Lasers Could Heal Periodontal Disease

A new treatment may be coming to a dental practice near you, and it could save you a lot of pain when it gets here. Until recently, patients suffering from halitosis (or bad breath) due to periodontal disease or gum inflammation were limited in what they could do to eliminate the condition.

But a recent development could change all that – and it comes in the form of a very high-tech new device.

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2688 Hits

Hidden Causes of Dry Mouth

We’ve probably all experienced a dry mouth at one point or another, thanks to dehydration. But what you may not know is that there’s a different type of dry mouth - chronic dry mouth - that can be much more difficult to get rid of than by simply drinking water. For this type of dry mouth, there can be many causes that you may not even realize are there.

Dry mouth is more than just an uncomfortable inconvenience. It can cause cavities because the lack of saliva in your mouth means you aren’t washing away harmful plaque bacteria in your mouth. If you’re wondering why your mouth is always dry, here are just a few surprise causes of dry mouth, and what you can do to fix it.

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2740 Hits

Grains, Carbs and Oral Health

 If you’ve decided to hop on the low-carb or ketogenic diet bandwagon to take control of your health and your weight, congratulations! Eating a diet low in carbohydrates is not just good for your waistline, but it can also help in many other ways, including lowering your risk of heart disease and diabetes and lowering your cholesterol. But while those health benefits are well known, or at least frequently discussed, many people don’t know what effect keto diets – or carbohydrates, for that matter – have on their oral health.

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5335 Hits

Spring Oral Health Checkup

With spring almost here and warmer weather on the way, now is the perfect time for a spring cleaning - of your mouth! It may not seem obvious, but changing your oral health routine each season is a must to maintain a healthy smile. Here are some things you can do to maintain your oral health this spring.

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2717 Hits

Good Oral Hygiene May Prevent Lupus

Over the past few years, research has shown that poor oral health contributes to more than just cavities, bad breath and gum disease. It has been found to cause or contribute to everything from heart disease to diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and even stroke. But new research is linking poor oral health - or more specifically gum disease - to the illness lupus.

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4040 Hits

Show Teeth Some Love This Valentine’s Day

We all know how important it is to love ourselves - and that includes taking care of our health and hygiene. But many people don’t think of their oral hygiene when they think about self-love. This Valentine’s Day, don’t forget your oral health - it just may be the most important part of yourself to protect.

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2834 Hits

Oral Health Care at Work

 

It’s a fact of life these days that most of us work pretty long hours. Those late workdays don’t leave time for much outside of work - including maintaining our oral health. But don’t let a hectic workday be your excuse to not care for your teeth. It may seem impossible, or at very least not worth the trouble, but keeping your teeth clean during the workday is a great way to stave off many oral health problems that could arise down the line. Here are a few of our favorite tips.

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3375 Hits

Ace That End-of-Year Oral Health Checkup

It may not seem like it’s time to start thinking 2019 just yet, but when it comes to your oral health, it is. Now is the time to start thinking about what you have left on your 2018 oral health benefits, and what you should add in 2019.

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2614 Hits

Just the Tooth: Weird Stories from 2018

 

You know that old saying, truth is stranger than fiction? Well it's not always true, but in the case of these five tooth-related stories it sure is. If you like "news of the weird," check out these five oral health stories that prove sometimes fact really is stranger than fiction.

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2764 Hits

Study Links Oral Health, High Blood Pressure

With a staggering 75 million Americans estimated to have high blood pressure, a new study in the publication Hypertension is calling on doctors and dentists to pay close attention to patients with high blood pressure and periodontitis. The study found that of 3,600 patients with high blood pressure, those who had healthier gums also had lower blood pressure numbers than their counterparts with periodontal disease.

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6347 Hits

Make Oral Health a Priority in Cancer Care

Undergoing treatment for cancer can be a scary and stressful ordeal, especially if surgery is required. With so many things to remember and arrangements to be made for before and after care, it's easy to forget important steps along the way. But researchers are now saying that one surprising step in pre-op care could literally be the difference between life and death, post operation.

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Group Asks Senate to ‘Brush Up’ on Oral Health

With 44 million senior citizens on some form of Medicare in the United States (and that number set to nearly double in the next 12 years), ensuring that Medicare provides adequate health care coverage for all beneficiaries is an absolute must. But, when it comes to dental care, some feel that Medicare is completely lacking. That’s because currently Medicare covers just 1 percent of dental care for seniors, requiring them to purchase additional coverage for anything beyond the most basic of care. But now, a group called Demand Medicare Dental is trying to change that, lobbying senators across America to add more vital dental coverage to Medicare - without sticking seniors with the bill.

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3832 Hits

Don’t Try This at Home: Five Dental Treatments to Leave to the Pros

 

We all take pride in accomplishing tasks ourselves, but there are some things in life that are best left in the hands of the professionals. Nowhere is this truer than in dentistry. That’s because while some treatments may look easy enough, they can leave you with permanent and irreversible damage to your teeth and gums – or leave you spending all your savings repairing the damage. While some DIY treatments are harmless, some are absolutely a bad idea. Here’s a list of five of the worst treatments to try at home.

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6871 Hits

Startling Oral Health Data from Ireland Raises Important Questions in America

According to a new study by Queen Mary University in London, parents in Ireland are failing to bring their children to the dentist at appropriate times. The study found that only 30 percent of parents brought their child to the dentist when the child was suffering from dental pain, while the rest visited either general practitioners to address the pain or the pharmacy for over-the-counter pain medication.

"The problem with this, obviously, is that a general practitioner isn’t a dentist and can’t fix a dental problem," says Bellmore, New York, dentist Dr. Gary Lederman. "Even if a general practitioner could diagnose a dental problem, they would still end up referring the patient to a dentist."

The problem is increasingly troubling because Ireland and the entire United Kingdom are facing major budget shortfalls due to cuts in their National Health Service (NHS) medical care program - shortfalls that have had a significant impact on the dental services the NHS provides U.K. residents.

"The NHS was in the news recently because they have charities that normally provide free dental care to children in Third World countries coming to the United Kingdom to work on children in England. That’s how short they are on funding. The program cannot even pay for routine dental care for its own participating children," says Lederman.

The other problem, which Lederman says is a far bigger issue, is that some parents are completely bypassing the general practitioner and heading straight to the pharmacy.

"Treating your child’s dental pain with over-the-counter pain medication instead of addressing the problem is just asking for trouble," says Lederman. "They might find temporary relief, but meanwhile the problem could be getting worse, which will only end up causing more pain and costing more money down the road."

While there appears to be no viable solutions on the horizon for the NHS budget crisis, Lederman says that domestically, parents can learn a thing or two from the United Kingdom situation.

"This should really show us just how vital it is to take care of our children’s teeth, and how urgent it is to be seen by a dentist if your child is complaining of discomfort," says Lederman. "We are fortunate here in America to have government programs like the NHS program, so if your child needs dental care and you are uninsured or cannot afford it, I absolutely encourage you to look into Medicaid programs in your community."

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Study Finds Link Between Gum Disease, Frailty

A recent study by the American Academy of Geriatrics has found a link between the presence of gum disease, tooth loss and frailty in senior citizens. Conducted in the United Kingdom, the study of nearly 8,000 people found that more than 60 percent of citizens over the age of 65 had some form of periodontal disease, and many more were missing more than one tooth. Another common side effect experienced by respondents was dry mouth.

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3672 Hits

Proper Denture Care Is Crucial for Overall Health

Whether you’ve just gotten your first set of dentures or you’re a seasoned pro at wearing them, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just because you have dentures you no longer need to care for your oral health. In fact, improperly cleaned or poorly fitting dentures can be just as dangerous to the mouth as failing to care for natural teeth.

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4232 Hits

FSA-Eligible Dental Care Options

The holiday season is fast approaching, but before you get to the business of relaxing and enjoying it, don’t forget about the other important thing that happens at this time every year: the expiration of your flexible spending account (FSA). An FSA account is a payroll tax-free health care spending account you can use for one calendar year to pay for things like doctor copays, prescription medications, medical procedures, eyewear and some dental services and products. These accounts are great for families and people with lots of medical expenses, but the downside is if you don’t use it, you lose it. This may not seem so awful until you consider that the money that vanished with the old year was money you earned - so you’ve essentially thrown away your hard-earned money, simply because you didn’t spend it.

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