Ensuring you have an adequate amount of vitamin D in your body is important. Most people can get their daily dose of vitamin D through their diets and through just sitting outside for 20 to 30 minutes a day. However, some people will not get enough vitamin D, especially if they have little to no sunlight exposure and have poor diets. In these cases, many doctors would recommend taking a dietary supplement to help replace this missing vitamin. Vitamin D is an essential component of bone density growth, and for our mouths, this vitamin can keep our teeth and gums healthy and strong. In cases where a vitamin deficiency is present, though, there is an increased risk of periodontal disease, as it is one of the most frequent causes of tooth loss in adults today.
Periodontal disease is an advanced form of gum disease caused by a build-up of bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria infect the gum line causing it to swell, become tender, and bleed a lot during brushing and flossing. Because it is an advanced version of gum disease, the gum pockets that hold the connective tissues together build pockets. These pockets allow more bacteria to fill into the gum line and infect the jawbone, causing bone loss. In these cases, tooth loss is almost an inevitable result if not treated. However, those with a vitamin D deficiency can also have an increased risk of getting periodontal disease over time.
Vitamin D is known to provide our bones and muscles with the nutrients they need to maintain their strength and vitality. However, it also protects our teeth and gums from becoming more vulnerable to bacteria, according to studies from the American Society for Microbiology. These studies show that:
Many dietitians recommend that you try and get your daily dose of vitamin D through your diet, which means drinking milk fortified with Vitamin D and eating other foods such as eggs, salmon, shrimp, and red meat. However, if you cannot get your daily doses through your diet, you should speak with your doctor about getting supplements. If you have any issues with your teeth from a vitamin deficiency, the best place to find more information is to speak with your dentist.
Having asthma can be a life-long respiratory condition that can increase your chance of developing cavities, gum disease, and ulcers. Asthma can appear as a childhood disease or appear later on in adulthood, and most often, this condition can be harrowing on the lungs and airways. However, through proper management with medication, understanding triggers, you can take care of your asthma and help manage your oral health. So, how does asthma impact oral health? Here, we’ll be looking at how this respiratory condition impacts our teeth and gums and why it can potentially cause these problems for people today.
Children growing up with asthma can face problems with having a dry mouth. Dry mouth happens when the saliva glands within the mouth don’t produce enough saliva to wash away bacteria and food, which can cause the mouth to become dehydrated. This dehydration can be caused by an asthma attack, where the closing of the airways can result in tightness in the chest and mouth breathing. Studies from the European Journal of Dentistry also cite that medications, such as bronchodilators and steroids, can cause dry mouth because of how that medicine interacts with the mouth.
However, dry mouth isn’t the only side effect of asthma. Some studies also report that asthma is one and a half times more likely to suffer from cavities than those without asthma, and this can be observed as a side effect of asthma and asthma medications. The coughing, wheezing, and tightness in the chest can cause the person’s immune system to become more vulnerable to bacterial infections and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis. The effects of respiratory diseases can lead to a weakened immune system and leave the body more prone to other oral diseases, such as cavities and gum disease.
With the effects of asthma on the lungs and the mouth, it’s important to know better ways of caring for your teeth. Here is some dental advice you can follow to help reduce your risk for cavities:
• Rinse and Repeat: If you require an inhaler, try rinsing your mouth out with water. Rinsing your mouth out can help reduce the risk of dry mouth and help keep saliva flowing.
• Drink Water: Make sure you drink water. Dehydration is considered to be one of the largest causes of dry mouth and other oral problems.
• Change Your Medication: If you find that you’ve been having issues with your teeth, speaking with your pulmonologist can help you find better solutions.
• Speak with Your Dentist: For symptoms of dry mouth, cavities, and gum disease, speaking with your dentist about these issues may help you find better ways to care for your teeth.
Living with asthma can be difficult, but know that your dentist can help you find the best treatment plans that meet your needs when it comes to your teeth.
Dental patients with mental health conditions need quality treatment, significantly as their mental health can impact how they care for teeth and gums. As mental health services become more emphasized within the healthcare industry, many studies have begun looking into how mental health affects those with oral health issues and how oral diseases can be inadvertently caused by having mental health issues. With both of these topics in mind, the one thing that connects them is a lack of treatment. Both aspects must be treated to help patients recover and heal, and today, we’re looking at the impact that oral and mental health has on one another.
People with mental health conditions and dental issues have been rising over the past decade. The reasons for the decline in both physical and mental health depend on the person. Still, conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and bipolar disorder can influence how they care for and pay attention to their teeth. Having a lack of financial resources for treatment, improper or lack of medications, and inadequate support structures can influence these effects.
For dentists, proper dental care alongside their patient’s mental health needs to be addressed because both of these concerns can present vast consequences if not treated. Studies from the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry cite multiple studies regarding this connection and state that many of the participants within these studies showed signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and lost teeth. While multiple factors can also play into the development of these diseases, the inherent difficulty for many of these patients is also influenced by mental health conditions.
If you’ve been having problems maintaining a good oral routine, it’s essential to speak with your dentist about your concerns. Your dentist will help you by understanding your position and allowing you to speak about your struggles. Your dentist will also help you during and after your appointment by taking extra steps to make sure you have good oral care, including:
If you would like to see how your dentist can help you receive treatment, then the best way to start is by arranging an appointment.
Becoming a new mom-to-be means making all sorts of sacrifices, but sacrificing your oral health can do more harm than good. Mothers who care for themselves will care for their newborns better than those who don’t. While the prospects are amazing and exciting, having health problems alongside pregnancy isn’t. As dentists and advocates for families, we emphasize the importance of caring for mothers’ oral health and helping them learn more about the changes that happen to their bodies, including their oral health.
Visiting your dentist will allow your dentist to assess your health, design dental plans and help keep your oral health in check during the remaining time of your pregnancy. Taking care of your teeth and gums will make a difference for your baby before, during, and after their birth. Here’s what we know happens to mothers when they don’t care for their teeth.
New mothers have so much to handle, and besides the usual symptoms, the pregnancy exhaustion that comes at the end of each day is real. When that exhaustion leads to skipping brushing and flossing, that only leads to bacteria buildup within the mouth. That bacteria can eventually lead to tooth decay, which ultimately causes even worse conditions to develop, including:
Expecting mothers who brush their teeth regularly will reduce these risks significantly and reduce the risks of dental infections for their newborn. Having a proper, balanced diet will be able to give your newborn the calcium and vitamin D needed for healthy teeth later on in life, and your dentist will be able to provide you with a full dental plan that meets the needs of both you and your baby. The best place to reduce your risks is at your dental office.
Having a balanced diet has so many benefits, but one of the most underrated benefits it provides is your oral health. That’s right – your mouth can greatly benefit from eating those leafy greens and whole grains in ways you’d least expect, and understanding what you put in your body matters because when diets are left unmanaged, your mouth suffers a lot long-term. Even when it is more convenient and financially cheaper to eat processed foods and sugary drinks, it hurts your entire body and mouth. It creates a direct impact on your ability to have a longer, healthier life. Here’s what we know about how balanced diets help maintain your oral health and why processed foods harm it instead.
Your mouth is often the window to your health – it can provide various clues to how your body’s been processing nutrients, what you’ve been eating regularly, and what diseases you’ll most likely be more vulnerable to as you get older. Our bodies contain multiple defenses against chronic diseases and harmful bacteria because our bodies are a microcosm of healthy bacteria and hard-working cells ready to tackle anything that may harm our health. When it comes to preventing disease, our mouths are the gateway and are often the entry point for harmful bacteria strains such as the Streptococcus mutans to develop along with the teeth and gums.
Strains like the Streptococcus mutans often harm the respiratory system, the digestive system, and the inflammatory system, creating long-term problems that increase the risk of developing inflammatory diseases such as gum disease, diabetes, and allergies. As bacteria collects in the mouth, poor oral hygiene can often foster these harmful strains to grow, creating plaque and tartar along with the teeth’ enamel and the gum line, leading to heavy inflammation and decay. This exposure to harmful bacteria can lead those strains to become exposed to our bloodstream and potentially weaken our immune system as a result.
Many of the oral diseases people face often result from large intakes of carbohydrates and sugars. Carbohydrates can also be harmful if they’re heavily processed and are overconsumed. Both carbohydrates and sugars contain glucose, which is too much quantity can cause our bodies to store that energy into fat deposits, which predispose us to chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Studies from StatPearls showcase the effects of diet on our oral health and the nutrients we digest from our foods. According to the study, healthy foods increase saliva production and maintain the calcium deposits within our bones, which ultimately reduce the risk of developing dental diseases.
Overall to achieve better oral health, we suggest following these guidelines to achieve a more balanced approach to foods:
By reducing processed foods and maintaining good oral hygiene, you can give your body the foods it needs to prevent chronic disease and have a healthier smile.
Plastic has ultimately dominated the environment, as the world’s manufacturing companies have taken this non-biodegradable material and infiltrated every industry, including the dental industry. Plastic can often be found in our toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and floss containers due to its low price and easy-to-mold properties, making it one of the most highly used commodities in dentistry. However, if you care about the effects people have on the environment, you are most likely aware that plastic is a huge problem filling up our landfills and polluting our oceans. One of the biggest questions people ask when it comes to sustainability is what they can do to change their impact on the environment. As dentists, we can offer our perspective on the issue and provide ways to reduce that impact while brushing our teeth.
Even while more and more people are becoming more aware of the choices they make, it’s always a good thing to continue exploring new ways of creating sustainability throughout every aspect of your life, including dental care. Maintaining our oral health can come with some challenges, especially for those who struggle to maintain an eco-friendly consciousness from the luxuries of convenience. Still, to us, the minor things matter the most. Here are some of our top tips for keeping your actions sustainable while brushing your teeth:
Use Less Water: This is the most crucial habit you can take part in causing. Eliminating wastewater can allow people to have more access to fresh water and help natural ecosystems sustain their environment. Each person wastes over four gallons of water along while brushing and flossing. Shutting off the water after wetting your toothbrush and only using the water to rinse will reduce water waste significantly.
Toothpaste Tablets: Some companies have taken the initiative to become more sustainable by developing toothpaste tablets to replace tubes. These tablets help reduce plastic waste while also dispensing toothpaste in just the right quantities to allow you to brush your teeth.
Bamboo Toothbrushes: Another product that can be purchased to reduce plastic waste is to choose bamboo toothbrushes. These toothbrushes are fully biodegradable and often come from sustainable sources. The bristles are also BPA-free, leading to less impact on our overall health.
Be Conscientious: Overall, choosing the best products and using less water will make long strides towards sustainability, but one of the essential jobs you can do to improve your sustainability is to continue researching the effects that your choices make on the environment, including the companies you purchase from and how they innovate an Eco-friendly future.
Researchers have been looking into creating more sustainable oral health interventions and encouraging the industry’s growth towards more environmentally friendly models of oral health care for patients. However, for the average person, making long-lasting efforts through gradual changes is one of the best ways you can ultimately improve your oral health and help the environment. Contact your primary dentist to learn more about your impact and schedule an appointment today to keep your teeth healthy.
For coffee enthusiasts, some fantastic news has surfaced. Coffee has always been seen as a proponent for cavity development, and with good reason. Often, because of the acidity and tannins present in coffee, coffee has always been encouraged to be limited throughout the day to protect the tooth’s enamel. However, recent studies have shown that there are also some positive benefits to your teeth when drinking coffee. So, coffee lovers rejoice! Let’s learn about what so great about coffee!
Coffee as a standalone drink has always been known to harm your teeth, not just from the tannins’ acidity but from the heavy amounts of sugar and creamer added to coffee to make it sweeter and easier to drink. Often, when dentists advise against drinking coffee constantly, they’re referring to those added sugars, creams, and tannins that cause discoloration, which weakens the enamel and makes it more prone to cavities. However, new research has occurred to and has given many dentists a wake-up call to this caffeinated drink’s benefits.
Studies from the Journal of Conservative Dentistry observed the effects of roasted coffee on the teeth and have found that due to the extensive tannins present, those tannins also have antibacterial properties that can protect your teeth from certain bacteria. It’s particularly strong against the Streptococcus mutans bacteria strain most commonly found in the collections of bacteria that cause cavities. This means that drinking coffee as a standalone drink (with no sugar or creamer added) can reduce the amount of bacteria within your mouth, making it a formidable opponent against tooth decay.
The study also observed the different types of coffee and observed the degrees at which those antibacterial agents work best. Through observing different varieties of coffee, they found that:
Hence, coffee not only gives an excellent boost to your day but also protects your teeth from cavity development when consumed as a standalone drink. So, what makes coffee so particularly important? Trigonelline is the active substance that contains all those antibacterial properties. Strangely enough, it is also responsible for the flavor and aroma found in coffee.
Even while these positive benefits give relief to coffee lovers, too much coffee can still harm your teeth if you drink too much coffee or add way too much sugar and creamer. If you wish to prevent your oral health from developing cavities, try drinking coffee without sugar and creamer. If you refuse to give up the sweetness from your creamers and sugars, limit your coffee consumption to once a day, and make sure to brush and floss your teeth twice a day to prevent cavities from developing.
Alzheimer’s disease and oral diseases may appear as though they’re linked. Still, when considering the degenerating factors present with both, many researchers have found that Alzheimer’s can heavily contribute to the decline of good oral health. Alzheimer’s disease is often the sixth leading cause of death for seniors due to the traumatic effects it can have on memory, cognitive function, and overall behavior. This disease heavily impacts the quality of life for those 65 and older, and it significantly affects those with previous chronic conditions. As memory becomes harder to maintain, so does good oral health. While preventative measures can be taken on both ends to ensure good health, lacking oral hygiene can heavily influence our bodies, making out symptoms worse that eventually lead to a slow, gradual decline.
Alzheimer’s disease often perpetuates itself through a combination of genetics, poor lifestyle choices, and the effects of aging. Researchers from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health looked into the link between Alzheimer’s disease and poor oral health. Researchers observed how cognitive function loss and poor memory could influence oral health habits through this clinical study. This study found that the impacts of this neurodegenerative condition can impact the immune system’s ability to protect against diseases, and with poor memory comes a higher risk of developing oral diseases such as gum disease and cavities. With the onset of these diseases comes a cyclical effect on how the immune system responds to the bacteria and causes further detriments to seniors maintaining their oral health and physical health overall.
When combined, these two factors play a heavy role in the health conditions that seniors develop as they get older. Because researchers suggest this link, it’s essential that proper dental examinations and reinforced dental habits can help seniors gain better health and quality of life. But how can dentists provide for patients with Alzheimer’s disease? The best dentists work towards finding the most affordable solutions to accommodate the patient’s needs through multiple factors.
Alzheimer’s disease comes with some inherent challenges that cannot be avoided or ignored while providing health care. For dentists, providing patients and their families the assurance and comfort they need during their services is just one aspect of how dentists work towards providing dental services throughout their communities. These various accommodations can be made to help seniors have a more enjoyable experience:
Alzheimer’s patients should always receive the dental healthcare services they need and help reduce the risks of diseases later on in life, as it is one of the best ways that dentists can help patients achieve better oral care and quality of life.
For many families, cavity prevention can be one of the most proactive choices for their children’s health. Often, sugary foods are the main culprit of cavity development. Luckily, thanks to parents and healthcare professionals’ care and diligence, the percentage of children’s cavities across the United States has been decreasing! Today, only 16% of children between ages 5 and 19 have untreated cavities, according to the CDC. This statistic presents fantastic news for many families and dentists concerned about cavity development within families. However, even while that percentage decreases, our quality of care aims to look at all factors that measure cavities’ development. Cavity development can sometimes be a prevalent problem among families, even when good oral habits are encouraged at home. For some, it isn’t the family, but rather the home, that could be the problem.
Black mold is an unusual culprit, but it’s one that continues to be looked into as many homes across the U.S. are affected by this toxic spore. The consensus surrounding cavities is that cavities are caused by bacteria’s development along with the tooth’s enamel. Because bacteria love moist, warm environments and sugary diets often contribute to bacterial growth; it causes the enamel to wear down and decay to form. But, if you’ve been finding that your children have been keeping up with their oral hygiene, then black mold may also be a potential cause.
To summarize, here are some facts that we know about black mold, according to FEMA:
Even while the association between black mold and cavity development needs more research to reaffirm this occurrence, black mold can still be dangerous to your overall health, not just your oral health. We highly recommend following the FEMA guidelines on ridding your home of mold and scheduling an appointment with your dentist. Our clinic can help assess many of your family’s oral health problems and treat them effectively, and help your family recover from the effects of black mold.
A growing body of evidence has linked people’s current oral health to several chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and strokes. Cancer, particularly oral cancers, has to lead to pain and disability for millions of people worldwide. Oral health continues to be an essential part of staying healthy. Still, with the onset of cavities, tooth loss, and periodontal disease affecting people each day, dentists, medical professionals, and researchers all continue to find better solutions that give access to people in need of health services. Because our mouth helps indicate our general health, exploring the connections between oral health and cancers remains an essential part of keeping people healthy and safe.
For people, periodontal diseases remain one of the most prevalent dental problems people face today, coming on par with cavities and tooth loss. Periodontal disease refers to the gums’ infections. It precedes gingivitis and the early stages of gum disease as a more serious and even life-threatening disease towards people with poor immune systems. Periodontal disease can occur from many factors, such as poor oral hygiene, smoking, hormones, and other factors, but some studies have shown that those who had or previously had periodontal disease have a higher risk of developing oral cancer.
According to studies from the Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology, researchers observed how bacteria often appear within the gum’s pockets, containing viruses such as the Epstein Barr virus, the human papillomavirus, and the cytomegalovirus, which are suspected agents that contribute to oral cancer in later life. Researchers also noticed how chronic inflammation, commonly associated with periodontal disease, is often correlated to the enzymes and cytokines that occur during cancer development. Carcinogenesis, or the initiation of cancer formation, could be a risk factor that occurs from poor oral health. Continuing further research within this potential link may help develop future treatments.
Lowering your risk for oral cancer is the best way to prevent it from occurring, and as dentists, we highly encourage routine care for your teeth and gums. Some of our suggestions that you can do at any point include:
Having healthy teeth long term takes dedication and commitment to having good oral health, and by following these steps above, you can greatly reduce your risks and stay healthy long term.
