Tips For A Smile-Friendly Summer!

Posted on Jun 29, 2015 by William J. Claiborne, DDS MS

Ahhhh…. summertime! We all look forward to an opportunity to spend time outdoors with friends and family. These outings are often surrounded by food. Here are some helpful tips to keep your mouth healthy.

Being ‘swim suit ready’ has some trying juice diets. Juices are high in sugar and an ideal food for oral bacteria. Sugar also creates an acid attack in your mouth, which can lead to cavities.

Around the grill, take note of the sauce that’s coating your chicken and ribs. That gooey, barbeque sauce is probably heavy on the sugar. Consider having your helping sans the sauce!

Some foods are high in acid, primarily tomatoes and citrus. Since these foods are ‘in season’ in the summer, we tend to consume them more often. In addition to acid’s challenges to enamel, keep in mind that citrus also contains sugar.

Having chips or pretzels and a cooler of drinks are often part of an outing to the pool or lake. Sugary drinks, including colas and sport beverages are most likely full of sugar and also sipped over a long period of time. An acid attack in your mouth will begin with the first drink and last for the duration it’s consumed. Add to that 20 or so more minutes for the acid attack to subside when you’re finished.

The next time you eat chips or other starchy snack, notice how it becomes sticky in your mouth. Bacteria go nuts on these foods because they convert into sugar, their favorite food. This sticky substance can become trapped between teeth, allowing bacteria to indulge even longer.

As you enjoy the warm weather and its fun outdoors, remember the well being of your smile. Here are some tips to help you:

– Drink lots of water! It’s good for you and helps in the production of saliva, which cleanses the mouth.

– Swish with water after drinking or eating.

– An acid attack occurs every time you eat or drink so limit between meal treats. If you want a cola, for example, have it with a meal since an acid attack will already be underway.

– Snack wisely and read the labels on sauces, dressings, etc. Sugar in high content appears in some surprising ways.

– Brush twice daily, however, don’t brush immediately after eating. Wait 30 minutes for the acid attack in your mouth to subside to keep abrasion off enamel.

You CAN prevent the need for dental repairs with simple steps. Also, be sure to maintain your dental exams every six months.

Extra Attention To Oral Health Needed For Diabetics

Posted on May 18, 2015 by William J. Claiborne, DDS MS

Diabetics face a number of challenges every day, including greater health risks. Diabetes can damage the kidneys, eyes, heart and nerves. However, many are unaware of the higher risk for periodontal (gum) disease.

Gum disease attacks gum tissues and tooth supporting bone structures. In early stages, gum disease symptoms cause tender gums that bleed when brushing and persistent bad breath. As the disease progresses, it can lead to painful chewing and eventual tooth loss.

As the nation’s leading cause of adult tooth loss, periodontal disease also increases your risk for serious problems elsewhere in the body. Like diabetes, gum disease can create an inflammatory reaction in the body. Research has linked gum disease bacteria with heart disease, stroke, preterm babies, and memory loss.

Dry mouth is often a symptom of diabetes even before it is diagnosed. Dry mouth occurs when you do not have enough saliva to keep your mouth moist. Saliva is your body’s oral cleanser that moves bacteria out of the mouth. Dry mouth can cause tender and sore gums, ulcers, infections and cavities. For diabetics who smoke, these problems are far worse.

To prevent gum disease and other health risks, controlling blood glucose levels is highly important. Those with poor glucose control are more prone to gum disease and have it at more severe levels than people with controlled diabetes.

If you are diabetic, you CAN put the odds for a healthy mouth in your favor. Control your glucose, brush twice a day, floss daily and have regular dental check-ups. If you are experiencing symptoms of gum disease, call us at (828) 274-9440 for an appointment. Once gum disease is underway, it will only worsen without treatment.

Read Label Before Purchasing Mouthwash

Posted on May 08, 2015 by William J. Claiborne, DDS MS

Mouthwash is a common component of many oral hygiene routines at home. For many patients, we recommend certain mouthwashes for their ability to kill oral bacteria, add fluoride, and treat particular mouth sores. Too, some mouthwashes are advised following extraction of teeth to curtail bacteria in areas where brushing must be postponed.

While many people assume mouthwash is a beneficial addition to brushing and flossing, not all are recommended by our office. Some mouthwashes contain alcohol, which dries out oral tissues. Even though alcohol kills oral bacteria, it also serves as a drying agent. This actually increases your risk for cavities and bad breath since alcohol decreases saliva flow.

Saliva is the mouth’s natural cleanser, keeping oral tissues moist and moving bacteria (and food particles that cause bacterial growth) out of the mouth. Some medications, smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages can also lead to dry mouth.

Additionally, it is suspected that regular use of mouthwash containing alcohol can lead to dental erosion.

Mouthwashes that contain alcohol have also come under fire for increasing the risk of oral cancer. Although these findings are still in research stages, it is suspected that alcohol becomes a carcinogen in the mouth, which is a cancer causing agent. Researchers have found that oral cancer risk is five times higher for those using alcohol-containing mouthwashes, even if they are non-smokers.

Like any product, always read the label of mouthwash before purchasing. Look for alcohol-free types and those with fluoride additives. Use after brushing and flossing and practice a gargling action to get the mouthwash to the back of your mouth. Since the back of your tongue harbors more oral bacteria than the front, consider using a tongue scraper prior to mouthwash. This loosens oral bacteria that are embedded in the tongue’s surface. You can also brush your tongue with your toothbrush following teeth brushing.

Remember, any mouthwash use is an addition to brushing and flossing, never as a replacement. However, certain mouthwashes can help keep your breath fresher, decrease your risk for cavities and support your oral health overall. Swish away!

Too Old For Dental Implants? No, Unless You Smoke!

Posted on Apr 29, 2015 by William J. Claiborne, DDS MS

Dental Implants are nothing new, having first ‘formally’ emerged in the 1950’s. Over the past few decades, they have been perfected to provide a dependable tooth replacement system. There are now many types of Dental Implants, designed to accommodate various needs and preferences. While Dental Implants are designed to last a lifetime (having up to a 98% success rate), like anything that’s not a natural part of the body, there is a potential for failure.

Dental Implants are highly beneficial, restoring one’s natural ability to bite and chew comfortably. Because they recreate stimulation to the jaw bone like that of natural tooth roots, they also help to halt bone loss. This bone loss can contribute to the loss of neighboring teeth as well as changes in facial appearance. If you’ve seen someone with a mouth that seems collapsed into the face, this ‘granny look’ is a common result of bone loss due to missing tooth roots.

Any age can have a successful outcome with Dental Implants. Extended studies have shown that age is not a factor in implant success, with an equal success rate in younger and older patients. For example, a study of 133 adults over the age of 80 and having no teeth showed that the elderly patients had treatment results comparable to those achieved in younger age groups. The factors that enhance one’s potential to have a successful outcome, at any age, are having healthy gums and enough bone to hold the implant. Patients must also be committed to good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups.

What is a significant contributor to implant failure is smoking. Studies have shown that smokers have more calculus (tartar) than nonsmokers. Calculus is a cement-like buildup on teeth that is an intense accumulation of oral bacteria. When gum tissues are already battling a bacterial onslaught, their ability to accept Dental Implants and enable successful healing is not good.

In studies, smokers were 3 – 6 times more likely to have gum diseases than nonsmokers. Smoking dries out oral tissues in the mouth and decreases the production of saliva. Likely due to less saliva and constricted blood flow, smokers have less gum bleeding and redness. This can lead to the assumption that they have healthy gums. Smoking also hinders healing in your mouth, making treatment much more difficult.

To illustrate this point, one study found that smokers were twice as likely as nonsmokers to lose teeth in the five years after completing treatment for gum disease. Smokers also don’t respond as well to oral surgery treatments. Dental implants are much more likely to fail in people who smoke, because of poor bone healing.

Researchers who have studies how tobacco smoke affects oral tissues say it appears to interfere with the body’s natural ability to fight disease and promote healing. Apparently, smoking affects the way gum tissue responds to all types of treatment, possibly due to tobacco chemicals that interfere with blood flow to the gums. This slows the healing process and makes treatment results less favorable.

Pipe and cigar smokers and those who use smokeless tobacco are just as likely to have Dental Implant complications than those who smoke cigarettes. According to a study at Temple University, 18% of former cigar or pipe smokers had moderate to severe gum disease, three times the amount found in non-smokers.
Pipe smokers have rates of tooth loss similar to cigarette smokers.

The Surgeon General has good news for those wanting (or trying to) quit smoking. A recent study reported that people who had quit smoking 11 years prior had nearly the same rate of gum disease as those who never smoked.

Can’t quit? Reducing the amount you smoke can also make a difference. One study found that people who smoked over a pack and a half a day were 6 times more likely to develop gum disease than nonsmokers. Those who smoked less than a half pack per day had only 3 times the risk.

While every Dental Implant placed is intended to provide a successful outcome for a lifetime, regardless of one’s age, those who smoke need to accept the risks for failure. The first step is a thorough evaluation of your gums and assessment of bone mass to support Dental Implants. From there, we can help you take the first step towards the ability to eat the foods you love and laugh with confidence! Call (828) 274-9440 for an appointment.