suit their individual needs. Moreover, with flexible financing options available, modular homes are becoming an attractive choice for those seeking a cost-effective and sustainable housing solution.

As the demand for housing continues to rise, modular homes provide a practical and efficient answer to the challenges of affordability, construction quality, and environmental impact. With ongoing advancements in design, technology, and construction techniques, modular homes are poised to play a significant role in shaping the future of the housing industry.