The top 5 dangers of Narcotics

Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States and in a recent year, one death occurred every 19 minutes due to drug overdosing. There are medical reasons to take narcotics and should be taken only when prescribed by a medical professional and under supervision and no more than the instructed amount. There are several dangers to watch out for and here are some of them:

Narcotics: a drug that in moderate doses, dulls the senses, relieves pain, and induces profound sleep but in excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or convulsions.

1. Physiological addiction: This can lead to infections, diseases, and toxic overdoses. Narcotics are only meant to be be taken when other pain killers will not take away the pain. They are highly addictive and very destructive to your body.
2. Psychological Addiction: Your brain can get highly addicted to narcotics and soon it is a mind game. Some people believe they can only function on these pills, be happy on these pills, and that it stops them from being angry.
3. Sleepiness and Coma's: By taking too many of these pills, many people sleep their day away on the couch and wake up just to take another pill.
4. Reduces the ability to focus: When you are on these pills, your senses are numbed and you may walk around like in a stupor. Your eyes will have a glassy look and somewhat bloodshot.
5. Less physical activity: You will become lazy and sit around more than you usually would. You may also experience watery eyes, runny nose, yawing, sweating, restlessness, irritability, and loss of appetite along with constipation.

If you are on these pills regularly, you will also gain a tolerance to them and will need to up your dosage to get the same effect they once had on you. It is a continual growing phase and will not stop unless you quit cold turkey. Many people soon experience loneliness and cannot concentrate on anything. They isolate themselves from everyone and soon have no social life. They soon become a burden to society as they soon cannot take care of themselves or anyone else and if they have a significant other or children, society has to step up and take care of them.

If you or someone you know is addicted to these drugs, the first thing to do is tell someone and to seek help. you can click on this link to learn more.

Top 10 benefits of choosing Veneers

There are so many reasons people are improving their smile with veneers. Here is the top ten:

1. Veneers greatly enhance your smile by your dental professional matching the shade to match your skin tone and whiter shades instead of gray or yellow.
2. Veneers can help straighten your smile. If your teeth are crooked, instead of spending 1-2 years in braces or invisalign, Veneers can straighten your smile.
3. Veneers over Crowns. With Veneers, we save as much of your tooth structure as possible so that you can keep your teeth for as long as possible.
4. Veneers can close spaces between teeth. If you have gaps in your teeth, the veneers will be fitted up against each other not allowing a gap anymore.
5. Veneers can lengthen and change the shape of your teeth. If some of your teeth are longer or shorter and you have a crooked tooth line, veneers will appear natural and the same length and shape.
6. Veneers can also protect your teeth from further damage.
7. Veneers do not change color and will not stain.
8. Veneer makeovers have been reported to increase confidence in people with their smile.
9. Veneers can mask staining, chipped, cracked, or worn damaged teeth.
10. Veneers look natural, offer strength and durability to damaged teeth, can cost less than other options, and give you a whole new healthy and youthful smile makeover!

What to look for when going with veneers.

• Talk to your dentist and make sure you are both on the same page.
• Make sure they are matching correctly the shade with your skin tone and rest of your teeth. Do whitening if needed.
• Have your dentist do a mock-up on your smile with composite filling material so you can get a better idea of what it will look like.
• Ask to see a portfolio of cases he or she has already completed.
• Find out how long he or she has been doing cosmetic cases.

Your child's first visit to the dentist

There can be so many frightening things about a dental office to children such as smells, new people, the sounds, and the masks. Then there is the stories that other children or even adults tell young children about the horrible experiences at the dentist that are most of the time very untrue. There are some tips that I am going to share with you about choosing the right dentist for your child, preparing them for their first visit, and what to do if they are having a rather tough time.

Choosing the right dentist. Many times, people take their children with them to their own appointments and this definitely helps with the frequency of seeing the same people and the same office. Also when the dentist knows the history of the parents, it is easier to understand each child in situations such as if they are late getting their teeth in or if the parents have been missing any permanent teeth, it give the dentist areas to watch for or if the parents have worn braces, we may refer them to the orthodontist at an earlier age for interceptive or preventive treatment. Some important things to look for:

• The dentists chair side manner, does he put children at ease?
• The "Tell-Show-Do" Technique, reviewing with your child everything he does before he begins. Many children also like to watch what he does with a hand mirror, this usually helps to put them at ease if they can watch him count their teeth.
• Does the dentist explain the proper cleaning techniques and praise them for doing something right? Several dentists I know have treasure chests that the children can choose from for having a good visit.
• How does the dentist handle your child misbehaving? The dentist may need to take action to prevent injury to your child around the instruments and tools. Calmly and firmly speaking to the child is the 1st approach they should take and if the child needs to be physically restrained, you may need to step in and help.

Preparing your child for their 1st visit:

• Talk to them about it and explain what will happen in a simple manner. DO NOT USE THE WORDS SHOT, NEEDLE, DRILL or anything that will frighten them. We have our own terms here that we use that do not frighten the children.
• If you have had a bad experience, do not relay your fears to your child.
• Talk to your dentist about any worries you or your child may have. Dr. Rick works with our patients and parents to achieve the best visit possible for you and your child.
• Look for books that explain what it is like to go to the dentist. Pictures usually help explain this.
• Never use or threaten going to the dentist as punishment as this will only heighten anxiety and fear in your child.

If your child has had a bad experience, it is important to talk to them about it. If you do not feel comfortable going back to that dentist, find one that you are comfortable with and share your concerns with them up front.

Dry Sockets and Wisdom Teeth

If you have ever had your wisdom teeth or any other teeth extracted, you may know what a dry socket is. The socket is the hole in the bone where the tooth has been extracted from. After a tooth is extracted, a blood clot usually forms inside of the socket to protect the bone and nerves underneath. If the clot comes out, it will leave the bone and nerve exposed to air, food, fluids, and anything else that enters the mouth. This can cause infection and lead to severe pain.

What does a dry socket look like? a dry looking opening, there will be just bone and over time, the pain will increase until you are treated by a dental professional.

How is dry socket treated? You can take over the counter aspirin to ease the discomfort but this is only temporary. Your dental professional will clean the socket and remove any debris that has gotten inside. We then place a special paste to promote healing and you may need to come back every day until it has healed to where it is not hurting you anymore.

How do I get dry socket? After we extract your tooth, we give you specific instructions for you to follow so that it heals properly and you do not get dry socket.

• Smoking causes dry socket
• Any forceful swishing, sucking, or spitting in the mouth
• Alcoholic beverages
• have greater than usual trauma after the extractions


• Have poor oral hygiene

If you are experiencing pain and also notice a foul smell coming from an area in your mouth that you just had an extraction performed, we recommend that you call your dentist immediately and see him as soon as possible.

Dental Anxiety

Are you one of the millions of people who hate going to the dentist? If so, are you scared to go for some reason or the other? Many people have been negatively affected by someone or something that now causes them to dislike going to the dentist and only going when they are in severe pain. Maybe you were at the dentist and they made fun of you or you had a terrifying experience. Maybe you have heard from someone else how scare it is. Or maybe you just a nervous about people working in your mouth.
     These are all legitimate reasons to be fearful. However, not every dentist is the same and I have heard time and time again, horror stories of what some of our patients have experienced and that in turn horrifies me. When I hear of the experiences some people have had, I am grateful to work in a place where we literally, I know this sounds cheesy, "Turn those frowns upside down." It is one of the perks of my job where I get to see people leave happier and more confident that when they came in.
Here at our office, we work with our patients to help them with their nervousness and discomfort. There are several different techniques that we use to help.

• Using Local Anesthetics. When we do a filling, extraction, root canal, crown, or any other procedure that we don't want you to feel, we simply numb the tooth.
• Nitrous Oxide commonly referred to as laughing gas. This definitely works and can have a variety of effects on different people. Some people simply get very calm and sleepy while others cannot stop laughing. 
• Triazolam or Valium: these we will call into a pharmacy which you will take before you come in. You will need someone to drive you to and from the office as you will be so "out of it", that you can sometimes barely walk in a straight line.
• IV Sedation: This is for patients who are extremely, extremely nervous and none of the options above has helped. This process takes longer as we need to line up a day for the anesthesiologist and our Doctor to have specific time set aside to work on your mouth. 

     At our office, we have you raise your LEFT Hand only if you need us to stop for any reason. Left hand only as the doctor is to your right and when he is working in your mouth, you may bump or jostle him and the effects of him being jostled while using a drill in your mouth can be painful. 

     We also offer a variety of complimentary services to help you enjoy your visit to our office, Water, jewelry cleaning, paraffin hand wax (your hands become incredibly soft), and movies. 

     Please keep in mind that by communicating your fears to your dental professional will help them be able to see you and work with you. If you don't let us know how you feel, we cannot help you as we are not mind readers. 

Oral Cancer

Approximately 40,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year and it will cause over 8,000 deaths. The death rate associated with this cancer is particularly high because it is usually discovered late in its development. Oral Cancer is often discovered when the cancer has spread most of the time to they lymph nodes of the neck.
Diagnosis. You should contact your doctor or dentist if you notice one of the following on you or a loved one:

• A sore or lesion in the mouth that does not heal within 2 weeks.
• a lump or thickening in the cheek.
• A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining in your mouth.
• A sore throat or feeling that something is stuck in the throat.
• Difficulty swallowing and chewing or moving the jaw or tongue.
• Numbness of any area of your mouth.
• Swelling and a hoarse voice.

Treatment: Once the diagnosis has been made and you do indeed have oral cancer, there are a couple of different options for you to treat it depending on the severity of the situation. The most common one is surgery and radiation, with chemotherapy added to decrease the possibility of metastasis. There are also more natural ways to approach healing your body of cancer. You can start with seeing a nutritionist or herbal doctor. It is important to remember the saying "Let your medicine be your food and your food be your medicine." Eating right will keep your body in good condition and especially can determine your fate of life or death. Your body is fighting so hard during this time that it needs all the help it can get so maintaining a healthy immune system is vital in overcoming the sickness. 

If you are a smoker, chewing tobacco, and drink alcohol, your chances of getting oral cancer are greatly increased. It is important that you gain as much information as you can on what to beware of and also you need to see your dentist professional at least every 6 months and have him or her do an oral cancer screening. 

How to boost your oral health with diet

So many people nowadays forget the saying "Eat to live, and don't live to eat." It is so easy to eat food products that are so unhealthy for our bodies and oral health combined. Although it may taste good and is fast to get a hold of, the many fast food restaurants don not keep their food filled with the supplements your body needs to replenish and keep a healthy body and mouth.
The foods that are good for your oral health is:

• Dairy Products such as cheese, yogurt, and milk. They are excellent sources of calcium to help strengthen your teeth and bones. 
• Fresh fruits and vegetables definitely help keep you out of the doctors office. 
• Protein such as meats, beans, and nuts add minerals to your body and protect the enamel on your teeth as well.
• Water is a necessity for your overall health. 

Thumbsucking

Does your child still suck their thumb? Are you getting tired and a little embarrassed? Maybe your child still sucks their thumb and you are just now realizing that they should be stopping and want to know more. There are many reasons why sucking their thumb is detrimental to the growth of their mouth, jaw, and teeth. It can also lead to speech problems.
Some babies develop the thumb sucking habit while in the mother's womb while others start after their birth. It is a natural instinct for survival and can be attributed to psychological needs as it gives comfort to them. It can quickly become a habit and most tend to stop at around 1 year old but research shows that if they still are in the habit beyond the age of 5, it can be very detrimental.
Thumb sucking can create a variety of problems:

• The upper front teeth are pushed forwards and the lower front teeth are pushed backwards.
• the roof of the mouth will be pushed upwards causing a range of problems including speech problems.
• It narrows the dental arches, reshapes the jawbone, and mis-aligns the teeth.
• Infection of the thumbnail, pinworms, and other infections arise.

How to stop: Lets look at the approach we want to use. Shouting at children, punishing, or mocking them is not the way for them to quit and will most likely, they will go deeper with the habit. Here are some remedies:

• Admit the problem in front of them. Let them know it is a habit that he should do away with. Relay it in a casual manner.
• Try finding the cause of thumb sucking as it is usually either a casual habit or stress related.
• Offer a reward for not sucking.
• Wrap a cloth around the child's thumb, put some bitter material on it.
• Make the child sit in front of the mirror daily for a few minutes while they suck on their thumb, eventually, the child will feel embarrassed and want to quit themselves.
• An orthodontist can place an orthodontic appliance that will deter thumb sucking.
• You can also get a thumb guard 

Bottom line is this though, unless the child really wants to quit, he will find a way to suck his or her thumb. Small steps can be taken such as only sucking while they are at home and then only at nap time. Then only right before bed and slowly but surely, they will grow out of the habit. 

Bad Breath

Halitosis, commonly referred to as Bad Breath affects a large number of people throughout the world. There are many causes to this but there are at least seven most common ones:

• Accumulation of Food Debris: this is the most common reason of bad breath. The food is acted upon by bacteria which in turn gives off the rotten egg smell.
• Tooth Decay: this is an important cause of bad breath because it is active disease sitting there rotting your tooth from the outside in. 
• Dry mouth or Xerostomia: Saliva is an active bacterial fighter and when there is reduction of saliva, bacteria grows faster creating bad breath.
• Gum Disease and Periodontal Disease: these are active causes of bad breath as there is also active bacteria and infection at work in the gums and bone levels. Until you see a health care professional to clean it out and treat it, the bacteria will continue to grow giving off once again, bad breath.
• Smoking: this leads nicotine, tar, and other chemicals found in cigarettes to accumulate in your mouth and gums giving off "smokers breath".
• Severe Dieting: It is important to have a health diet for a number of reasons and this is just one of them. When you are malnourished, your mouth, teeth, and gums are affected and prolonged starvation or poor diet is a huge factor in this. 
• Extra-oral sources: Stomach problems, infections in the respiratory system, diabetes, and kidney dysfunction are just some of the few issues that also have a side affect of bad breath. 

The cure for bad breath: 

1. First and foremost, brush and floss everyday to keep the food that you eat everyday from attacking your teeth and gums and allowing the bacteria to grow. 
2. Second you need to brush your tongue, you can brush with your toothbrush or you can buy a toothbrush that has a tongue cleaner on the back of it. 
3. Keep your mouth wet with activating saliva. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, suck on a sugar free mint or chew sugar free gum. 
4. Don't rely on mints to cure your bad breath. It will only mask the odor for a certain period of time and when it wears off, you bad breath will still be there. 
5. Check your diet. If you have been eating garlic or onions, there is a huge contributor to your breath. However, when you eat meat, if there are any leftover particles in your mouth, those will give off odor until you get them out. Also you need to make sure that you are eating enough carbohydrates a day to stay out of Ketosis, a metabolic state that causes your body to burn fat instead of sugar. Ketosis is notorious for bad breath.
6. If you can't brush and floss after every meal, at least rinse your mouth after eating and drinking anything other than water. 
7. You can use natural resources to help keep bacteria down. Examples would be drinking green tea and also eating anything with mint, parsley, basil, cilantro and dill will work to temporarily mask odors. 
8. Eat sweet foods such as citrus, melons, and berries. They are packed with Vitamin C and the more C laden fruits you eat, the more oral bacteria you will kill. 
9. Stop the nicotine, smoking or chewing. No one likes to smell cigarettes or chewing tobacco and especially if you plan on kissing your partner, it would be in your best interest to stop the nicotine. 
10. Visit your dentist. If you notice after all of these other cures that you still have bad breath, go see your dentist and see what he recommends. 

Veneers versus Crowns

Veneers or Crowns... Many people want to get veneers or crowns on their front teeth to transform their smile. With veneers, there is very little tooth structure removed where as with crowns, you are taking away more tooth structure. Here at our office, we prefer to do veneers instead of crowns if we can to help save as much tooth structure as we can. The prices are usually the same for either one but it depends on whatever office you go to. Insurance will not cover veneers though so you do need to keep that in mind.

• A Veneers is a very thin piece of durable, tooth shaped porcelain that is custom made, by shape and color, by a dental professional. 
• A Crown is a covering that encases the entire tooth surface restoring it to its original shape and size. It protects and strengthens tooth structure that cannot be restored with fillings, Veneers, or any other type of restoration.

Benefits of veneers:

• Cosmetically, to create a uniform, white, beautiful smile
• Crooked teeth
• Misshapen teeth
• Severely discolored or stained teeth
• Teeth that are too small or large
• Unwanted or uneven spaces
• Worn or chipped teeth

Benefits of a crown: 

• Broken or fractured teeth
• Cosmetic enhancement
• Decayed teeth
• Fractured fillings
• Large fillings
• Tooth has a root canal

At your appointment, we prepare the teeth by lightly buffing and shaping the surface. We then take an impression and send it in to the dental laboratory. We give you a temporary crown or veneer for the next 2-3 weeks while the lab is making your permanent ones and then we bring you back for the final visit of permanently seating the crowns or veneers. 

TMJ, Grinding your teeth, Bruxism...

     When you wake up in the morning, do you often have a headache or tension in your jaw? Does your spouse or partner complain about you grinding your teeth in the morning when you both awake? If so, you are grinding your teeth experiencing bruxism.
Bruxism can lead to many problems:

• Extreme Toothaches
• Sensitivity to chewing food and biting down
• Sensitivity to hot and cold
• Tooth fractures and breaking down
• Tooth loss

     How can we tell if you are grinding your teeth? Your teeth get obvious wear from grinding away at each other just as you would if you take 2 like objects and rub them together constantly. There is a good prevention technique that we use and that is a night guard. There are 2 kinds of them. One of them will cover either the entire upper or lower arch and when you do close your jaw, your teeth are not rubbing. The other one is a small one that goes on the front upper 6 teeth and does not allow your back teeth to touch at all, leaving a nice small gap between all teeth when you have it in. 

     In advanced cases, after you have been seen by your general dentist, if he is unable to treat it due to the severity of the situation, he may refer you to a specialist. If you are experiencing any of these problems, please go in to your dentist and have him evaluate your jaw and see if a night guard would benefit you. 

Oral Piercings

      If you are one of the many people who loves oral piercings, there are several factors you need to be aware of. Your mouth contains millions of bacteria and infection is a common effect of oral piercings. So you will need to know the side effects, how to keep it clean, and how it effects your oral health.

• Infection: your risk of obtaining an infection will increase drastically due to the jewelry, the amount of handling it, and the bacteria in your mouth already.
• Disease transmission: there is a high risk factor for the transmission of herpes and Hepatitis B and C.
• Nerve Damage with excessive bleeding: depending on where you get pierced and how well the professional pierces you, swelling and prolonged bleeding may occur if blood vessels are punctures. If this happens, the swelling may block your airway and make breathing more difficult.
• Gum Disease: people with oral piercings have a higher risk of gum disease as the contact of the jewelry and gum tissue can cause injury and recession, resulting in tooth loss if not treated. 
• Damage to teeth: any teeth that come in contact with oral jewelry have a high risk of breaking, chipping, or cracking.
• Reaction to the metal: if you have a hypersensitivity reaction to the jewelry, this may be considered allergic contact dermatitis and you would need to see a doctor.
• Choking: there is always a chance that you may choke on this if it comes loose or if swallowed, can pose an injury to your lungs or digestive track.
• Function of speech: you will notice that at first, the jewelry in your mouth will cause you to produce an excessive amount of saliva. Taste alteration and drooling are to be expected as well. 

How to choose where to go. Visit the place you are going to. 

• Is it clean? 
• Do they use hospital grade autoclaves for sterilizing their instruments? 
• Do they use disposable gloves? 
• Do they have health certificates?
• Are their instruments kept in sterilized packages?
• Are all staff members vaccinated against Hepatitis B?

     If they do not have all of this information available for you, move on to the next piercing studio until you do find one that meets these qualifications.

The Human Papillomavirus

     The Human Papillomavirus can cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers in females and genital warts in both sexes. This will affect up to 75-80% of the human race in their lifetime. Many people, especially men carry the virus but are unaware of it if there are no signs or symptoms. You can pass it on to other people as well without even knowing it and they can spread it on to their partners as well. It is transmitted through any kind of genital contact at all including oral sex. For the majority of people that get this virus, it will usually clear up on its own but when it does not, the effects of it are disastrous. There are almost 6 million cases of genital HPV a year in the United States alone and around 75% are in the age range of 15-24. Sex and Oral sex is so rampant now that it is spreading rather quickly compared to how it would be 20 years ago.
     There are different types of HPV to be aware of. Types 6 and 11 cause about 90% of genital warts in both sexes. Types 16 and 18 can cause up to 75% of cervical cancer in females and can also cause about 70% of vaginal cancer and up to 50% of vulvar cancer in females only. Any HPV types that affect the genital area can cause abnormal Pap tests in females. You can also get an HPV vaccination as well. There is not treatment for HPV but there are treatments for the diseases that it can cause. This virus is common and most people that have it are not even aware of that. If you do have it, is is best to follow up with your doctor on a regular basis and keep up with all recommended appointments and tests.

Ways to protect yourself against the virus and the diseases it can lead to:

1. Having regular Pap tests is one of the best ways to help protect against cervical cancer. A Pap test cannot diagnose HPV but looks for abnormal cells that can become precancerous.
2. Gardasil helps guard 9-26 year old, both male and female, against certain diseases that cause cancer and genital warts.
3. Also not being sexually active with your partner until you get tested for this will help you decrease your odds as well. If you are sexually active with more than one person and they are as well, your odds just jumped to a lot higher than normal. 

You cannot get HPV from: 

• Toilet seats
• kissing on the mouth or hugging, holding hands
• bad hygiene
• sharing food or utensils
• swimming in pools or hot tubs
• family history

Benefits of Smiling and Laughing!

     So many people nowadays don't smile or laugh as often as they used to. Many of us are stressed about financial obligations, health related issues, work, or relationships. Negativity spreads way too fast in my opinion and I believe that we need to reverse that effect in our own lives and let positivity flow out of us. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." It takes a little bit of effort but I have a solution that I use a lot if I notice I am feeling uneasy or negative about something. Smile.         Smiling takes anywhere from 5-53 muscles in your body to smile. If you are upset about something, force yourself to smile and feel your spirits lift. It is also very good for your health and especially helps to build a stronger immune system. When you smile at someone, it is contagious. Smile at the next person you see and 99% of them will smile right back and pass it on. A smile is the universal sign of happiness and acceptance. Smiling also helps your appearance, and studies show that people who smile more get promoted over those that do not smile.

     In the hard times, even when you look at your life and feel like you have nothing to smile about or laugh at, start forcing yourself to smile and your perspective on your life will begin to change. You will start seeing the more positive side of your life, the stress slowly melts away leaving room for enjoyment and excitement about things once again. People hate being around Debbie Downers all day but love being around happy positive people much more.

     Studies show that people who smile and laugh throughout the day live longer, healthier, happier lives than those that rarely laugh. Start today and even if it is extremely hard, go to the bathroom mirror at work or in your cubicle and smile. Tomorrow, add in a laugh and for the next two weeks do the same thing everyday. See what happens and feel free to leave a comment on our blog!

Scaling and Root Planing

   When you went in to your dentist, have you ever been told that you need a "deeper cleaning"? If so, did you understand what it is, why you need it, and what it involves? The term we commonly refer to is SRP's, short for Scaling and Root Planing. If you need scaling and root planing, you have periodontal disease which you can read more about on our blog as well. Scaling and Root planing is how we treat periodontal disease to ensure that you keep your teeth.

Scaling: a procedure that meticulously removes contaminations, plaque, and tartar that is around, below and under the gum line down to the bottom of the pocket. 

Root Planing: involves cleaning and smoothing the root surfaces of your teeth so gum tissue can more firmly attach to the roots that are clean and smooth.

     At your appointment, our registered dental hygienists use a periodontal probe, it is not as scary as it sounds, to measure the gum and bone levels in your mouth. 1-3 millimeters is healthy, 4 millimeters is considered gingivitis, the beginning of periodontal disease, and 5 millimeters and higher is periodontal disease. We then diagnose what teeth need to have a deeper cleaning done on them based on the readings and the x-rays we take. We treat the disease with Scaling and Root Planing and many times we also place an antibiotic to kill the infection while the gums are healing after this procedure. We then place you on a 3-4 month cleaning schedule to ensure that we help you keep your mouth clean and healthy from then on. When you brush and floss at home, you are only able to clean as deep as 3 millimeters and we have special instruments to go deeper which is why we want you to come in sooner than every 6 months if you have periodontal disease. 

Periodontal Disease

  What is periodontal disease? Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums and bone that surround and support the teeth. The beginning of periodontal disease is gingivitis. Gingivitis can often be found with people that do not floss regularly and only brush. Your gums will become swollen and red and will bleed often especially if you brush too hard or start flossing. Most people think that when you floss and see blood, they need to stop flossing. NOT TRUE. When there is infection anywhere in your body, blood immediately rushes to the area to fight the infection. The more you floss and brush regularly, the sooner your gums will stop bleeding. If your gums are red and puffy, start by gently and I repeat, gently, brushing your gums and flossing. You do not want your mouth to look like someone just punched you in the mouth and you cannot stop bleeding. It will also hurt at first but continue to brush and within a few days, you will see improvement.
     How it happens: Whatever you eat stays in between your teeth until you get it out and the bristles of your toothbrush cannot get in between your teeth to the bone. Over time, the food, bacteria, and infection eat away at the bone causing it to disinegrate. Without any bone structure, the gums retreat down the tooth and soon you are left with loose teeth. Untreated periodontal disease results in painful chewing, bad breath, sensitive teeth, tooth loss, and you having to get dentures if you want to eat anything other than smoothies and soups. The good news is that by seeing your dentist and having them check your gums and bone levels while coming in regularly for cleanings, you can prevent this from happening to you.
    Periodontal disease increases your odds of getting other diseases as well such as:

• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Arthritis
• Alzheimer's
• Stroke
• Lack of interest by the opposite sex
• Halitosis (horrendous breath)
• Pregnancy Problems
• Osteoporosis
• Respiratory Disease
• Blood Disease

     We treat periodontal disease by Scaling and Root Planing. A procedure that you can learn more about here. The same plaque and tartar that we clean off your teeth is found to be the same plaque and tartar that builds up in your arteries causing heart problems. Coincidence? I think not. 

Invisalign

Invisalign: a removable set of clear retainers that is the alternative to braces. 

     There are many benefits to getting Invisalign and many people are so excited to learn that they are candidates for it. You may have severe crowding, minimal crowding in the front that is just enough to irritate you every time you floss or look in the mirror, or spacing between teeth. Invisalign can create spaces in the mouth so that your teeth are aligned properly and when you bite and chew food, it is even on both sides and a comfortable fit. You can also close the gaps with Invisalign and through the process of Invisalign, you can create and achieve the smile you have always wanted. 

     It is important to make sure that you are caring for your teeth and retainers properly. You wear your Invisalign retainers 24/7 except when you are eating. After you are done eating, you want to preferably floss as well as brush your teeth before putting the trays back in. What is left in your mouth will not get out after you put the trays in as they will be holding it there. If there is food left in your mouth, it will sit there and start to cause decay in your teeth and bacteria and  infection in your gums. While wearing your Invisalign, it is best to stay away from drinking anything other than clear liquids as the liquid will get inside the trays and cause your teeth to appear brown or yellow. If you notice that your trays are becoming dirty or "gross", take a soft bristle toothbrush and brush gently till the stain goes away. You can also rinse them with baking soda and water as well to get rid of any staining. 

     Another fun benefit of Invisalign is that we get many reports from our patients that they have lost weight and gotten healthier as they have not wanted to keep taking their retainers out of their mouth throughout the day which has allowed them to cut out many munching and snacking. 

Staying Hydrated!

     How many glasses of water do you drink each day? Do you know how much you are supposed to drink? These are some of the common answers that are asked by a lot of people, especially here in Arizona. For each person, the answer is different. For example, a 200 pound 25 year old male will need more water than a 10 year old 100 pound girl. Some experts say that you should take your body weight and divide it in half. You are supposed to drink that amount of water in ounces. Example: if you weigh 100 pounds, you should be drinking 50 ounces of water daily. There are differences and variables to be considered though such as exercising, environment, illnesses, or health conditions, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Dehydration can be fatal and here are symptoms to watch for:

• Dizziness or Fainting
• Constipation
• Dry Skin
• Headache
• Nausea
• Thirst
• Dry or Sticky Mouth
• Exhaustion, fatigue, and sleepiness

     If you are dehydrated and not in need of medical attention, the first remedy is to drink a lot of water, preferably the kind with electrolytes, such as Smart Water or Vitamin Water. It is important that if you are working out or exercising to keep a record of how much water you are drinking a day and during your workout so you can keep hydrated. Also eating fruits that contain water can help you stay hydrated and provide a healthy snack as well. Watermelon, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, and kiwi's mixed together create a delicious fruit salad and hydration kit.