Anthony Alfonso

5 Things You Can Do To Keep Your Teeth and Gums Healthy

Cardiovascular Disease & Concerns in Dayton OH | Springboro — 5 Things You Can Do To Keep Your Teeth and Gums Healthy

While the best dentist in Durango, CO plays an important role in keeping things inside your mouth healthy, what you do every day often makes the biggest difference. Here are 5 routine things you can do for better oral health.

Brush and floss every day. The most important thing you can do for your teeth and gums is adhere to a daily schedule of brushing and flossing. These twin tasks remove the daily buildup of plaque, a thin bacterial biofilm most responsible for tooth decay and gum disease.

Check your hygiene. There’s brushing and flossing—and then there’s brushing and flossing effectively. To make sure you’re getting the job done, run the tip of your tongue along your teeth after you brush and floss.

If it feels smooth, mission accomplished! If it feels rough and gritty, though, try again. You can also use plaque disclosure products occasionally to highlight any missed plaque still on your teeth.

Say no to sugar. Chances are you love sugar—and so do the disease-causing bacteria in your mouth. As they feed on sugar, they multiply and produce acid, which in high levels can erode tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay. Limiting sugar in your diet reduces oral bacteria and the acid they produce, and thus lowers your risk for disease.

Drink plenty of water. Saliva plays an important role in oral health: It helps fight off bacteria, neutralizes acid and re-mineralizes tooth enamel. But it can’t do those things if there’s not enough of it.

So, if your mouth consistently feels dry, drink more water to give your body what it needs to make saliva. Drinking water also washes away food particles that could become plaque and lowers your mouth’s acidity.

Maintain your dental appliances. You can extend the life of dentures, retainers or other types of dental appliances by cleaning and maintaining them. You should clean your appliance regularly using regular hand soap or a designated cleaner (not toothpaste, which can be too abrasive).

Unless otherwise directed by your dentist, take them out at night and be sure to store them where kids or pets can’t get to them.

Give Your Child the ‘Gift’ of a Lifetime of Great Oral Health

Don't overlook important oral health habits for young children - Delta Dental of Illinois — Give Your Child the ‘Gift’ of a Lifetime of Great Oral Health

Do you want to give your child something that will benefit them the rest of their life? Then give them the gift of healthy teeth and gums.

Such a gift doesn’t come wrapped in a box with a bow on it—you bestow it first by ensuring they receive the utmost in dental care during their formative years.

Even more importantly, you instill in them good oral care habits that will protect their dental health for the rest of their lives.

Oral Hygiene 101. Daily hygiene—brushing and flossing to remove disease-causing dental plaque—is the foundation for maintaining a lifetime of optimal dental health.

Early on, you’ll have to perform these tasks for your child, but the true gift is in teaching them to brush and floss effectively for themselves (and the expert dentists in Durango, CO can help too!).

How’s my brushing? There’s oral hygiene—and then there’s effective oral hygiene. For a quick check, there’s a simple test you can teach your child to make sure they’re brushing and flossing correctly: Just after they finish, have them rub their tongue all along their teeth.

If the teeth feel smooth, they’ve made the grade! If it feels gritty, though, they’ll need to try again. (For better accuracy, you can also purchase a disclosing solution at your local pharmacy that when applied to teeth will reveal any remaining plaque.)

Eating for dental health. Instilling the values of proper nutrition not only promotes your child’s overall health, it can also help them have healthier teeth and gums.

Foods rich in vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus, help build strong teeth and bones. Avoiding processed foods, especially those with added sugar, helps them avoid tooth decay or gum disease.

Mouth protection from injury. As your child grows and becomes more active, they’re more at risk for injury to their mouth, teeth or gums.

Help them break habits like chewing on hard objects, and insist on them wearing a mouthguard while playing sports. As they enter the teen years, encourage them to avoid “mouth jewelry” that could damage their tooth enamel.

These values and practices are often woven into the fabric of everyday life. They take relatively little time, but they can make a huge impact on your child’s oral health future.

How to Comfort Teething Babies

The teething stage is inevitable and can be a hard phase for parents to navigate. If you have a teething baby, here are the advice on what you can do to ease the pain of your teething babies and make them more comfortable during the process.

Teething Babies

All babies are different, and that’s no different when it comes to how they begin teething. Some babies may begin teething before they are 4 months old, while some may not begin teething until they are 1 year old. However, the average age babies begin teething is around the age of 6 months old.

Symptoms of Teething Babies

While some babies may show no pain while teething, others can show signs of pain and discomfort. The common signs that a baby is teething include:

Their gums are sore and red where the tooth is coming through.
One cheek is flushed.
They are rubbing their ears.
Your baby is drooling more than usual.
They are gnawing and chewing on things a lot.
Acting fretful more than normal.

How to Treat Teething Babies

When your baby is beginning to show signs of discomfort while teething, we know that you want to help them feel better. If your baby seems uncomfortable, try these simple tips:

Rub your baby’s gums. Use a clean, wet finger or wet gauze to gently massage your baby’s gums. The pressure can help ease their discomfort.
Use cold therapy. A cold spoon or chilled, but not frozen, teething ring can help soothe a baby’s gums. To avoid cavities, these should not be dipped in sugary substances.
Try over-the-counter remedies. If your baby is especially irritable and cranky, talk with your dentist about giving them infants’ or children’s over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol or Motrin.

How to NOT Treat Teething Discomfort

Homeopathic teething tablets. The benefits of topical gels and teething tablets haven’t been demonstrated. In recent studies, it’s been shown that these homeopathic remedies found greater amounts than labeled of the ingredient belladonna, which can cause seizures and difficulty breathing.
Teething medications that cause benzocaine or lidocaine. These pain relievers can be harmful, or even fatal, to your baby.
Necklaces, bracelets, or anklets. These items pose a risk of choking, strangulation, mouth injury, or infection to your baby.

When to See the Dentist

When it comes to teething, you can typically handle it at home. However, you should see your pediatrician if your baby seems as if they’re in a lot of pain or if it’s interfering with eating or drinking.

As far as seeing the dentist goes, your baby should see the trained dentists in Durango, CO as soon as their first tooth comes in or when they turn 1 year old, whichever comes sooner. However, dental care begins before they even have teeth erupt and see the dentist.

Dental Care for Babies

When your babies are born, dental care begins. You should start gently cleansing their gums twice a day at the same time that you would brush their teeth if they had them. Gently cleaning the gums helps you remove bacteria that could be accumulating in their mouths after their milk or formula feedings.

As soon as your baby gets their first tooth, it is time to begin using a small, soft toothbrush to clean the teeth twice a day.

Until they are old enough to know how to spit and not swallow the toothpaste, you should help them brush and only use a tiny amount of toothpaste, no bigger than a grain of rice. Once they are a little older, you can begin using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on their teeth.

Dental Problems in Babies

The most common dental problem we see arise in babies is known as baby bottle tooth decay. This problem typically happens in the front top teeth, but other teeth can also be affected.

Many factors can cause baby bottle tooth decay, but the most common reason is frequent, prolonged exposure of the baby’s teeth to drinks that contain sugar. Tooth decay like this can happen when the baby is put to bed with a bottle, or when the bottle is used as a pacifier for a fussy baby.

Tooth decay in babies can also occur when they share spoons and other utensils as their parents or when the gums and teeth aren’t properly cleaned. After each feeding, gently wipe their gums with a clean, damp washcloth. Further, only give them bottles with formula or milk, refraining from filling their bottles with liquids like juice or sugar water.

Caring For Your Smile After Wisdom Teeth Removal

Wisdom Teeth Removal Cost | Omega Dental Houston TX — Caring For Your Smile After Wisdom Teeth Removal

More often than not, the wisdom teeth will have to be removed. While it may not sound like good news to have this procedure. Here is how to care for your mouth after wisdom teeth removal.

What are the Wisdom Teeth?

As we get older, we also get smarter — even our smiles. Your mouth is constantly developing from birth until early adulthood. One major dental milestone occurs between the ages of 17 and 21 is having your third molars erupt.

These third molars are also known as wisdom teeth. If they have enough room to come in, and come in correctly, there is no need to have them removed.

When Wisdom Teeth Should be Removed

The American Dental Association explains that wisdom teeth can lead to problems if there isn’t enough space for them to surface, or if they come in the wrong position. If you’re told that your wisdom teeth are impacted, it means that they are trapped beneath the gums and aren’t erupting.

As you get to the age that wisdom teeth begin to appear, the ADA lists that the best dentist in Durango, CO will begin to monitor your mouth for signs of wisdom teeth that:

Aren’t in the right position, which can allow food to become trapped. This gives cavity-causing bacteria a place to grow.
Haven’t come in properly, which can make it difficult to properly flow and clean your teeth at the back of your mouth.
Have only partially come through, which can give bacteria a place to enter the gums and create a place for infection to occur. This can cause pain, swelling, and jaw stiffness.
Don’t have room to come through and look as though they will crowd or damage nearby teeth.
Is impacted, which can form a cut on or near the impacted tooth. This can damage the roots of nearby teeth or destroy the bone that supports the teeth.

The Procedure

This is what the surgery typically entails:

The dentist will make an incision in the gum tissue to expose the tooth and bone
Removing the bone that blocks access to the tooth root
Dividing the tooth into sections if it’s easier to remove in pieces
Removing the tooth
Cleaning the site of the removed tooth of any debris from the tooth or bone
Stitching the wound closed to promote healing, though this isn’t always necessary
Placing gauze over the extraction site to control bleeding and to help a blood clot form

Caring For Your Smile After Wisdom Teeth Removal

After your wisdom teeth are removed, you will rest in the office for a short period of time before you can go home. Once you are discharged to go home, you will have to have a family member or friend drive you home.

Once you get home, you will probably be hungry. The experts will tell you when it’s best to have your first meal after surgery. It’s important to remember to only eat soft foods of mild temperatures. If you choose to have a smoothie or soup, remember NO straws for 48 hours.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Do you feel very tired during the day, even if you slept for a sufficient number of hours? Do you have a hard time staying asleep at night? If so, you may suffer from a condition known as sleep apnea. This is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep.

Types of Sleep Apnea

To have your sleep apnea condition properly treated, you need to know the type you have. The different types of sleep apnea are:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Also known as OSA, this condition occurs when the airway is physically blocked at the back of the throat. When this happens, you experience temporary lapses in breath. OSA is estimated to affect between 2-9% of adults in the United States alone, however, many cases are said to go undiagnosed.

Central Sleep Apnea

This condition is often called CSA, and happens when there is an issue with how the brain is controlling the muscles involved in respiration, leading to a slower and more shallow breathing. CSA is less common, affecting less than 1% of adults over the age of 40.

Mixed Sleep Apnea

As titled, if you experience mixed sleep apnea, it means that you are experiencing both types of apneas, obstructive and central.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

If you are experiencing OSA or CSA, you may experience a number of different symptoms. You may be suffering from this sleep disorder if you notice the following symptoms and signs:

Excessive daytime sleepiness
Irritability and personality changes
Frequent loud snoring
Difficulty staying asleep
Choking or gasping sensations during sleep
Frequent morning headaches
Awakening with a very dry or sore throat
Difficulty concentrating

Risks of Not Treating Sleep Apnea

If you do not treat this disorder, it can lead to a number of serious health problems, and it may even be life threatening. If left untreated, you could experience:

High blood pressure
Stroke
Heart failure, irregular heart beat, and even heart attacks
Diabetes
Depression
Worsening of ADHD
Headaches

To protect your health, it’s important that you are treated as soon as possible for your apnea.

Treatments for Sleep Apnea

For those who have a mild-to-moderate case of this disorder, getting a dental appliance like a custom-made oral appliance can help prevent your tongue from blocking the throat.

Additionally, it can also advance the lower jaw forward. During sleep, this will help keep your airway open. This oral appliance fits in your mouth and is only worn while you sleep; it works by preventing obstructions in your airway throughout the night, allowing you to breathe continuously.

If you’re a candidate for an oral appliance, the expert dentists in Durango, CO will make an impression of your teeth. Then, the device will be made and you’ll come back when it’s ready for a fitting. From there, you will thoroughly learn how to properly use and care for your appliance. If needed, further adjustments can be made to make sure you get the most out of it.

This appliance will help you breathe better at night, getting more rest and preventing more serious, life-threatening conditions from happening due to sleep apnea.

Fill the Gaps with Dental Implants

Dental implants are a revolutionary way we approach replacing missing teeth. If your smile has one or more gaps in it, you’re not alone. Missing teeth is common amongst hundreds of millions of Americans. If you have missing teeth, here is how dental implants can revive your smile.

Missing Teeth in Adults

When children have a gap in their smile, it’s a cute sign that the tooth fairy is about to visit. However, with adults, a gap is far more concerning. Missing teeth in adults if one the result of tooth decay, gum disease, or even injury.

While some people are born without certain teeth, a condition known as congenitally missing teeth, this is not common to the general public and is typically an issue in families that have seen the issue for generations.

According to the American College of Prosthodontists, missing teeth in adults disrupts proper function and the teeth near the gaps in your smile will begin to shift, move, and tip into the space overtime.

The most common missing teeth are the wisdom teeth, upper lateral incisors, and second premolars/bicuspids. It is important to replace missing teeth so you can chew your food properly, have adequate jaw support, stability for the remaining teeth, and a nice, full smile.

Living with Missing Teeth

If you lose a tooth as an adult, we recommend getting to the dentist sooner rather than later to learn about your options to fill the gap. Living with missing teeth has practical negative consequences, such as:

Avoiding hard foods and changing the way you chew.
Changing how you talk and sound due to receding gums.
Shrinking and weakening of the jaw bone, causing facial sagging.

Dental Implants to Replace Missing Teeth

If you are missing teeth, you’re not alone. Over 178 million American adults are missing at least one tooth, and 40 million Americans are missing all of their teeth. As we get older, the issue of missing teeth gets worse as 30% of adults between the ages of 65 and 74 have no natural remaining teeth.

If you’re missing one or more teeth, dental implants can restore your smile.

You are willing to commit several months to the process
Have one or more missing teeth
Your jawbone has reached full growth
Have adequate bone to secure the implants or are able to have a bone graft
Your oral tissues are healthy
Don’t have health conditions that affect bone healing
You are unable or unwilling to wear dentures
Don’t smoke tobacco

The Procedure

Getting dental implants can seem daunting, but when it is done by the best dentist in Durango, CO, then everything seems normal. The procedure entails replacing tooth roots with metal, screw-like posts and replacing damaged or missing teeth with artificial ones. Here is what you can expect:

A comprehensive dental exam and review of your medical history
Damaged tooth removal
Jawbone preparation (grafting) when needed
Dental implant placement
Bone growth and healing
Abutment placement
Artificial tooth placement
A healthy, full smile!

In total, the process can take a few months to complete. Much of that time is spent on healing and waiting for the growth of new bone in your jaw. Every patient is different, so depending on your specific situation you might have more or less healing time needed and some steps could be combined.

What is Baby Bottle Tooth Decay?

Little girl with healthy teeth standing in a field, holding a dandelion — What is Baby Bottle Tooth Decay?

Baby teeth are more important than people realize. Yes, they are necessary for eating and learning how to talk, but they are also place holders for their adult teeth. If baby teeth get cavities, it is very important to have them taken care of because they could result in pain and infection.

What is Baby Bottle Tooth Decay?

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD), sometimes referred to as Bottle Rot, can affect any teeth, but the four front teeth on top are most commonly affected. The decay usually happens when a small child falls asleep with a bottle in her mouth or is given soda or fruit juice in her bottle.

Another way for small children to get dental caries, or cavities, is when they are given pacifiers dipped in something sweet like syrup or honey.

Symptoms

A baby should see the dentist before her first birthday or after his first tooth erupts. If teeth are coming in and you notice something is unusual, ask your dentist. Make a dental appointment if you notice any of the following symptoms of bottle rot:

Gums- are swollen or bleeding
Teeth- have brown or black spots
Infection- indicated by fever, irritability or swelling

The above are advanced symptoms of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, if your baby is experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to see a dentist as soon as possible. Contact us at Cabrillo Family Dentist, we can help fix your baby’s teeth to avoid problems later.

Treatment

If cavities in baby teeth are not taken care of soon enough, they may need to be removed. This may seem like it is not a big deal since they are “only” baby teeth, but decayed or removed baby teeth can lead to problems in adult teeth such as:

Damaged or crooked permanent teeth
Speech problems
Poor eating habits

Prevention

To prevent Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, it’s important to start brushing a baby’s teeth as soon as they come in. At first, you can use a clean washcloth and water to gently rub the teeth and gums after each meal.

As they get older and more teeth erupt, you can use a soft, child-size toothbrush with just water and no toothpaste or a tiny amount of toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice, with no fluoride.

To keep your child’s teeth healthy, avoid:

Letting children fall asleep with a bottle in their mouth. Offer only breast milk or water at naptime
Giving children sweet drinks such as fruit juice in a bottle (mix fruit juice and water and offer in a sippy cup, not a bottle)
Dipping pacifier in something sweet
Giving children soda in their bottle
Sugary foods

Flossing should begin as soon as two teeth are touching. Once they are older, they can start using regular toothpaste, but only about the size of a pea for ages 3-6. Ask the trusted dentists in Durango, CO when they are old enough to start brushing their teeth on their own.

Are Dental Implants Right for You?

Missing teeth can impact your self-esteem, as well as many daily activities. Among all the options to fix such a situation, getting dental implants is one of the top choices.

The benefits of dental implants work by having the implants placed directly into the jawbone where they’re secured. There’s an artificial root that holds the implant in place and stops it from moving or coming out at any point.

Using both dentures and crowns can still support after the implants are in place. The process itself involves a few stages, starting with the placement of the implants. It then has to be fused with the bone surrounding it; this may take weeks or months to occur. The new artificial teeth can then be secured to the implants after fusion is complete.

The Benefits of Dental Implants

Bite with force again

If you’ve been having dental problems for a long time, your bite has probably suffered because if pain or other issues. Dental implants put that right and make you able to bite properly once more, and that means eating will become much more enjoyable for you.

Prevention of bone loss

Some of the treatments for tooth loss can involve tooth loss, but you can avoid it completely if you choose dental implants.

You get this jawbone stimulation you don’t receive with other solutions, and that’s best for your health in the long-term. With the use of dental plants you reduce the risk drastically of any sort of bone deterioration.

A permanent solution

Not every fix for tooth loss and other related issues is a permanent one. Dental implants, however, do allow you to fix the situation permanently.

Once the implants are in place, they won’t need to be removed or replaced at any point, making the whole thing a lot easier for you. You will also be able to eliminate further health issues that are common with failing teeth.

They’ll match your natural teeth

You probably don’t want the solution to your tooth loss problems to be evident to everyone every time you smile. Well, it won’t be when you opt for dental implants because they can be made to match your natural teeth.

Improve your appearance

One of the biggest benefits is that they are able to preserve bone and prevent any other further deterioration. Replacement tooth are usually much better because of how visible a treatment such as a bridge is used.

Once deterioration of the jawbone begins, the entire facial structure begins to change as well and can result in a person looking much older than they really are. Things like wrinkles and facial structure collapse are things that can be fixed with dental implants.

Who Qualifies as Needing Dental Implants?

Most adults over the age of 18 can get dental implants if they need them. The procedure is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 because, at that age, the bone in the jaw is still in the process of growing.

There are some instances when adults might be turned down or have the procedure not recommended to them. For example, smokers, people with poorly controlled diabetes, anyone who’s had radiotherapy in their jaw or people with gum diseases, might not qualify for dental implants.

Each situation is different, so to find out if dental implants are going to be right for you, you should get in touch and have a consultation with one of the best dentist in Durango, CO.

Are Braces REALLY Necessary?

Teenage girl with braces holding a popsicle — Are Braces REALLY Necessary?

Going through puberty sucks. Dealing with hormones and social pressures at school sucks. Doing all of the above while having to wear big, clunky braces that look bad and feel bad especially sucks. It’s tough being a teenager, and taking some extra steps to avoid those embarrassing periods is a blessing for them.

Parents often think the effects of braces leads to a stunning smile in the future, but for a child of this age, they feel a month is the longest time in the world. Now imagine them having to endure years of metal dentistry.

How Big is the Need for Braces for Your Kid?

A mouth full of metal will only make your child feel more awkward on their first day of Junior High, but what if there are some excellent reasons to consider getting them braces. Their smiles will become straight, and they will be more proud to flash a smile. The question is, though, if braces are absolutely the step that needs to be taken to get there.

Some crowding doesn’t need actual work

Have you begun to notice your child’s smile looking crowded on the bottom? If there is some crowding in their mouth, there might not be a need for braces, as the overcrowding could eventually straighten out on their own.

Your child is still developing so their mouth could grow into itself and the crowding could subsequently straighten out. Of course, if you want to be extra sure to care for the issue, other alternatives are available such as Invisalign.

Wait and see

Do you actually need braces? Your orthodontist often decides the need for braces, but even they will consider the option for them if they believe the teeth will eventually straighten out.

They usually wait to see if the teeth continue to crowd, which then they will consider the recommendation of braces. Talk with your orthodontist to verify if your teen is in desperate need of pairs or if they feel they are unnecessary.

Save on money by waiting

Many parents spend a significant amount of funds to get their braces for their teens, but you can save some money if you expect as well for the need for them. The money you save can go towards a child’s life in a number of ways – everything from a college fund to weekly treats and nights out!

Avoid Braces with Regular Dental Exams

Your children’s dentist also helps you with the need for braces, as regular exams with them keep the dental health of your kid on point. Consult with the holistic dentist in Durango, CO to see if your teen is in need of braces, or they can go without them!

The Perfect Time to do Your Dental Routine

Top 4 Dental Habits You Must Add to Your Daily Dental Routine - Twilight Dental Center — The Perfect Time to do Your Dental Routine

Whether you’re diligent and on top of your dental routine or not, we all know the suggested daily routine. Brush and floss twice a day – once when you wake up and then again before we go to sleep. And regular visit to dentist who follows holistic dentistry in Durango, CO is a must.

However, as with most seemingly simple rules of thumb, there lies some controversy. More and more, studies and experts corroborate the idea that it’s time to refine that idea.

Rethink Your Time to Shine

In the morning, most of us head bathroom to get showered, shaved, and brushed before we’re ready to take on the day.

The other majority would instead rather get the taste of death out of their mouth with a little breakfast – hit two birds with one stone taking away that nasty feeling and hunger pangs at the same time. However, opinions start to lean toward brushing *before* breakfast is the right order of operations, after all.

“It’s like eating off of a dirty plate,” and so it’s been said. While there’s no evidence that the bacteria buildup on your teeth and in your mouth will do any harm, the general idea holds water elsewhere! If you’re the kind of person to take orange juice or coffee with your morning chow, it’s wise to take note of all that acid on your teeth.

The bacteria work to weaken your enamel layer while you sleep, and then adding on all that acid and sugar afterward will only worsen the issue. If you brush after the bacteria and acid have gone to work on your enamel layer, it’s an easy way to scrub away that protective layer.

With that in mind, the suggested order of operations goes as follows – Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste when you wake up and then rinse with mouthwash. Then it’s time for breakfast, followed by a quick rinse with water, and then it’s time to floss. Finding time to brush and floss before or at least 30 minutes after food and drink is generally the way to go.

On the Topic of Flossing

While the topic of flossing is here, the vote is just about unanimous. There’s never a wrong time to floss. After any meal where foodstuffs could have gotten between your teeth, a quick run-through with a floss pick or something along those lines is just the ticket.

Keeping the space between your teeth as clean as possible is genuinely always recommended to corner the problem of bacteria and food, making the problem worse with time. The only time it’s considered ‘too much flossing’ is if you hurt your gums – anything before that is great!

Generally, though, the more care you take to your teeth, the better off you are. The number one priority, no matter the order of operations, should be to make sure it gets *done* one way or the other. Even doing it in the wrong order is so much better for your teeth than not doing it at all!