Autumn is in full swing, and that means the cold weather is fast approaching (if it isn’t already here)! You may be tempted to hunker down with holiday goodies and snacks, but you do not want to ignore your health or even your dental health. Even if you are busy during this season, you might be overindulging in sweet and starchy treats for the next couple of months. It can spell disaster for your teeth and gums if you are not brushing and flossing daily. Besides, who wants to start the new year with cavities or gingivitis?

Now is the perfect time to feel gratitude for your teeth and gums because they work hard for us every single day. Your mouth helps you speak, chew, and smile with confidence. While seasonal treats can be enjoyed, it will help if you stay on top of your daily oral hygiene routine. But that is not the only reason your smile is your ally!

Improved General Health

Healthy teeth allow you to get the nutrition your body needs. You can do this by eating fresh, crisp produce, grains, and protein that your body needs. Poor oral health, especially periodontal disease, can also lead to general health issues like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Clear Speech

When teeth are missing – whether from poor oral hygiene or injury – your teeth help you to speak clearly so you can converse with others each day. Unless replaced, missing teeth can harm your smile, affecting your speech and the alignment of your jaw.

Strong Self Esteem

A healthy smile is a beautiful smile, and when you can smile with confidence, the world seems brighter. Conversely, damaged or unsightly teeth can make you feel self-conscious and reluctant to smile. It can affect relationships with loved ones, friends, coworkers, and other public interactions.

Better Breath

Healthy teeth and good breath allow you to smile, speak, kiss and eat with ease and joy. Poor dental hygiene allows bacterial plaque to collect around teeth and under the gum line, leaving your mouth with tooth decay and bad breath. During the holiday season, take the time to brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss once daily, and, if needed, follow up with an antibacterial mouthwash to keep your mouth sparkling and clean.

Save Money

When teeth deteriorate, they can be expensive to treat. It starts with fillings, but neglect can lead to decay and extraction, requiring a root canal or dental restoration. Since your dental insurance encourages and pays for your routine dental cleanings, be sure to take advantage of the benefits before they run out and resets in January.

Don’t Skip Routine Dental Cleaning

At the minimum, dental cleanings should happen twice a year unless you have a problem such as gum disease. While brushing and flossing protect your smile every day, they can’t quite remove hardened plaque or tartar. Using a dental instrument, your hygienist removes tartar and polishes your teeth. Another thing your dental team does is take X-rays to spot potential problems while they are still small. It allows them to be treated and fixed while still being economical and less invasive to repair. Preventative care is key to a healthy smile!

When you do need a dentist to address problems with your smile, you can count on us to provide you with everything from cosmetic dentistry to fix stained teeth and remove excess gum tissue. Preventative care may also include dental sealants, mouth guards for sports, or night guards for bruxism. With restorative dentistry, we can replace one or more teeth with fillings, crowns, bridges, dentures, or implants.
Top-Notch Dental Care

Be sure to use your dental insurance benefits for 2020 before it resets at the beginning of the new year. Remember, if you don’t use it, you lose it! This season, express your gratitude for your smile and how hard it works for you (and for your dentist!). Together, we can make a great team and make sure your smile is healthy and beautiful all year round. Now that’s something to smile about!

September is National Gum Care Month, so let’s talk about everything related to gums. This month is a good time to reflect on your dental health and commit to taking better care of your gums. Sometimes, we forget your gums help keep your teeth in their place and functioning at top capacity. When your gums are damaged, you risk losing your teeth!

Protecting your gums is simple; brushing and flossing every day is part of a personal dental hygiene practice as well as keeping routine dental cleanings. This way, tartar can be removed and your teeth polished. Your gums can also be checked for signs of trouble and to treat problems early. Stick to a balanced diet to give your gums the nutrients they need to fight disease.

The Problem With Gum Disease

Treating gum disease is most effective when done in the early stage of gum disease because treatment can reverse the progress of gum disease. Once your gums are fighting serious infections, it’s harder to treat and progressively worsens. Like most things medically related, preventative care supports your oral and general health most effectively. When teeth are lost (other than teeth that are pulled for a purpose like wisdom teeth or tooth extraction procedures), the cause is often progressive gum disease. Gum disease is a common problem in our country, affecting around 67 million Americans.

Two Types of Gum Disease

Gum disease is broken down into two types. The mild version is the early stage, called gingivitis. Over time it progresses into periodontitis, a more dangerous phase. Both are caused by bacterial toxins leading to infection. In the gingivitis stage, you’ll see your gums as red, swollen, painful, and bleeding. In the later stage, you’ll see infection from inflammation in the gums, ligaments, and bone surrounding the teeth loosening teeth that either fallout or need to be removed from bone loss.

Gingivitis

We urge you to tell your dentist right away if you notice that your gums are bleeding, find sores in your mouth, have gum pain, or find yourself with an unpleasant taste in your mouth along with bad breath. Having your gums checked and treated right away will help them stay healthier, longer, and with minimal damage.

Periodontitis

Advancing periodontitis involves rapid gum recession. This version often appears with young people having a growth spurt. They may be deficient in vitamins that protect the gums, rather than being overrun by bad oral bacteria. Once gum disease advances because of periodontitis, you may see spurts of infection mingled with improvement as you receive treatment. But gum disease affects the rest of your health, not just your mouth. As a systemic disease, gum disease will spread through your bloodstream to other organs in the body, resulting in inflammation related to diabetes, heart disease, and even autoimmune issues.

Preventing Gum Disease

Avoiding gum disease means stopping bacterial plaque in the mouth that leaves a sticky film coating your teeth that you can feel when you run your tongue across them. Brushing twice a day for two minutes each session – followed by flossing – removes harmful bacteria to keep it from building up and hardening into tartar. Some tartar buildup is inevitable around the gum line, and this is one of the main reasons you see your dentist for a professional cleaning every six months. As gingivitis progresses and the gums start to recede from the teeth, bacterial plaque hardens into tartar inside the pockets around the teeth. Without intervention, the bone and ligaments keeping your teeth in position continue to deteriorate until they loosen.

Keep your gums pink and healthy by using a soft-bristled toothbrush (replacing when the bristles start to fray) and enamel strengthening toothpaste. Don’t forget to floss and use an antibacterial mouthwash. Fend off dry mouth by staying hydrated throughout your day and chewing sugar-free gum or lozenges. Be sure to control diabetes if you have it, and quit tobacco use. Limit the sugar in your diet, and incorporate more nutrient-dense and vitamin-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and calcium.

Treating Gum Disease

National Gum Care Month is a great time to see your dentist if you have any concerns about your gums. Once the gum disease is a problem for you, you may also need to see a periodontist, endodontist or oral surgeon who can help reverse gum disease. Your smile deserves the best care, so contact our team today!

When it comes to your smile, taking care of your teeth is an investment in your oral health that pays many dividends. With tooth loss, missing teeth can affect you in multiple ways. Even losing just one tooth can cause problems. Some of that is emotional, as people often feel self-conscious and embarrassed to smile if a prominent tooth is missing, but losing a tooth can also impact your oral health. There are a variety of reasons that a tooth may be lost.

What Causes Tooth Loss?

• Tooth decay
• Gum disease
• Dental injury
• Family history/genetics
• Poor diet
• Lax oral hygiene

Replacing a missing tooth early on is important, and it’s not just about how you look. It also impacts your mouth, jaw and body as they work together to keep you functioning. Anyone can lose teeth, not just the elderly. It often happens gradually, starting when you are younger and worsening over time if left untreated or there are no changes made.

What Happens When a Tooth Is Lost?

Each tooth is a placeholder and exists for a reason. When you lose one tooth, the rest of your teeth must work harder, placing stress on them and wearing them out sooner. As the remaining teeth shift to fill the tooth gap, it can make cleaning between them much more difficult because you can’t get in to remove harmful plaque and developing tartar. The extra space left behind from the missing tooth tends to harbor bacteria that can spread to nearby teeth. Proper brushing and flossing are essential to prevent gum disease that could lead to more tooth loss.

If a tooth is lost, you may find yourself experiencing the following:

• An altered bite alignment as the upper and lower jaws don’t meet correctly, causing problems with your jaw joint and tooth sensitivity.
• The jawbone deteriorates when the tooth root structure is gone, leaving your facial profile sunken and misshapen.
• Losing teeth can impact your diet, making it difficult to eat healthy foods when it hurts to chew and cause problems digesting your food if you’re unable to break down the foods more with your mouth.
• Pronunciation is affected, leading to slurred words, lisping, or spitting when talking.
• You can have lower confidence because of problems such as incorrect speech, chewing, and appearance.

Why Choose Dental Implants?

If you have lost one or more teeth, it is important to replace them for your dental and general health. Common tooth replacement options include a fixed dental bridge, removable partial dentures, and dental implants. Thanks to advances in dentistry, dental implants are considered the gold standard for tooth replacement. In particular, implants are rooted in the jaw, preserving jaw bone health by replacing the lost tooth root.

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that replaces and integrates the tooth root. While dental bridges and dentures can give you a beautiful smile, your jawbone will keep deteriorating and will require adjustment or replacement in the years ahead. It is where dental implants shine as they maintain jawbone health along with your youthful appearance by preventing the facial sagging effect that can occur with other dental options.

Dental Implants Benefits:

They are the most stable tooth replacement because they are anchored into the jawbone.

• Won’t shift around in the mouth or fall out.
• Don’t require daily attachment with a dental adhesive as dentures do.
• Your diet stays the same with 100% bite capacity.
• Dental implants don’t require a change in brushing and flossing.
• Look and feel natural in your mouth.
• Don’t take time getting used to since they look, feel and function like your own teeth.

Implants are a three-part restoration:

1. A biocompatible titanium post is placed into the jawbone (acting as a tooth root for stability).
2. An abutment piece is attached to the top of the post (acting as a connector).
3. It is then topped with a dental crown, dental bridge or denture for optimal security.

As you can see, dental implants are most like your natural teeth. If you want help replacing the missing teeth in your smile, dental implants are a proven dental restoration that can have you speaking, eating, and looking your best once again. Give our team a call to learn more!

Your toothbrush is one of the most important tools you have in your home to keep your pearly whites healthy and beautiful. Used properly twice a day, your toothbrush will help you ward off tooth decay, gum disease, and even bad breath. Its job in your daily oral hygiene kit is vital because unchecked gum disease is one of the main causes of tooth loss for adults.

While toothbrushes today have come a long way, your forebears recognized the importance of brushing your teeth. Early predecessors to the common toothbrush include tree twigs, bird feathers, animal bones, and porcupine quills.

Toothbrushes Throughout the Ages

• Ancient Egyptians invented the first toothbrushes (or chew sticks) around 3000 B.C., from frayed ends of wooden twigs.
• Ancient Greeks and Romans used toothpicks, and the Greeks also used rough cloths.
• Ancient Chinese made proto-toothbrushes by attaching rough hog bristles to bamboo or bone, and in the Middle Ages, travelers brought these to Europe.
• Late 18th century Englishman William Addis used his time in prison to carve a bone handle, drill holes and stick boar bristles into it with glue to create a toothbrush. He went on to mass-produce his invention after his release.
• In 1938, the DuPont company manufactured the first “toothbrush” using nylon fibers.

Did you know? Toothbrushing became a widespread practice throughout the United States when soldiers came back from World War II, thanks to hygiene habits in the military.

To Brush or Not to Brush

Keeping your teeth clean is about removing plaque from settling on your teeth. Plaque is fed by the sugars and starches you eat, releasing acids that break down tooth enamel and irritate the gums, which become swollen, tender, and red. Cleaning teeth properly can reverse gum disease in the early stages (gingivitis) so that the gums don’t pull away from the teeth. Otherwise, gum pockets can form, allowing bacteria and their byproducts to destroy the supportive bone holding the teeth in place until they fall out or need to be extracted.
Breaking Down the Toothbrush

You have three main kinds: soft, medium, and firm. The No. 1 dentist-recommended version is the soft-bristled brush, as it protects tooth enamel and sensitive gum tissue. Smaller brush heads fit into your mouth better than large ones do so you can maneuver easily around the molars in the back. There are all kinds of bristle designs, such as flat bristles, angled bristles, dome bristles or rippled bristles, so pick one that feels right for you.

Toothbrush handles can be thick or thin, so try both and just make sure it’s comfortable to use. You might enjoy using one that has non-slip grip areas or a flexible brush neck. Whatever you choose, we recommend a toothbrush carrying the American Dental Association® (ADA) Seal of Acceptance on the packaging, showing they have been tested and proven to be safe and effective at cleaning your teeth and gums.

Electric vs. Manual Toothbrushes

Manual toothbrushes are simple and effective, but some people prefer an electric version for ease of use. Children don’t always have the manual dexterity or discipline to use a manual toothbrush effectively, so an electric version can help them. Adults, including seniors, who have compromised dexterity can effectively clean their teeth using an electric toothbrush. Making your daily oral hygiene routine easier helps you do it consistently for better oral health.
Caring for Your Toothbrush

Keep your toothbrush upright in an open container so it can dry out between uses. Never allow it to touch another toothbrush to avoid germs (this also means never sharing your toothbrush, even with healthy family members). Rinse your toothbrush thoroughly after every use. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) advises replacing your toothbrush (or toothbrush head, if using an electric one) every three to four months, or when the bristles are frayed, to brush away food particles and plaque effectively.

Your toothbrush is truly your gateway to a healthy smile; just be sure to brush your front, side, and back teeth for at least two to three minutes each session. Your smile will thank you! Call us today if you have any questions or to schedule a visit with our dentist.

More and more people are keeping their natural teeth healthy for a lifetime of beautiful smiles. At any age, a healthy mouth is a valuable asset when it comes to looking and feeling your best. Getting older means taking care of yourself to continue feeling great. Like your body, your dental health requires daily attention to protect teeth and gums. Exercising, eating right, and practicing good daily oral hygiene habits will help you maintain a healthy body and smile so you can live your best life!

Oral Health Conditions

Aging tends to affect the mouth along with the body. Nerves located inside the teeth can narrow, preventing you from feeling cavities. Routine checkups will ensure developing cavities are spotted and treated early so you can keep your teeth healthy without losing them to disease.

Dry Mouth

Since health issues requiring prescription medications tend to crop up over time, you can end up with dry mouth from a lack of saliva production as a drug’s side effect. Healthy saliva flow is needed to rinse away bacteria and oral debris while neutralizing harmful acids. A chronic dry mouth condition can lead to root and coronal cavities and gum disease. It can be combated by staying hydrated with water while limiting alcohol, sweetened, or caffeinated drinks.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is more prevalent as you age if you are not practicing good daily oral hygiene. This infection of the gum tissue, which holds the teeth in place, is the most common reason adults lose their teeth, thanks to harmful bacteria prevalent in plaque.

Gingivitis

The early stage of gum disease is gingivitis, and you might notice red, swollen, or bleeding gums when you clean your teeth. At this stage, the disease is reversible with daily oral hygiene and professional dental treatment. If you neglect to treat gingivitis, it will only worsen.

Periodontitis

The more advanced and severe stage of gingivitis is periodontitis. Unfortunately, it tends to affect over half of adults between 65 and 74. It can lead to the breakdown of the gums and bone material holding the teeth in place. The affected gum tissue can pull back from the teeth, revealing the root surfaces of the tooth. Once the root surfaces of the teeth are exposed because of gum recession, they are now more vulnerable to tooth decay. If enough supportive bone is lost, the tooth will fall out.

Oral Cancer

Adults over 40 are more susceptible to oral cancer. If you notice patches of red or white on the tongue, gums, inner cheeks, or other oral tissues, you should have an oral cancer check. Oral cancer can often be successfully treated if detected in the early stages.

What You Can Do at Home

• Brush your teeth with an electric or battery-operated toothbrush along with a cavity-fighting toothpaste and oral rinse to protect those pearly whites (this kind of toothbrush is especially useful if you have a condition such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis which prevents ease of movement).
• Floss between teeth with a flossing tool or interdental cleaner/brush to keep teeth and gums healthy.
• Clean full or partial dentures daily and remove them at least four hours a day to let the gums rest.
• Give up tobacco products as they can cause dry mouth, gum disease, and tooth decay leading to tooth loss.
• Consume a diet rich in nutrients that support your body, teeth, and gums.
• See your dentist regularly to spot developing problems early when they are least invasively treated.

Taking good care of your oral health as you age can help you keep your smile beautiful and strong for a lifetime! Give our team a call if you have any questions or concerns about your teeth and dental health.