Dental FAQs

Four out of five people are walking around with periodontal disease (gum disease) and they don't even know. Because gum disease is often painless in the early stages, many people ignore or don't notice the early signs. Since you could have periodontal disease without evident symptoms, it is essential to come in for regular dental check-ups and periodontal examinations. That way, we can help detect and correct the problems caused by periodontal disease.

Symptoms of gum disease include:

• Gums that bleed when you brush your teeth
• Red, swollen or tender gums
• Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
• Bad breath that doesn't go away
• Pus between your teeth and gums
• Loose teeth
• A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
• A change in the fit of partial dentures

That depends on the state of your dental health. For patients with healthy gums, little or no history of decay, good home care and no significant medical conditions, we can usually help you maintain optimal dental health with cleanings and check-ups twice a year. However, everyone is different and some patients may need more frequent cleanings or certain dental procedures. After performing a comprehensive dental exam, we will discuss your treatment needs and options, develop a customized treatment plan, and discuss all of your treatment options and the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

In a word – Yes. Regular flossing loosens food particles in the tight spaces where your toothbrush can't reach, gets rid of plaque build-up that toothbrushes can't remove, and exercises your gum tissues. These actions all help to prevent gum disease.

Bad breath (halitosis), while an unpleasant and often embarrassing condition, is usually avoidable and treatable. It can be caused by improper dental hygiene, lifestyle or a dental condition.

Maintaining good oral health – at home as well as through regular cleanings and dental checkups – is essential to reducing bad breath. Brushing and flossing daily is critical because food particles which remain in the mouth collect bacteria, which in turn cause bad breath. Without putting too fine a point on it, food that collects between the teeth, on the tongue and around the gums can rot, leaving an unpleasant odor. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove food debris and plaque and brush your tongue as well. Use floss or an inter-dental cleaner once a day to clean between teeth. For our patients who need extra help in controlling plaque, we often recommend using a special antimicrobial mouth rinse.

Bad breath can also be a by-product of what you eat (such as onions or garlic); foods that have a strong odor convey that odor through the air we exhale as they are being digested and eliminated by the body. Even if you do brush, floss and use mouthwash, this only masks the odor temporarily until the food is eliminated. Tobacco products also cause bad breath. If you use tobacco, come to us for tips on kicking the habit.

Dry mouth (xerostomia), a decrease in saliva flow, is a condition which can cause halitosis (more details follow below). One of the jobs of saliva is to cleanse the mouth and remove particles that may cause odor, so a decrease in saliva flow becomes a problem. Dry mouth may be caused by various medications, salivary gland problems or continuously breathing through the mouth. If you suffer from dry mouth, we may prescribe artificial saliva or suggest you suck on sugarless candy to induce saliva flow and increase your fluid intake.

There are many medical disorders that can affect your breath such as a respiratory tract infection, chronic sinusitis, postnasal drip, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance, and liver or kidney ailment. If an exam reveals that your mouth is healthy, we might refer you to your family doctor or a specialist to determine the cause of bad breath.

If you think you have constant bad breath, keep a log of the foods you eat and make a list of medications you take (some medications may play a role in creating mouth odors). Tell us if you've had any surgery or illness since your last appointment. If you find you are constantly using a breath freshener to hide unpleasant mouth odor, come see us for an examination, as this could signal an underlying medical or dental condition of which halitosis is a major symptom.

Reduced saliva flow – or dry mouth – can be caused by a number of conditions. It doesn't sound very serious but left untreated, dry mouth can damage your teeth and gums. Some medications can lead to dry mouth such as antihistamines, decongestants, pain killers and diuretics. We can help find the source of your dry mouth and recommend methods to restore moisture to your mouth once the cause is determined, such as artificial saliva, sucking on sugarless hard candy and increasing fluid intake.

Discolorations can be caused by staining, aging, or chemical damage to teeth. Smokers and people who drink coffee or tea on a regular basis accelerate the discoloration and require cleaning more often. This is among the most common reasons for teeth whitening.

The pain of tooth sensitivity can be sharp, sudden, and shoot deep into the nerve endings of your teeth.

This discomfort, felt in one or more teeth, is triggered by hot, cold, sweet or sour foods and drinks, tooth grinding, or even by breathing cold air.

The cause of sensitive teeth is the exposure of the underlying layer of your teeth (dentin) as a result of receding gum tissue (the protective covering of the tooth roots.) There are many factors that may lead to sensitive teeth, including brushing too hard, tooth decay near the gum line, recession of the gums or plaque build-up.