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Oral Piercings Can Really Damage Your Teeth
You might think having your tongue pierced looks cool now, but did you know that oral piercings can damage your teeth?
Oral piercings can, in the long run, make your teeth move. Your teeth shouldn’t move, and once they do, you will end up with a gap in your smile. You don’t want that! Here are a few other ways oral piercings can damage your teeth.
Can Cause Your Teeth to Crack and Chip
Not only, when your teeth move from having an oral piercing, can create a gap, but once the piercing causes the chips and cracks in your teeth, this will cause an even bigger hole. Having a gap in your teeth can make you look bad. The chips and cracks can be due to bumping the teeth against the piercing. You can easily hit the two together while eating or even talking to someone.
Can Cause Bacterial Infections
If you don’t maintain the piercing good enough, especially within the first couple of weeks after having it done, you can end up with a bacterial infection in your mouth. Some of these infections include blood-borne hepatitis, angina, and herpes. Since no one wants this to happen, read further to find out how to avoid these problems.
Ways to Avoid Problems After You Have Gotten an Oral Piercing
If you have already gotten your tongue pierced, don’t worry because there are ways to avoid these problems associated with oral piercings. The main thing to remember is to care for your tongue piercing all the time, especially within the first few weeks of getting it done. If you don’t keep it clean and maintained like you are supposed to, you will end up with an infection in your mouth.
When you first get your piercing on your tongue, gauge it accordingly by getting an extended piece of jewelry instead of something small. If you choose something small, like a stud, at first, this can cause it to swell over the piercing. After you have had it for a while, and after the initial swelling goes down, you can then get your stud put in.
Contact us for ways to maintain your oral piercing or for information on why you should not get one in the first place.
Places to Easily Cut Sugar Out of Your Diet
Sugar is not good for teeth or for your overall health. This is why it is important to cut the sugar from your diet and make sure to keep it off of your teeth. You want to have healthier teeth and gums overall, but where are you going to cut the sugar out? What if you already feel that you’re eating somewhat healthy?
Here are some tips for not only cutting out the sugar, but making sure that you keep the sugar off of your teeth.
Tips for Reducing Sugar Intake
While you might feel like you don’t intake a lot of sugar on a daily basis, you can still reduce the amount that sits on your teeth. Here are some great tips for helping your oral health and getting more out of the things you eat and the integrity of your teeth.
- Reduce the amount of candy or baked goods that you eat on a daily basis.
- Rinse out your mouth after eating anything that is acidic or high in sugar content.
- Brush after each meal to reduce any type of sugar or other food that might be sitting on the outside of the teeth.
- Stay away from acidic drinks and food, since these can be just as bad as the sugary ones that you eat.
- Do not drink soda, as this can damage the teeth and your overall health because it is a sweet, sugary drink with a high sugar content.
- Drink milk, tea and coffee through a straw to reduce the effects that they have on the teeth.
There are many ways you can eat healthier, reduce sugar and still maintain healthier teeth. Keeping up on your oral hygiene and cleanings at the dentist are great ways to do so. Speak with us today to schedule an appointment.
Flossing Is Essential To Your Oral Hygiene
WE’VE MENTIONED IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN… Flossing is an essential part of good oral hygiene. Many people don’t see the need for flossing when they already brush their teeth; others simply hate the task. We understand that it can be tedious! But as your trusted dental professionals, we want to assure you that flossing will greatly benefit your dental and overall health.
So, How Does Flossing Benefit My Health?
Did you know that when you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 35 percent of tooth surfaces in your mouth? That’s because brushing simply cannot get into those hard-to-reach spaces between your teeth. Unfortunately, however, bacteria can! Flossing completes brushing by cleaning the spaces your toothbrush can’t.
Regular flossing can:
- Prevent cavities. Have you ever flossed, even after brushing your teeth, and were surprised to find a remnant of your last meal? Flossing removes food debris and plaque, preventing cavity formation between the teeth, a common place for tooth decay.
- Fight bad breath. If food or plaque are left in between teeth, they will eventually release a bad smell. Yuck!
- Inhibit tartar buildup and gum disease. If left on teeth for too long, plaque hardens into tartar, which can only be removed by a dental professional. The presence of tartar can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Gum disease is associated with other systemic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
- Improve your appearance. Food debris and plaque make teeth look more yellow and gritty. Clean, healthy teeth always appear whiter and brighter!
From years of experience, we can confidently say that flossing makes a big difference in your oral and overall health.
For Flossing To Work, It Has To Be Done Correctly
To reap the benefits of flossing, it has to be done correctly. In a 2006 study, researchers wanted to see whether flossing at home had the same benefits as having daily flossing done by professionals. The study showed that participants who were flossed professionally had a 40 percent decrease in their risk of cavities than their at-home flossing counterparts. The researchers concluded that flossing, when done properly, has a substantial, positive effect on oral health.
Many people simply snap the floss in between their teeth and pull it back out. The correct way, however, is to curve the floss around the tooth, as if the floss were hugging it. Still curved around the tooth, move the floss up and down to scrape the plaque. Do the same on the other tooth.
Take The Flossing Challenge
We’d like to challenge you to make daily flossing a part of your oral healthcare routine. We promise you’ll feel the difference! If you still have questions about flossing, call or come in to see us. Seeing our patients is the best part of our day!
Top image by Flickr user angela n. used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
Videos of Bob Schneider and Patient Appreciation Party!
IN CASE YOU MISSED the Patient Appreciation Party in October, or even if you did not, and just want to see if you are in the video….to honor our patients we had great food, music, and fun literally in our back yard!
There are LOTS of things that make our office unique, and this one of the best (non-dental) aspects of your dental office!
Remember to slip into the conversation when dental offices come up….”Does YOUR dentist have a party and have Bob Schneider sing for everyone that goes there?”
Blessings for a GREAT Holiday Season!
Dr. Michael Bell, Dr. Allie Lossing, Sarah, Theresa Ann, Brittany, Amanda, Diana and Lou Ann….
Follow link below:
http://www.mbelldds.wpengine.com/about-us/our-videos/
Help Children Get The Preventive Dental Care They Need
MILLIONS OF CHILDREN TODAY aren’t receiving basic, recommended dental care designed to detect and prevent disease. In fact, various surveys conclude that over half of children and adolescents did not visit a dentist in the past year.
Preventative Care For Children Is Essential For Lifelong Health
Childhood caries are the #1 chronic infection in children—AND they’re preventable! Through regular cleanings, topical fluoride treatments to strengthen teeth and dental sealants to shield tooth surfaces, tooth decay can be dramatically reduced.
If children don’t visit the dental office until decay is advanced—causing pain and damage—they’re much more likely to associate the dental office with fear and pain. Children build lifelong patterns based on these experiences. They may grow up to avoid the dentist, despite pain and damage that occurs as a result of neglect.
Think About The Kids You Love…
Whether you’re a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, uncle, neighbor, coworker or friend… We all have children we care about in our lives. Do those children visit the dentist every six months? Are they educated on the best ways to care for their oral health? Are they protecting their teeth from tooth decay with fluoride and sealants?
Help Protect Those You Love Through Education
Protect children’s smiles and oral health! If there’s anything that we can do to help, give us a call.