Tag: dental problems

things that make bad teeth and gums

Things That Make Bad Teeth & Gums More Likely

Posted on | by mel | Leave a Comment on Things That Make Bad Teeth & Gums More Likely

How to Avoid Cavities and Gum Disease

Although your teeth are very hard, there are some things that you do that can damage your teeth and gums. Some of them can lead to rapid tooth decay and dental caries (cavities). By avoiding those things, it may be possible for you to prevent dental decay. 

 

The Cause of Dental Decay

One of the main causes of teeth problems is the bacteria in your mouth. There are more than 700 kinds of bacteria that are usually present in your oral cavity – your mouth. Some of them are good for your teeth, some do not make a difference, and some are really bad for your pearly whites. 

The bad bacteria in your mouth are largely what cause tooth decay. It accumulates every day as a white film on your teeth. It is called plaque. The reason it is bad is that when you eat carbs and sugars, thistheseteria turn it into acid. The acid erodes the enamel on your teeth. It is also the bacteria that cause gum disease. 

The other primary cause of tooth decay – which you control – is how much sugar you consume daily. The more sugar you eat, the more acid there will be in your mouth. If you sip sodas and specialty coffees all day, you are exposing your teeth to destructive acid all day. Some sodas have as much as nine teaspoons of sugar in each can – and their own acids. 

 

How to Prevent Tooth Decay

Preventing tooth decay is largely in your hands. It is you that must take action to prevent it. Here are some steps that will show you how to prevent cavities. 

  • Reduce Your Sugar Intake

Because the bad bacteria that produce the acid will always be in your mouth, you need to cut back on your sugar intake. Most Americans consume much more sugar than is healthy. Natural sugars really do not pose a problem, but the added artificial or refined sugars do. The American Heart Association (AHA) reveals that men should not eat more than 150 calories of added sugar per day (9 teaspoons), and women should not eat more than 100 calories each day (6 teaspoons).

 

Dry Mouth

When you have a dry mouth, this can damage your teeth and gums. The main reason is that saliva also helps to keep the bad bacteria under control. It washes some of it off your teeth and it also provides some minerals to help strengthen your teeth. A dry mouth will lead to cavities and gum disease if allowed to persist. 

You can reduce your dry mouth symptoms by making sure you are hydrated, and by sipping water throughout the day. Some liquids are diuretics, which mean they help you eliminate water from your body. Coffee, tea, alcohol, and drinks with a lot of sugar in them will all have this effect. They will dry out your mouth more than if you drank regular water. 

 

Not Eating Healthy Foods

Besides being heavy on the sugars and carbs, many foods that Americans regularly eat usually lack enough nutrients to keep family members healthy. The vitamins and minerals you gain by eating more fruits and vegetables help to stop tooth decay by ensuring that your body has enough of the right nutrients to strengthen your teeth. The same nutrients will also strengthen your immune system and help it to fight off gum disease and oral cancers. 

Some foods are healthy for your teeth because they provide the nutrients your teeth need, or they help control the bad bacteria. Cheese and yogurt, apples, and leafy greens are among the most beneficial.

 

Lack of Proper Oral Hygiene

Developing good oral hygiene habits can help your teeth to last longer. Brushing your teeth twice a day will remove the plaque from your teeth. In order to do it right, though, you need to brush for at least two minutes each time. Flossing is also necessary because it will remove the food, sugars, and bacteria, from in between your teeth. 

Proper oral hygiene can also help you prevent gum disease. It will keep the bacteria away from your teeth, and help prevent inflammation, too. 

 

Sticky Foods

Foods that are sticky, such as candies and sweets, are also bad for your teeth. Sticky foods enable the bad bacteria to produce acid directly on your tooth’s surface for longer periods of time. These foods will also stay in between your teeth longer and they are harder to remove. 

 

Get Regular Dental Checkups

When you want to prevent tooth decay, it is largely up to you. However, if and when dental problems do develop, you want them taken care of quickly. Regular visits to the dentist can enable problems to be spotted quickly – and treated quickly. This helps to minimize both the work that needs to be done and the cost. Letting problems become worse will only mean it will cost more to repair it. 

Looking for routine dental checkup in Farmers branch, Texas? Call 214-747-0763 , Champion Dental  Free First Exam + Free Whitening for Life* -* Terms & Conditions Apply

guide to healthy teeth

How-To Guide To Healthy Teeth

Posted on | by mel | Leave a Comment on How-To Guide To Healthy Teeth

Steps You Need to Take to Keep a Beautiful Smile

guide to healthy teeth

When thinking about health, most people do not think much about caring for the health of your teeth. The truth is there is a definite connection between having a healthy mouth and having a healthy body. This how to guide will present an overview of what you need to keep your healthy teeth.  

 

Brush Your Teeth

Brushing your teeth and flossing form the basic two things that serve as a starting place for healthy teeth. You need to brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time and floss them once a day – preferably before you go to bed. 

 

Gum Disease

The bacteria in your mouth will form a film (plaque) on your teeth every so many hours. This is constantly occurring and brushing your teeth will remove it from the surface of your teeth, and flossing removes it from in between your teeth. 

When you eat sweets and sugar-laden drinks, it causes the bad bacteria in your mouth to multiply. When it does, it produces an acid that starts attacking the enamel on your teeth. Without the proper care, the bacteria will continue to create dental problems. Your healthy gums will start to show signs of gum disease, which in the early stages are revealed by bleeding gums when you brush your teeth, they may possibly be inflamed, and your gums may be noticeably receding.

In more advanced stages, gum disease becomes periodontitis, which causes more adults to lose their teeth than any other cause. The same bacteria involved in the more mild form of gum disease (gingivitis) continues producing acid that destroys your gums, the structures that hold your teeth in place, and your jawbone. Only a periodontist can help restore your gums and teeth at this point – and it will be very costly. 

 

Why Healthy Teeth and Gums Are Important

Recent research has discovered that the bacteria that cause gum disease and inflammation are also a major factor in as many as 50 different diseases and health problems. Among them are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke. Several types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, COPD, pregnancy complications, and many more are caused by these same bacteria. 

 

Eat Healthy Foods

The acids and sugars in many foods attack the enamel on your teeth, which leads to a process called demineralization. This means it is actually removing important minerals from your teeth, weakening the enamel and even making holes in it. By eating balanced healthy foods, your teeth can be remineralized and strengthened. Both processes are constantly occurring, but healthy eating helps ensure that the right vitamins and minerals are available. 

The right kind of nutrition is also necessary to help your immune system. When healthy, your immune system can help fight off both gum disease and some oral cancers. Both of them are apt to grow faster when you do not get enough of the right kind of nutrition. 

Smoking, or using chewing tobacco or even e-cigs, weakens the immune system in your mouth. This is why dental work on smokers takes longer to heal, and it is also why many smokers develop oral cancer. 

 

Teeth Cleaning

Making regular visits to the dentist is also important to keep healthy teeth. The dentist can spot dental problems in their early stages and treat them, which could easily prevent the need for more costly treatments later on. As the dentist provides regular teeth cleaning, they can also tell you about spots you may be missing in your own dental care. 

In between teeth cleanings, there may be other times when you should contact your dentist. These include occasions when you notice:

  • Red or tender gums that may also bleed when you brush.
  • Your gums are pulling away from your teeth.
  • Your teeth become sensitive to hot and cold.
  • Bad breath that you cannot prevent.
  • Some teeth are becoming loose.
  • Sores in your mouth are not healing.
  • Your teeth do not align the same way.
  • Your dentures or partials do not fit the same way.
  • You have difficulty when swallowing.

 

Be Careful of Drugs

The illegal kind of drugs can contain many harmful types of chemicals that will help destroy your teeth fast. They contain acids that will weaken your teeth’s enamel quickly, leading to serious cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss.

Even prescription drugs can harm your teeth. Some drugs, such as some antibiotics, can lead to discoloring them. If you are taking a drug that seems to be discoloring your teeth, see if your doctor can prescribe an alternative medication. 

In order to maintain your healthy teeth and gums, you need the regular assistance of a dentist. If you live in Farmers Branch, TX all you need to do is call 214-747-0763 , Champion dental clinic  for your regular dental check ups and affordable oral care. Make Champion Dental as your preferred dentistry for all your family dental needs.

Dental Health for Young Adults

Posted on | by mel | 3 Comments on Dental Health for Young Adults

Why young adults need ongoing dental care

People of every age have certain dental needs and each group requires some unique dental care. The nature of the oral cavity changes over the years. For young adults between the ages of 19 to 24, who has just left home to live on their own, or are in a college dorm or military barracks, you should know that if your teeth are going to stay healthy, you need to be aware of those changes and the dental care needed to meet them. 

 

Dental care for young adults

Developing Good Oral Hygiene Habits

Failing to take care of your teeth properly can ruin your smile quickly. Not only will it lead to cavities, but it will also lead to gum disease – which can be costly to repair. A lack of good oral hygiene is the main cause of the development of gum disease. You can help prevent dental problems by developing a habit of brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time and flossing – preferably before you go to sleep.

After you eat sweets or anything with sugar or acid in it, you should rinse your mouth out with water afterward. Avoid brushing your teeth after consuming these foods for at least 20 minutes because the acid softens your enamel and brushing them too soon can cause tiny pieces of enamel to break off. 

Cavities

Cavities are caused by the acid that is naturally found in your mouth. While still small, getting a cavity filled is a simple task – and inexpensive. If not treated, it will lead to a sensitive tooth, and then it may require a dental crown or you may need a tooth extraction. If it is extracted, it will require a dental implant and a dental crown, or a dental bridge, replace it – very expensive. 

You have several choices of materials when you get dental fillings. White fillings are very popular today because they help your teeth to look healthy and no one will know you needed one. They will last between five to seven years. Amalgam fillings are cheaper but they will last a long time.

Wisdom Teeth

You can expect your wisdom teeth to come in between the ages of 17 and 25. They may or may not be a problem, but having a dentist check your wisdom teeth and their position is a good idea. An x-ray will need to be taken and the dentist will be able to tell if they can be left alone or if one or more should be removed. Wisdom teeth can come in sideways, be impacted (buried in bone), and cause other problems such as developing an infection or gum disease. It is best, and safer, to have a wisdom tooth extraction before age 25 because it becomes more complicated as you get older.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is a problem that starts small but can quickly become a very big and expensive dental problem. The first symptoms of gum disease are gums that are inflamed and bleed when you brush or floss them. With regular daily brushing and flossing, you can eliminate it at this stage. 

If your oral hygiene does not improve, it will become periodontitis – a much more serious problem. Gum disease is caused by bacteria in your mouth that get out of control. It gets into your gums through the tartar (hardened plaque) on your teeth. The acid irritates the gums and starts an immune reaction that will not stop until treated by a dentist. 

The symptoms of periodontitis include receding gums, spaces developing between your teeth, pus at the gum line, pain when you bite, loose teeth, and your teeth may even fall out. These symptoms occur because your immune system attacks your gums, the support structures for your teeth, and the jawbone. 

Eating for Healthy Teeth

It can be easy to live off of fast food between these ages. If you are in college, you naturally want something easy to fix or obtain because time is always an issue. The problem with this is that your teeth need healthy foods to be able to fight off gum disease and cavities. 

Several types of food will ruin your teeth quickly. If you eat a lot of foods that are high in sugar, it will promote the growth of the bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities and gum disease. Since the bacteria feed on sugar, drinking sodas and specialized coffees all day will quickly make the matter worse. 

In addition to sugar, sodas and fruit juices also contain acid. Along with the acid from the bacteria, it will erode the enamel faster and cause cavities sooner. The acid also demineralizes some of the minerals out of the enamel. Eating a healthy diet helps to remineralize your teeth with the needed minerals and keeps them strong. If you have spots on your teeth that are chalky white, your teeth are demineralizing faster than they are remineralizing. which means tooth decay has started. 

Smoking

Lighting up that cigarette is going to do more than stain your teeth. Nicotine also reduces the flow of blood in your gums, which also reduces the effectiveness of your gum’s immune system to fight off gum disease and oral cancer. Many people who smoke or use tobacco products have gum disease and they have it worse than people who do not smoke.

Smoking and Teeth

Alcohol

Alcohol will also hurt your teeth. Red wine will stain them, and alcohol, in general, will dry out your mouth. Your saliva will normally help to reduce the acid and bacteria on your teeth, but a dry mouth enables more bacteria and acid to develop above normal levels in your mouth.

Women’s Issues

When young women are going through their period or are pregnant, there are changes taking place in the hormone levels that will affect their teeth and gums. You may develop gum disease during these occasions and dental visits are recommended (especially when pregnant) to keep it under control. 

dental surgeon for young adults