Blog

Most of us are aware that smoking is bad for your health. The frightening diseases linked to smoking include everything from lung cancer to heart disease and many more. But what you may not realize is that smoking is also bad for your oral health. Smoking tobacco not only stains your teeth and leaves you with bad breath; it also has other negative effects on your teeth and gums.

The American Dental Association reports that in addition to stained teeth and bad breath, smoking also diminishes your sense of taste after a period of time. Smoking also greatly increases your risk of tooth decay and developing gum disease. And as bad for your oral health as smoking tobacco is, chewing tobacco is even worse. Whether you smoke it or chew it, using tobacco increases your likelihood of developing oral cancer. Left untreated, oral cancer can easily spread and become deadly.

Now that we’ve given you the bad news about tobacco, it’s time for some good news: you can quit! The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lists five steps in the process of quitting tobacco. These include the following:

1. Set a date to quit. Rather than just thinking in vague terms, setting a date and marking it on your calendar makes the notion of quitting more concrete. It’s almost like making a contract with yourself.
2. Tell your dentist and/or your family doctor, as well as your family and friends, that you plan to quit. Getting the support of other people will make the process much easier.
3. Whenever you get the urge to smoke or chew tobacco, distract yourself with some other behavior until the urge passes. Some people find chewing gum to be helpful, but if you choose this distraction, be sure to choose sugarless gum.
4. Don’t be afraid to use one of the variety of medications available to help you quit tobacco. There are plenty of choices – both over-the-counter meds as well as prescriptions.
5. Mentally prepare yourself for possible relapses. The nicotine contained in smoking and chewing tobacco is highly addictive, so quitting may not be easy. If you falter and relapse briefly, simply vow to quit again right afterward. Accept that setback and obstacles are part of the quitting process.

Kicking the tobacco habit may be challenging, but the rewards are huge! Not only will you enjoy better oral and overall health, you’ll also enjoy the feeling of accomplishment in overcoming addiction. Not being controlled by an addictive substance will give you a feeling of freedom that will make every minute of the quitting process well worth the effort!

We all experience some form of mouth sore periodically throughout our lives. Most of these go away on their own in a relatively short period of time, but others should be evaluated and treated by your dentist. Understanding what type of mouth sore you have can help you decide whether to simply let it heal on its own, or call your dentist. To help you make that decision, we have compiled the following list of some of the most common – and some not-so-common – mouth sores.

• Cold sores or fever blisters: One of the most common forms of mouth sore is the cold sore or fever blister. They usually appear on or near the lips on the outside of the mouth, and look like small clusters of pink or red raised blisters. Cold sores are infected and extremely contagious. Although they usually form around the lips, they may also appear under the chin or the nose.
• Canker sores: Another fairly common type of mouth ailment is the canker sore. Most of the time they form inside the mouth on the inside of the cheek, on the tongue, around the gum line, or in the lip or throat area. Canker sores sometimes appear in clusters and are not contagious.
• Candidiasis or thrush: Candidiasis is a fungal infection that develops inside the mouth or throat and is caused by an overabundance of yeast. Thrush typically appears as white spots on the tongue or inside the mouth. Other symptoms include difficulty swallowing, a sore throat, and cracking of the skin tissue at the corners of the patient’s mouth (also referred to as “cheilosis”).
• Abscessed tooth: A bacterial infection that spreads to the nerve of a tooth can result in an abscess. An abscessed tooth can lead to symptoms that extend far beyond an extremely sore tooth and surrounding gum tissue, including sensitivity to hot and cold food and drinks, a fever and swollen lymph nodes.
• Burning mouth: People with burning mouth syndrome often endure it for months or years on end. Symptoms include a painful burning sensation that affects the tongue, gums, palate, and inside of the cheeks and throat.
• Leukoplakia: If you notice a white or gray area on your tongue, on the floor of your mouth, or inside your cheek, you may be experiencing leukoplakia. Although somewhat unsightly and alarming looking, leukoplakia is usually not painful or contagious.
• Sialadenitis: This bacterial infection typically occurs inside the mouth and prevents the normal flow of saliva. Sialadenitis creates symptoms that include a tender and swollen salivary gland, as well as fever and chills if the infection spreads.

If you experience any type of mouth sore that doesn’t heal on its own within a few days, or one that is accompanied by other symptoms such as a fever, it’s important to contact your dentist right away. Most of the time, these conditions can be resolved relatively quickly with the proper medication.

If you routinely clench your teeth or grind your teeth at night, you may suffer from a condition called bruxism. If you do, you’re not alone. Teeth grinding is very common in people throughout the US. In fact, it is estimated that between 30 and 40 million people in our country suffer from bruxism. Some people may grind their teeth at night, while others may clench or grind their teeth when they’re under stress. Whichever category you fall into, one thing is certain: it’s important to stop grinding your teeth. If you don’t, you may end up with a variety of other problems. Here are some of the issues that can be caused by bruxism:

• You can damage your teeth. Putting excess pressure on your teeth can result in small cracks forming or dental fillings breaking.
• You can make your teeth more sensitive. Grinding your teeth together can wear away the enamel on your teeth, and that can lead to increased sensitivity to hot and cold food and drinks.
• You can develop headaches. This is especially true of people who grind their teeth at night, many of whom regularly wake up with a headache.
• You can experience general facial pain. People who grind their teeth are putting excessive strain on their facial muscles, and that can lead to soreness and tenderness in the face.
• You can develop jaw problems – namely, temporomandibular disorder (TMD). TMD causes pain in the jaw, particularly when you open and close your mouth. The pain endured by TMD sufferers can be significant, and often interferes with their quality of life overall.

Many people suffer from bruxism and don’t even realize it. If you’re not sure whether or not you routinely clench or grind your teeth, here are a few indications that you might:

• You experience headaches in the morning.
• Family members hear you grinding your teeth at night (often the grinding is loud enough to disrupt the sleep of other people).
• Your jaw muscles are painful when you open or close your mouth. This discomfort is usually more painful in the morning.
• Your teeth and gums are damaged. This damage can include cracked teeth, broken fillings, and/or injured gums.
• You are experiencing unexplained facial pain.
• You routinely contract your jaw muscles.
• You have swelling in one or both sides of your lower jaw.

Fortunately, there are several effective treatment methods for bruxism. If you believe that you suffer from this condition, talk to your dentist to find out more about how to stop grinding your teeth.

Chances are that your dentist has the training, education, and experience to deal with a wide variety of oral health conditions. But there are times when your dentist might refer you to an oral surgeon. That thought might be frightening for some patients, but most oral surgery procedures are completed on an outpatient basis and patients can usually return to their normal routine in just a few days. What follows are some situations that might require the services of an oral surgeon.

• Wisdom tooth removal: Wisdom teeth are a third set of molars that erupt in the very back of a person’s mouth. If you have enough room to accommodate this third set of molars, you won’t have any problem with them. However, for patients who don’t have enough room in their mouths for wisdom teeth, the teeth can either not erupt fully or come in misaligned. These are called “impacted” wisdom teeth, and they typically need to be removed by an oral surgeon.
• Sleep apnea: Loud snoring can be troublesome for the snorer and other family members. But sleep apnea is much more serious than loud snoring. People who experience sleep apnea actually stop breathing for several seconds while they are sleeping. This is a serious condition that requires some form of treatment to alleviate it. One of those treatments is for an oral surgeon to remove excess soft tissue from the back of the patient’s throat, which clears the airway and decreases the sleep apnea symptoms.
• Dental implants: Implants are often an excellent choice to replace missing teeth or to provide anchors for dentures. An implant consists of a metal post that is inserted into the patient’s jawbone. After a few months, the post fuses to the bone tissue, and an artificial tooth is affixed to the top of the post. It is quite common for an oral surgeon to perform the implant procedure.
• Jaw surgery: An oral surgeon is sometimes called upon to perform jaw surgery, whether it is to correct a jaw alignment issue or to reconstruct the jaw.

If your dentist refers you to an oral surgeon, there’s no need to be overly concerned. Oral surgeons are trained medical professionals who typically have completed a four-year residency in all types of oral surgery. These professionals can provide you with exceptional care and can resolve issues that your dentist might not be able to. Fortunately, most of these procedures are quite common with relatively short recovery times.

Overdentures are dental prosthetics that are held firmly in place by dental implants. Implants are metal rods (usually titanium) that are inserted into a patient’s jawbone. Over the course of a few months, the implants fuse to the bone tissue. Once that happens, a custom-made set of overdentures literally snaps onto the implanted metal posts. The result is a set of dentures that remains firmly in place in the patient’s mouth, without the needy for messy gels. There are several benefits that overdentures offer the dental patient, including the following.

• Overdentures looks quite natural, and that helps patients to feel more self-confident and generally better about themselves. Because overdentures are so stable, the wearer can always speak clearly. The combination of the aesthetics and the ability to speak normally has a very positive impact on an individual’s self-esteem. And that can have a very positive affect on the patient’s overall health.
• One of the challenges faced by patients with no teeth is the loss of bone in the jaw due to lack of stimulation that would normally be provided by the patient’s natural teeth. Overdentures are much more stable in the patient’s mouth. That stability actually stimulates the jaw bone, which slows down resorption of bone matter after tooth loss.
• Overdentures make it easier to eat a variety of foods. With regular dentures, patients often have to stay away from certain foods because they’re just too hard to eat due to the dentures slipping. That is not a concern with overdentures since they’re secured by dental implants.
• Since overdentures don’t slip the way some regular dentures do, they allow the wearer to chew food more thoroughly, and that leads to fewer digestive issues.
• Because overdentures are anchored in place by dental implants and are remarkably stable, the wearer doesn’t need to use messy gels. This is a huge convenience for the patient.

Overdentures are, in many ways, quite similar to regular dentures. The primary difference is that overdentures snap onto the wearer’s dental implants, which means they are much more firmly anchored into the patient’s mouth. The wearer is still able to remove the dentures and care for them in much the same way as normal dentures.

Of course, overdentures might not be the best choice for everyone. Talk to your dentist to find out more information about overdentures. He or she can assess the state of your current oral health to help determine whether you’re a good candidate for these innovative dental appliances.

It’s safe to say that all of us suffer from bad breath on occasion. But if you experience bad breath on a regular basis, it could be a sign of either poor oral hygiene habits, undesirable habits, or some other health problem. What follows is a list of reasons why you could dealing with bad breath.

Personal Habits

Bad breath could stem from something very simple, like the kind of foods you eat, for example. If you regularly enjoy foods that are very strong smelling – such as onions and garlic – you will undoubtedly experience bad breath. In these instances, even mouthwash won’t work until the foods have finished going through your system.

Smoking is another personal habit that can result in bad breath. When it comes to smoking, bad breath is probably the least of your concerns. Smoking is a bad habit that compromises your overall health and your oral health, not to mention your breath.

It’s not just smoking tobacco that’s bad – chewing tobacco also has dire consequences. Not only does it cause bad breath, it also stains your teeth and is one of the leading causes of oral cancer and gum irritation. If you do it over a period of time, both smoking and chewing tobacco will also reduce your ability to taste foods and drinks.

Poor Oral Hygiene

If you don’t brush and floss often enough, you’ll experience bad breath. When food particles stay inside your mouth, bacteria grows. That bacteria causes bad breath. The remedy is simple: brush at least twice a day and floss at least once a day. You might also consider using an anti-gingivitis mouthwash to kill the bacteria.

And you’re not immune from bad breath if you wear dentures! Be sure to properly clean your dentures every day to prevent bacteria from forming.

Other Health Problems

If you can’t attribute your persistent bad breath to personal habits or poor oral hygiene, it could be due to some other health issue. Bad breath is one of the first signs of gum disease. This is often indicated by other symptoms as well, such as gums that are irritated, swollen, bleeding, or reddish-pink in color. Untreated cavities can also cause bad breath.

If you have dry mouth (xerostomia), you may also experience bad breath. Dry mouth can be caused by different medications, sinus problems that necessitate breathing through the mouth, or problems with the salivary glands.

Other infrequent causes of bad breath include more serious health conditions, such as sinus infections, liver or kidney problems, diabetes, or chronic acid reflux issues. If you suffer from persistent bad breath, try changing your habits and improving your oral hygiene routine. If that doesn’t work, talk to your dentist and/or doctor to find out what might be causing it.

In addition to maintaining a regular oral hygiene routine at home, one of the most important ways to ensure that you enjoy good oral health is by visiting your dentist on a regular basis for exams and professionals cleanings. In addition to those routine visits, you should also make every effort to see your dentist as quickly as possible whenever you experience any type of dental issue. Chances are, the longer you wait, the worse the problem will become.

Having said all that, there will be times when you have a problem and can’t make it to the dentist right away for whatever reason. In those circumstances, there are steps you can take to treat minor dental issues at home. What follows are some of those methods.

• Sore gums: If your gums are sore, bleeding, swollen and/or red or dark pink in color, it could slight indicate an infection or the early stages of gum disease. Either way, it’s important to visit your dentist whenever these symptoms occur. In the meantime, however, there are a few steps you can take at home to ease the discomfort of sore gums. The first is to make sure you’re brushing and flossing twice a day, and using an anti-gingivitis mouthwash once a day. The symptoms you’re experiencing are most likely caused by gum disease, and a regular oral hygiene routine is the best way to treat those symptoms at home.
• Toothache: Similar to other dental issues, toothaches should always be brought to the attention of your dentist. But until you can visit the dentist’s office, there are a few effective at-home treatments that can ease the pain of a toothache. Try swishing and rinsing with warm salt water, which helps to kill bacteria and ease the swelling and the discomfort. A cold compress held on the outside of the cheek may help to numb the pain as well. Over-the-counter pain medicine might also provide some relief.
• Chipped or broken teeth: It goes without saying that you should visit your dentist right away with a broken tooth. In the meantime, apply clean gauze to the gum area to stop any bleeding. A cold compress held outside the mouth on the cheek can help to reduce pain and swelling. And be sure to save the tooth or pieces of the tooth if possible.
• Lost filling: Try not to chew food with the affected tooth since it will most likely be very sensitive. You might try filling it with an over-the-counter dental cement until you can get to your dentist’s office.
• Lost crown: Crowns don’t come off very easily, but if this happens to you, make sure to save the crown. If the tooth is sore, you might try gently applying a small amount of clove oil to the tooth and surrounding gum to reduce pain. And, of course, get in to see your dentist as soon as possible.
• Knocked-out tooth: Save the tooth in a cup of warm salt water or milk. Apply a small amount of sterile gauze on the gum to stop the bleeding. Call you dentist right away. It is possible for a knocked-out tooth to be saved, but only if you see your dentist right away.

While these methods might work as stop-gap measures until you can see your dentist, if you experience excessive bleeding or another more serious issue – such as an infection with a lot of swelling, for example – consider visiting your local emergency room for more assistance. When it comes to dental problems, the sooner they’re treated, the better!

Lasers have been used in a variety of medical procedures, such as those used by dermatologists to remove skin abnormalities, or cold lasers that treat pain, inflammation and headaches, for example. But you may not know that lasers are also used in dental procedures. You might think that use of lasers in dentistry is new technology, but lasers were actually first used in dental procedures way back in 1960. Of course, it took several years before the use of lasers became as commonplace as it is today, but by the 1990s many dentists were using lasers for a wide variety of dental procedures. Some of these include the following:

• Gum disease treatment – Lasers are often used to remove bacteria from gum tissue, such as in root canal procedures. Lasers are also very helpful in reshaping gum tissue, like removing a portion of the gums to correct a “gummy smile,” for example.
• Tooth decay removal – Lasers have been shown to be very effective in removing decay from teeth, such as in preparation for a filling or crown.
• Teeth whitening – Some teeth whitening services involve use of a laser to speed up the whitening process.
• Removal of lesions – Lasers are helpful in the removal of lesions inside the mouth, as well as removal of tissue for biopsy purposes.

Lasers provide several advantages for the dentist and the patient. Lasers are typically much less painful than use of invasive instruments to perform the same procedure. When patients know this, it can help to alleviate any anxiety they might be feeling. Procedures performed with lasers cause much less bleeding and swelling of the gum tissues. And lasers allow gums to heal more quickly since there is less bleeding and swelling, which means that it requires less time for the patient to recover afterwards.

Although many dentists use lasers for a variety of procedures – most with great success – you should know that the American Dental Association has still not awarded their Seal of Acceptance to any dental laser system or tool. The seal shows that a dental device or product has met the ADA’s standards for safety and efficacy. Lasers have been approved by the FDA, however, and even the ADA has stated that it is “cautiously optimistic” about the benefits of laser use in dental procedures.

For more information about how (or if) your dentist utilizes lasers during dental procedures, call your dentist office. They can explain which procedures involve lasers, and help you decide whether you would like your dentist to use laser treatment, or if you’d prefer a more traditional approach to the procedure.

Numerous studies conducted over the past several years have shown a connection between oral health and heart health. Although the two may seem totally unrelated, they are in fact very much connected, specifically with regard to gum disease. Patients with advanced periodontal disease have been shown to have a greater risk of developing heart disease than patients with healthy gums. The current state of your oral health can also provide warning signs to your doctor that you may have other more serious health issues, such as heart disease.

The Role of Inflammation

Just as gum disease caused by bacteria can result in your gums becoming swollen, bacteria can also cause inflammation of the heart. That can lead to cardiovascular diseases, such as clogged arteries or endocarditis (an infection of the heart lining). In fact, the same bacteria that causes gum disease can also travel through the patient’s bloodstream to other areas of the body, including the heart. Once that bacteria reaches the heart, the result is often heart disease or stroke.

People Who Are at Risk

Anyone who has advanced gum disease is at the highest risk of developing oral-health-related heart disease. This is especially true if the patient’s gum disease goes undetected and/or untreated. But even people who don’t have gum disease could have a higher risk for heart disease and stroke if they have poor oral hygiene and a buildup of plaque on the teeth. The bacteria present in plaque can also travel through the bloodstream to the heart.

Symptoms of Gum Disease

The good news is that gum disease is entirely treatable, especially if it’s caught in the early stages. Here are some indications that you might have periodontal disease:

• Gums that are swollen, dark pink or red, and sore
• Bleeding gums (particularly when you floss)
• Gums that are receding or pulling away from the teeth
• Persistent bad breath
• Loose teeth
• Infection of gums around teeth (often indicated by pus on gum tissue)

Treating Gum Disease

Your dentist may recommend any of a variety of procedures designed to treat gum disease, depending on how far the condition has progressed. Deep cleaning may be recommended for patients in the early stages. Prescribed medication and/or oral surgery may be required for more advanced cases. But patients play an important role in prevention and treatment of gum disease as well. Be sure to brush thoroughly at least twice daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush, and floss at least once a day. Consider using an anti-gingivitis mouthwash as well. Combine these daily habits with regular trips to your dentist for professional exams and cleanings, and you might not only improve your oral health; you may improve your heart health as well!

There once was a time not too long ago when the only choice you would have as far as teeth straightening options was traditional metal braces. While these tried and true dental appliances were (and still are) definitely effective, modern technology now provides us with other options as well – such as clear braces, for example. But, as is always the case with any dental procedure or appliance, clear braces may not be the best choice for everyone. Here are some facts to consider when deciding whether or not clear braces are right for you.

• Clear braces are actually aligner trays. Although they’re referred to as “clear braces,” these dental appliances are custom-made, clear aligner trays that slip over your top and bottom teeth. Although you can remove the aligner trays yourself, you’ll have to wear them at least 22 hours a day in order for them to be effective.
• You’ll receive a new set of aligner trays from your dentist or orthodontist every two weeks or so. Gradually, over the course of about a year (the exact time varies from one patient to the next), the trays move your teeth into their new, straighter positions.
• Clear braces are virtually invisible. For many dental patients, one of the biggest advantages of clear braces is the fact that they are very hard for other people to see. Metal braces can be embarrassing to wear, but that’s simply not an issue with clear braces.
• Cleaning your teeth and gums is easier with clear braces. Because you can remove the aligner trays to brush and floss, keeping your teeth and gums in tip-top shape is easier than it is with traditional metal braces. You can simply brush and floss as you normally would.
• There are no food restrictions with clear braces. Again, because you can remove the aligner trays when you eat meals, you don’t need to avoid many of the foods that you would need to stay away from if you wore metal braces.
• Most patients report that clear braces are more comfortable than traditional braces. Metal braces can irritate the wearer’s gum tissue and can be uncomfortable. But aligner trays are generally considered to be less irritating than traditional braces.

While clear braces are an excellent choice for people with less serious dental issues – such as those with a slight underbite or overbite, or people with crowded teeth or gaps in between their teeth — they may not be recommended for people with extremely crooked teeth. Your dentist or orthodontist can provide you with more information to help you decide whether you are a good candidate for clear braces.