You May Have Gum Disease and Not Even Know it

Even if you practice good oral hygiene, which includes brushing your teeth twice and flossing once each day, seeing your dentist regularly and eating a good diet that is loaded with fruits and vegetables, you may still be susceptible to gum disease. Unfortunately, gum disease affects anyone, even those who have healthy oral health habits.

Web MD explains that gingivitis is the earliest form of gum disease and affects three out of four Americans with twenty percent of the population worldwide developing the more serious periodontal disease.

Although it is often easy to miss the early signs of gum disease, as little as 10 percent of adults who suffer actually are aware that they have it, there are some things to look for when it comes to gum disease. If your gums bleed after you brush or floss, are puffy or red, you may have the early signs of gingivitis. Pain is not usually associated with gingivitis, which could be why so many often overlook the signs.

Gingivitis is most commonly caused by poor oral hygiene or improper oral hygiene techniques. People whom don’t brush every day will have left over food particles that will lead to bacteria build up. This will lead to plaque. Plaque is that thick film that will eventually lead to tartar, which can only be removed by your dentist with a deep cleaning, also known as scaling, and root planing.

Gingivitis can be prevented if you follow solid tooth brushing and flossing techniques. If you are not sure that you are brushing your teeth correctly, schedule an appointment with your dentist who will be able to show you how to brush properly. By following proper tooth brushing and flossing techniques you can reverse the early stages of gum disease.

The most important step when it comes to treating gum disease and gingivitis is to stop ignoring the symptoms. Although a little bit of blood on your toothbrush may seem like nothing it is imperative that you schedule an appointment with your dentist as quickly as possible. During your appointment, your dentist may recommend that you improve your home oral habits, which may include adding an FDA antiseptic mouthwash to your daily routine.

Don’t wait until it is too late. Schedule an appointment with your dentist who can check for gum disease.

Customized Mouthguards for the Whole Family

Spring has sprung and if you or your family plays any type of sports, talk to your dentist about a custom-made mouthguard.

According to the American Dental Association everyone who participates in a sport, whether recreational, amateur, or professional, should wear a mouthguard. ADA research shows that mouth injuries occur when men, women, children, and teens are not wearing mouthguards. Wearing a mouth protector can help prevent cuts on the tongue, inside the cheeks and jaw injuries. Mouthguards can also prevent knocked out or broken teeth and gum injuries.

It’s not just football and hockey players who should wear mouthguards. Your dentist recommends custom-made mouthguards for surfers, skateboarders, soccer players, baseball players, and people who participate in martial arts. You should also consider a mouth protector if you or a member of your family plays water polo, is involved in gymnastics or enjoys mountain biking.

There are three types of mouth protectors available. Stock or readymade, Boil and Bite and custom made. Although all three provide some protection, they are all different.

Stock or readymade mouthguards are formed and come ready to wear. Unfortunately, because stock mouth protectors are not made to fit, it can be difficult to talk and even breathe. Stock mouthguards are available at your local sporting goods store.

Boil and Bite mouth protectors are a bit better than stock mouthguards as they provide a better fit because they are softened in boiling water before being placed in the mouth for a more customized fit. More comfortable than stock or readymade mouthguards boil and bite mouth protectors can be found at the pharmacy or a local sports store.

The best and most comfortable mouthguard is custom fitted by your dentist. Custom fitted mouthguards are more expensive in the long run, but because they are softer and more comfortable are less likely to end up unworn in the gym locker.

Although the majority of mouthguards are made to fit the top teeth, your dentist may recommend a customized mouth protector for your lower teeth.

When choosing a mouthguard make sure that it is comfortable and that you can easily talk and breathe. If you wear a mouth appliance, such as braces, schedule an appointment with your dentist who can advise you on the best mouth protector for your particular needs.

Over Bleaching Can Ruin your Smile

The most popular restorative dental procedure on the planet can work wonders for stained or yellow teeth, but according to your dentist, if tooth-whitening products are used daily, you could be asking for trouble.

Ten years ago, most people had no idea what tooth whitening was. However, that has certainly changed with dozens of over the counter tooth bleaching kits available to anyone who has the desire to whiten their smile. Tooth whitening toothpaste is now more popular than those that contain fluoride.  

When used correctly professional custom-made tooth whitening kits and even products available from your local pharmacy will give you a brighter grin. The American Dental Association recommends that you use an over the counter product for no more than two weeks and your custom-made bleaching kit from your dentist as recommended. Power bleaching, or chair side tooth whitening, should only be done once or twice a year at the most.

Over bleaching your teeth can cause sensitivity. In fact, some suffer from sharp pains that can happen out of the blue. If you bleach your teeth too often, you may also become sensitive to hot and cold when you eat or drink. Some people may experience burning gums, mild tingling, or even intense pain known as, “Zingers.”

Other problems that can occur with over whitening, or, “Bleachorexia,” are bluish enamel, transparent teeth and gum sensitivity. Some people who believe that their teeth are never white enough could also be causing internal damage because of a cracked tooth or an undetected cavity. Not only will this cause pain, but it may mean an emergency trip to the dentist’s office for a root canal.

Your dentist recommends that you aim for a color that will match the whites of your eyes. Anything whiter and you run the risk of going overboard.

Thankfully you don’t have to resort to ancient tooth whitening techniques such as ground pumice and wine vinegar used by the Greeks, or urine, which was a favorite tooth whitening treatment used by the Romans. These days there are plenty of products that will give you a beautiful smile, just be sure to follow the instructions if you are using an over the counter product or a tooth whitening kit from your dentist.

For more information regarding tooth whitening or any other dental restoration procedure, including dental veneers or dental bonding, schedule an appointment with your dentist who can determine was is best for your needs.

Can Poor Oral Hygiene Affect your Memory?

If your memory seems to be slowing you down with misplaced reader’s part of your daily routine, it may have something to do with your oral hygiene habits. A recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill indicates that bleeding gums and tooth loss may also affect thinking skills for people over the age of 45.

During the study, Gary Slade, co-author of the study, stated that, “We were interested to see if people with poor dental health had relatively poorer cognitive function.” In other words, how do your numbers and word management measure up when it comes to your memory. What the study discovered is mind-boggling.

Mr. Slade added, “What we found was that for every extra tooth that a person had lost or had removed, cognitive function went down a bit.” He also went on to say that, “People who had none of their teeth had poorer cognitive function that people who did have teeth, and people with fewer teeth had poorer cognition than those with more. The same was true when we looked at patients with severe gum disease.”

With analyzed data that was gathered from 1996 to 1998 with 6,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 64, the authors and researchers discovered that the numbers for the thinking, memory, word fluency, word recall and skill with numbers tests was lower for people who had no natural teeth.

The study discovered that thirteen percent of those who participated had no natural teeth. Of those who had teeth, about one-fifth of the study had fewer than twenty remaining teeth. Over twelve percent had serious gum disease with deep gum pockets and bleeding gums.

The researchers of the study also discovered that folks who had more teeth and healthier gum tissue scored better on the tests.

As far as which came first, the chicken or the egg, researchers say that a poor diet lacking in foods that are rich in antioxidants could also be to blame for poor memory health. Combine the two and you may not be able to remember what day it is.

Because gingivitis and periodontitis inflames the gums, most doctors and dentists agree that the disease travels throughout your entire system, which will affect cognitive behavior and cognition.

If your memory isn’t what it used to be and you can’t remember the last time you saw your dentist, schedule an appointment with Country Club Dentistry today.  

Root Canal Therapy Can Be Avoided

If those two little words, “Root Canal,” make you cringe with fear, you need to schedule an appointment with your dentist, especially if you have been avoiding that nasty little toothache.

As with most things, prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you avoid the situation and do not take care of your tooth sensitivity, pain or swelling you could make the situation worse as the majority of the time a Root Canal could have been prevented had you scheduled regular checkups with your dentist in Rancho Mirage.

Root Canal Therapy is necessary when the pulp inside of your tooth is diseased or has died. If left to its own devices a diseased tooth could cause serious pain and become infected. Once infection sets in you could be asking for an abscessed tooth. An abscessed tooth needs to be taken care of as quickly as possible as the infection could go to other parts of your body, and in some cases, according to the American Dental Association, could send you straight to the ER.

Root Canal Therapy, also known as Endodontic therapy is a treatment used to remove the infection from the roots in your teeth. The roots in your teeth are filled with nerves, blood vessels, and tissue that can sometimes become infected if the tooth has become decayed. Root Canal Therapy removes the pulp from your tooth using dental tools that actually decontaminate the roots. Once the roots are hallowed, your dentist will get rid of the infection using dental files to widen the root canals. This process removes infected tissue and debris while helping save the tooth. After the roots have been filed, your dentist may treat the infection with an antibiotic before filling with an inert material.

Depending on the severity of the infection, your dentist may fill the tooth with a temporary crown to allow the infection to heal with antibiotics. If this is not necessary, your tooth will be permanently filled before being topped with a dental crown.   

If you have persistent pimples on your gums or around a tooth or teeth, experience swelling or a nagging toothache, you may need Root Canal Therapy.

Don’t wait until it is too late. Schedule an appointment with your dentist in Rancho Mirage who can determine if Root Canal Therapy is necessary. 

Steps to a Whiter and Brighter Smile

Your smile says a lot about you, and if yours is preventing you from expressing yourself, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your dentist.

The American Academyof Cosmetic Dentistry explains that over 96% of people who responded to a recent survey believed that a beautiful smile was more appealing. In fact, a white and bright smile can even make you look younger. Of course, good oral health goes above and beyond looks.

The mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body and if you do not brush twice, floss once each day and see your dentist twice a year, the rest of your health could be suffering.

According to yourdentist, there are some steps that you can take to improve your smile.

Brushing truly is the most important step when it comes to good oral hygiene as it removes the food particles that feed the bacteria. Brushing twice a day also cleans your teeth and gives you fresh breath. Use a fluoride toothpaste as it helps to strengthen your teeth as well. Your dentist recommends that you brush for two minutes. Use a timer, or purchase an electric toothbrush with a built in timer.

Just like brushing, flossing removes the particles and plaque between your teeth that a toothbrush cannot reach. Flossing also helps prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease as well. Because you do not produce as much saliva while you sleep, your dentist recommends that you floss just before bedtime as it leaves your mouth less vulnerable to bacteria attack.

Because your dentist can spot gum disease in its infancy, it is vital that you see your dentist twice a year. If gingivitis is caught early enough it can be treated and reversed. Some people are more prone to gum disease and should schedule dental checkups quarterly. People with other health problems such as HIV, diabetes and cancer should also visit the dentist more frequently.

In-between checkups check your mouth for trouble spots. Non-healing sores, bleeding or swollen gums, or pimples on your gums are all signs that you need to schedule an appointment with your dentist.

Keep your smile bright and healthy by quitting smoking and eating a healthy diet that is rich in calcium. Foods such as kale and sardines also contain calcium and should be included as part of your regular diet.

For more information regarding a healthy smile, schedule an appointment with your dentist today. 

Preventive Dentistry for you and Your Family

Preventive Dentistry is something that yourdentist can help you with, especially if you have kids and want to teach them proper oral hygiene.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the United States who have bad teeth and gums. Accordingto Web MD, most of these folks are dealing with gum disease, cavities, and other dental problems because they were not taught Preventive Dentistry.

Your dentist explains that natural teeth and your teeth that have been restored do best in an oral environment that is clean and healthy. The Preventive Dentistry program from your dentist has been designed specifically to keep cavities and gum disease at bay. The Preventive Dentistry Program helps to preserve your dental restorations, control, and manage gum disease.

During your Preventive Dentistry appointment, your dentist will discuss oral hygiene and suggest ways that you can improve your oral health habits.

Your dentist recommends that you brush twice each day with fluoride toothpaste recommended by the American Dental Association. There is actually a list of ADA approved toothpastes, flosses and mouthwashes listed on the American Dental Association website. Brush using a soft bristle toothbrush and in a circular motion aimed towards your gums.

Flossing is just as important as brushing as flossing helps clean between your teeth and reach areas that your toothbrush can’t get to. Floss up and down while keeping your floss against the tooth in a U-shape.

Your dentist also encourages patients to eat a healthy well balanced diet. Eat plenty of cheese, which helps clean your teeth and avoid sugary snacks and drinks. Your dentist can help you with a complete menu plan that will keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Try using fluoride or antiseptic rinses as directed by your dentist. Fluoride helps prevent cavities and keeps the enamel on your teeth strong and healthy.

When it comes to healthy teeth and gums, Preventive Dentistry really is the way to go. Schedule an appointment with your dentist today who can help you improve your oral hygiene routine.