Winter is coming, and if you are anything like us, you are likely busy preparing for the holidays to celebrate with family and friends.

Because this time of year is so busy, it’s easy to overindulge in your favorite annual treats while tempted to slack on your daily oral hygiene care. But that’s a bad combination, and you really don’t want to start the new year with poor teeth and gums! We have two tips to help you take advantage of the goodness of this special season while protecting those precious pearly whites!

Watch Your Sweets!

Whether you love sipping hot cocoa, apple cider, red wine, or eggnog, and dining on delicious cakes, pies, and cookies, your mouth can take a big hit this time of year. Sugar is actually a double whammy as it feeds your sweet tooth (and waistline) but also feeds harmful cavity-causing oral bacteria! We recommend limiting the following indulgences:

Chewy and sticky candy: Caramels, peanut brittle, divinity and toffee, candy canes, peppermint bark, chocolate, fudge, and truffles all cling to teeth and are extra hard to remove from tooth surfaces.

Dried fruit: Healthy-seeming apricots, figs, raisins and prunes take a toll on teeth as they stick in the grooves of back teeth.

Alcohol: While tempting, liquor is often high in sugar as well as dehydrating, lessening healthy saliva production, and drying out the mouth.

If you aren’t careful, you can end up fighting cavities in the new year and spending time in a dental chair to remove hardened plaque and tartar. And if you have a dental crown, filling, or bridge, eating gummy and sticky treats can sometimes loosen a restoration and affect its performance. You can still enjoy limited amounts of your favorite goodies as long as you follow up by rinsing your mouth well and brushing and flossing thoroughly. The holidays are not the time to skip your daily oral hygiene care, no matter how tired you are or how busy your day is. Trust us; your teeth will thank you!

Oral Protection While Playing Sports

No matter what time of year, keeping your mouth safe from harm is crucial (especially when you are participating in recreational activities). A mouthguard covers your teeth and gums to prevent and lessen potential injury to your teeth, arches, lips, and gums. They work by distributing force over all of your teeth, so one or more teeth don’t end up bearing the brunt of an impact. Wearing a sports guard can help you prevent these mishaps:

• Cracked, broken or knocked-out teeth
• Cuts or bites in soft oral tissues
• Jaw fracture or break
• Limit the effects of a concussion as mouth guards pad the upper and lower rows of teeth

The easiest way to protect your mouth is to always wear any protective gear recommended for your sport and wear an athletic guard during your participation in said sport. Whether you’re enjoying indoor activities like wall rock climbing or ice skating at a rink or the great outdoors skiing, snowboarding or sledding down a hill (whatever your holiday sport of choice), remember to protect your smile!

You can get a simple boil and bite mouthguard at any sporting goods store or an over-the-counter version from a drugstore. You can also choose a custom-made mouth guard that offers optimal protection, comfort and ease of breathing. The most important thing is to wear your guard whenever you are participating in your activity, indoors or outdoors!

The Gift of a Healthy Smile

Your smile is so important. It’s the gateway to good overall health as it allows you to chew healthy food, sing carols and kiss your loved ones under the mistletoe! With the right precautions, you can enjoy the holidays while keeping your mouth healthy and strong so you can smile well into the new year. From our family to yours, we wish you and your loved ones all the very best this holiday season! Please call us if you have any concerns about your smile!

The post Protect Your Smile From Dental Trauma During the Holidays! first appeared on Pearl Family Dentistry.

September is National Gum Care Month, and it is a big deal for your oral health. Good oral health is the foundation to a healthy-looking, self-confident appearance when it comes to your smile. By ensuring healthy teeth and gums – because when it comes to tooth loss, it is not just from tooth decay and cavities – periodontal disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults! It is why your daily oral hygiene care (combined with regular dental checkups) is crucial to getting the healthy, beautiful smile you want and deserve.

Progressive Disease

As National Gum Care Month gets into full swing this month, we want to encourage you to get your biannual checkup and cleaning. If you have not already, book an appointment today. We can spot and stop gum disease in its tracks.

Gingivitis

Gum disease starts as gingivitis as bacterial infection sets into your gums. It happens if you don’t brush and floss that harmful oral bacteria away, so it builds up into plaque, a sticky bacterial film you can feel when running your tongue across your teeth. If left unchecked, gingivitis continues to thrive until it forms deep gum pockets where it deteriorates gum tissue from inflammation, bleeding, and pain. When gingivitis is found, treatment can be done, and your gums can heal. You might have gum disease if you see the following:

• Red, bleeding gums
• Gum pain
• Sour taste in your mouth
• Mouth sores that won’t heal

Periodontitis

If your gum is aggressive, your gum tissue recession steadily worsens. It can also happen in young people because of vitamin deficiency (rather than just bacterial infection). Any advancing gum disease needs treatment as early as possible to avoid losing your teeth to periodontitis. And it is not just because unhealthy teeth and gums make you look older or because replacing teeth is costly; it is because it affects your smile and your body! Gum inflammation travels through your bloodstream to cause additional inflammatory conditions in your body, including heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune issues.

So what can you do to ensure healthy gums?

Address oral bacteria build-up

Daily brushing, flossing and using an antibacterial mouthwash help minimize germs. Otherwise, they collect and harden from plaque into tartar or calculus. Do not neglect to brush or scrape your tongue every day because it is a large surface that can hold onto bacteria. Your routine dental checkups and cleanings help get rid of tartar and calculus using special instruments. We can even recommend some devices you can use to remove oral bacteria from your teeth and tongue.

Build up your body’s immune system

Help your body resist infection so it can’t strengthen and spread. You will need vitamin C to lower inflammation (which can cause red, bleeding gums). Eat fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, berries, and leafy greens. You can get Vitamin B12 from milk, eggs, and meat, as well as B12 from fortified bread, pasta, and cereals. Omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil and fish are great sources) also fight inflammation and boost gum health. If your diet is restricted, you can also take supplements for vitamin C, B12, and Omega 3.

Seeking Help

If you have noticed that your gums are bleeding and regular, gentle flossing around the gum line and between teeth is not helping, you may need treatment. Depending on the stage of gum disease you are fighting, you may need to visit a dentist, periodontist, or endodontist to stop the bleeding and make sure your gums are not receding or leading to bone loss and tooth loss.

This year, do not let gum disease cause tooth loss in your smile. You can achieve healthy teeth and gums. Our experienced team is here to help ensure your smile and overall health are as healthy as possible!

The post September Is National Gum Care Month. Do You Know How To Protect Your Gums for a Healthier Smile? first appeared on Pearl Family Dentistry.

Did you know that a big investment you can make in your overall health and self-confidence is to make sure you have a healthy smile? June 15th is National Smile Power Day, and it’s a great time to become more aware of the many benefits of having a healthy, confident smile wherever you go!

The Psychology and Physiology of Smiling

Did you know that when you smile, it can trigger your autonomic nervous system to release endorphins into your blood? It triggers your body to release dopamine and serotonin, which act as natural pain relievers. Smiling also reduces your blood pressure levels (thank the happy hormone for that), so it has the power to relieve stress, help you relax, boost your immune system, and, when done habitually, even increase your odds of living longer!

In addition, it also helps whoever sees it to feel that same “happy hormone!” Smiling can make whoever you smile at feel better while also boosting their morale and helping them feel more confident. Smiling can be contagious, and at least half of the folks you smile at will reward you with one back. Who knew a simple smile which can produce anywhere and anytime was this powerful? We agree with the Buddhist author, Thich Nhat Hanh, that “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Did You Know?

• There are many different smiles, including the closed-lip smile, smirk smile, lop-sided smile, flirtatious smile, and open mouth smile.
• When it comes to learning facial expressions, a baby’s smile is one of the first ones they master!
• Smiling means the same thing anywhere you go in the world, which is why you often hear the familiar phrase, “When you smile, the world smiles with you!”
• Smiling people come across more confident and looking younger as the smiling facial muscles raise the face, making the cheeks, jowls, and neck look smoother.
• Women tend to smile more than 60 times a day while their male counterparts smile less than ten times a day!
• Most people think that having a bad-looking smile can harm their career goals.

Smile For Your Health and Success

No wonder smiling is such a good thing for your mental and physical well-being! It’s good for your social and career life, so smile more often. After all, it’s free so why not give the gift of a smile to others, brightening your day as well as theirs. This National Smile Power Day, why not share the hashtag #NationalSmilePowerDay in your online communications and tell a good joke or two. If you’re just not feeling the smile bug, try writing down some of the things you are grateful for onto some sticky notes and placing them around your home or office. Before you know it, you might catch yourself smiling!

Smile Boosting Tips

Your oral health is the first step to a more confident smile as it impacts your overall health. If not taken care of, you are at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and bruxism (where you grind your teeth while you sleep). You will also want to brush with a good toothbrush, floss daily and visit our team twice a year for cleanings. Limit sugary foods and beverages, especially tooth-staining drinks like coffee, tea, and red wine. Drink enough water throughout the day to protect your smile and follow a balanced, nutritious diet so your teeth and gums get the nutrients they need to thrive.

We also recommend giving yourself the gift of a confident smile if you don’t already have one. Your dentist can be one of your best friends when it comes to reaching your smile goals. Give us a call if your smile needs some love, whether it’s just getting your next dental cleaning, a teeth whitening treatment, or a smile makeover. Our team is excited to help you smile!

The post Smile With Us on National Smile Power Day on June 15th! first appeared on Pearl Family Dentistry.

Winter is almost here, and sports activities can find a way to bring a dental emergency into your life during the busy holiday season. Whether you are skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, swimming, or surfing, accidents can happen. It can mean running into a tree while sledding, falling on your face at an ice skating rink, or knocking a tooth out on your surfboard. Your mouth can sustain a dental emergency all year round!

Protecting Your Smile

Whether you are out having fun hitting the snow-covered hills, playing hockey with friends, or even celebrating the season with friends, you usually are not thinking about how you can prevent a dental emergency. It’s what you can do beforehand that will really count! Protecting your smile is as easy as wearing the right gear for your recreational activity, whether that’s a mouth guard, face cage, or helmet.

So, what happens when the unthinkable happens? Seeking help right away can help stop your oral pain and lower the risk of having permanent oral damage. During business hours, calling our office is simple, but what if you have an accident on a holiday, weekend, or in the middle of the night that can’t wait? It might require getting help from an emergency room visit. But first, let’s look at what constitutes a dental emergency.

What Is a Dental Emergency?

Some emergencies can wait until the next morning, but others could result in a lost adult tooth if treatment is not sought out immediately. Ask yourself the following to make that assessment:

• Do you have severe pain along with bleeding?
• Do you have a partially dislodged or knocked-out adult tooth?
• Do you have a loose permanent tooth (but no pain)?
• Do you have an oral abscess or infection combined with swelling in the mouth or face?
• Do you have a severely bitten tongue or lip?
• Do you have a cracked or broken tooth?
• Have you lost a dental crown or filling?
• Do you have an object stuck between your teeth that shouldn’t be?
• Have you broken your jaw from trauma/injury?

Please call us right away if you have any of those conditions, and if you can’t reach us for emergency dental care, visiting the ER is your next best option.

What Is Not a Dental Emergency?

The easiest question you can ask yourself here is, “Can you wait to see your dentist in the next day or so?” It means that a chipped tooth that isn’t causing you pain can be delayed, but a chipped or cracked tooth that hurts or has sharp bits that hurt cannot wait. Sometimes, even a painful toothache can safely wait if it is not accompanied by an abscess or facial swelling, bumps on your gum tissue, or a rising fever. Losing a filling or crown can typically wait several days if necessary.

Dental emergencies benefit from remembering to stay calm. Knowing what to do beforehand can help facilitate that needed self-control, especially when pain is combined with stress, making it harder to think clearly. When should you visit an emergency room if you can’t reach our dentist?

Visiting Your Nearest Emergency Room

• You’ve sustained an injury to your head or eye
• You’ve suffered a concussion and are experiencing confusion
• You’ve broken a bone or dislocated a joint in your jaw
• You have a cut or facial laceration likely to require multiple stitches

When it comes to your oral health, remember to never ignore dental injuries, illnesses, or conditions. Sometimes a problem can wait until you see your dentist, but many times, early intervention is necessary. When in doubt, call our office to make sure! And if you can’t reach us after hours, please seek help at your local ER.

In between dental visits, stay on top of your oral hygiene habits to help keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong throughout the year. And if you are participating in recreational activities this winter, wear a mouth guard and helmet as needed. Speak to our team about what you can do today to prevent a dental accident. Your smile deserves your best care!

The post Don’t Let a Preventable Dental Emergency Sideline Your Oral Health first appeared on Pearl Family Dentistry.

September is National Gum Care Month, so let’s talk about everything related to gums. This month is a good time to reflect on your dental health and commit to taking better care of your gums. Sometimes, we forget your gums help keep your teeth in their place and functioning at top capacity. When your gums are damaged, you risk losing your teeth!

Protecting your gums is simple; brushing and flossing every day is part of a personal dental hygiene practice as well as keeping routine dental cleanings. This way, tartar can be removed and your teeth polished. Your gums can also be checked for signs of trouble and to treat problems early. Stick to a balanced diet to give your gums the nutrients they need to fight disease.

The Problem With Gum Disease

Treating gum disease is most effective when done in the early stage of gum disease because treatment can reverse the progress of gum disease. Once your gums are fighting serious infection, it’s harder to treat and progressively worsens. Like most things medically related, preventative care supports your oral and general health most effectively. When teeth are lost (other than teeth that are pulled for a purpose like wisdom teeth or tooth extraction procedures), the cause is often progressive gum disease. Gum disease is a common problem in our country, affecting around 67 million Americans.

Two Types of Gum Disease

Gum disease is broken down into two types. The mild version is the early stage, called gingivitis. Over time it progresses into periodontitis, a more dangerous phase. Both are caused by bacterial toxins leading to infection. In the gingivitis stage, you’ll see your gums as red, swollen, painful, and bleeding. In the later stage, you’ll see infection from inflammation in the gums, ligaments, and bone surrounding the teeth loosening teeth that either fall out or need to be removed from bone loss.

Gingivitis

We urge you to tell your dentist right away if you notice that your gums are bleeding, find sores in your mouth, have gum pain or find yourself with an unpleasant taste in your mouth along with bad breath. Having your gums checked and treated right away will help them stay healthier, longer, and with minimal damage.

Periodontitis

Advancing periodontitis involves rapid gum recession. This version often appears with young people having a growth spurt. They may be deficient in vitamins that protect the gums, rather than being overrun by bad oral bacteria. Once gum disease advances because of periodontitis, you may see spurts of infection mingled with improvement as you receive treatment. But gum disease affects the rest of your health, not just your mouth. As a systemic disease, gum disease will spread through your bloodstream to other organs in the body, resulting in inflammation related to diabetes, heart disease and even autoimmune issues.

Preventing Gum Disease

Avoiding gum disease means stopping bacterial plaque in the mouth that leaves a sticky film coating your teeth that you can feel when you run your tongue across them. Brushing twice a day for two minutes each session – followed by flossing – removes harmful bacteria to keep it from building up and hardening into tartar. Some tartar buildup is inevitable around the gum line, and this is one of the main reasons you see your dentist for a professional cleaning every six months. As gingivitis progresses and the gums start to recede from the teeth, bacterial plaque hardens into tartar inside the pockets around the teeth. Without intervention, the bone and ligaments keeping your teeth in position continue to deteriorate until they loosen.

Keep your gums pink and healthy by using a soft-bristled toothbrush (replacing when the bristles start to fray) and enamel strengthening toothpaste. Don’t forget to floss and use an antibacterial mouthwash. Fend off dry mouth by staying hydrated throughout your day and chewing sugar-free gum or lozenges. Be sure to control diabetes if you have it, and quit tobacco use. Limit the sugar in your diet, and incorporate more nutrient-dense and vitamin-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and calcium.

Treating Gum Disease

National Gum Care Month is a great time to see your dentist if you have any concerns about your gums. Once gum disease is a problem for you, you may also need to see a periodontist, endodontist or oral surgeon who can help reverse gum disease. Your smile deserves the best care, so contact our team today!

The post National Gum Care Month Is a Good Reminder for You To Prevent Gum Disease first appeared on Pearl Family Dentistry.

When it comes to your smile, taking care of your teeth is an investment in your oral health that pays many dividends. With tooth loss, missing teeth can affect you in multiple ways. Even losing just one tooth can cause problems. Some of that is emotional, as people often feel self-conscious and embarrassed to smile if a prominent tooth is missing, but losing a tooth can also impact your oral health. There are a variety of reasons that a tooth may be lost.

What Causes Tooth Loss?

• Tooth decay
• Gum disease
• Dental injury
• Family history/genetics
• Poor diet
• Lax oral hygiene

Replacing a missing tooth early on is important, and it’s not just about how you look. It also impacts your mouth, jaw and body as they work together to keep you functioning. Anyone can lose teeth, not just the elderly. It often happens gradually, starting when you are younger and worsening over time if left untreated or there are no changes made.

What Happens When a Tooth Is Lost?

Each tooth is a placeholder and exists for a reason. When you lose one tooth, the rest of your teeth must work harder, placing stress on them and wearing them out sooner. As the remaining teeth shift to fill the tooth gap, it can make cleaning between them much more difficult because you can’t get in to remove harmful plaque and developing tartar. The extra space left behind from the missing tooth tends to harbor bacteria that can spread to nearby teeth. Proper brushing and flossing are essential to prevent gum disease that could lead to more tooth loss.

If a tooth is lost, you may find yourself experiencing the following:

• An altered bite alignment as the upper and lower jaws don’t meet correctly, causing problems with your jaw joint and tooth sensitivity.
• The jawbone deteriorates when the tooth root structure is gone, leaving your facial profile sunken and misshapen.
• Losing teeth can impact your diet, making it difficult to eat healthy foods when it hurts to chew and cause problems digesting your food if you’re unable to break down the foods more with your mouth.
• Pronunciation is affected, leading to slurred words, lisping, or spitting when talking.
• You can have lower confidence because of problems such as incorrect speech, chewing and appearance.

Why Choose Dental Implants?

If you have lost one or more teeth, it is important to replace them for your dental and general health. Common tooth replacement options include a fixed dental bridge, removable partial dentures and dental implants. Thanks to advances in dentistry, dental implants are considered the gold standard for tooth replacement. In particular, implants are rooted in the jaw, preserving jaw bone health by replacing the lost tooth root.

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that replaces and integrates the tooth root. While dental bridges and dentures can give you a beautiful smile, your jawbone will keep deteriorating and will require adjustment or replacement in the years ahead. It is where dental implants shine as they maintain jawbone health along with your youthful appearance by preventing the facial sagging effect that can occur with other dental options.

Dental Implants Benefits:

• They are the most stable tooth replacement because they are anchored into the jawbone.
• Won’t shift around in the mouth or fall out.
• Don’t require daily attachment with a dental adhesive like dentures do.
• Your diet stays the same with 100% bite capacity.
• Dental implants don’t require a change in brushing and flossing.
• Look and feel natural in your mouth.
• Don’t take time getting used to since they look, feel and function like your own teeth.

Implants are a three-part restoration:

1. A biocompatible titanium post is placed into the jawbone (acting as a tooth root for stability).
2. An abutment piece is attached to the top of the post (acting as a connector).
3. It is then topped with a dental crown, dental bridge or denture for optimal security.

As you can see, dental implants are most like your natural teeth. If you want help replacing the missing teeth in your smile, dental implants are a proven dental restoration that can have you speaking, eating, and looking your best once again. Give our team a call to learn more!

The post Dental Implants Are a Solution to Replacing Lost Teeth first appeared on Pearl Family Dentistry.