How exactly does oral thrush happen and who’s most at risk for getting this infection? Here we detail what you need to know about this oral health condition including the most at-risk people and its treatment.

What Causes Oral Thrush?

Candida is actually a type of fungus that normally doesn’t cause problems in the body [1].
However, certain factors can cause candida to become rampant, which can then cause issues such as infections.

There are numerous factors that can cause oral thrush, including prolonged antibiotic use, treatment for cancer via immunosuppressive therapy, and poor oral hygiene.

Oral thrush can cause infections in the mouth, throat, and even the esophagus. Oral thrush can present as white patches in the mouth, redness or tenderness in the mouth, loss of taste, and cracks at the corners of the mouth, which can be painful.

Who Is Most at Risk for Oral Thrush

Oral thrush is common in babies as their immune system isn’t fully developed yet and not able to ward off an overgrowth of candida [2]. Babies and people who have compromised immune systems are the most likely to get oral thrush.

Oral thrush is also common in people who are pregnant, those who smoke, people who
experience chronic stress, and others who have suppressed immune systems [3].

People who have dry mouth may also be more likely to get oral thrush, as are people who have dentures, especially if the dentures aren’t properly cleaned or removed as directed by your dentist.

How Oral Thrush Is Treated

Oral thrush is treated with antifungal medicines. This will usually be a liquid that you’ll either rinse out your mouth with or apply directly to your mouth. However, your doctor may also prescribe capsules you can take orally to help treat your thrush.

Treatment for oral thrush can last up to two weeks [4]. If you or your child has been diagnosed with oral thrush, be sure to follow your dentist’s instructions for healing so you can treat thrush right the first time and not have it return!

Are you concerned about your risk for oral thrush? You can talk more with your doctor or your child’s healthcare provider about oral thrush. Fortunately, the condition usually isn’t considered to be serious and is relatively simple to treat, provided you follow your doctor’s instructions!

Sources:
1. https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/thrush/index.html
2. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/thrush.html
3. https://www.medicinenet.com/thrush/article.htm
4. https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/oral-
thrush-in-adults

The post What Is Oral Thrush and Who Is at Risk for Getting It? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Think again. It can be nearly impossible for even the best brushers to get all the plaque and food particles out of their teeth. This is because teeth such as the molars can be deeply grooved, making them the perfect place for bacteria to get trapped.

A professional cleaning does more than step up your brushing routine. Here’s why a dental deep cleaning is necessary for all of us!

Impossible to Get all The Spaces

How conscious are you of getting all the necessary spaces when you’re brushing your teeth? Each tooth needs to be brushed on every side. For the majority of your teeth, you won’t be able to reach every side of the tooth. This is where floss comes in to help remove plaque and food debris that may have gotten stuck from teeth that are next to each other.

During your two minutes of brushing, being aware of all the surfaces of your teeth is important. Your dentist can further facilitate a healthy mouth by doing a deep cleaning during your regular checkup and let you know what you’re missing, therefore helping you improve your brushing routine. Your dentist will also remove plaque from those tight spaces you can’t get to with your toothbrush to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Plaque Can Turn into Tartar

Tartar is a mineral substance that builds up on your teeth when plaque is not removed. The plaque essentially hardens, turning into tartar. Once you have tartar in your mouth, it will need to be professionally removed.

Since tartar typically builds up just below the gumline, it can begin to irritate gums and even lead to gum disease. It can also cause cavities and tooth staining. Tartar gives plaque a better platform on which to grow, therefore making it more difficult to clean your teeth.

Many adults have tartar to some degree in their mouths, making a dental deep cleaning
necessary to remove the tartar so you can have a healthy smile again. Any place that you miss on your teeth while you’re brushing has the potential to get tartar!

You Want Healthy Teeth for Life

Your teeth are meant to last you your entire lifetime. Although teeth have the potential to
weaken as you get older if you have an underlying health condition, insufficient mineral intake, or poor oral hygiene, this isn’t what’s meant to happen to your teeth. Your teeth can remain strong and healthy for a lifetime with the right care.

Replacing a tooth can be costly and time-consuming when you factor in any additional
maintenance and dentist visits. Going to the dentist regularly can help prevent tooth loss, gum disease, sensitive teeth, tooth decay, and even catch oral cancer early.

Why put off the dentist now when you could have a healthy, worry-free smile for life?
Getting your teeth professionally cleaned is a habit everyone needs to make. From removing plaque to helping you improve your brushing routine to giving you a healthy smile for life, your professional dentist does more than simply remove stains during your deep cleaning. Make an appointment today to have your best smile!

The post Why Is a Dental Deep Cleaning Necessary? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Convenience of Care

When you’re a busy professional who can’t squeeze in a checkup every six months, this is understandable to most. However, tooth decay and gum disease don’t discriminate. In fact, experts estimate that 47% of Americans have some form of gum disease. That’s nearly half of the American population! Gum disease can eventually cause tooth loss, in addition to sensitive teeth, bad breath, and gum recession. Dental care is more convenient today than ever before. Many places allow you to book appointments online. Your smartphone can easily remind you of your appointment. Often a checkup and cleaning takes less than an hour, so you’re back to your routine in no time!

No Dental Coverage

Over 100 million Americans lack dental health insurance. This plays a huge role in the majority of people not getting the dental care they need. The people who suffer most are children. 1 in 4 kids today have tooth decay. Without checkups, these cavities often go unnoticed and lead to rotten teeth or the loss of permanent teeth in older children.

Adults without dental insurance aren’t doing much better. 56% of adults without dental coverage routinely skip preventative treatment. Without preventative care, ailments such as oral cancer in addition to tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth infections are left to get worse. You can still receive dental care even if you don’t have health insurance. Talk to your dentist to see if they offer interest-free financing through CareCredit. Ask what programs are available in your community in order to receive low-cost or even free dental screenings. The best cure is prevention!

Dental Anxiety

People with dental anxiety feel fear, dread, and terror when they think about going to the dentist. Instead, people who experience this type of anxiety often suffer instead of getting preventative care or treatment. With nearly 30% of all adults having at least one untreated cavity, avoiding the dentist due to dental anxiety is never a good idea. Consider the cost of avoiding the dentist: while it may cost you only $150 to get a cavity filled, a root canal can be upwards of $900! That’s a huge price jump for simply letting a cavity progress to the point that it can’t be filled.

Find a dentist who’s experienced at treating patients with dental anxiety. You want a compassionate, friendly dentist who offers sedative dentistry options to help keep you calm during your visit. Don’t forgo care just because of your anxiety! For all the reasons people avoid the dentist’s office, none of them are genuine excuses to not seek preventative care. There are options available to you. Talk with your local dentist about resources you can utilize to access the care you need for an affordable price. Your smile will thank you later!

The post A Majority of Americans Aren’t Receiving the Preventative Dental Treatment They Need appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Use the Proper Amount of Floss

The American Dental Association recommends using about 18 inches of floss (http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Science%20and%20Research/Files/watch_materials_floss.ashx). This way you have a clean section of floss to go in between every tooth in your mouth. Many people use much shorter floss amounts and end up cleaning their teeth with dirty sections of floss. Although less is usually more, this is not true for floss—use the proper amount so that you’re cleaning the food and plaque out of your teeth, not introducing it back in!

Go under the Gum Line

When flossing, you want to be sure to go gently under the gum line, which is where many hidden food particles tend to hide. The key here is being gentle. If you haven’t flossed in quite some time, your gums may bleed a little. This generally isn’t cause for concern, although you should discuss it during your next dental check up. Gently go underneath the gum line on each side of each tooth. This will take some time to do and to get used to, but soon the habit will stick and your gums will be healthy!

Move Floss Up and Down, not Side to Side

This is a common mistake that many people make while flossing. After you gently wedge the floss in between your teeth, your goal is to move the floss up and down on each side of each tooth, not just rock the floss back and forth at the base of your teeth. This task isn’t difficult but can take some time to develop a habit out of, especially if you’ve been flossing side to side for a long time. Remember to go up and down instead!

Use the Kind That’s Best for You

There are many different types of floss out there and many different flossing tools. The type you use may vary depending on your smile. You can always ask your oral health care professional what type would be best for you to use. If your teeth have more space in between, consider a wider floss such as dental tape. If your teeth fit very tight together, traditional floss will work better.

Be Gentle

No matter where, when, or how you floss, remember to be gentle. The same goes for brushing, but when it comes to your gums, sensitivity is even more important. Gently floss, gently brush, and enjoy clean teeth and impress your dentist during your next checkup!

By incorporating these simple flossing tips into your oral care routine, flossing will be more beneficial to you than ever. Go up and down, under the gum line, and use clean floss every time. Floss at least once a day to keep your teeth and gums healthy!

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The post Improve Your Flossing Technique with These Simple Steps appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

If You Have Bad Breath…

The tongue can harbor plaque and bacteria just like the rest of our mouths, but since the tongue is
constantly bathed in saliva, moving against certain foods, and cleaning itself, the plaque and bacteria don’t gather on the tongue in the same way they do in the small spaces between our teeth or on the surfaces of our teeth. However, if you have bad breath, the tongue might actually be housing a lot of the bacteria that could be causing your bad breath. Many people find brushing their tongue helpful when it comes to bad breath, especially in the morning. If you find that brushing with a tooth brush makes you gag, there are certain “tongue scrapers” that you can buy. While these are not necessary for optimal oral health, you may want to consider these if you have bad breath or an unpleasant taste on your tongue from certain foods. Usually, the taste from certain foods will go away quickly as the tongue cleans itself, but for certain foods like garlic, salmon, or onions, the taste may unpleasantly linger. Bad breath can also be a sign of gum disease or tooth decay, so remember to always get routine check-ups with your dentist!

Is it Necessary?

Cleaning your tongue is not strictly necessary as long as you keep your mouth clean. This means
brushing at least once a day, flossing once a day or between meals as necessary, and visiting your
dentist. Brushing your tongue is optional. The bacteria on the tongue can spread back to the teeth and gums after brushing if the tongue is not itself brushed, but as it takes at least 24 hours for plaque to form in your mouth, you should be fine as long as you’re brushing once a day. Remember that it’s the quality of your brushing that matters over quantity—no use in brushing your teeth several times a day if you are missing the same areas every time, therefore allowing plaque to build up! Your dentist can talk with you about which areas are being missed in your mouth when brushing just by examining your teeth during your check-up.

While many people give their tongue a quick scrub, it’s not wholly necessary. If you have bad breath or frequently eat foods that feel like their taste “clings” in your mouth, you may find it helpful to brush your tongue along with your regular brushings. As always, healthy oral hygiene consists of brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist!

The post Do I Really Need to Clean My Tongue? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Proper Brushing Technique

When you brush your teeth, it should always be in a circular motion. Is it better to just get an electric toothbrush? That is only the case if you get one that spins in a circular motion, and it helps you to remember not to brush straight back and forth. Be sure to brush at 45-degree angle to the gumline. This will help you to remove the maximum amount of bacteria before it has the chance to harden into tartar (which will have to be removed at the dentist’s office during your six-month cleaning). You should brush for about two minutes at a time. This gives you enough time to clean the front, back, and top of each tooth well. You may want to use the stopwatch feature of your phone to make sure that you are spending sufficient time on your teeth.

How to Floss Correctly

Be sure to use about a foot and a half of floss so that you have plenty of room to wrap your fingers (you can also use a floss pick). This gives you plenty of floss to switch to a clean section for each tooth. Don’t just pull the floss back and forth between teeth, but also move it up and down. It is good to get below the gumline since your toothbrush won’t get in there. It’s not about flossing hard. If you floss twice per day, you should be able to glide the floss gently.

So What Should Be First?

Some say brushing should be first because the residue left on your teeth from the fluoride in the toothpaste gets picked up by the floss and improves cleaning between the teeth and below the gumline. Others say that you should floss first to loosen food particles and bacteria that can then be more easily brushed away.

You can decide for yourself which makes more sense. The important thing is to brush and floss every day because it takes about 24 hours for plaque to form. Brushing and flossing at least twice per day prevents this build up and protects your oral health.

The post Brushing or Flossing: Which Comes First? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Ask Questions!

First, you can ask your neighbors or any local friends and family what their experiences with the local dentists have been. They may be able to offer helpful experiences and point you in a direction. Next, after you’ve lined up some dentists to call, you’ll need to ask questions. These questions should revolve around the care the dentist provides. Do they fit in with your dental health plan? Is there a policy regarding missed appointments? How are emergencies handled outside of office hours? You’ll want a dentist who will gladly answer all your questions, and will hopefully have a colleague to refer you to in case he or she is unavailable in an emergency.

Special Needs

Does your family have any special needs regarding dentistry? Perhaps you have small children or special needs children who take a little more coaxing to let someone look in their mouth. Consider what your family needs when contacting a dentist to inquire about care, and inquire about the dentist’s experience. If you have unique financial needs, inquire about the expenses and if information is provided about payments and fees before the treatment begins. Consider the dentist’s ideas and approach on preventive dentistry rather than just treatment as well.

Take Note of the Office

When you pick a dentist and schedule that first trip, there are several things you should be on the lookout for in the office. The office should be clean and well organized—this includes paperwork (your personal information) as well as tools. The staff should be friendly and helpful; they should be ready to answer any questions you may have. Take note of the wait time and how informative the staff is during your wait. Is the dentist kind, friendly, and patient, or rushed and short with you? You want a dentist who will take time to address all your concerns and give you proper oral care while still maintaining proper cleanliness.

The Dentist

Besides the location of the office, you and your children’s needs, and your financial situation, the most important factor of your dental care will most likely be your dentist. Being able to be open with the dentist about your concerns and being able to understand the dentist when he or she explains treatment options or preventive measures to you is essential. Finding a dentist that you and your family can connect with is important, but your dentist should be experienced and knowledgeable as well.

Your dentist will be an important figure in your life and your family’s life. Choosing wisely is important, as is asking the right questions and considering all your needs. Finding the perfect family dentist involves finding a knowledgeable, experienced dentist with a clean and professional practice that will provide your family with great dental care for years to come.

The post Finding the Perfect Family Dentist appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

When we eat, especially sugary foods, the sugars become acids on our teeth. Acids wear down tooth enamel. For about half an hour after eating a meal, your teeth are in a weakened state from the acids. Tooth enamel remineralizes or hardens during this time, but brushing while it’s trying to build itself back up can just cause more damage.

Brushing to remove food particles and bacteria twice a day is important to reduce the risk of gum disease, but as long as you are brushing at least two times every day and avoiding brushing within half an hour of eating, you can brush whenever it is convenient for you. Some people don’t like to brush before a meal because the minty taste of the toothpaste interferes with the taste of their food. Toothpaste can also make food taste bad because it contains sodium laureth sulfate. This ingredient is responsible for the foaming action of toothpaste in the mouth; it is the same ingredient that makes shampoo lather up. Toothpaste does not need SLS to work, so using a brand of toothpaste that does not contain SLS can make eating after brushing more pleasing.

If you do choose to brush before eating, you can help to eliminate food particles and bacteria with a mouth rinse after the meal. Chewing sugarless gum after meals can also stimulate saliva, which helps to wash away acids.

Remember that plaque builds up throughout the day, and at night when we sleep. This is the reason most people experience “morning breath,” and this is another reason that brushing before breakfast is beneficial. A good morning routine could be to brush, eat, and then rinse with mouthwash. If you really prefer to brush after eating, try to wait half an hour or at least 20 minutes. You should also always use fluoride toothpaste no matter when you brush, to keep your tooth enamel strong.

The post Tooth Brushing: Before or After Breakfast? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.