From Tooth Decay to Tooth Loss

    September is almost finished! Which means fall is right around the corner. It’s National Gum Care Month, and it’s a great time to brush up on routines that can keep our mouths clean and healthy. A simple action, like brushing teeth, is very beneficial to our oral health and overall wellness. Skipping out on a good oral hygiene routine can cause a lot of problems down the line. Especially choosing not to go to the dentist for checkups. That always leaves us with unnoticed problems until it’s too late. Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is a lifelong commitment that everyone should be able to do. For us to take care of our mouths and gums, first, we must go over what could happen if we don’t have the proper oral care.

    According to the National Institute of Health, our mouths can carry up to 700 strains of bacteria. So, what happens when bacteria are left to linger inside our mouths? Well, it happily feeds on the sugar from the food and drinks that we consume throughout the daily. Bacteria also likes to break down tooth enamel, which in turn, making the enamel weaker and leading to tooth decay. Tooth decay and cavities are some of the most common health problems, but this can also lead to gum disease as well. 

    Our gums are not supposed to bleed when we brush or floss our teeth. If that does happen, you may have gum disease. Gum disease is an inflammation of the gums that when left untreated can deteriorate the jawbone supporting our teeth. Gum disease starts because of the bacteria that form and stays on teeth. If the bacteria are not removed daily with brushing and flossing, the plaque builds up and the bacteria starts infecting the gums and teeth. Left untreated, teeth will eventually start to fall out or will require professional extraction. There are three stages of gum disease: gingivitis, periodontitis, and advanced periodontitis. 

• Gingivitis: This is the earliest stage of gum disease. If plaque builds up at the gum line, it will cause inflammation and the gums can become swollen and red. If the plaque is not removed, it can irritate the gum tissue that is around our teeth, which causes gingivitis. At this early stage of gum disease, you might notice bleeding gums after brushing or while flossing. If caught early enough, this stage of gum disease can be cured with your dentist.

• Periodontitis: This is the second stage of gum disease. At this stage, the tissue and the bone that holds our teeth in place are damaged. When bacteria stay on teeth long enough, plaque builds up, which then turns into tartar, and tartar is a lot harder to clean off of our teeth. At this stage of gum disease, if it is not treated, periodontitis heavily recedes the gums and tooth loss is imminent. 

• Advanced Periodontitis: This is the final and severest stage of gum disease. At this point, the tissue and the bone that hold our teeth in place are well deteriorated. The gum tissue has pulled away from teeth, which then creates pockets for even more bacteria to build up and cause further damage and infections. When this happens, it’s very easy for teeth to become dislodged and fall out. 

Now, the best way to stop gum disease is to prevent it from starting. Brushing and flossing twice per day and using fluoride toothpaste are the best we can do at home to keep gum disease from developing. However, if symptoms of gum disease are already present, visiting a dentist or a periodontist, a dentist that specializes in gum disease, is the best option for getting back on a healthy track. When you come in for a gum disease appointment, the first step is a consultation exam to develop the best treatment option to fit your needs. This may include surgical and/or non-surgical methods.

• Nonsurgical treatments: Some nonsurgical treatments can help the early stages of gum disease. Deep cleaning, where scaling and root planning are used to remove plaque and tartar from below the gum line. 

• Surgical treatments: Some of the surgical treatments that periodontists can perform to help with gum disease include bone grafting, flap surgery, and tissue regeneration.

So far, we’ve talked about oral care and what could happen if we don’t take the time to properly care of our teeth. We should know this as adults, but what about children? It’s important for children to know what they can do to take care of their teeth and gums. While conversations with your children and their health will vary by age, here are the basic examples of what to share and demonstrate with them at home:

• Brush their teeth twice a day
• Floss daily
• See the dentist regularly
• Eat healthy meals and limit sugary drinks and snacks

It has been said before that the mouth is the gateway to our overall health, so we should try to protect it as much as possible. Practicing good dental health doesn’t start at the dentist’s office, it starts with us. Us taking care of our teeth at home is where the real magic happens. Maintaining a consistent oral hygiene routine is a lifelong commitment that we can all commit to. Happy national gum care month! 

Stanford Ranch Family Dentistry

*ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS* 5800 Stanford Ranch Rd. #110
Rocklin, CA 95765
Phone: 916-435-4222

Do Toothpicks Really Belong in Your Mouth?

We use toothpicks in our daily lives, and they are useful for a lot of things. The toothpick’s job is to take food particles out from teeth and sometimes, it’s a substitute for actual floss. People also tend to grab them for other things as well. For example, they are great for craft-related projects, and we can say firsthand, those things are NOT sturdy. They can get lost very quickly and tend to break easily. Especially when we use them for the fine point tip, those are the first to go. Now, can you imagine the tip breaking in your mouth or getting lodged in your gums?! Trust us! It’s a very uncomfortable experience.

If a piece of the toothpick breaks off, try and get another set of eyes to help you find it, because those pieces can be very hard to dislodge. Those broken pieces can quickly cause inflammation and will cause damage the longer they are left inside. Remember — if you are unable to remove the broken piece(s), contact us. We’re here to help… judgement free!

Toothpicks can also cause infections in the mouth. If there’s a time where we just happen to jab our gums or even accidentally poke an area of our mouth and it bleeds, that’s a problem. Leaving an open wound untreated is leaving the mouth susceptible to infection and bacteria. Bacteria can be from outside elements or even from the toothpick itself.

Did you know that toothpicks can cause havoc on your existing dental work? They are capable of damaging veneers, Invisalign buttons, bonding, and even upending fillings. If we are rough or use toothpicks often, all of this is bound to happen and is, to simply put it, just not worth saving those few minutes vs flossing and brushing instead.

The moral of the story; toothpicks, even given their name, should not be the go-to for teeth. Toothpicks are useful for dislodging food particles from between our teeth, and while they do come in handy, they are not designed for cleaning teeth especially along the gum lines.

Here are some alternatives to using toothpicks:

–         Floss: Dental floss is the best for cleaning between the teeth. It should be used gently and should never be forced. Floss is also great to use under dental work and along our gum lines.

–         Flossers with a handle. These are handy for traveling. Do use caution as many have a tempting toothpicker at the other end!

–         Waterpik: A waterpik is a device that aims a small stream of pulsating water at teeth. Like floss, they help remove food particles from teeth. They’re also great at helping to reduce bleeding and gum disease. Anyone who wishes to get their mouths cleaner will enjoy adding the waterpik to their daily oral health routine.

Any of these options are miles above using a toothpick! Avoid infections, damage, and unnecessary dental visits. Keep the toothpicks for crafts, cleaning out crevices’ and unclogging tiny holes only.

Stanford Ranch Family Dentistry

*ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS* 5800 Stanford Ranch Rd. #110
Rocklin, CA 95765
Phone: 916-435-4222

Warning Signs & Symptoms of Heat-Related Illnesses

August is here! This means it’s time for the kids to prepare to go back to school and it is also the last call for any summer vacations! This summer has been one for the books with record-breaking heat temperatures. Whenever this season comes back around, we all must make sure that we stay safe because extreme heat can cause an array of health problems. Let’s dive into the possibilities that could happen if we are not careful with the warm weather we’re having.

• Heat exhaustion: Heat exhaustion happens when your body starts to overheat and can’t cool itself down. Heat exhaustion is more common than we think. It can be more common during any physical activity, like exercise. During physical activity, our bodies start to lose fluids when we sweat and if we don’t replace those fluids, dehydration could happen. Some examples of heat exhaustion symptoms are dizziness, fever, excessive sweating, and fatigue. 

• Heatstroke: Heatstroke is a condition that is caused by the body overheating, kind of like heat exhaustion. Long exposure to the sun can cause a heat stroke, and it can also be life-threatening if a person stays outside for too long. Usually, we can cool ourselves down by sweating, but in extreme heat, our cooling systems could fail, and heat will start to build up. Some examples of heatstroke symptoms are headaches, dizziness, disorientation, and even seizures. 

• Dehydration: Dehydration happens when we lose more fluids than what we take in. If our bodies don’t have enough water or any other fluids, it can stop functioning. When a person becomes sick with a fever, starts to vomit, or has diarrhea, that could cause dehydration. It can also occur if the person has been outside in the sun and they’re not drinking enough water. Everyone is different and everyone may experience symptoms differently. Some symptoms of dehydration might include fatigue, light-headedness, dizziness, and confusion. 

While we are looking out for ourselves this summer with the heat, we also must look out for our pets too! Pets can experience heat stroke just like we can. Pets can usually cool themselves off by panting, but they only have a few sweat glands and can’t cool themselves off by sweating like we do, so they can overheat more easily. Heatstroke can also be very common for pets if they’re left outside during hot days, but other factors can cause pets to have heatstroke as well. Some of the factors include high humidity, no access to water, and if pets are stuck in a house or car with no ventilation or air conditioning. 

Since we’ve talked about the dangers of extreme heat and how the consequences of that can affect us in different ways, now let’s talk about how we can avoid dehydration and any other heat-related illnesses. It’s very simple really. 

• Drinking water: The best way to avoid dehydration and other heat-related illnesses is to drink plenty of fluids. Drinking enough water every day is very important for our health. Our bodies are made up of 60% water and making sure to stay hydrated is very beneficial. When we’re out in the hot sun or exercising, it is very important to drink enough water to keep up with what our bodies are getting rid of. Water helps our bodies keep a normal temperature, lubricates our joints, and gets rid of wastes through urination, bowel movements, and sweating. 

Sometimes we find ourselves forgetting to drink enough water throughout the day. Here are some tips so we can remember to drink enough:

• Always carry a water bottle with us and remember to refill it periodically.
• Start choosing water instead of sugary drinks, especially when we’re eating meals.
• Add some flavor to our water. We can add a wedge of lemon or limes to our water to help improve the taste and it can help us drink more water than we usually do.

Believe it or not, drinking water is good for our teeth as well, especially if it’s with fluoride! Drinking water with fluoride is one of the easiest ways to prevent cavities. Here are some other ways that drinking water is beneficial to our teeth: 

• It keeps our mouths clean: When we’re eating meals, it is very easy for us to want to pick up a soda to wash down whatever we were eating, but that can also leave unwanted sugar in our teeth. The bacteria in our mouths would love to eat the sugar and produce acid that can break down our enamel. Water washes away any left-over food in our mouths, which means the bacteria can’t find any sugar to break down. Drinking water throughout the day can keep our mouths cavity-free, and always brushing our teeth two times a day. 

• It fights dry mouth: Our mouths are filled with saliva. Saliva is our mouth’s defense against tooth decay. It washes away leftover food just like water and it keeps our teeth strong by washing them with calcium, fluoride, and phosphate. 

Who knew that drinking water can be very beneficial to our health and even help save our teeth in the process? This summer has been a hot one and it’ll keep getting hotter. While we are all outside in the sun having the most fun as we can, it is very important to drink enough water as we can throughout the day. Have fun and stay safe out there! 

Stanford Ranch Family Dentistry

*ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS* 5800 Stanford Ranch Rd. #110
Rocklin, CA 95765
Phone: 916-435-4222