Lake Oconee Dentistry Blog

ARE YOU SLEEPING AS WELL AS YOU’D LIKE? If you said “no”, you’re not alone. A 2011 poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that nearly two thirds of adults say their sleep needs are not being met. Two thirds! Even more surprising is this: your sleep deprivation may have something to do with your oral health. Really.

Sadly, we can’t solve all of your sleep problems, but there is one major sleep impediment that we CAN help with, one that you may not even know about…

Sleep Bruxism

Bruxism is defined as the involuntary or habitual grinding of teeth, typically during sleep. 70% of people demonstrate some kind of bruxing behavior, and for at least 8% of adults, it can cause major problems.

Are You A Sleeping Bruxist?

Since it usually happens during sleep, it may be hard to know if you’re grinding your teeth. Rest assured (no pun intended), here are some symptoms of bruxism you will want to watch out for:

• Constant waking while sleeping
• Regular headaches
• A sore jaw or neck
• Worn-down, flattened teeth
• Do your family members grind their teeth? Bruxism may be hereditary.

If you are experiencing any one of these things, let us know! We want to help. Your oral health, and your sleep, are important to us.

How Bruxism Affects Your Oral Health

In addition to being the third most frequent sleep disorder, bruxism can also cause major damage to your teeth and dental work. It can result in fracturing, loosening, and even tooth loss. It also puts a lot of strain on your jaw and cranial muscles, which can lead to more serious problems. So, and perhaps most importantly, let’s talk about prevention.

How To Avoid Teeth Grinding

1. Cut back on caffeine, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use.
2. Don’t chew on anything that is not food (pencils and pens are for writing).
3. If you suspect that anxiety contributes to your bruxism, ask us, or your doctor, about options to help reduce stress.
4. Consider a night mouth guard (a well-fitting night guard can relieve strain, cause your jaw to relax at night, and greatly reduce grinding and clenching).

Other Tips For A Better Night’s Sleep

If you have any questions about night guards, or about the effects of bruxism, call us. We want to help you get the beauty rest and the beautiful smile you deserve. You can also comment below, or on our Facebook page. We love hearing from you!

Thank you for being our valued patients and friends.

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE are keeping their original teeth well into their old age. It’s fantastic! However, it’s really important to understand the special attention needed to maintain a healthy smile when you’re 60+ years of age. Whether you fall in that category, or you care for someone who is elderly, there are a few things below that we want to be sure our senior patients know.

Dry Mouth Can Increase Cavity And Gum Disease Risks

Dry mouth (xerostomia) affects many seniors. Lower saliva flow is often a function of aging. In addition, many medications can also cause dry mouth. Without the cleansing, pH balancing and remineralizing that saliva helps take care of, one’s oral health isn’t as protected as it could be.

Treat dry mouth by occasionally sucking on a sugarless mint or chewing sugarless gum to encourage saliva flow. Swishing water regularly can also help keep one’s mouth clean and better hydrated.

It’s True… An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure

Flossing Can Be More Important Than Ever

For some people over 60, their ability to fight infections like gingivitis isn’t as strong as it once was. Some studies show that unhealthy gums can leave the rest of the body vulnerable to other inflammatory diseases—including heart disease or stroke. Even Alzheimer’s and dementia have been potentially linked to this problem.

So please make sure that you’re flossing (or that the person you care for is flossing)—not just for one’s oral health, but also for one’s whole body health.

Special Tools Are Available To Help With Home Care

Many seniors find that impaired mobility makes the routine tasks of brushing and flossing really difficult. If you, or someone you love is in that position, please ask us about products like electric toothbrushes and floss piks that can make the job easier.

Keep Regular Checkup Appointments

Based on the risk factors mentioned above, it’s especially important for seniors to get regular, thorough cleanings and check-ups. When you visit, be sure to tell us about your medications, your brushing and flossing habits, and any medical conditions you’re experiencing. The more we know, the more we can help you continue to have great oral health over a lifetime.

Remember that great oral health isn’t just about teeth—it’s about whole body health!

We look forward to seeing you at your next appointment! By the way, do you already Like our Facebook page? If not, come say hello!

MARCH IS NUTRITION MONTH—an education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Of course the topic of eating enough fruits and vegetables is applicable to our overall health, but most of us don’t often think about the implications for our teeth, gums, and complete oral health.

Feed Your Teeth And Gums What They Really Want

Did you know that…

• Fibrous fruits and vegetables help clean your teeth.
• Magnesium from bananas can help restore tooth enamel.
• The Vitamin A in butternut squash can help heal sores in your mouth.
• Dark, leafy greens and broccoli have LOTS of calcium, which is great for our teeth.
• Vitamin C from citrus fruits helps keep our gums healthy.
• Replacing sugary, starchy snacks with healthy fruits and vegetables can lower your tooth decay risk.
• Yep… What’s good for your body is usually really good for your mouth too!

Are You Eating Enough Fruits And Vegetables?

Not sure how many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables you need? Click on the calculator (left) to find out, based on your age, gender, and daily activity level. The recommended number of servings may be much higher than you think. And if you’re not consuming enough servings, here are some handy tips that will help:

1. Switch up your snacks. Cookies and crackers are easy to eat because they’re so accessible. With a little effort, fruits and vegetables can be just as accessible. Slice apples, pre-cut vegetables (and if you need it, pre-make a favorite dip for them).

2. Include vegetables in your entrees. Load up sandwiches and pizzas with them. Incorporate them into burritos, pasta, scrambled eggs, etc.

3. Add fruits to desserts. Put berries in your yogurt, bananas in your cereal, and order the fruit tart instead of the chocolate cake. Even better, replace usual desserts with a fruit plate.

4. Experiment with different vegetables and vegetable cooking techniques. This will add variety! To start, try this one:

How To Roast Awesome Vegetables!

Your Teeth Love Vegetables. Your Oral Bacteria Loves Sugars.

We hope these ideas help you become the healthiest you can be. As one of your lifelong health partners, we’re concerned about both your overall and oral health. Do YOU have a few of your own ideas that will help others? Please share them below, or on our Facebook page!

NEARLY EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO is directly or indirectly affected by diabetes. Not only can diabetes be difficult to manage, but it can also increase a person’s risk for other major health problems—including oral health problems.

It’s Everyone’s Obligation To Help Educate

With over 300 million people worldwide suffering from diabetes, we want to be sure you understand the relationship between diabetes and gum disease. Unfortunately, many, many people are unaware of the connection, so it really becomes everyone’s responsibility to help the people we know and love be more informed and aware.

Diabetes Can Make A Person Twice As Likely To Develop Gum Disease

Diabetes lowers a person’s ability to fight infection in his or her mouth and gums, which is essentially what gum disease is—infection caused by excessive bacteria hanging out at the gum line and in the mouth. And, there’s also a big catch 22. While diabetes can contribute to gum disease, the gum disease (in return) can exacerbate diabetes. Gum disease can further increase risk for problems that diabetics are prone to—things like kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. And just like other infections, it can cause blood sugar levels to rise.

Tips For Diabetic Patients:

• First, be active, eat right, and keep your diabetes under control.
• Brush at least twice a day, and floss once a day.
• Make our team aware of your diabetes! We’ll help you keep an eye on any oral health problems that may arise.
• Don’t smoke—your mouth has enough to worry about already.

Keep An Eye Out For The Symptoms

It’s much easier to reign in gum disease if you catch it early. So if you notice these early signs, talk to our practice.

• a change in your bite
• receding gums (which will make your teeth feel sensitive)
• swollen, red, or tender gums
• bleeding when you brush or floss

Would You Like To Learn More?

Click on the image below to read more about this topic from the American Diabetes Association:

Do you have questions for us about diabetes and your oral health? Please ask us! Leave a comment below, give us a call, or message us on Facebook.

Thanks for being a valued patient in our practice!

YES, IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY—and what better day to talk about smiles, attraction, and relationships!? It’s probably never occurred to you to look to your dentist for dating advice. But the fact is that smiles have a surprising amount to do with attraction.

It’s Not So Much About Makeup And Primping

Women in many countries annually spend up to $8 billion on makeup. And, the average woman in those countries spends 20 minutes a day (or more) applying it. But according to a Wrigley Gum study where participants looked at thousands of photos of women smiling with makeup, smiling without makeup, not smiling with makeup, and not smiling without makeup, the study found that both men AND women think that a smile makes a person more attractive than makeup does (and it may save a woman 20 minutes a day)!

Smiles Literally Draw People Closer

Why are smiles so attractive to us? A smile is a “social cue”. It can signal apology, welcome, gratitude, or celebration. A smile means “you’re clear to approach” and we all react to it subconsciously.

Your Smile Ranks #1 In How You’re Initially Judged

Sometimes it’s unwise to judge a book by its cover, but the importance of a first impression is undeniable. A recent survey of over 5,000 singles found that both men (58%) and women (71%) judge the opposite sex MOST on their teeth.

Unfortunately, this is rough news for the 30% of people who are unhappy with their smiles. If you’re one of them, please contact us to visit about things you can do to be more confident about your smile, whether you’re ready for something big or just looking for a small, subtle improvement.

Thanks for your trust in our practice! We appreciate you!

WE TALK A LOT ABOUT TEETH, but not a lot about your tongue. Your tongue plays a vital role in your overall oral health! Did you know that your tongue is the fastest-healing part of your body? And without our tongues, we couldn’t speak, taste, or even swallow.

Six Facts About The Human Tongue:

1. The tongue is a special kind of muscle called a muscular hydrostatic. This means that it operates without any help from your skeletal structure, like an elephant trunk or octopus tentacle.
2. Your tongue is a natural cleaner—it starts clearing out food on your teeth after eating.
3. Not all of your taste buds are located on your tongue. About 10% of them are found on your cheeks and the roof of your mouth.
4. Almost 50% of the bacteria in your mouth is on your tongue. That’s why it’s important to brush your tongue for fresher breath!
5. Taste buds are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Those little bumps on your tongue aren’t taste buds—they’re called papillae.
6. Some people have pierced their tongues since ancient times, but there are serious oral health dangers associated with doing so, including chipped teeth and nerve damage.

Time For A Little Fun

Most of time, talking about your teeth, dentistry and oral health is pretty serious. But once in a while, we need to have a little fun…

How many licks to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

Since 1970, Tootsie Roll Industries has received over 20,000 responses from kids around the world answering that question. Answers range from 100 to 5,000, but the average is about 700. Purdue University actually enlisted the aid of a “licking machine” to determine the answer. While the machines averaged at 364 licks, the human control group averaged 252 licks.

Now, challenge yourself with some “tongue twisters”:

It’s YOUR turn!

• “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.”
• “The skunk sat on a stump. The skunk thunk that the stump stunk, but the stump thunk that the skunk stunk.”
• “Theophilus Thistle, the thistle sifter, sifted a sieve of unsifted thistles.”

Do you have a fun tongue twister of your own to share? Comment below! Our team would love to hear it!

Thanks for being our valued patients and friends. Have you visited our Facebook page lately?

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD someone say that after you cut your finger, and it heals, that the scar tissue is stronger than normal tissue? Some opinions vary, but it appears that this notion is more myth than truth. But what about your teeth and your restorative dental work? Can a filling or a crown get a cavity?

It’s Important To Keep A Watchful Eye On Fillings And Other Dental Restorations

Regardless of where (or how long ago) dental procedures were performed, it’s really important to keep an eye on them. That’s a big part of your regular checkups. Here’s why:

1. Decay can sneak in around fillings, crowns, and other restorative dental work.
2. Sometimes, restorative work gives plaque additional nooks and crannies to hide in.
3. Typically, the lifespan of fillings is shorter than the lifespan of your tooth.
4. Checking for unusual wear, cracks, and chips can save much bigger problems later including more serious problems like gum disease and tooth loss.

How Long Should A Filling Last?

The results from research and studies into this question vary greatly. One of the reasons it’s difficult to predict the lifespan of a filling is because the conditions surrounding that filling are different in every case. It can depend on one or several of the following factors:

• The material used to create the filling. Amalgam, composite, gold?
• Where the filling is situated in the mouth. Under frequent pressure? Rarely used for chewing?
• How the filling is cared for. Consistent, thorough brushing and flossing?
• Is the patient a “grinder”? People who grind their teeth are harder on their dental work.
• Nature of the host tooth. Is the filling a small portion of the tooth? A larger portion?
• Does the patient frequently eat hard, sticky foods and/or candies?

“An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure”

Your mom was right—an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. That’s why regular checkups are SO important. When fillings and other dental work get older and worn, they can be more prone to cracks (or even falling out). Regular appointments allow these things to be monitored and checked to catch problems before they become emergencies.

Next time you visit, ask us about possible options for replacing old fillings, and how long you can expect yours to last. For some people, this is also a cosmetic decision because today’s tooth-colored fillings and restorations can look a lot nicer when you smile. If you have concerns or questions BEFORE your next appointment, please comment below or on our Facebook page and we will get right back to you.

We hope this information has been helpful to you.

We can’t express it often enough… Thank you for being our valued patients and friends! We appreciate you.

YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW MANY OF THE DANGERS associated with smoking. But, did you also know that smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to lose their teeth? In addition, there are even greater dangers that smoking presents to your oral health.

Smoking wreaks havoc on your gums. It lowers your ability to fight infections in your mouth and compounds healing time. It increases the risk for periodontal disease. Smokers are even twice as likely to need root canals and more likely to develop cavities.

Most Of All…

Smoking is the biggest controllable risk factor for oral cancer. An oral cancer study in the UK concluded that 70% of oral cancer cases in men, and 55% of oral cancer cases in women, were caused by smoking.

What Can You Do To Guard Against Oral Cancer?

First and foremost, reduce your risk factors:

• Smoking is the #1 risk factor. Stop.
• Smoking and drinking together is worse than either one alone. Be smart.
• Some strains of HPV are related to oral cancer. Practice safe habits.

Know the signs:

Unfortunately, oral cancer still occurs in people without any typical risk factors. So even if you don’t smoke, you need to know the signs of oral cancer, including:

• A red or white sore in your mouth that does not go away after two weeks
• Unexplainable pain or numbness in your mouth
• Difficulty swallowing

Have regular oral cancer screenings.

By examining the tissues in your mouth we can spot the signs of oral cancer early, making successful treatment much more probable.

The best way to be safe is to quit smoking—end of story, no exceptions.

As your health care professionals, we encourage you to cut your risk for this life-threatening disease by cutting smoking out of your life.

If you’re just not ready to take the first step toward quitting, please take care of your health by keeping your regular appointments with our practice. Studies show that 50% of smokers don’t come to their regular appointments. Your check-ups are more important than ever. Be vigilant.

You can learn more at oralcancerfoundation.orgormouthcancer.org.

If you have any questions about reducing your risk factors, or what to expect during an oral cancer screening, contact us. If you notice something that you’re worried may be an early sign of oral cancer, give us a call.

Thank you for your trust in our practice!

ARE YOU A LITTLE SURPRISED by the headline of this blog post? If so, you’re not alone. Many people are unaware of the link between asthma and tooth decay resulting from dry mouth.

What Does Asthma Have To Do With Cavities?

When drawing one’s breath doesn’t come easily, most people compensate by breathing through their mouths. In turn, breathing through your mouth causes your mouth to dry out. When there’s insufficient saliva to protect and clean your teeth, you’re left more vulnerable to decay-causing bacteria. In addition, some people compound the problem by sipping on sugary drinks all day trying to quench the dryness!

As if that weren’t enough, asthma and allergy medications themselves can cause even more dryness on top of the mouth breathing. Not a good combination.

Some Evidence—But It’s Not Just About Kids

A Swedish studyof children and young adults with similar backgrounds and habits evaluated the links between asthma and caries. Within the group with asthma, 19 out of 20 kids developed tooth decay. In the group of asthma-free kids 7 out of 20 developed tooth decay.

Although the study above centered around kids with asthma, the risks are equally applicable to adults as shown in the video report below:

What You Can Do About It

Asthma may not have a simple fix, but tooth decay does. First and foremost, stick faithfully to the basics. Brush at least twice a day and floss to clean the places in your mouth where brushing misses. Keep your scheduled cleaning and checkup appointments. Avoid foods and drinks that are most harmful to your teeth.

And specific to this issue, here are some tips for increased, healthy saliva flow:

• Consider chewing sugarless gum.
• Consider occasionally sucking on sugarless mints.
• Be sure to drink water regularly.

One More Special Note About Asthma

If you have asthma, or if someone in your care has asthma, please let our team know! The more we know about your health the better. It helps us advise and serve you better. If you have any questions about how asthma can impact your oral health, please ask us! We’re honored to be your resource.

Thanks for being a fantastic part of our practice! We appreciate having you as our patient.

DID YOU REALIZE THAT AN ESTIMATED 90% of systemic diseases can have an oral manifestation? Your mouth is loaded with helpful information about your body’s overall health.

Fortunately, most of your mouth’s “stories” are related to minor issues. However, some can actually be signs of more serious problems.

Your Teeth

If you have worn-down teeth it can mean that you’ve been grinding your teeth—probably in your sleep. Grinding can be a symptom of TMD (temporomandibular disorder) which may also lead to chronic headaches.

If we notice that your tooth enamel is thin, it could be a sign of a condition such as acid reflux or bulimia because both regularly bathe teeth in stomach acid.

Your Gums

Occasionally, we all may have swollen, sensitive gums. But if it persists, even when you’re taking really good care of your mouth, it could be an early sign of something serious like diabetes or leukemia. Sometimes it may simply be a sign of vitamin C deficiency. But, it’s good to consider all the possibilities.

In addition, modern research and many health experts continue to draw lines between gum disease and other whole-body health issues including lung disease, cardiovascular problems, and even early-term labor.

Your Tongue

There are a few odd tongue conditions like hairy black tongue (which is pretty much what it sounds like) and geographic tongue (random-shaped, smooth red patches) that have various causes but are not considered serious—although they can cause discomfort. However, what IS serious are early signs of oral cancer which often show up on the side of your tongue first, in small red or white spots. If you have a sore on your tongue, cheek, or elsewhere in your mouth that doesn’t go away in a reasonable amount of time, have us check it out right away.

Nutritional Imbalances

Nutritional deficiencies are often reflected in your mouth where the soft tissues are renewed quickly. An Academy of General Dentistry study shows that oral tissue sensitivity can be a sign of deficiencies in iron, zinc, and folic acid which can show up as gum disease.

An Interesting Report From CBS News

Questions About Your Oral Or Overall Health?

First of all, don’t skip your doctor appointments! That’s not the point of this post! But remember that your regular dental checkups are more important than ever.

Here at our practice, we’re so grateful for your trust. If you ever have any questions or concerns about your oral health, please ask us. And if you have any persistent symptoms like those listed in this post, let us know.

Thanks for being our valued patient. We love what we do because of you!