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What You Need to Know About Oral Health

Date: September 9, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
What You Need to Know About Oral Health

It’s easy to miss brushing your teeth every once in a while. Sometimes you might be too tired to put in the effort, but oral health is important to your overall health. Especially as you get older. There’s a lot you need to know about how your oral health affects your overall health.

What You Need to Know About Oral Health

What You Need to Know About Oral Health

 

There is a lot to break down with dental/oral health. It’s easy to overlook how much your mouth exposes the rest of your body to. Harmful bacteria and inflammation in your mouth are connected to heart disease, premature birth, and low birth weight.

Some Quick Dental Health Facts

  • Almost 100% of adults have at least one dental cavity
  • Around 15 to 20% of adults between 35 to 44 have severe gum disease
  • Around 30% of people aged 65 to 74 don’t have any natural teeth left
  • In most countries, for every 100,000 people, there are 1 to 10 cases of oral cancer

Why You Develop Dental/Oral Problems

Your mouth collects bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Having a little of it is normal and can even help you sometimes. When you get too much, that’s when problems start to surface. Acid-producing bacteria is what you have to be most afraid of. It can dissolve tooth enamel and cause cavities.

Bacteria around your gum line is called plaque, and it builds up, hardens, and goes down the length of your teeth. If you don’t get rid of it by brushing and flossing it can inflame your gums and create gingivitis. Inflammed gums tend to pull away from your teeth, creating pockets where bad bacteria can build and turn into periodontitis. It will make your teeth looser.

Symptoms of Poor Oral Health

  • Ulcers, sores, or tender areas in your mouth that won’t heal after a week or two
  • Bleeding or swollen gums after brushing or flossing
  • Always having bad breath
  • Teeth sensitivity to hot and cold
  • Pain or toothache
  • Loose teeth
  • Receding gums
  • Pain when chewing or biting
  • Swelling of the face and cheek
  • Your jaw clicking
  • Cracked or broken teeth
  • Always having a dry mouth

How to Keep Your Teeth Clean and Healthy

  • Brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day
  • Floss your teeth at once a day
  • Don’t eat a lot of sugar
  • Eat lots of fruits and veggies
  • Avoid tobacco products
  • Keeping up with professional dental care
  • Getting Fluoride treatments

Learn more here.

7 Types of Dental and Oral Diseases and Treatments

Date: August 4, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

We have been talking about oral health and the importance of keeping up with it. While having a general knowledge is good, knowing specifics is even better. Time to break down the types of dental and oral diseases you can have and how to treat it.

7 Types of Dental and Oral Diseases and Treatments

7 Types of Dental and Oral Diseases and Treatments

 

With how often we use our mouths, it’s not a surprise that they get worn down. Remember that oral health is connected to overall health.

1. Cavities

Cavities are tooth decay. It’s when parts of your tooth are damaged to the point of having holes in them. They are super common.

Cavities happen when bacteria, food, and acid cover your teeth and create plaque. The acid starts to destroy the enamel and underlying dentin.

If these aren’t taken care of, it can lead to permanent damage to your teeth.

2. Gum Disease (Gingivitis)

Gingivitis is a fancy word for gum disease, which is the inflammation of your gums. Plaque builds up because of bad brushing and flossing habits.

It makes your gums swell and even bleed when you brush or floss. If you don’t take care of it, it can lead to periodontitis.

3. Periodontitis

The harsher version of gum disease and can spread to your jaw and bones. It can cause inflammation throughout your whole body.

4. Cracked or Broken Teeth

Teeth can crack or break, despite how tough they seem. It can happen because of an injury to the mouth, chewing hard foods, and grinding your teeth. They can be very painful, and you need to see a professional asap.

5. Sensitivity

You have sensitive teeth if you get pain when having hot or cold food items. It’ also referred to as dentin hypersensitivity.

It is a temporary side effect after having a root canal or filling. It can be a sign of more permanent issues like gum disease, receding gums, a cracked tooth, or old fillings and crowns.

It could be happening to you because you have less enamel on your teeth. Luckily, there are treatments like using toothpaste branded for sensitive teeth.

6. Oral Cancer

There are different types of cancer you can develop, and those include gums, tongue, lips, cheek, the floor of your mouth, and the hard and soft palate.

Dentists are usually the first person to notice signs of oral cancer. Tobacco use is the most significant way to develop oral cancer.

7. Surgeries

Hopefully, it won’t get to this point, but surgeries are another option for treatment.

Flap surgery is when a surgeon cuts a small part in the gum to lift a section of tissue. They remove tartar and bacteria from underneath the gums. The flap is then stitched back into place.

Bone grafting is needed when gum disease has gone too far. The dentist uses either part of your bone, a synthetic bone, or a donated bone to replace your damaged one.

Soft tissue grafts are similar to bone grafts and are a treatment for receding gums.

Tooth extraction happens when a tooth can’t be saved and needs to be removed. It’s also used to get rid of wisdom teeth that are impacted.

Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth due to a disease or accident. Once an implant is put in, your bone will grow around it.

7 Ways to Treat Oral and Dental Diseases

 

The best way to keep your teeth healthy is to keep up with professional appointments.

1. Cleanings

A professional cleaning destroys any plaque you may have missed when you brush or floss. Cleanings will also get rid of tartar, and once in a while, a dentist will use a high-powered toothbrush to brush your teeth.

Deep cleaning can be called a scaling and rooting planning as well.

2. Flouride Treatments

Flouride treatments fight off cavities. It’s a natural mineral and can help strengthen the enamel of your teeth and make them stronger.

3. Antibiotics

If you have any infections or a tooth abscess that has spread to other teeth or jaw, you’ll probably get antibiotics. It can be a mouth rinse, gel, pill, or a capsule. Topical antibiotic gel can be applied to teeth or gums during surgeries.

4. Fillings, Crown, and Sealants

A filling is used to repair a cavity, crack, or a hole in your teeth. A dentist will use a drill to remove the bad area of the tooth and then fill it. They usually use a material like amalgam or composite.

Crowns are used if a large part of your tooth needs to be removed or broken off. There are two kinds. An implant crown fits over an implant, and a regular crown fits over a natural tooth.

Sealants are thin, protective coatings that are put on the back teeth to prevent cavities. Though these are usually used more with kids.

5. Root Canal

You may need a root canal if your teeth get bad enough that the damage reaches down to your nerves. During the procedure, the nerve is removed and replaced with a filling.

6. Probiotics

Probiotics can help prevent plaque and treat bad breath. Some may even help avoid oral cancers and reduces inflammation.

7. Keeping Good Habits

Finally, just keep good habits. Watch what you eat, brush and floss daily, and be aware of your teeth.

Read more here.

Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

Date: August 4, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

Given how important oral health is to overall health, it’s surprising that it isn’t covered by standard insurance. According to a report done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most seniors don’t have dental insurance. People who are over seventy-five, Black, Hispanic, or living below the poverty level are even more unlikely to have coverage.

Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

Oral Health is Left Behind for Most Seniors

 

Dental benefits aren’t covered by Medicare, which is the federal insurance for seniors. Dental coverage through Medicaid, the insurance for those with limited income, varies by state. Many states only offer emergency services, and four states don’t offer it at all.

So the options for seniors are buying the dental insurance themselves or get it as a part of retirement benefits from their employer.

This is a problem because all older adults, even those with dentures, need a yearly dental checkup. With Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, this will be the problem that affects most families, especially because older people have more oral issues than younger people.

They can have multiple illnesses and take medication for it. The medication can have side effects like dry mouth, inflammation, infections, and mouth sores. Once their oral health starts to slide, everything else will follow.

Even if someone no longer has their teeth, they still need to be checked for oral cancer and have a soft and hard tissue exam. Dentures don’t last forever and will eventually breakdown. Dentures that don’t fit right can lead to poor chewing, inadequate nutrition, speech problems, and more.

Read more here.

7 Ways Your Oral Health Affects Your Body’s Health

Date: July 29, 2019
Author: Erynn
Categories: Stories & Tips
7 Ways Your Oral Health Affects Your Body's Health

You’d be surprised at how much your oral health affects your body’s health. While it may be easy to ignore a sore tooth, that single tooth can have a strong impact on your overall health. Next time you think about skipping a tooth-brushing session, remember these seven ways that your mouth health affects your overall health.

7 Ways Your Oral Health Affects Your Body's Health

7 Ways Your Oral Health Affects Your Body’s Health

 

You would be surprised at how your oral health affects your body’s health.

1. Cardiovascular Health

Inflammed gums are connected to heart disease and stroke because it increases the inflammation throughout your whole body. Inflammation leads to heart disease. People who have severe gum disease have twice the risk of having a fatal heart attack than those without it.

2. Diabetes

It’s already known that those with diabetes tend to have gum disease more than those who don’t have diabetes. Now, it’s thought that severe gum disease can contribute to diabetes because it messes with blood glucose control.

Gum disease has bacteria, and that bacteria can make toxins that mess with the carbohydrate metabolism in each cell. It can also increase insulin resistance.

3. Lung Infections

Once again, gum disease and its bacteria can cause more lung infections. You are breathing in more germs in general, and more specifically germs that lead to lung infections. For those who already have lung issues, the bacteria can make it worse.

4.  Pregnancy

Pregnant women who have gum disease are more likely to develop gestational diabetes, deliver pre-term, or have a smaller baby. Checkups are even more critical if you are pregnant. Poor oral health can lead to higher risks during birth, like being early or the baby being underweight.

Babies born early can have a higher risk of developing development problems, asthma, ear infections, birth abnormalities, behavioral difficulties, and even have a higher risk of death.

5. Joint Health

When you grind your teeth nonstop, it can upset joints in your lower jaw, which can lead to pain, tightness in the joint area, earaches, and headaches. This is on top of it already slowly destroying your teeth.

6.  Smoking

You already know that smoking can lead to all kinds of cancer, but quitting can lower your risk significantly. Smoking can cause oral cancer and painful lesions in your mouth that never heal. It can also make your teeth fall out.

7. Tounge Health

A third of the bacteria on your tongue doesn’t come from any other surface in your mouth. Stuck on germs can lead to bad breath and affect your sense of taste.

Letting the germs go on for too long can make your tongue turn yellow, white, black, or even hairy looking.

Read more here.