Do I need to take an antibiotic before my dental appointment? Patients who have had rheumatic fever, heart murmur, heart valve replacement or orthopedic joint replacement are at risk for a condition called infectious endocarditis. The American Dental Association recommends these patients take a “pre-med” prior to dental work. Here’s why: Bacteria which normally inhabit [...]
Do the walls of your house vibrate at night? Does your dog or cat sleep with his paws over his ears? If so, you may find some benefit in this article. In some men or women, snoring can be reduced or eliminated simply by wearing an oral appliance at night. The appliance enlarges the airway [...]
Parents typically provide oral hygiene care until the child is old enough to take personal responsibility for the daily dental health routine of brushing and flossing. A proper regimen of home preventive care for children's teeth is important from the day your child is born. Clean your infant's gums with a clean, damp cloth. Ask [...]
Dentists and researchers aren't in complete agreement about the cause of nightly tooth grinding (bruxism). But they do agree that it's partly stress-related. Since the year-end holidays can be some of the most stressful months of the year, we may be at risk for high stress more than at any other time. The Holiday Season [...]
Chewing tobacco affects your dental health as well as the rest of your body. If you use smokeless tobacco and have thought about quitting, we can help. How do you kick the habit? We can help you kick your chewing tobacco habit. In addition to cleaning teeth and treating bad breath and puffy, swollen gums [...]
During any emergency it's important to remain calm as you arrange for treatment, and be sure to follow these instructions in the the meantime. Toothache Rinse mouth vigorously with cool water. Floss to remove food that might be trapped between teeth. DON’T use heat or place aspirin ON the aching tooth or gum. Call us [...]
The medicine you take for one physical disorder may literally rot your teeth. This is one of many reasons we need to know your medical history and current treatment. For instance... Chewable vitamin C supplements are a good idea for a lot of people, but check your brand for sugar content. For children especially, a liquid [...]
Remember Your Teeth After that Extra Halloween Sugar! Most folks eat more sugar than they realize—150 pounds per year average. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, many of them children. Doctors predict that this obesity epidemic will be followed by an epidemic of diabetes. You can lose the sugar bowl and still consume your share of [...]
Do women need to be more careful with their oral health? Women's oral health depends on their different stages of life. For many women, these changes are directly related to surges in sex hormone levels, such as in puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, lactation and menopause. Women are also more likely to be diagnosed with TMJ, Myofascial [...]
How common and how serious is oral cancer? Oral cancer, the sixth most common cancer, accounts for about 3.6 percent of all cancers diagnosed, with roughly 40,000 new cases of oral cancer reported annually in the United States. The vast majority of these cases occur in people older than 45 years, with men being twice [...]
