Winter is coming, and if you are anything like us, you are likely busy preparing for the holidays to celebrate with family and friends.

Because this time of year is so busy, it’s easy to overindulge in your favorite annual treats while tempted to slack on your daily oral hygiene care. But that’s a bad combination, and you really don’t want to start the new year with poor teeth and gums! We have two tips to help you take advantage of the goodness of this special season while protecting those precious pearly whites!

Watch Your Sweets!

Whether you love sipping hot cocoa, apple cider, red wine, or eggnog, and dining on delicious cakes, pies, and cookies, your mouth can take a big hit this time of year. Sugar is actually a double whammy as it feeds your sweet tooth (and waistline) but also feeds harmful cavity-causing oral bacteria! We recommend limiting the following indulgences:

Chewy and sticky candy: Caramels, peanut brittle, divinity and toffee, candy canes, peppermint bark, chocolate, fudge, and truffles all cling to teeth and are extra hard to remove from tooth surfaces.

Dried fruit: Healthy-seeming apricots, figs, raisins and prunes take a toll on teeth as they stick in the grooves of back teeth.

Alcohol: While tempting, liquor is often high in sugar as well as dehydrating, lessening healthy saliva production, and drying out the mouth.

If you aren’t careful, you can end up fighting cavities in the new year and spending time in a dental chair to remove hardened plaque and tartar. And if you have a dental crown, filling, or bridge, eating gummy and sticky treats can sometimes loosen a restoration and affect its performance. You can still enjoy limited amounts of your favorite goodies as long as you follow up by rinsing your mouth well and brushing and flossing thoroughly. The holidays are not the time to skip your daily oral hygiene care, no matter how tired you are or how busy your day is. Trust us; your teeth will thank you!

Oral Protection While Playing Sports

No matter what time of year, keeping your mouth safe from harm is crucial (especially when you are participating in recreational activities). A mouthguard covers your teeth and gums to prevent and lessen potential injury to your teeth, arches, lips, and gums. They work by distributing force over all of your teeth, so one or more teeth don’t end up bearing the brunt of an impact. Wearing a sports guard can help you prevent these mishaps:

• Cracked, broken or knocked-out teeth
• Cuts or bites in soft oral tissues
• Jaw fracture or break
• Limit the effects of a concussion as mouth guards pad the upper and lower rows of teeth

The easiest way to protect your mouth is to always wear any protective gear recommended for your sport and wear an athletic guard during your participation in said sport. Whether you’re enjoying indoor activities like wall rock climbing or ice skating at a rink or the great outdoors skiing, snowboarding or sledding down a hill (whatever your holiday sport of choice), remember to protect your smile!

You can get a simple boil and bite mouthguard at any sporting goods store or an over-the-counter version from a drugstore. You can also choose a custom-made mouth guard that offers optimal protection, comfort and ease of breathing. The most important thing is to wear your guard whenever you are participating in your activity, indoors or outdoors!

The Gift of a Healthy Smile

Your smile is so important. It’s the gateway to good overall health as it allows you to chew healthy food, sing carols and kiss your loved ones under the mistletoe! With the right precautions, you can enjoy the holidays while keeping your mouth healthy and strong so you can smile well into the new year. From our family to yours, we wish you and your loved ones all the very best this holiday season! Please call us if you have any concerns about your smile!

The post Protect Your Smile From Dental Trauma During the Holidays! first appeared on Bella Dental.

September is National Gum Care Month, and it is a big deal for your oral health. Good oral health is the foundation to a healthy-looking, self-confident appearance when it comes to your smile. By ensuring healthy teeth and gums – because when it comes to tooth loss, it is not just from tooth decay and cavities – periodontal disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults! It is why your daily oral hygiene care (combined with regular dental checkups) is crucial to getting the healthy, beautiful smile you want and deserve.

Progressive Disease

As National Gum Care Month gets into full swing this month, we want to encourage you to get your biannual checkup and cleaning. If you have not already, book an appointment today. We can spot and stop gum disease in its tracks.

Gingivitis

Gum disease starts as gingivitis as bacterial infection sets into your gums. It happens if you don’t brush and floss that harmful oral bacteria away, so it builds up into plaque, a sticky bacterial film you can feel when running your tongue across your teeth. If left unchecked, gingivitis continues to thrive until it forms deep gum pockets where it deteriorates gum tissue from inflammation, bleeding, and pain. When gingivitis is found, treatment can be done, and your gums can heal. You might have gum disease if you see the following:

• Red, bleeding gums
• Gum pain
• Sour taste in your mouth
• Mouth sores that won’t heal

Periodontitis

If your gum is aggressive, your gum tissue recession steadily worsens. It can also happen in young people because of vitamin deficiency (rather than just bacterial infection). Any advancing gum disease needs treatment as early as possible to avoid losing your teeth to periodontitis. And it is not just because unhealthy teeth and gums make you look older or because replacing teeth is costly; it is because it affects your smile and your body! Gum inflammation travels through your bloodstream to cause additional inflammatory conditions in your body, including heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune issues.

So what can you do to ensure healthy gums?

Address oral bacteria build-up

Daily brushing, flossing and using an antibacterial mouthwash help minimize germs. Otherwise, they collect and harden from plaque into tartar or calculus. Do not neglect to brush or scrape your tongue every day because it is a large surface that can hold onto bacteria. Your routine dental checkups and cleanings help get rid of tartar and calculus using special instruments. We can even recommend some devices you can use to remove oral bacteria from your teeth and tongue.

Build up your body’s immune system

Help your body resist infection so it can’t strengthen and spread. You will need vitamin C to lower inflammation (which can cause red, bleeding gums). Eat fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, berries, and leafy greens. You can get Vitamin B12 from milk, eggs, and meat, as well as B12 from fortified bread, pasta, and cereals. Omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil and fish are great sources) also fight inflammation and boost gum health. If your diet is restricted, you can also take supplements for vitamin C, B12, and Omega 3.

Seeking Help

If you have noticed that your gums are bleeding and regular, gentle flossing around the gum line and between teeth is not helping, you may need treatment. Depending on the stage of gum disease you are fighting, you may need to visit a dentist, periodontist, or endodontist to stop the bleeding and make sure your gums are not receding or leading to bone loss and tooth loss.

This year, do not let gum disease cause tooth loss in your smile. You can achieve healthy teeth and gums. Our experienced team is here to help ensure your smile and overall health are as healthy as possible!

The post September Is National Gum Care Month. Do You Know How To Protect Your Gums for a Healthier Smile? first appeared on Bella Dental.

Did you know that a big investment you can make in your overall health and self-confidence is to make sure you have a healthy smile? June 15th is National Smile Power Day, and it’s a great time to become more aware of the many benefits of having a healthy, confident smile wherever you go!

The Psychology and Physiology of Smiling

Did you know that when you smile, it can trigger your autonomic nervous system to release endorphins into your blood? It triggers your body to release dopamine and serotonin, which act as natural pain relievers. Smiling also reduces your blood pressure levels (thank the happy hormone for that), so it has the power to relieve stress, help you relax, boost your immune system, and, when done habitually, even increase your odds of living longer!

In addition, it also helps whoever sees it to feel that same “happy hormone!” Smiling can make whoever you smile at feel better while also boosting their morale and helping them feel more confident. Smiling can be contagious, and at least half of the folks you smile at will reward you with one back. Who knew a simple smile which can produce anywhere and anytime was this powerful? We agree with the Buddhist author, Thich Nhat Hanh, that “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Did You Know?

• There are many different smiles, including the closed-lip smile, smirk smile, lop-sided smile, flirtatious smile, and open mouth smile.
• When it comes to learning facial expressions, a baby’s smile is one of the first ones they master!
• Smiling means the same thing anywhere you go in the world, which is why you often hear the familiar phrase, “When you smile, the world smiles with you!”
• Smiling people come across more confident and looking younger as the smiling facial muscles raise the face, making the cheeks, jowls, and neck look smoother.
• Women tend to smile more than 60 times a day while their male counterparts smile less than ten times a day!
• Most people think that having a bad-looking smile can harm their career goals.

Smile For Your Health and Success

No wonder smiling is such a good thing for your mental and physical well-being! It’s good for your social and career life, so smile more often. After all, it’s free so why not give the gift of a smile to others, brightening your day as well as theirs. This National Smile Power Day, why not share the hashtag #NationalSmilePowerDay in your online communications and tell a good joke or two. If you’re just not feeling the smile bug, try writing down some of the things you are grateful for onto some sticky notes and placing them around your home or office. Before you know it, you might catch yourself smiling!

Smile Boosting Tips

Your oral health is the first step to a more confident smile as it impacts your overall health. If not taken care of, you are at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and bruxism (where you grind your teeth while you sleep). You will also want to brush with a good toothbrush, floss daily and visit our team twice a year for cleanings. Limit sugary foods and beverages, especially tooth-staining drinks like coffee, tea, and red wine. Drink enough water throughout the day to protect your smile and follow a balanced, nutritious diet so your teeth and gums get the nutrients they need to thrive.

We also recommend giving yourself the gift of a confident smile if you don’t already have one. Your dentist can be one of your best friends when it comes to reaching your smile goals. Give us a call if your smile needs some love, whether it’s just getting your next dental cleaning, a teeth whitening treatment, or a smile makeover. Our team is excited to help you smile!

The post Smile With Us on National Smile Power Day on June 15th! first appeared on Bella Dental.

If you have ever lost a tooth, you might have more than just a gap between your teeth. If a lost tooth is not replaced, the bone in the jaw that supported the lost tooth starts to deteriorate. That’s because when you chew your food, there’s no more stimulation to the bone from the missing tooth’s chewing action. Over time, the gaps in your mouth change as the surrounding teeth shift into the empty space, causing your bite alignment to shift with it. When this happens, missing teeth can not only affect how you look but can cause problems when you chew and even when you speak.

What can you do to prevent this from happening to your smile? You want something to take that missing tooth’s place, and one of the best options available today is a dental implant. Acting like a tooth, implants stimulate your jawbone from the pressure they exert when you chew by acting as the base of a regular tooth. Because of this, they keep the jaw healthy and strong and your bite alignment intact. You can have a single implant done or multiple implants to replace as many teeth as you need.

The implant itself is a titanium post used to act like a tooth root. Once it is surgically placed into the jawbone under the gumline, it can hold a tooth replacement (or a dental bridge). Once the implant fuses to your jawbone it is sturdy and durable. It won’t shift in the mouth, so you can speak and chew without worry. A dental implant can be used to secure dentures, bridges, and crowns to replace your teeth to help them feel natural in the mouth.

To have an implant done for your missing teeth requires healthy gums and enough jawbone material to support the implant. You’re also going to need to keep up excellent daily oral hygiene, including routine dental visits to support the ongoing function of the implant. If you are considering dental implant placement, we are pleased to offer some insight into what you can expect from the procedure.

Many patients are concerned that the process will be painful, and while any surgical procedure has some degree of discomfort as the mouth heals, our team can provide a local anesthesia or another form of sedation to ensure you are comfortable during the implant placement process.

When it’s time to place your dental implant after you’ve been given the appropriate anesthesia, our team of professionals typically perform the following basic steps:

– Create an access point in the gum line to reach the underlying jawbone area.
– Create some space in the jawbone to create an anchor point for the dental implant to support a new tooth.
– Attach the titanium screw to the jawbone, which forms the base of the dental implant.
– Allow the jawbone time to grow around the metal base and fuse naturally with the implant, which can take a few months.
– Attach an abutment to the titanium screw after the bone has completed its regrowth process, which serves to keep the final dental crown or other tooth restoration in place.
– Allow your gums to heal and improve their health for a few weeks prior to placing the dental restoration.
– Create a detailed impression of your smile to serve as a guide for the creation of the restoration.
– Place it on the implant so that it looks natural and matches well with your surrounding teeth.

Depending on the number of teeth that need to be replaced, the overall process can take a few weeks or months to achieve final completion. To learn more about dental implants and how they can replace missing teeth, contact our team today for more information!

The post Dental Implant Placement Basics as a Step-by-Step Process first appeared on Bella Dental.