Diamons

gum disease

Photography by Dr. Padval

Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation That Could Be Deadly Illness or injury to your body should trigger your immune system to heat up at that location and essentially smoke out the enemy. If your immune system is healthy, when the mission is accomplished, the inflammation subsides and healing begins. But sometimes an immune system doesn't know when to stop. It smolders beneath the surface, destroying the very tissue it's supposed to heal. This potential volcano at the core of your body is called Chronic Inflammation. CI is thought [...]

By |2025-01-20T11:44:40-08:00July 22, 2025|Periodontal Dentistry|

Fluoride—You Never Outgrow Your Need

You grew up with fluoride. Your teeth show it in the very fact that you still have them. Before 1945, by the time your nest was empty, your mouth was often empty as well. But when cities began adding it to water supplies, tooth decay took a nose dive. Most of us never gave it a second thought, just turned on the tap and downed the cure. Fluoride reverses the demineralization of your teeth. It strengthens them, prevents plaque and caries, wards off gum disease [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:41:45-07:00June 24, 2025|Preventative Dentistry|

How Valuable are Dental X-rays, Really?

There’s no substitute for a dental X-ray in seeing everything we need to know about your teeth, jaw and sinuses. We can diagnose decay under old fillings, abscesses, bone loss due to periodontal (gum) disease, cancer and tumors, extra and impacted teeth. We couldn't see these conditions with the naked eye no matter how closely we looked! Most people are aware that X-rays involve radiation, and we know some folks are concerned. But the exposure you receive from a dental X-ray is so tiny [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:39:15-07:00May 27, 2025|Preventative Dentistry|

Dentistry—Early Warning for Disease

Your mouth is an early warning system. Changes in tissue color, persistent sores, chipped and eroded teeth, and excessive tartar buildup are certainly unattractive. But, more important, these variations from the norm can also be vital evidence of serious ill health. What you don’t see can hurt you You may miss early warning signals on your own; they often cause little or no distress. That’s why it’s so important to schedule dental checkups regularly. We may be the first to notice symptoms of disease. Reading the [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:37:52-07:00May 6, 2025|Preventative Dentistry|

You and the Tube

Start reading labels to choose the right toothpaste for you and your family. All toothpastes have certain ingredients in common. They’ll contain mild abrasives for scrubbing, foaming detergents to help float away debris, fluoride to protect tooth enamel, thickening agents for stability, humectants for moisture retention, and flavors to make the mixture palatable. Gum Protection Given what we know about the relationship between gum disease and your overall health, finding a toothpaste that will protect your oral health should be your top priority. Dental [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:35:24-07:00April 8, 2025|Preventative Dentistry|

Scaling and Root Planing

When Elbow Grease Counts Most periodontal patients in our practice become very familiar with the two primary therapies we rely on to treat gum disease: scaling and root planing. Sounds a little disagreeable, yes. But scaling and root planing are the beginning of the end of periodontal problems. The treatment is tried and true, with a simple goal—get the “junk” out of there. It’s a certainty. Plaque, calculus, and bacteria, left to accumulate, will form pockets around teeth beneath the gumline. As pockets deepen [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:34:57-07:00April 1, 2025|Periodontal Dentistry|

Waiting to Exhale

It’s not the best way to deal with bad breath... Do you have bad breath, aka halitosis? If so, what are you doing about it, besides turning your face away from anyone who comes near? Finding the cure means first finding the cause. In many cases, food particles and bacterial plaque accumulate toward the back of your tongue and go bad there. But you might also be suffering inflamed gums, infection, saliva deficiency, stomach upset, even anxiety. Dieting can bring it on, as can [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:34:26-07:00March 25, 2025|Restorative Dentistry|

Periodontal Disease—It’s More Than Just Sore Gums

And periodontal health is more than a dazzling smile. Maintaining healthy teeth and gums has become more important than ever. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammation of the gums that not only can lead to tooth loss but can even interfere with other systems of the body. Periodontitis, aka gum disease, has been associated with such other chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. You can assess your risk for periodontal disease at perio.org. Good news! Periodontal disease is treatable. [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:32:51-07:00March 4, 2025|Periodontal Dentistry|

What Your Mouth “Tells” Us…

About Your Overall Health Recent studies, including the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health, confirm what our team has known for a long time: There are so many connections between oral health and overall health that your next dental visit can be the next best thing to a physical examination! Your mouth is both an early warning system and a window to the health of your heart, your circulation, and your healthy well-being. A dental exam gives us the chance to recognize potentially serious [...]

By |2024-09-03T14:31:40-07:00February 18, 2025|Preventative Dentistry|

Can You Catch a Cavity?

When you have a cold, we all know to cover your mouth before you sneeze and not to drink out of the same glass. We do this because we know that a cold is contagious. Now we know that, chances are, so is tooth decay. Recent research suggests that the germs responsible for cavities may be "catchy." Likewise, scientists suspect that bacteria associated with gum disease may be transferable from husband to wife, or mother to child. Infants get the bacteria that come to [...]

By |2024-09-03T10:02:25-07:00December 10, 2024|Patient Education|