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You CAN Take Care of Your Teeth

You CAN Take Care of Your Teeth

by | Jun 17, 2016 | Cavities, Cavity, Communication, Dentistry, Periodontal Disease, Prevention, Tooth Decay, Tooth Loss

The idea that losing teeth is an inevitable part of aging is a common misconception. While it’s true that tooth loss occurs more frequently among older adults, it’s not a foregone conclusion. With proper oral care and preventive measures, you can keep your natural teeth healthy and strong well into your later years.

Why Tooth Loss Occurs

Tooth loss can be caused by various factors, including:

  • Gum disease: This is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Gum disease is an infection that affects the soft tissues around the teeth, eventually destroying the bone that supports them.
  • Tooth decay: This is caused by bacteria that build up on the teeth and form plaque. Plaque produces acids that can erode the enamel, the hard outer covering of the teeth. If left untreated, tooth decay can lead to cavities and eventually tooth loss.
  • Trauma: Injuries to the mouth or teeth can also cause tooth loss.
  • Other health conditions: Certain medical conditions, such as osteoporosis and diabetes, can increase the risk of tooth loss.

Preventive Measures

The good news is that you can take steps to prevent tooth loss and maintain healthy teeth for a lifetime. Here are some key strategies:

  • Practice good oral hygiene: This includes brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time, flossing daily, and using a mouthwash.
  • Visit your dentist regularly: For professional cleanings and checkups.
  • Eat a healthy diet: Limit sugary foods and drinks, which can contribute to tooth decay.
  • Quit smoking: Smoking increases the risk of gum disease and other oral health problems.

In addition to these general recommendations, there are some specific things you can do to protect your teeth as you age:

  • Use a toothbrush with soft bristles: Hard bristles can damage your gums and enamel.
  • Consider using an electric toothbrush: Electric toothbrushes can be more effective at removing plaque and bacteria than manual toothbrushes.
  • Get regular fluoride treatments: Fluoride can help strengthen your teeth and prevent decay.

Myths about Tooth Loss and Aging

There are several common myths about tooth loss and aging. Here are a few of the most prevalent:

  • Myth: Losing teeth is a natural part of aging.
  • Fact: While tooth loss is more common among older adults, it’s not inevitable. With proper oral care, you can keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime.
  • Myth: You don’t need to see the dentist as often as you get older.
  • Fact: It’s important to continue seeing your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings, even as you get older. Regular dental care can help detect and prevent problems early on.
  • Myth: There’s nothing you can do to prevent tooth loss.
  • Fact: There are many things you can do to prevent tooth loss, including practicing good oral hygiene, eating a healthy diet, and quitting smoking.

Losing teeth doesn’t have to be a part of aging. With proper care and preventive measures, you can enjoy a healthy smile for a lifetime. Talk to your dentist about ways to keep your teeth healthy and strong as you age.

Additional Resources

It’s More Than Just a “Cleaning”

It’s More Than Just a “Cleaning”

by | May 1, 2015 | Dentistry, Medical Issues, Periodontal Disease, Prevention

It is not without purpose that dentists repeatedly herald the fact that your mouth tells us a great deal. Yes, it will communicate — and without words — whether you have been brushing or flossing. But it will also tell us a story of your overall health.

For centuries, even the physician began his examination of the patient with a look at the head, ears, eyes, nose and throat. He would ask you to “Say aah.”

Ever wonder why?

The specific reason is that the sound you make elev

ates the soft palate and allows for a clearer view of the back of the throat, but it also tests the function of the vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves. Doctors have an abbreviation they use to describe this evaluation: HEENT (head, ears, eyes, nose, throat). More recently, health professionals have been pushing for a modification to that standard evaluation, changing it to “HEENOT” instead (head, ears, eyes, nose, oral cavity, and throat).

Thus, health professionals can work together in the best interest of their patients. By performing a thorough oral exam, the dentist will often spot systemic problems and refer their patient to a physician for further evaluation. The family doctor can, in turn, evaluate oral health and alert the patient to the fact that it is time to see a dentist in order to get better.

Anyone following our blog or newsletter for any length of time has already been acquainted with the fact that what goes on in our mouths can affect the health of the rest of our bodies. Studies continue to show the links between oral and general health. By way of review – periodontal disease has been linked to complications with diabetes and pre-term labor in pregnancy. There is also a strong connection between poor oral health and rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, strokes, and Alzheimer’s.

The fact that we perform an oral (and oral cancer) examination during your bi-annual checkups and “cleaning visits” does not excuse you from seeing your doctor for general health problems, and vice-versa. We are professionals in oral health and regular maintenance in our office helps you to stay healthy. So you want to be certain that each time your family doctor ask you to “say aah,” they then say “good job – everything looks great!”

A Dental Infection Can Kill You — True or False?

A Dental Infection Can Kill You — True or False?

by | Mar 7, 2015 | Cavities, Cavity, Dentistry, Medical Issues, Periodontal Disease, Prevention, Tooth Decay

The posting below is actually taken from our Weird Dental “Facts” section. It’s an assortment of dental trivia and facts — some true, some we’re not so sure about 😉 — but either way, we hope to entertain, as well as educate you, with our postings.

We’d also love it if you would subscribe to our YouTube Channel and add your comments. We love hearing from our readers and viewers. It helps us to find out what interests you and how we can make our content more relevant.

This dental fact was prompted by a recent television program I watched that discussed three of the top life-threatening emergencies. We hope you never find yourself confronting this type of problem, so here is the Weird Dental “Fact”:

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A dental infection can kill you.

Weird?

Perhaps.

But also true.

A toothache left untreated can, over time, develop an abscess. (An abscess is an infection that fills with pus and debris.)

Periodontal disease, left untreated, can also develop an abscess over time.

The trouble with many dental problems, though, is that in their early stages they are seldom painful.

In fact, sometimes, they aren’t painful even after they become more advanced. So people tend to put off treating cavities and gum disease hoping it will just go away or get better on its own. Then, when it does get worse, they will often put that off as well This is where it can get really dangerous.

One complication of a dental infection is called Ludwig’s Angina. It’s a type of infection that can travel from the roots of the teeth to the floor of the mouth and under the tongue. The infection can spread very quickly, creating a swelling that can block your airway or prevent you from swallowing. This can be life-threatening.

It can be cured with quick treatment that gets the airway open and with antibiotics, but sometimes surgical intervention is also necessary.

The better solution is to never let your oral health become so neglected as to allow the possibility of this type of infection.

Tartar – Why Should You Care?

Tartar – Why Should You Care?

by | Feb 23, 2015 | Dentistry, Periodontal Disease

You go to the dentist every six months to have your teeth cleaned. Well, hopefully you are getting regular dental visits. Right? But, just what is the dentist doing when he cleans them anyway?

We’ll get into that shortly. And maybe you can even recall the dentist pointing out places where you had some tartar. But if you are like many patients, you nodded your head and he went on cleaning.

On the other hand, possibly you were thinking: “Just what the heck is tartar anyway? Isn’t that a Russian thing? Or, maybe, it has something to do with that white sauce. No, that doesn’t make any sense. Oh well, I don’t want to embarrass myself by asking.”

And it went in one ear and out the other.

Let’s try to clear it up a little. Tartar is basically hardened plaque. And plaque is the sticky mix of bacteria, food particles and proteins that forms in your mouth — pretty much every day. It sticks to your teeth, it gets under your gums, and it builds up on your dental work. The trouble is that when plaque hardens, it builds up – actually, very much like a coral reef.

And like a coral reef it can spread out over a broad area. But the damage it causes hits you in two ways. Firstly, the bacteria that cover the tartar damage your gums from the toxins they secrete. This can cause the gums to become inflamed and to bleed. In its mildest form, this is called gingivitis. But secondly, the tartar acts as a foreign body. Get the idea of having something stuck in your teeth – say, a shell of popcorn. It won’t take long before the gums get puffy, red, and irritated.
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The thing is, if it’s popcorn, you notice it pretty much immediately. After all, one moment everything is fine, and the next you’ve got this thing stuck in your gums. And until you pick it out, your gum stays puffy and protests its presence with bleeding and, sometimes, pain.

The difference with tartar is that it generally forms more slowly. So, in most cases, people don’t even notice it growing. Nor do they notice what it is doing to their gums and the surrounding bone. Because when gingivitis is not gotten under control, it gets worse. Pockets form between your teeth and gums and get filled with more bacteria and more tartar. This leads to an infection called periodontitis.

Over time, your immune system kicks in, trying to use stronger methods to fight this problem that just isn’t going away. The result: it starts to work against you and breaks down your own bone. What’s more it usually does it painlessly. So many people don’t even realize they are losing bone until their teeth get loose. That’s why this is the number one cause of tooth loss worldwide.

So what is the dentist doing when he cleans your teeth? He’s removing the foreign body (the tartar) and what is basically a condominium for your harmful bacteria. But don’t feel too bad for your evicted bacteria. They will try squatting in a new home under your gums in less than twenty-four hours. And they are associated with such nasty effects as heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer’s, pancreatic cancer, and more.

For the sake of your health, when it comes to tartar, you should care. Steps you can take to get matters under control include brushing after meals, daily flossing, and eating a healthy diet. Oh, and if you smoke, chances are you will build more tartar as well. There’s one more reason to quit.

Once tartar has formed on your teeth, only your dentist or hygienist can remove it.
So, be sure to visit your dentist at least twice a year to remove any plaque and tartar that has built up and to prevent more serious, and costly, health problems.

Laser Dentistry

Laser Dentistry

by | Oct 28, 2013 | Dentistry, Laser Dentistry, Periodontal Disease, Prevention

"La-ser"

Lasers are familiar to many of us from science fiction (think of the Star Wars light saber) to comedy (remember Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil?).  The fact is that lasers surround us in every-day life.  For example, in the home you will find them in CD players, while industry uses them for high-speed metal cutting machines and measuring devices.  Hair replacement, tattoo removal, dermatologists, eye surgeons — they all use lasers.

So do dentists.  And so does our office.

This begs the question, just what is a laser?  How is it different from any other kind of light?  “If Dr. Evil planned to destroy the world with one, why won’t it hurt me when you use it on my gums?!”  Actually, that’s three questions . . . .

Anyway, let’s try take them in order:

The word “LASER” itself is an acronym that stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.  This concisely describes exactly how a laser works.   The laser is a device which controls the way that energized atoms release photons (a quantum of electromagnetic energy).  When we say “radiation” however, we are not talking about ionizing radiation — such as would be produced by an x-ray.

Laser light is very different from normal light or radiation emitted by an x-ray.  Laser light has the following properties:

  • The light released is monochromatic. It contains one specific wavelength of light (one specific color). The wavelength of light is determined by the amount of energy released when the electron drops to a lower orbit.
  • The light released is coherent. It is “organized” — each photon moves in step with the others. This means that all of the photons have wave fronts that launch in unison.
  • The light is very directional. A laser light has a collimated (very tight) beam.  This makes it stronger and concentrated. A flashlight, on the other hand, releases light in many directions, and the light is very weak and diffuse.

Why won’t it burn you to a crisp when we use it on your gums?  Clearly, we’re using a controlled power setting (in our office we use a diode laser) — in fact, most patients tell us they don’t feel anything when we use it in conjunction with their dental cleanings.  But that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective!

Watch the video below for a demonstration and explanation of how a dental laser is being used during a routine cleaning.

If you would like to read more about how we use a dental laser in our office and how it can benefit your health, check out the following article posted in the Services section of our website:

LASERS IN DENTISTRY