The plaque that plays a crucial role in oral diseases such as gum disease and tooth decay causes inflammation in your mouth. This same plaque has actually been found in the plaque that’s responsible for clogging the arteries—a condition also known as arteriosclerosis. These bacteria can not only cause hardened arterial plaque and inflammation, but it can also be taxing on the heart, making it work harder to pump blood through restricted arteries. This increases your risk for heart disease, which could lead to a heart attack or a stroke!

Diabetes Increases Risk for Gum Disease

If you have gum disease, this means your gums are inflamed and you may experience symptoms such as bleeding or tender gums, bad breath, and loose teeth. When diabetes is present and unmanaged or poorly managed, blood sugar levels can increase your risk for gum disease and tooth loss. The better controlled your diabetes is, the less risk you have for gum disease. If you have undiagnosed diabetes or blood sugar problems, see your doctor—diabetes treatment could help your oral health and prevent gum disease!

Inflammation Influences Cognitive Decline

The same bacteria that are involved in the inflammation of the gums that is characteristic of gum disease can end up in your brain and influence cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s! Researchers have linked rapid cognitive decline with the presence of gum disease in patients with Alzheimer’s. This research supports the notion that chronic inflammation in the body can affect the entire system—even the brain and cognitive performance in people with preexisting cognitive decline.

Bacteria Cause Upper Respiratory Illness

Upper respiratory infections such as pneumonia or the common cold are more common in people who have poor oral health! Experts reason that the introduction of poor mouth bacteria into the lungs from breathing could cause the inflammation and illness associated with upper respiratory problems. Keeping your mouth clean and free of plaque could result in less instances of the cold or upper respiratory illness throughout your life!

One part of your body is not separate from the other. By taking great care of your mouth, you can help to influence a healthy body! Simply by brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist can improve your chances for avoiding diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and sicknesses like pneumonia. You can also help keep your mouth healthy by better managing your diabetes. Your dental health affects more than just your smile—visit your dentist to learn more about how you can keep your mouth and body healthy for life!

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Always Rinse After Use

Rinsing your toothbrush after use is crucial. You don’t need hot or even purified water to do this—a careful rinse with tap water is all that’s needed. Rinsing your toothbrush removes the used toothpaste, food particles, and can help remove other bacteria from the bristles, which can help extend the life of your toothbrush.

Never Share

Sharing toothbrushes is never recommended. You can expose yourself to dangerous bacteria, viruses, and even blood borne pathogens from people who bleed while they brush. If you’re in need of a toothbrush, you can chew gum, use your finger, or floss and use mouthwash—but never borrow a friend or family member’s toothbrush!

Keep in an Open-Air Space

After your rinse your toothbrush, it’s important to let it dry out in a place where there’s sufficient air circulation. Keeping your toothbrush in a drawer or even behind the mirror isn’t a good idea—these places don’t allow the toothbrush to properly dry out and can even encourage the growth of bacteria and mold. Toothbrush cases can easily harbor bacteria as well!

The best way to store your toothbrush is by keeping it upright in a container that allows it to dry out. If you share a toothbrush container with another person or several people, it’s important to not let these toothbrushes touch. Storing your toothbrush upright allows water to drain off the bristles and the open-air space allows it to dry out and not harbor dangerous bacteria.

Replace Every 4 Months

Our toothbrushes need to be replaced whenever they begin showing signs of wear—this is just as true for electronic toothbrushes as for standard ones! You can easily get rid of the attachment of electronic toothbrushes and get a new one when needed. Standard toothbrushes are inexpensive and affordable to replace!

A good way to tell if your toothbrush is reaching the end of its use is to examine the bristles. If the bristles are frayed, they’re not properly cleaning your teeth and gums. You may also want to replace your toothbrush after an illness or if you’ve recently received treatment for tooth decay or gum disease, as your toothbrush may be holding on to bacteria that could re-introduce these problems to your mouth.

A general rule is every four months—keep track of when you last replaced your toothbrush, and always keep a spare in your home for easy replacement when the time comes!

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Vegetarians Live Longer

First, let’s define the difference between vegetarians and vegans: vegetarians do not consume any meat products, including fish (vegetarians that consume fish are called pescetarians). However, vegetarians still eat dairy and eggs and wear animal products. Vegans, on the other hand, adopt an animal-free lifestyle when it comes to any type of consumption. Vegans do not eat meat, eggs, or dairy, will not wear leather, and tend to ensure all their beauty products are cruelty-free.

Both of these diets have a range of health benefits if done properly. Physicians see less heart disease and cancer among vegetarians as opposed to meat eaters. Vegetarians may also be more health conscious, and will limit their alcohol consumption, sugar intake, and drink more water as well as exercise. People who eat a vegetarian diet tend to have a greater awareness of how food impacts their bodies as well as the planet, and their health benefits from this!

They Tend to Consume Less Vitamin D and Calcium

Many people are deficient in vitamin D, not just vegetarians! However, because of their diets, vegetarians tend to consume less vitamin D3 than non-vegetarians, and vegans tend to do worse on this scale due to the fact that they don’t eat eggs and dairy. Vegetarians also tend not to get as much calcium, although calcium is certainly feasible for vegetarians to consume as they have the option of eating yogurt and cheese.

Vitamin D and calcium are essential nutrients for a healthy smile! Both calcium and vitamin D contribute to formation of strong, healthy bones—and your teeth are rooted in your jaw bones! Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and can also help with gum disease as well as gum inflammation.

How Vegetarians Can Ensure Proper Nutrition for Their Smile

By consuming enough vitamin D and calcium in their well-balanced diet, vegetarians can have excellent dental health as well as bodily health. Vegetarians have the option of consuming dairy products high in calcium and vitamin D including cheese, yogurt, and milk. If you’re a vegetarian that avoids dairy, look for non-dairy alternatives to these products, and find quality supplements. Vegetarians can also aim to get 10-20 minutes of sunlight every day. Our bodies make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, and can store vitamin D in the body.

If you eat a vegetarian diet, get enough calcium and vitamin D to ensure excellent dental health! Your teeth need strong bones and healthy gums to thrive. As vegetarians are usually healthier than non-vegetarians, ensuring proper vitamin and mineral intake can make for a super-healthy smile!

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Damages Enamel

Sodas are extremely high in sugar, and don’t let the label fool you—high fructose corn syrup is just another form of it! In fact, this sugar is even more damaging to the body than regular sugar, as its sweetness is so concentrated that it throws off the way your body produces insulin. This sugar turns acidic in your mouth and can wear down tooth enamel over time. And yes, even diet sodas that don’t contain any sugar at all are just as damaging—the artificial sweeteners are acids in themselves. Kids are particularly at risk because their enamel is not yet fully formed.

Causes Cavities

The enamel plays a big role in the protection of your teeth, so when it begins to erode away, problems can arise, and cavities are more likely to happen. Once the enamel is damaged, it’s much easier for the sugar in soda to damage your teeth, and there’s plenty of that sugar to go around even in just one soda drink. This means that bacteria are given more of a free passage into your teeth, and not only can this free passage cause cavities, but it could also lead to tooth decay and gum inflammation. Your teeth may eventually, as your dentist and parents may have warned you, have to come out.

Tooth Sensitivity

Another negative side effect of enamel getting worn off is that tooth sensitivity will increase. Your enamel protects the soft tissues of your tooth such as the nerves, but when the enamel is damaged, you’ll be more sensitive to hot and cold. The less enamel you have, the more sensitive you’re likely to be. Tooth sensitivity can hinder you from eating ice-cold drinks, ice cream, hot tea, or hot meals, and can be extremely painful. In addition to tooth sensitivity, your teeth are also more likely to be stained from your lack of enamel, appearing yellow, discolored, or translucent.

Increased Plaque

Brushing and flossing can help you manage your plaque, which, if built up over time, can cause tooth decay. But what happens when you’re drinking soda every day and not rinsing or brushing afterwards?

The acids (specifically phosphoric acid) and sugars in soda can cause damage within minutes of drinking it, not to mention all that sugar just sits on your teeth and increases your plaque. If you’re not brushing properly or brushing too hard, chances are that plaque is accumulating in places on your teeth and will eventually cause cavities, tooth decay, gingivitis, or periodontal disease.

Soda may taste good, but when you consider its harmful effects on your smile (not to mention your body), you may consider picking up another drink next time you’re thirsty. Seltzer water mixed with fruit juice, herbal sodas, or kombucha are all great healthy alternatives!

The post Put Down the Soda! (Your Teeth Depend on It) appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Provide Balance

Having a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria will prevent bad bacteria that can cause diseases or tooth decay from taking over, help keep our breath fresh, inhibit plaque growth, and provide a healthy path for our food to begin travel into our digestive tract. Eating well, brushing, and flossing can all promote good bacteria. You can also help promote the good bacteria in your mouth by making sure you get enough probiotics. Eat yogurt, sauerkraut, miso soup, kefir, and soft cheeses. Take a quality supplement when you can’t get these things.

Prevents Oral Diseases

Bad bacteria in our mouths can lead to different dental diseases such as periodontal disease (gum disease) and tooth decay, it’s true. Many people think you need to “get rid of” these bad bacteria so that they won’t colonize in your mouth and cause you health problems. This isn’t true, as good bacteria have many functions in our mouths and can regulate the bad. The average person has as many as 20 billion different bacteria in their mouths. It’s impossible to have a sterile mouth, nor should you want one. These good bacteria can help you maintain excellent oral health and prevent disease!

Aids in Digestion

It’s long been said that a healthy gut is vital for a healthy body, and your digestive process begins with
your mouth! There are good bacteria in your mouth that immediately start breaking down food as soon as you start eating. This is where is becomes more important than ever to eat a healthy diet. Refined sugars can easily upset the balance of good and bad bacteria in your mouth, and therefore in your gut, where the food your friendly bacteria helped digest will travel. Eating healthy foods can promote oral health!

Helps Immune System

In many ways, our mouth is considered our body’s first line of defense. When the balance of good and bad bacteria is damaged, our immune system is weakened as the good bacteria are not there to combat the bad bacteria and help our body stay healthy. The same thing can also happen when you use harsh mouthwashes, such as those that claim to “kill” bacteria or contain alcohol. These mouth rinses kill the good bacteria as well as the bad, and this leaves more room for unregulated bad bacteria to grow, therefore damaging our oral health and our immune system.

Next time you think about all those bacteria in your mouth, don’t think they’re these negative things that you need to get rid of. Remember that good bacteria play a vital role in your oral and physical health, and keep your mouth healthy by promoting their existence with healthy dental practices!

The post Bacteria in the Mouth (It’s Not All Bad!) appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Why Do Wisdom Teeth Create Problems?

Wisdom teeth, also called “third molars”, typically erupt in early adulthood—from age 18 through the late 20s. In most cases, these teeth emerge in a healthy manner and don’t disrupt the rest of the teeth or jaw structure. However, in 30% of cases, their emergence may cause problems. These problems can occur for several reasons:

• Your third molars only emerge partway, leaving a flap of gum covering them. This makes them difficult to clean and can lead to infection. This problem is normally caused by teeth trying to emerge without adequate space.
• Your wisdom teeth come in so far back that cleaning is difficult, leading to risks of infection
• Your wisdom teeth are impacted, or only emerge partway due to a lack of space. This can throw off your smile and cause problems later on.
• Your wisdom teeth come in crooked.

Most of the problems related to wisdom teeth come in the form of infection. See the image below for an example.

Preventing Problems

Periocoronitis, or an infection near the wisdom teeth, is the most common issue. It’s typically caused by a wisdom tooth that doesn’t have enough space to emerge, and so only emerges partway. This can lead to a flap of the gums remaining on top of the tooth, which allows infection to set in.

The most common treatment is good oral hygiene. Your dentist will often clean the area as well, and if an infection sets in may proscribe oral antibiotics. However, if this is not enough, your dentist may remove the gum flap itself or even the wisdom tooth.

If you’re having dental issues, it’s important to see your dentist as soon as possible. These problems can fester and become worse if left untreated.

Is Extraction Necessary?

There are costs and benefits associated with pulling out your wisdom teeth, and the net effect will depend on your individual issue.

Removal is fairly common for young adults, but a recent study suggested that 60% of these removals—resulting in procedures for 3 million people per year—aren’t necessary.

Apart from the cost and discomfort of surgery, there are occasional dangers associated with extraction. Paresthesia, which refers to the numbness of the cheek, lip, and tongue caused by nerve damage, is an uncommon side effect of surgery. Between 0.4% and about 8.4% of patients experience this condition. While the odds are low, it may dissuade some people from having their third molars removed. However, tooth removal can also be an important part of oral health. If your wisdom teeth are damaging other teeth, swelling your gums, or affecting your jawline, than removal is often essential. There are also cases wherein a cyst (fluid-filled sac) may grow around the tooth. This may damage the surrounding bone and tissue. If you’re experiencing pain or bleeding in the back of your mouth, this may point to problems with how your back teeth come in.

Many dentists will also remove third molars based on X-rays that show that they’re fine now but may cause problems in the future. As people age, their jaws become more rigid, which makes removal more difficult. Because of this, your dentist may recommend you remove your wisdom teeth now rather than waiting until they become a problem.

If your dentist does recommend wisdom teeth removal, you don’t always have to act right away. You may have several months to weigh the pros and cons. However, if your wisdom teeth are truly causing problems, it’s best to remove them as soon as possible.

Written by Frank Versteeg, an outreach specialist with Sonrisa Family Dental.

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Gum Disease

People who have periodontal disease, or gum disease, are more likely to have heart attacks. Gum disease is usually the result of poor oral health, such as lack of brushing or improper brushing, little to no flossing, and not visiting your dentist regularly. With gum disease, plaque that forms on your teeth that has not been brushed away can form into tartar, a hard substance that is difficult to remove. This tartar can cause inflammation of the gums, causing your gums to pull back from your teeth, bleed, and harbor infection. This inflammation can be associated with inflammation in your arteries.

Oral Bacteria

This inflammation in your arteries could be the result of bad bacteria in your mouth traveling through your blood stream. The bacteria could encourage inflammation, therefore allowing for further buildup of plaque in your arteries. This could lead to artherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Artherosclerosis is a common cause of heart attack and stroke. This link makes it more important than ever to practice good oral hygiene in your daily life. Brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist regularly helps, but speak with your dentist about proper brushing techniques as well. If you smoke, this is a great time to quit. Smoking can encourage bad bacteria to grow in your mouth and lead to gum disease.

Gingivitis

Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with gum disease, gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums, can be just as bad. Gingivitis is a prelude to gum disease and can still cause your gums to swell and bleed due to bad bacteria in the mouth, plaque, and tartar. Plaque can harden over a 24-48 hour period, meaning proper brushing once a day is enough, but brushing twice a day will alleviate your chances of getting gingivitis or gum disease even more. If you smoke or eat a lot of refined sugars in your diet or other acidic foods, brushing and rinsing with water when you can’t brush is important. Bad oral bacteria from gingivitis can make its way into your bloodstream and could potentially be harmful to blood vessels and encourage blood clot formation.

Your mouth is not a separate entity from the rest of your body—it is connected, and in a vital way. The mouth is the entryway for our nourishment and this entryway happens to be crammed with bacteria, both good and bad. By keeping up with proper oral hygiene and visiting your dentist, you can minimize bad bacteria and plaque, therefore leading to a healthy mouth and heart!

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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.

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You May Be Brushing too Hard

Let’s set the record straight— harder brushing does not equal better brushing. In fact, harder brushing can do much more damage than good. Hard brushing over time can actually wear down the enamel (the protective hard white part) of your tooth over time, therefore leading your tooth to be largely unprotected in the face of cold iced tea or hot spicy curry. After the enamel gets worn down, it exposes dentin, a soft substance that helps sustain the tooth. The dentin is linked directly to the nerve of your
tooth, and here is where your sensitivity happens. Hard brushing is also bad news for your gums—it can cause gum recession, further exposing the dentin. Proper brushing involves gentler brush strokes.

You May be Grinding Your Teeth

People who grind their teeth are generally not aware of the fact that they are doing it. It can happen in our sleep, when we’re blissfully unaware of the grinding taking place. The ligaments that connect the tooth to your jaw can get inflamed when you grind, as you are putting an excessive amount of force on your jaw. Your nerve then gets aggravated and makes your mouth more affected by extreme temperatures. Clenching and grinding your teeth is not healthy, and you may not even be aware that you’re doing it. Seeing your dentist can help to determine if you’re a grinder and if so, what you can do about it. Your tooth sensitivity may be a result of a clenched or grinding action that can be bad news for your whole mouth!

You May Have Tooth Decay or Gum Disease

Tooth sensitivity can affect one tooth or several—regardless of how extreme your tooth sensitivity is, it could be pointing at a larger issue. Tooth sensitivity may be the result of tooth decay or gum disease. If these problems go untreated while you’re buying sensitive toothpastes and overlooking the issue, your problem could get a lot worse without you even knowing it. The longer you wait to address your sensitivity, the more costly the solution could be. Visit your dentist to find out if you may be experiencing symptoms of gum disease or tooth decay.

Don’t just accept your sensitivity as part of your mouth health—a healthy mouth should not be painful. Instead of buying products that only mask the issue, visit your dentist to make sure your mouth is healthy. Your tooth sensitivity may be trying to tell you that you’re brushing too hard, grinding your teeth, or have a more serious issue such as tooth decay or gum disease going on.

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They’re Mini

About half the size of regular dental implants, mini dental implants are generally used for smaller teeth in your mouth. Although not always the case, many good candidates for mini dental implants lack the proper bone requirements for regular dental implants. You need an adequate amount of bone in your jaw to be able to properly support the implant. When this is impossible with regular dental implants, mini dental implants may be a great option for you.

Less Costly

Mini dental implants are also less expensive than regular dental implants. This is because the procedure does not require surgery, several dentist visits, or a screw. The anchors are placed directly in the jaw with a small hole and can stabilize your dentures and give you a full range of functionality as these mini implants can sustain a surprising amount of pressure and weight. Most mini dental implants can be installed in one simple visit, and most patients report no pain after the procedure is finished.

Faster Healing Time

Since the procedure is not as invasive and does not require a screw drilled down into your jaw, the healing time is much faster for mini dental implants than it is for regular dental implants. Of course certain healing factors still apply and you’ll need to be in good health without any gum disease and hopefully no smoking, but otherwise, your bone requirements are minimal and you should be able to easily heal up afterwards. This will help in the future too because you’ll now be able to enjoy your teeth
without worrying about food being caught in your dentures or things sliding around.

Mini dental implants can be a great alternative for regular dental implants, especially if you lack the proper bone requirements in your jaw to sustain regular dental implants. With a small size, low cost, and fast healing time, mini dental implants are a great option for a wider smile.

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