Apr 24 2019

Gingivitis: Does It Lead To Receding Gums And Bone Loss?

Gingivitis vs. Periodontitis

Gum disease affects many people in some form, but they often don’t know it because it’s usually fairly painless. Gingivitis and gum disease are two terms that you should understand, including their symptoms, how they impact oral health, and how to prevent them.

What does your dental team mean by “gingivitis”?

Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums. When your gums are healthy, they look pink and firm, and they aren’t swollen or puffy around the tooth. The germs that cause dental disease are always present in the mouth. When too much food and bacteria build up around the teeth and gums, plaque forms. Eventually, plaque can harden into tartar that irritates the gums. Toxins in plaque cause the gums to become swollen and red, to bleed easily, and to be more tender. Gingivitis is an early, mild form of gum disease but can be reversed with good home care combined with dental hygiene therapy.

What is gum disease?

When gingivitis is not reversed with effective brushing, flossing, and dental hygiene therapy, it can progress to cause inflammatory damage of the gums and bone called periodontitis. If you have periodontitis, your gums recede from your teeth and form pockets that harbor a variety of germs. Your immune system responds to the bacteria as the plaque spreads and grows below the gum line, but this can actually cause damage. Bacterial toxins and your body’s natural response to fight the infection start to break down the bone and connective tissue that hold teeth in place.

Without treatment, the bones, gums, and fibers that support the teeth can be destroyed. Your teeth will eventually become loose and may need to be removed.

How does gum disease develop?

There are many risk factors associated with gum disease. They include:

Smoking, one of the biggest risk factors associated with gum disease.
Hormonal changes in girls/women, which can make gums more reactive to toxins that cause gingivitis
Diabetes, which impairs our defenses against infections, including gum disease
Prescription and over-the-counter medications which may reduce the protective effect of saliva flow in the mouth
Diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, and their treatments can sometimes have harmful effects on gum health
Genetics, which makes some people more prone to severe gum disease by inherited traits

What can I do to prevent gum disease?

There are several things you can do to prevent both gingivitis and gum disease:

Brush your teeth twice a day (with fluoride toothpaste)
Floss your teeth every day
Visit the dentist routinely for a checkup and dental hygiene therapy
Don’t smoke and if you do smoke, quit!
Make sure your diabetes is well-controlled
Know the side effects of the medications you are taking

What are the symptoms of gum disease?

Symptoms include bad breath that won’t go away even after chewing gum or eating mints; red or swollen gums; tender or bleeding gums; painful chewing; loose teeth; sensitive teeth; or receding gums or teeth that appear longer than others.

What is the treatment for gingivitis and gum disease?

We treat gingivitis by cleaning your teeth to remove plaque and tartar. Scaling (cleaning) the tooth and root surface reduces the sources of infection in the gums. We also may prescribe special mouthwashes or medicines. For gum disease, we often recommend combined treatments like antibiotics, antimicrobial mouthwashes, deep scaling and root planing (cleaning and smoothing) of the root surface, or removing the infected gum tissue or teeth. Dr Cardon will talk to you about all of the treatment options available if you have gingivitis or gum disease. He may consider referring you to a gum specialist (periodontist) if advisable. You should always feel free to ask questions if you are concerned about your oral health.

Learn more at: http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/g/gum-disease

Apr 24 2019

Six Important Toothbrush Care Tips

OUR TOOTHBRUSHES fend off plaque and bacteria, help keep our teeth sparkling, and leave our mouths feeling squeaky clean! But how squeaky clean is your TOOTHBRUSH–will your toothbrush care help you have a super-clean checkup?

Toothbrush DON’Ts

Don’t Store Your Toothbrush In A Closed, Dark Space
A moist, enclosed environment (like a container or cupboard) is not a good place to keep your toothbrush. Bacteria thrive in dark, wet conditions without circulation.

Don’t Share Your Toothbrush (Gross)
When you share your toothbrush you share bacteria, including bacteria that can cause dental decay and periodontal disease.

Don’t Keep Your Toothbrush Near The Toilet
Put your toothbrush as far away from the toilet as possible—at least six feet is a good rule of thumb. Because of “airborne particles”, always flush with the lid down. Enough said.

Toothbrush DOs

Replace Your Toothbrush
Replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months, or when the bristles get frayed. This not only ensures that it cleans your teeth better, but it eliminates the bacteria buildup issue. If you’ve been sick or are recovering from a cold, consider changing your toothbrush.

Rinse Your Toothbrush After Using It
Thoroughly rinse your toothbrush with water after each use. Rinsing it washes out debris and bacteria left behind. You can also deep clean it by swishing it around in mouthwash.

Keep Your Toothbrush Dry
Store your toothbrush upright in the open air. This allows it to dry out and not develop mold.

Care For Your Toothbrush And It Will Care For You
Keeping your toothbrush clean will help both your overall health and your oral health. Where do you keep YOUR toothbrush? If your toothbrush care follows these tips, having a clean checkup is much more likely.

Thanks for your trust in Stadium Dental Center in Jefferson City, Missouri!

Apr 24 2019

Treating Periodontal Disease In Jefferson City

Anyone who’s gone to a Jefferson City dentist already knows it’s important to brush your teeth for two minutes, twice a day, and floss between them at least once a day. Problem is, not enough folks acquire the habit. Putting these simple oral health habits into practice can prevent the buildup of foul-smelling plaque between your teeth, which can cause gum disease or periodontal disease that has been known as “pyorrhea.” About 80 percent of American adults have some form of gum disease. Here are some facts about what gum disease is and how you can avoid it.

What is gum (periodontal) disease?

Periodontal disease, or gum disease, is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the gums and bone supporting your teeth. It starts when plaque gathers along your gum line, triggering inflammation in your gums. Healthy gums are usually coral pink in color and firm, forming a sharp edge or point around the neck of your tooth. The most common form of gum disease is “gingivitis.” Hallmarks are reddened gums that look swollen and bleed easily. There is usually little to no pain with gingivitis.

What causes gum disease?

Plaque buildup is the main cause of gum disease. When plaque isn’t removed daily by brushing and flossing, it hardens. Hard plaque, known as tartar, harbors germs that can irritate gums and break down the attachment fibers connecting the gums to the teeth, creating periodontal pockets that fill with more bacteria. Pockets can become severely infected, painful, and swollen. Loosening of your tooth or teeth may happen and lead to their removal. Other things linked to gum disease include smoking and tobacco use, pregnancy, clenching or grinding of teeth, an unhealthy diet, diabetes, and hereditary tendencies.

Can gum disease affect my overall health?

No doubt about it! People with gum disease may be more likely to have heart disease or have trouble controlling their blood sugar, and pregnant women with gum disease are more likely to deliver preterm, low birth-weight babies than those with healthy gums.

How will Stadium Dental Center treat my gum disease?

Most treatments for gum disease begin with a special cleaning by Dr. Cardon or our hygienist, called a scaling and root planing. Scaling means removing the tartar from above and below your gum line. Root planing eliminates rough spots on your tooth root where germs accumulate to remove those inflammation-causing actors from your mouth. We also may prescribe special mouthwashes or topical treatments. Lasers also may be used to provide fast and minimally-invasive gum disease treatment. More advanced cases may warrant referral to a specialist to help preserve the life of severely affected teeth.

How is gum disease prevented?

No secret here–removing plaque by daily brushing and flossing and regular dental visits twice a year for cleanings are your best bet to minimize your risk of gum disease. You also can reduce your risk by eating a healthy diet and curing cigarette and tobacco use.

It ‘s important to catch gum disease early. Visit our conveniently located Jefferson City Stadium Dental Center office routinely to avoid plaque buildup, and get your questions answered about your gum disease and its prevention.

Apr 24 2019

Minimal Tooth Invasion For Maximum Preventive Dentistry

You may not have heard the term “minimally invasive dentistry,” but at Stadium Dental Center, we practice it every day. Read below and find out about what minimally invasive dentistry is and how we can use its methods to help preserve your smile.

What is minimally invasive dentistry?

The goal of minimally invasive dentistry, is to conserve healthy tooth structure through preventive dentistry. It focuses on prevention, remineralization (re-hardening), and minimal dentist intervention (drilling!). Using the state of the art techniques, we perform the most conservative amount of work required, never removing more of the tooth structure than necessary to restore teeth to a healthy condition. Minimally invasive dentistry also employs long-lasting materials that conserve as much tooth structure as possible, reducing the potential need for future repairs. For you, minimally invasive dentistry often means less drilling and less pain, and better disease prevention.

How does it work?

First, we’ll evaluate your risk for tooth decay, which is affected by the presence of bacteria in your mouth, the quality and quantity of your saliva, and your diet. If you show signs of decay, we may use special indicator dyes to map the diseased areas of your teeth, allowing us to remove and replace only those areas. In addition to performing minimally invasive techniques, we may recommend strategies to prevent or reduce your tooth decay risk; for example, if you have a high level of oral bacteria, we may advise you to rinse with a special prescription mouthwash, limit your intake of certain carbohydrates, and practice good oral hygiene.

What techniques are involved?

Minimally invasive dentistry techniques include:

• Remineralization: This technique can repair the damage caused by demineralization, a process in which acid exposure weakens the teeth. The use of fluoride and calcium phosphate compounds play an important role in helping to remineralize (re-harden) teeth.

• Sealants: These are used to protect teeth from the bacteria that cause decay. A type of flowable polymer resin, sealants fit into the grooves and depressions of the tooth, protecting it against bacteria and plaque. Sealants do not require any cutting of the tooth and are easily placed.

• Inlays and onlays: These can be used to restore a tooth without removing as much tooth structure as needed for a crown. Typically gold or tooth-colored, inlays are similar to fillings, but they are custom-made to fit your cavity. For more substantial restorations, onlays can be used instead, incorporating a replacement for the pointed tooth cusp and preserving more of your tooth structure.

• Bite guards: These oral appliances can help protect teeth from bruxism, or grinding, which often causes serious damage to the teeth if left unchecked. If you grind your teeth, we can create a bite guard for you to wear at night or during times of stress, when most grinding occurs.

• Air abrasion: This involves a stream of air combined with a super-fine, abrasive powder, which is used to remove decay if a tooth cannot be remineralized. We frequently use this technique instead of a traditional drill as this process may not require anesthesia.

These preventive dentistry techniques, along with proper oral health habits, can help keep your teeth healthy and prevent future dental problems. Ask us if these minimally invasive techniques might be right for you.

Apr 24 2019

Telling The Story About Dental Implants

By the time you read this, you should be able to find a book I’ve participated in writing and publishing. In fact, maybe I’m the only dentist in Jefferson City who’s on the cover of a book about dentistry for consumers. My contribution was about one of my professional passions, dental implant solutions. It’s been a learning experience, and may not be the last of my involvement in such a thing.

Two years ago, I was at a meeting in Colorado with several friends who happen to be dentists from around the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states. Our recurring meetings were where we put our heads together, searched for and shared ideas to help us do a better job for you, our clients. People may not like coming to the dentist, but for some crazy reason or another a lot of you do come, and I’d hate to ever take that for granted. So I try to work on leading my team to improve the experience we provide to you. I hope at least some of the time our efforts make a difference for you.

One of my dental friends proposed that we collaborate in producing a book we could share with people who want to improve the quality of their lives by enjoying a healthy, strong, confident smile. It’s something we believe in because of how great it feels for us when we can produce a life-changing result for someone who’s suffered poor health and self-confidence because of the poor condition of their mouth.

Not all of my friends were able to participate in writing the book, and some who thought they would found it was more difficult to accomplish than they’d expected. Like any collective effort, it required a lot of coordination and patience to get each participant’s contribution. Most of my part of the book was written soon after we began the project, but the editing process went on for many months afterwards. After many months without any apparent progress, I began to wonder if our book would really be completed and published.

I was chosen to write a chapter on dental implants, while my other friends wrote about things like helping people with dental anxiety, helping diagnose the causes of and restore the damage caused by destructive bite habits, using high-tech solutions such as dental lasers and computer-aided design and machining (CAD/CAM) to treat dental conditions, and even a bit of soul-searching about what draws a person into the dental career field in the first place.

Dental implants are such a rapidly expanding mode of oral treatment worldwide, it’s likely that you or someone you know has either already considered or had one placed in their mouths. They provide satisfying solutions to many of the most challenging and vexing conditions patients and dentists encounter. My training in placing and restoring dental implants began in 1997, while in a two-year dental residency in San Antonio, Texas.

Since then, I’ve attended hundreds of hours of additional training in implant dentistry. At Stadium Dental Center we place and restore damaged smiles with conventional and “mini implants.” From the “All On Four” advanced solution for replacing an entire arch of missing teeth to the natural looking and feeling replacement of individual missing teeth, dental implants have been an exciting alternative to offer many of our clients. I’ll post more on the topic in this blog soon.

Gingivitis: Does It Lead To Receding Gums And Bone Loss?

Gingivitis vs. Periodontitis

What does your dental team mean by “gingivitis”?

What is gum disease?

How does gum disease develop?

What can I do to prevent gum disease?

What are the symptoms of gum disease?

What is the treatment for gingivitis and gum disease?

Six Important Toothbrush Care Tips

Treating Periodontal Disease In Jefferson City

Minimal Tooth Invasion For Maximum Preventive Dentistry

Telling The Story About Dental Implants

Affordable Family Dentistry Serving Jefferson City, Cedar City & Apache Flats

Schedule an Appointment

Gingivitis vs. Periodontitis

What does your dental team mean by “gingivitis”?

What is gum disease?

How does gum disease develop?

What can I do to prevent gum disease?

What are the symptoms of gum disease?

What is the treatment for gingivitis and gum disease?

Affordable Family Dentistry Serving Jefferson City, Cedar City & Apache Flats

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Schedule an Appointment