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Prevention should serve as a lifestyle pattern for total health, not the least of which is dental health. Prevention in dentistry leads to improved long-term oral health and reduced dental costs. It encourages a bright smile, fresh breath, and an overall good feeling of personal security. Prevention is your insurance policy toward a healthier, pain-free, debt free lifestyle.
Our dental hygienists can provide an excellent service to assist you in the maintenance of your overall dental health. Your cooperation with her can serve to increase your knowledge of your present oral condition. When you keep your appointment with your hygienist, the following benefits will result:
* Your hygienist will customize a personal home care and preventive maintenance program for you and inform you of those dental products that are appropriate for your particular needs. You will be instructed in the proper methods of tooth brushing, flossing and adjunctive dental health devices.
* Your entire mouth will be thoroughly and carefully examined for gum disease, growths, lesions, and any abnormalities that would affect your general health.
* Your teeth will be cleaned and polished to remove plaque and tartar both above and below the gum line, eliminating bacteria that lead to cavities, bad breath, and gum disease.
* Fluoride will be applied to teeth to prevent decay (for children), and root sensitivity / root cavities for adults.
* Sealants can be easily applied to the chewing surfaces of children’s teeth as a protection against future decay.
For our periodontal maintenance patients, your hygienist will use her specialized cleaning instrument, the Cavitron, to not only remove tartar, but also flush bacteria and debris from the periodontal pockets. She will also irrigate and medicate those same pockets with Chlorohexidine Gluconate.
Dental disease is a silent invader, presenting itself in various forms (puffy, bleeding gums, cavities, oral cancer, and abscesses). Although your mouth may appear to be in good health at this time, stresses, body changes, life changes, medications, illness, and age can tax your immune system. Maintaining regular re-care appointments with your hygienist and follow-ups with Dr. Briscoe offer you the assurance that any problems in regard to your oral care will be addressed immediately.
Taking care of tomorrow’s problems today will give you tremendous peace of mind. If you have postponed or missed your last hygiene maintenance appointment, remember: it’s not just a cleaning, it’s an INVESTMENT in your overall health.
Periodontal Disease Facts and Reminders
1. Plaque forms 20 seconds after eating and 20 minutes after brushing. It hardens into tartar in 24 hours and stays on your teeth.
2. Healthy gums DO NOT BLEED. If you have bleeding gums, pay more attention to your home care instructions. Salt water rinses can help sensitive and swollen gums (1 tsp. salt dissolved into one cup water). If your gums continue to bleed after a thorough home care routine, please contact our office. Go to www.lajolladental.com
3. Experiencing a bad taste or odor is a sign of gum disease/infection.
4. Mouthwashes have no effect on periodontitis. Some mouthwashes can reduce gingivitis.
5. When subgingival plaque reaches a certain threshold level, it produces periodontal disease. Periodontal Disease, therefore, occurs in episodes of activity and quiescenece. That is why daily removal of the bacteria in your mouth is important in reducing your risk of periodontal disease.
Prevention of Periodontal Disease (PD) should be a major concern for all of us. In 75-80% of the adults, the concern really should be cleaning up the gums and getting control of the PD (since it can NOT be cured). For today, let’s focus more on prevention in the young people and in the 20-25% of adults not affected by PD.
Floss daily, preferably before you go to bed. Then, brush well with a good fluoride toothpaste for approximately two minutes. The flossing will loosen up food and plaque particles that the brush can then help remove. Rinse by swishing the water around. Spit out and repeat. Rinse and swish 2 or 3 times.
Go to the dentist regularly. For some, that means every six months. For others, the need may be more frequently. If you have dental insurance, great! But, it should not be the deciding factor on how often you visit the dental office. Your dentist and/or your hygienist may provide additional ideas on cleaning your mouth at home.
Eat a well balanced diet, which means you need to meet your nutritional needs while not providing any nutrients in excess. Eat items from the following groups: milk and milk products, meat and meat substitutes, fruits and vegetables, and the grains group. Don’t use tobacco products in any way, shape, or form.
The risk factors that increase the chance of developing Periodontal Disease (PD) are many. Some of the major ones are:
**Genetics – Some people have a greater genetic predisposition to developing a more aggressive, severe type of Periodontal Disease. People with a family history of tooth loss and dentures should be diligent in their efforts to control PD.
**Tobacco – People that chew or smoke tobacco have a greater chance to develop PD, and the effects are usually greater – deeper gum pockets due to increased amounts of plaque and tartar; more loss of bone and soft tissue that support the teeth.
**Medical Conditions – Systemic (the whole body) diseases such as diabetes, cancer, HIV, blood cell disorders, and AIDS, and the treatment for some of these, can lower one’s resistance to infections, making PD more severe.
**Stress – Stress reduces the body’s natural defenses, including the ability to fight off infection. Thus, when under stress, you have an increased chance of developing PD.
**Medications – An increasing number of drugs (antidepressants, steroids, blood pressure drugs, cancer therapy drugs, some heart medications, some anti-epilepsy drugs) can decrease the saliva flow creating a drier mouth than normal. Saliva has a cleansing and protective effect on the gums and teeth. A lack of saliva allows plaque to accumulate on the teeth and gums and cause inflammation and decay.
**Hormonal Changes in Females – Puberty, pregnancy and oral contraceptives change the body’s hormone levels. These changes cause the gums to become hypersensitive to the slightest levels of plaque and tartar.
**Ill-fitting Dentistry – Old fillings, crowns, and bridges may harbor more plaque and increase the liklihood of developing periodontal disease.
**Crowded Teeth – The tongue rubbing on the back side of the teeth, and the cheeks and lips rubbing on the front side of the teeth, have a self-cleansing effect on the teeth. When the teeth are crowded and overlapped, this self-cleansing doesn’t happen very well, and there is an increased chance of decay and gum problems due to plaque retention.
**Insurance Dependency – People that count on their insurance for all the answers are often the patients with the most problems – gum problems, decay problems, and missing teeth problems. The insurance companies write the rule on whether they will have to pay out some of your premium dollars to help get you healthier. If you need to have your teeth cleaned 4 times a year and your insurance only pays for 2 times a year, it does NOT mean you can only get your teeth cleaned twice a year. DON’T be insurance dependent. In today’s market you want to maximize your insurance. But, insurance allowance is a help in covering some of the cost of treatment, not a pay-all.
Periodontal Disease (PD) does not usually show up until people are in their 30s. Certainly the milder form, gingivitis, can occur even in teenagers who don’t do much brushing, or who have braces that trap and harbor the plaque and food particles.
Periodontal Disease is a silent disease – it doesn’t hurt until it is in an advanced stage. But there are ways to detect it. My favorite is to visit the dentist for check-up and periodontal evaluation. Ways that you may detect it at home are:
* Gums that are red and/or swollen and tender
* Gums that bleed when brushing or flossing
* Spaces opening up between your teeth – as if they were moving
* Loose teeth
* Breath that no longer feels fresh – you constantly want to rinse with a mouthwash
* Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
* Pus between the gums and teeth
* Your bite no longer feels solid – you feel as though your bite has changed
Any or all of these indicate some level of gum inflammation/infection. Don’t delay in calling for a dental evaluation, because it won’t get better on its own.
Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums caused by the prolonged presence of plaque and tartar on the teeth. The gums become red, puffy and swollen. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease that can be reversed with professional dental cleanings by our hygienist and daily brushing and flossing. The gums may bleed during the cleaning and initially when flossing. Gingivitis can be reversed (the inflammation eliminated) because it does not involve bone loss or gum recession.
When the gums are not treated (the person may be brushing but not flossing) the inflammation increases to a point in becomes periodontitis. Here, the plaque builds up below the gums forming pockets. The body’s natural immune system creates enzymes that fight the bacterial toxins within the pockets, but mechanical removal of the plaque and tartar are essential. Left untreated, with time the pockets become deeper, bone loss around the teeth occurs, and the gums recede. Sooner or later the teeth become loose.
We talked previously about periodontal disease and its effect on our overall health. Let’s take some time to explain what is periodontal disease (PD). Periodontal Disease ranges from simple gum inflammation (gingivitis), to serious disease that results in major damage to the soft tissue and bone that support the teeth (periodontitis). An estimated 75-80% of adults in America have some level of PD (epidemic proportions). Because there is no pain until the condition is at a very advanced stage, most people are not aware they are infected with PD. Our mouths are full of bacteria, which along with mucus and other particles (tissue particles, food particles), constantly form a sticky, colorless “plaque” on our teeth. Brushing and flossing help get rid of plaque which, if not removed, can harden into bacteria-harboring “tartar”. The tartar cannot be brushed away. It must be removed by a professional dental cleaning (Thank goodness for dental hygienists!)
See my website for more information on Periodontal Disease
