Diamons

gum disease

Photography by Dr. Padval

Stroke Prevention: Routine Dental Hygiene Appointments

You may wonder what a tooth cleaning has to do with a stroke—that sudden, devastating paralysis in which blood supply to the brain is blocked. Simply put, it's the result of a buildup of plaque in the arteries. Yes, their is a direct correlation between the plaque in arteries and the plaque that builds up on teeth and causes inflammation and gum disease if not professionally cleaned from time to time. A hygiene appointment is probably the easiest and most painless way of eliminating [...]

By |2016-06-21T00:00:40-07:00June 21, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|

What to Know About Gum Disease

It afflicts as many as nine in 10 adults at some point in their lives, as well as teenagers and children as young as five or six years of age. Yet, many suffer from it without even suspecting anything is wrong. "It" is periodontal, or gum, disease—in the minds of most dentists, Public Enemy Number one for teeth. Only for the last 30 years have researchers understood that gum disease is an infectious disorder, caused by many different species of bacteria. But even today, [...]

By |2016-05-03T00:00:03-07:00May 3, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|

Regular Check-Ups

Come on in for a check-up, we’re happy to see you again! We enjoy catching up with the news in your life—and we pride ourselves on providing you that "stitch in time" that can prevent trouble. If a problem is developing in your mouth, we like to catch it while it's small. It's not just tooth decay, although that's where we look first. Then we'll check for early signs of gum disease, now linked to some serious—even fatal —diseases. Most of you have been [...]

By |2016-03-01T00:00:38-08:00March 1, 2016|Preventative Dentistry|

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 |2015-12-08T00:00:01-08:00December 8, 2015|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 |2015-05-19T00:00:26-07:00May 19, 2015|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 |2015-04-21T00:00:36-07:00April 21, 2015|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 |2015-03-24T00:00:44-07:00March 24, 2015|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 |2015-03-03T00:00:02-08:00March 3, 2015|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 |2015-02-24T00:00:48-08:00February 24, 2015|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 |2015-02-17T00:00:28-08:00February 17, 2015|Restorative Dentistry|