Why Regular Visits to Your Redwood City Dentist Matters

While not having your teeth cared for can lead to a variety of future problems, many people still do not grasp the importance of regular trips to your Redwood City dentist. A dentist can help you lead a long, healthy life, free of many ailments.

The list below is just a short snippet of what regularly visiting your dentist can do for you.

Early Detection of Cavities

Early detection of cavities is one of the main reasons it is important to visit the dentist on a regular basis. When you visit every six months, your dentist will be able to spot potential dental problems before they become dangerous. Early detection will help your treatment become less expensive and less intensive

Prevention of Cavities

The prevention of cavities is much easier when you have a knowledgeable dentist on your side. If you are “cavity prone,” a dentist can work with you to determine the best regimen for preventing cavities. When you visit a dentist, you'll learn how to care for your teeth by flossing and brushing. If you are still cavity prone after proper dental hygiene is implemented,  you may even be prescribed toothpaste with additional fluoride in it to help protect your teeth.

Detection of Medical Conditions

A dentist can discover some medical conditions or diseases, like cancer, by symptoms that appear in your mouth. Whenever you visit the dentist, your mouth will be checked for sores, lesions, and swollen areas that can lead to discovery and treatment. People can prevent the risk of mouth cancer and ease the treatment process by catching the symptoms at a dentist early on.

Gum Disease Prevention

Periodontal disease, better known as gum disease, is an infection of the gums and tissues that support your teeth. Gum disease starts as a milder form called gingivitis. When plaque builds up, it hardens and becomes tartar. Tartar buildup will inflame and infect your gums. If they are not immediately treated it could lead to severe gum disease. You will know you have gum disease by bleeding and swollen gums, persistent bad breath, and tenderness. Untreated gum disease can lead to the loss of teeth, gum recession, and the weakening of your jaw bone and dental structure. Visiting your dentist on a regular basis will help prevent gum disease, and if you are developing gum disease already, you can receive treatment sooner to prevent long term problems.

Confidence Improvement

Much of a person's confidence is based on how comfortable they are with their smile. If you have excellent teeth, you will be inclined to smile more often, and you will most likely be happier overall. A quality dentist can help keep your teeth white, strong, healthy, and beautiful. A dentist can also recommend a reliable orthodontist if you need to have your teeth straightened, and they can keep your teeth clean and healthy throughout orthodontic treatment.
There are even more reasons to visit the dentist in addition to these. For the best smile and the healthiest lifestyle, make regular dentist visits a priority in your life.

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A Dentist Explains Why Your Gums Are Bleeding

You should visit the dentist at least twice a year in order to have your teeth cleaned.  If you notice that in between dental visits your gums are starting to bleed, it could be a sign of a problem.  Here are some of the reasons why your gums may be bleeding:

• Food.  What you eat can irritate your gums.  Foods that have hard edges like tortilla chips can cut your gums and irritate them to the point that they start to bleed before and during brushing.  You also need to be careful to avoid eating too much sugar, especially candy that is also acidic.  It will irritate the inside of your mouth, create discomfort and at times, bleeding. 
• Your toothbrush.  If you use a toothbrush with hard bristles, it may be irritating your gums and causing them to bleed. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they need to use a hard toothbrush in order to get a good clean.  The reality is that a hard toothbrush can strip away your enamel and irritate your gums. Buy a new brush and see if it helps.
• The way you brush.  Even if you use a softer toothbrush, you may still be irritating your gums by brushing from back to front instead of brushing in a circular pattern.  Try changing the way that you brush your teeth to see if the bleeding stops. We can demonstrate how to properly brush your teeth when you visit our dentist office. 
• Not flossing enough.  If you only floss your teeth once a month, you could end up with bleeding gums every time that you do.  Your gums may even bleed when you floss due to food and bacteria being trapped in small places, creating additional irritation. We recommend that you floss on a daily basis so that your teeth and gums can stay healthy. 
• Gum disease.  If you have the early signs of gum disease (gingivitis) it can make your gums swell, hurt, and even bleed when you brush your teeth.  Gum disease needs to be treated right away before it spreads and causes your gums to recede or creates a larger infection.  It typically starts when bacteria becomes trapped in between your gums and your teeth and roots.  In our dentist office, we can treat gum disease by removing the bacteria and plaque that’s underneath your gums. This way they can start to heal and the symptoms will be eliminated. 

Most of the reasons for bleeding gums can be avoided by learning how to brush your teeth properly and by visiting the dentist on a regular basis. These simple changes can make a big difference in how comfortable you are and how healthy your mouth stays.  If, however, changing your brushing and eating habits don’t help – you may have gum disease.  If you think this may be the case, call and schedule a dentist appointment so that your gums can be treated immediately.  This will prevent the infection from spreading so that you can become healthy again. 

Tips from the Dentist for Keeping Your Teeth Healthy This Halloween

As a local dentist, we work to keep our patients’ teeth and gums in the best possible health.  This is important because by preventing cavities and gum disease, we can keep our patients feeling great and free from tooth pain.  Many parents ask us questions about Halloween candy and whether or not they should let their kids eat it.  The reality is that sugar is bad for your teeth and gums so if you do let them eat it, take precautionary measures as well. 

Here is what we recommend:

• Brush teeth with a fluoride toothpaste.  If you brush your kid’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste, it will help to strengthen them and prevent cavities.  This makes them less likely to become infected due to an occasional candy bar.  Before going out on Halloween, brush their teeth so that they are not putting sugar onto already dirty teeth. 
• Visit the dentist.  It is important to start with healthy teeth.  Don’t go into the holiday season with a mouth full of cavities.  Schedule an appointment for you and your kids to have your teeth cleaned and examined so that we can treat any cavities before they have a chance to cause tooth pain.
• Eat a healthy dinner.  Before going trick-or-treating, eat a dinner that is healthy and full of veggies, lean protein, dairy products, and complex carbs.  This will help your kids to feel full so that they won’t overindulge on candy. 
• Take water with you.  When your kids want a piece of candy, have them take a drink of water before and after.  It will help them to feel less hungry, and the water will wash away the sugar afterwards.
• Bring healthy snacks.  You can pack healthy snacks to carry on Halloween.  If your child gets hungry, give them an apple instead of reaching into the candy bag.  
• Limit how much they eat.  Talk to your kids before you start trick-or-treating about how much candy they are allowed to eat.  By setting a limit, you can avoid the annual sugar rush.  This is also a good way to teach them how to eat in moderation instead of overindulging.  

When you get home from trick-or-treating, ask your kids to trade their bag of candy for a toy or a gift card.  This is a good way to incentivize them to give up sugary treats in exchange for something that is just as fun, but not bad for their health. By getting them to trade, you are showing that Halloween can be fun without loading up on candy. This is one way to set healthy habits and show them that rewards don’t need to be tied to food. 

If they do eat candy on Halloween, make sure to brush their teeth afterwards.  As a dentist, we also recommend that you carry a travel size antiseptic mouthwash.  This way they can rinse their mouth and kill the bacteria without needing to be near a sink and toothbrush.  

Stay safe and have fun this Halloween!

A Dentist Review of Boston University’s Coffee Study

We read a study recently and, as a local dentist, wanted to share the exciting news – coffee can help your gums to stay healthier.  Boston University conducted a study over the course of thirty years.  This is not a simple, quick study.  Instead, they spent three decades observing 1,000 men.  The men that drank one or more cups of coffee a day had less bone loss in their teeth, a common sign of gum disease.  Due to the duration of the study and number of participants, it is safe to say that drinking coffee can be good for you.

The Boston researchers also evaluated whether or not heavy coffee drinking had any negative health consequences for teeth or gums.  They couldn’t find any.  We of course, want to remind patients that drinking a lot of coffee can stain your teeth and make them appear yellow.  Fortunately, our teeth whitening services can brighten teeth that have become stained, so there is an easy solution for this.

The study was authored by Raul Garcia, D.M.D. and in his findings he believes that the reason coffee lowered the risk of gum disease and bone loss was because it is an anti-inflammatory agent.  Coffee can, therefore, reduce gum swelling.  This is important since swelling is bad for the gums and can become uncomfortable.  As a dentist, we see several types of patients that have an increased risk for gum swelling including diabetics and pregnant women.  Restricted blood flow is responsible for swollen gums in these scenarios, and drinking a cup of coffee may help to reduce the swelling.

Overall, the study is fantastic news for people that can’t resist their morning cup of java.  Caffeine does have its benefits after all.  The thing to remember is that after drinking coffee, you should brush your teeth.  Unless you take your coffee black, the cream and sugar can actually be bad for your teeth.  This is because sugar can turn into acid and attack your teeth, leading to cavities.  By simply brushing your teeth, afterwards you can get the anti-inflammatory benefits without the increased risk of cavities.

As with anything, balance is important.  As a local dentist, we remind patients that it is important to continue drinking water throughout the day because staying hydrated helps with saliva production, important for a healthy mouth.  People should also brush and floss throughout the day in order to prevent gum disease and cavities from forming.  Finally, having teeth cleaned at least twice a year will provide a final line of defense against oral health issues.  No matter how hard you try, bacteria and plaque will get trapped in between teeth, along the gums and in hard to reach places.  These regular teeth cleanings give us the opportunity to remove bacteria and plaque before they create oral health issues.  If any develop, we can identify them and provide treatment right away before they can cause oral pain.  In the meantime, consider adding a daily cup of coffee to your morning routine.

Oral Diseases During Pregnancy and the Importance of Visiting the Dentist

Visiting the dentist while pregnant is extremely important. Pregnancy affects the entire body, and the mouth is no exception since the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy have a direct relationship with your oral health as well. Having regular dentist visits is important to your overall health and quality of life when you are expecting. Most serious conditions can be averted with a little care and making sure that your dental provider knows that you are pregnant. At the same time there are some more serious oral health issue that may arise, or may be exasperated, because of the pregnancy itself. 

Hormonal increase can lead directly to inflammation of the gums or gingivitis. Because the body has an increase in the hormone progesterone, the gums can become red and swollen. When combined with the pregnancy this causes a reduced ability of the body to fight infections and can turn into pregnancy gingivitis. Pregnancy gingivitis can also cause bleeding of the gums when you brush your teeth or floss, and it is a good idea to keep your dentist in the loop to prevent any further complications from occurring. 

Dentists are very cognizant that pregnant women are also at risk for the more serious periodontal disease. When the bacteria in your mouth affects the pockets below the gum line, it can damage the fibers that hold your teeth in place. Getting treatment for periodontal disease is vital, especially for pregnant women because it can adversely affect the fetus. Women with periodontal diseases are at a higher risk for having babies with a lower birth rate than normal. 

Among the many effects of the hormonal changes due to pregnancy is a reduction in the amount of saliva that the mouth produces. This in turn can create dry mouth which can lead to additional complications and increases the risk of oral diseases. A dentist has many ways of dealing with dry mouth, once they are aware of the problem. 

Morning sickness is dreaded by women across the globe as the universal blight that comes with being pregnant. Unfortunately, in cases of severe morning sickness, the mouth is also adversely affected. Your dentist needs to be aware of servere morning sickness and vomiting because the vomiting can erode the enamel in the back of your teeth. 

A small percentage of women develop what is known as a pregnancy granuloma. This is a small growth that occurs along the upper line of your gums, can be sensitive, bleeds easily, and sometimes will develop a scab. While not necessarily dangerous, this growth can make a woman more conscious, while simultaneously affecting the way she eats and speaks. Luckily this granuloma will usually disappear after the birth of the child. 

It is important for your dentist to know you are pregnant so that you can plan out your oral health routine accordingly. With good hygiene practices, great eating habits, and a dentist looking after your teeth and gums, visiting the dentist could be the easiest of all your pregnancy doctor visits.