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Bad breath can be a notoriously sneaky and therefore embarrassing issue. You might not even know you have bad breath until your loved ones are ducking away when you go in for a kiss! Here a few tips on how to prevent bad breath, so you can go out into the world with the confidence that comes from fresh breath.
It seems like the more delicious and flavorful the cuisine, the stinkier it makes your breath! Garlic and onions are some of the worst, but there are other culprits too, such as coffee. Unfortunately, brushing your teeth is often not enough to get rid of these odors. The stinky compounds in these foods are absorbed into your bloodstream, causing your to exhale odor from your lungs, not just your mouth. The only way to get rid of garlic breath is to avoid eating garlic.
Everyone knows you should brush your teeth. Most people know that brushing your teeth also includes brushing your gumline. Not everyone knows that you should be brushing your tongue too. The tongue’s bumpy surface is a great place for odor-causing bacteria to hide, so adding brushing your tongue (or scraping it with a tongue scraper) is a great way to improve both your breath. That same bacteria, if left on your tongue, can get back on your clean teeth and potentially cause tooth decay.
The saliva in your mouth is one of your body’s best self-cleaning mechanisms. Saliva helps wash away bacteria and debris in your mouth that could cause tooth decay if allowed to stick around. That same bacteria can also cause bad breath. By keeping your mouth moist, you can prevent decay and keep your breath fresh. The best way to do this is by staying hydrated by drinking lots of water. However, sometimes dry mouth is chronic and can be a side-effect of certain medications. If you find that you have dry mouth despite staying hydrated, you may want to talk to your doctor about your medications and see if there is a way to switch to one that doesn’t have this side effect. You can also talk to the dentist about over-the-counter and prescription solutions for dry mouth, such as special rinses.
As dental professionals, we may get a little bit more excited about dental hygiene products that our patients, but the truth is that everyone should pay close attention when choosing which dental products to buy. Which toothbrush or toothpaste is best for you depends on your unique dental condition, but did you know that the same is true of floss? There are 5 main types of floss and each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
This is probably the product that comes to mind first if you think of dental floss. Dentists and hygienists tend to like waxed floss for its durability. It consists of nylon string coated in a wax that helps prevent the strands from shredding or breaking during use. The downside of this type of floss is the coating makes it hard to fit into tight spaces between particular snug teeth.
Un-waxed is made of dozens of fine strands of nylon twisted into a single string. It’s lack of a wax coating makes it a little easier to get between teeth, but it’s more prone to fraying. Both waxed and un-waxed floss are good for people with relatively healthy teeth and gums, but people with limited dexterity may find it difficult to use.
Like regular floss, dental tape comes in waxed and un-waxed varieties. This floss is wider and flatter than the string kind, which many people find makes it easier to use if their teeth are not tightly spaced. The brand Glide by Oral-B is a dental tape that many patients are familiar with.
Super floss is like regular floss on both ends but has a thicker, fluffy section in the middle. This extra thick floss is meant for those with large gaps between their teeth or dental appliances such as bridges or braces. The ends of super floss are usually stiff to help with threading it between teeth or under bridgework.
Floss holders are Y-shaped or E-shaped tools that have a small segment of floss string between two prongs at one end. This type of floss is much easier to use for those with limited dexterity. However, we don’t like that the small, taut section of floss can’t wrap around a tooth while flossing. And unlike the other types of floss, you can’t use a fresh section of floss between each set of teeth, which could transfer bacteria from one part of your mouth to another where it wasn’t present before.
If this seems like an overwhelming amount of choice, always feel free to ask us about what floss we recommend for you at your next visit to our dental practice. We’re always happy to give you advice on how to best care for your teeth at home on a daily basis.
Did you know there is a super simple way to help prevent bad breath that you should actually already be doing? This should already be part of your dental hygiene routine in order to prevent tooth decay, but it’s also a great way to get rid of germs that cause bad breath. Can you guess what it is? We’ll give you a hint: you’ve probably lied to your hygienist about it.
The answer: Flossing!
If the threat of gum disease and cavities isn’t enough to get you flossing everyday, maybe the idea of embarrassing bad breath will be. The importance of flossing can be hard to perceive, because unlike the plaque on the fronts and backs of your teeth, the plaque between them is harder to see and impossible to feel. But there’s a very good chance the people around you can smell it.
When you only brush your teeth you miss out on cleaning a significant amount of the surface of your teeth. Unlike brushing, flossing allows you to go as much as 2 millimeters under your gums, allowing you to remove unseen bacteria from the surface of your teeth. If it isn’t removed, this bacteria will sit in your mouth and start expelling the stinky gasses that cause bad breath.
Remember, it is especially important to floss if you have dental implants or a dental bridge. These “replacement teeth” offer more places for food particles and the bacteria that feeds off them to hide. While crowns and implants aren’t vulnerable to cavities, they also don’t make you immune to gum disease! There are special kinds of floss that make getting in and around your dental prosthesis easier than with traditional floss. Water picks are also good alternatives to floss that can flush away stinky breath bacteria.
If you want a tutorial on the best way to floss for your particular oral health situation, please ask us at your next visit. We would be happy to give you a refresher to improve your dental hygiene routine!
Brushing your teeth is such a routine habit that you may forget that there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. But proper brushing is super important for preventing tooth decay and gum disease! Here are a few things you may be doing wrong in your dental hygiene habits and what to do instead to make sure your smile stays healthy now and into the future.
Hard and fast may be great for your SoulCycle workout, but not so for your teeth. Whether you’re rushing out the door to work in the morning or groggily stumbling to bed in the evening, there’s a tendency to rush through your dental hygiene routine just to get it over with. If you’re not going to brush for 2 whole minutes, you may think you can make up for it by applying more pressure and scrubbing your teeth harder. Not true! It’s much more important to be thorough and gentle. Brushing too hard can actually weaken your tooth enamel, making your teeth more vulnerable to tooth decay and sensitive teeth. Plus, you can actually irritate an injure your gums by brushing too hard. Take the time to do it right and your smile will thank you!
Despite what some ads and commercials might have you think, there is no single brand of toothbrush that most dentists recommend. That being said, there are some guidelines you should always follow when choosing a toothbrush. First, get a soft-bristle brush. We know there are medium bristle and hard bristle options out there, but we’re sort of confused as to why they exist, because they’re not good for your teeth (they can be really hard on your tooth enamel, which can lead to cavities and sensitivity). So stick to a soft bristle brush and only buy a hard bristle one if you’re going to use it to clean the grout in your bathroom.
Believe it or not, size is important too. If you have a smaller mouth, choose a brush with a smaller head that allows you to reach the tighter spaces in the back of your mouth. We’d hate to see your back molars getting neglected just because your toothbrush is too big!
Once you’ve found your perfect toothbrush, try not to get too attached. It’s going to be a three-month relationship at most. That’s right: the lifespan of a toothbrush is only about three months. After that, the bristles get worn out and start sticking out every which way, which makes it hard for them to effectively remove plaque and debris from the surfaces of your teeth. If your toothbrush looks fluffy like a feather duster (or Guy Fieri’s hair), it’s time to toss it.
When most of us think of the affect of food on our teeth, we probably think of the age-old wisdom that sugar causes tooth decay. And while sugar is a notorious culprit, there are many other ways that the foods you eat affect your teeth, & not all of it is bad news.
First of all, it’s good to review how sugar actually causes cavities. It’s not the sugar itself that’s responsible for decay. Sugar acts as a food source for bacteria on your teeth & gums, which digest it & turn it into an acidic byproduct you’ve probably already heard of, called plaque. Plaque is sticky & adheres to your teeth, where its acids start to dissolve the hard outer layer of your teeth called enamel. Bacteria can then get into this hole in the enamel & start to destroy the inside of the tooth, causing toothaches & abscesses that require treatment from your dentist (root canals, tooth extractions, etc). Clearly, it’s a good idea to avoid sugar as much as possible & to brush & floss thoroughly after consuming sugary foods.
Getting the right amount of Vitamin C is essential to keeping teeth healthy. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes & grapefruit are packed with Vitamin C, but it is also found in bell peppers, broccoli, & dark leafy greens like spinach. Vitamin C deficiency is known as scurvy, & its symptoms include weak, spongy gums & eventual tooth loss. (In the old days, British sailors acquired the nickname Limeys because of the citrus juice that was added to their daily rations in an attempt to stave off scurvy. Compared to sailors from other countries, these Limeys were missing fewer teeth!). Vitamin C is also essential to keeping your immune system strong & therefore more capable of fighting off infections that may develop in your mouth.
Even though citrus is a great source of Vitamin C, be careful about consuming too much orange juice or lemon-infused water, which has been touted for many other possible health benefits. Citrus is very acidic, & acidic drinks & foods can erode the enamel of your teeth & cause tooth decay just like bacteria. Other acidic foods to consume with caution include wine, coffee, tomato-based foods (ketchup, pasta sauce, salsa, etc.) & sodas & energy drinks (especially diet varieties).
Foods that are high in antioxidants & other nutrients are known to reduce inflammation & help the body fight bacteria. These can also have a positive impact on your oral health. Examples of such foods are fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, lentils, etc.) & nuts. Foods that are high in calcium & vitamin D, such as milk & cheese, can also help strengthen your teeth from the inside. These same nutrients will also help strengthen your bones, including your jawbone, which holds your teeth securely in place.
Essentially, most of the food choices that are good for your overall health are also good for your dental health. A balanced diet that includes vitamins & calcium & avoids excessive amounts of sugar, alcohol, or diet sodas will help keep your smile happy & healthy. If you have any questions about which food choices may help or hurt your teeth, feel free to ask us during your next visit to the dental clinic.
We know it can be difficult to get in the habit of flossing regularly. After all, your mouth can feel pretty fresh after just brushing, enough to fool you into thinking it’s totally clean and safe from tooth decay or gum disease. But flossing regularly is the only way to make sure you actually clean your teeth completely. Here are a few misconceptions we want to dispel to help motivate your flossing habits!
We know there are some people out there who only whip out the floss after eating popcorn or corn on the cob. Of course floss is great for removing the remnants of rogue kernels, but it’s not just large obvious bits of food you have to worry about. Floss also helps remove plaque that accumulates between your teeth, creating the risk for cavities even if you don’t have food stuck there. If you floss regularly, you already know how surprising it is the amount of stuff you can clean out from between your teeth even if you didn’t sink them into anything particularly messy that day.
There are plenty of adults who have yet to make a solid habit of flossing. In many cases, these adults still have all their teeth and haven’t had any problems with interproximal caries (tooth decay that happens between your teeth). But just because someone has gotten this far without feeling the need to floss doesn’t mean they shouldn’t start! For one thing, the early signs of dental disease such as gum disease (periodontitis) don’t have obvious symptoms. Bleeding gums is one of the first signs you may be developing gum disease, but even if you teeth don’t bleed when you brush that doesn’t mean you’re not at risk. Start flossing now and you still may have all your own teeth for the rest of your life!
This is a choice of words problem: Many people hear that your gums bleeding when you floss is common, and misunderstand that fact to mean that it’s normal. Yes, many people see blood when they floss, but no, it’s not normal. No matter what, that spot of red is telling you something about your oral health, specifically the health of your gums. If this is a problem you encounter every time you floss, talk to us about it so we can assess the issue and have a plan for preserving your health.
It’s always unfortunate when a tooth has decayed so much that it needs to be restored by a dentist, but there are many options to save your tooth! Dentists are experts at fixing both mild and severe cases of tooth decay, but sometimes they need more time to examine your tooth to find out which treatment is right for you.
Sometimes a dentist is faced with an unusually complicated case of tooth decay or other dental damage. At this point in the dental treatment process, it may be unclear if the tooth can be saved with a simple procedure or if it needs a major restoration. This usually happens when tooth decay reaches or is close to reaching the nerve at the center of the tooth.
A sedative filling is a temporary kind of filling that dentists use at this critical junction. It stabilizes a tooth where decay has been removed and allows us to examine how the tooth responds to treatment. A mixture of oil of clove and zinc oxide is used in these fillings, which stop the spread of tooth decay and disinfect the cavity. These ingredients also help “calm” your tooth by relieving discomfort and sensitivity in the nerve—hence the term “sedative”!
Proper home care is extremely important with sedative fillings. Because sedative fillings are meant to be temporary, they can fall out relatively easily if you aren’t careful. Avoid chewing food on the side of your mouth with the filling and make sure to brush & floss with a slow and gentle approach so you don’t dislodge the filling. If your sedative filling does come out, please call us right away.
So just how temporary are these fillings? A tooth with a sedative filling is normally observed for several weeks before the dentist moves onto the next step of your treatment. Every patient is different, and it may take more or less time to figure out how to proceed. It may seem like a long time to wait, but please understand that we want to choose the most conservative solution in order to preserve as much of your natural tooth as possible!
Sealants have long been a routine part of preventive dental care for children. Since at least the 1970s, sealants have been placed on children’s teeth in order to prevent cavities and decay.
The point of sealants is to prevent decay by making it impossible for cavity-causing bacteria to accumulate in the deep grooves on molars, which can be harder to clean. Sealants can be made from several tooth-colored materials: resin-based is the most common, followed closely by glass ionomer (GIC). The sealant material starts as a liquid and is cured (hardened) in place on the tooth. Sealants should be applied to the molars as soon as they come in, usually around age ten. Contrary to rumors, sealant materials don’t contain the chemical BPA and do no put children at risk of longterm BPA exposure.
Sealants can last as long as 5 years, and many last even longer, well into adulthood. Resin-based sealants are shown to last much longer than glass ionomer sealants, but glass ionomer sealants have the added benefit that they slowly release fluoride, which strengthens tooth enamel and can therefore help prevent decay. Sealants on permanent molars reduce cavities by over 80 percent.
Sealants are recommended for children who are a high risk of cavities, such as those who have yet to develop reliable oral hygiene habits. The American Dental Association actually recommends that all children or adolescents get sealants, regardless of a perceived higher risk of cavities. There is little reliable evidence of the effectiveness of sealants on preventing tooth decay in adults, so it is very rare for sealants to be applied to adults. That being said, many adults still have their sealants that they got as children, and as long as the sealant is present it should continue to be effective.
You might have heard that you have your father’s eyes or your grandmother’s sense of humor. Maybe you know what diseases or medical concerns run in your family. But do you know what dental conditions are in your genes?
It’s true that genetics can affect dental health, but if you see bad teeth in your family, don’t feel doomed to a similar fate!
Family history can indicate a predisposition for good or bad dental health. Certain people may be more susceptible to getting gum disease or cavities. Others may have poorly aligned teeth that are difficult to clean enough to sufficiently prevent decay. Or maybe a lack of good hygiene habits was passed down by parents who simply did not prioritize dental health in their own lives.
The good news — yes, even if you’ve seen some red flags in your family — is that you have more control over your dental health than you might think. In addition to regular dental hygiene visits, your own at-home cleaning routine can potentially stave off even the worst of what you see in your family. Daily brushing and flossing with the right tools is the cornerstone of prevention.
Additionally, you may choose to — or your dentist may recommend that you — make some supplemental changes in your lifestyle to support your dental care.
Sugar is one of the most damaging foods for your teeth, so reducing your sugar intake or cutting it entirely can make a huge difference. Smoking also harms teeth, not to mention all the other health problems it causes, so quitting smoking is a good decision all around. And finally, making it easier to clean in between and around your teeth by straightening them can turn a potential dental fight around.
Whatever family history you come from, it’s important that you talk to your dentist about it. We can help you craft a custom dental health plan around the specifics in your history and daily life so you can have the best teeth at your future family gatherings.
Flossing is an important part of any at-home oral hygiene routine. But it’s also a source of anxiety, pain, and even shame. Instead of dreading the inevitable “floss talk” from your dentist, try these tricks to get in the habit of flossing regularly. Your smile will thank you!
First, finding the right tools is essential. String floss is the oldest tool for flossing, but many find it cumbersome and simply uncomfortable. Patients who avoid string floss might complain about sticking their fingers in their mouth, not being able to reach their back teeth, or discomfort when wrapping the floss around their fingers. Such patients may find flossers to be the key to a good flossing routine.
Flossers are tools that allow you to extend your reach without wrapping floss around your fingers or sticking your fingers in your mouth. They are often one-handed tools, so if you like to multitask, you’ll be able to use your free hand for other tasks. There are a few options to consider when looking for a flosser, including the following:
The first two still use string floss, but the tool holds it so you don’t have to. Since you use the same portion of string repeatedly, it’s important to rinse it off after every tooth gap so you don’t just transfer any removed residue to other teeth.
The single-use flossers are great to stow in the car, desk drawer, or purse for when you’re not at home. Many patients have them on hand even if they use other flossing methods at home; you never know when the urge to floss will hit!
Water flossers are becoming a popular tool for at-home flossing because of how easy to use they are and how gentle they are on teeth and gums. This type of flosser uses a stream of water to remove plaque and food particles. Because you don’t need to guide string between your teeth, water flossers make it much easier to clean around braces or permanent bridges.
Once you have your preferred flossing tool, it’s time to establish that habit that will make not flossing feel as weird as flossing feels now.
Consistency is key in creating new habits. Here are a few ideas for staying consistent:
Even with a good routine, there will be times when you just don’t feel like flossing. Just remember why you do it: clean teeth mean a cleaner smile, better breath, and fewer trips to the dentist for costly procedures.
With these tips, we’re confident you’ll build good flossing habits. Let us know if these tips work for you, or if you used any others as well!
