Why Gum Health Is So Important
As patients of Dr. Nelson, your trusted family dentist in Salmon Creek, know firsthand, periodontal disease has long been linked as the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. However, growing research has shown that the damage caused by advanced gum disease isn’t limited to only the mouth. Gum disease has also been linked to an increased risk of a variety of serious degenerative diseases. How Gum Disease Develops Like our stomach, the mouth contains a complex ecosystem of bacteria health experts refer to as the oral microbiome. Just like in the stomach, different strands of bacteria compete for space. When all the different types find a balance, the gums remain protected from bacteria that causes oral disease. However, altering this delicate balance provides an opportunity for pathogens to invade, causing periodontal disease, which only further distorts this balance. Pathogenic bacteria causes periodontal disease to develop; however, they’re not the only primary suspect. Previously, researchers used to believe that bacteria destroys tissue, but today researchers now know that inflammation caused by bacteria is actually what destroys oral tissue. In other terms, the bacteria that causes disease triggers a response from the body’s immune system, and the summoned white blood cells not only eradicate the harmful bacteria but also damage gum tissue. The Impact of Gum Disease on the Body The impact of advanced gum disease can range from minor redness and swelling of the gums – a condition referred to as gingivitis – to the total destruction of the bone structure that supports the position of your teeth – advanced periodontitis -, which is responsible for tooth loss. Over the years, patients suffering from periodontal disease have been found to have a higher risk of developing a range of chronic health conditions that include dementia, complications with pregnancy, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, and heart disease. While researchers don’t currently know if periodontal disease directly causes these types of health problems to develop, or if people with chronic health issues just have a harder time caring for their oral health, there’s no denying the association even if a cause and effect relationship hasn’t been established. Furthermore, the association probably works in both directions. Research into diabetes, for example, has shown that successfully treating gum disease reduces the severity of diabetes and vice versa. Preventing Gum Disease The following tips will greatly help to reduce your risk of gum inflammation or gum disease. Brush and floss daily. Brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing before bedtime will help to remove harmful bacteria from the mouth and balance your oral microbiome. If you have wide spaces between your teeth, implants, or dental bridges, you may want to consider the use of a water pick to help thoroughly clean between the hard to reach areas of your teeth. Don’t Smoke. Patients who smoke up to a pack and a half of cigarettes a day are three times more likely to develop periodontitis when compared to nonsmokers. Those who smoke more than half a pack a day have six times the risk. Eat a balanced diet. A diet loaded with fatty fish, nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and vegetable oils not only offers all the essential nutrients your body needs, they also help to prevent inflammation. There is some evidence that individuals whose diets are high in omega-3 fatty acids, found most commonly in fatty fish, have a lower risk for gum disease. Schedule regular checkups with your family dentist in Salmon Creek. Dr. Nelson and our staff can remove harmful oral bacteria and spot the initial signs of gum disease. So don’t delay in scheduling your next dental appointment with our staff at Salmon Creek Family Dental.
The Soothing Sound of Brushing
Your family dentist in Vancouver, Dr. Dale Nelson, wants every patient to enjoy the very best oral health possible. It’s our goal at Salmon Creek Family Dental to provide patients with the information they need to enjoy a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. For most patients, enjoying quality oral health requires they brush and floss on a daily basis. Unfortunately, according to studies conducted by the American Dental Association, 40 percent of Americans don’t brush regularly or long enough to adequately prevent the effects of tooth decay and gum disease. Whether people just don’t have the time or they don’t enjoy the brushing process, there are a number of reasons patients give for not practicing the right kind of daily oral hygiene. But now a new study from Japan has shed some light on an unexpected factor that helps determine how well we clean our teeth and how willing we are to brush– the sound of toothbrush bristles rubbing against our teeth. Researchers hope to use this latest revelation to create a new type of toothbrush that will help improve oral hygiene. The Sound of Good Oral Health As part of their study, researchers conducted clinical trials with volunteers who agreed to use modified toothbrushes that contained small microphones. Researchers used these brushes to listen to the sounds made in the mouth during brushing. They then modified the noises and fed the sounds back to the volunteers through headphones to see what effect the sound change had on participant satisfaction and cleaning proficiency. Researchers discovered that by changing the pitch, or loudness and frequency, of the brushing sound, they could alter the participants’ opinions regarding performance and comfort about brushing. Researchers also noted that by progressively increasing the frequency of the sounds as teeth were being brushed, the study participants perceived brushing as a more comfortable and enjoyable experience overall. Researchers also hoped to prevent participants from overbrushing with too much excess force. So participants could better maintain an even amount of pressure while brushing, researchers added a built-in sensor to the toothbrushes that would emit an auditory response when too much pressure was applied. While the toothbrush used in the trial required users to wear headphones while brushing, researchers understand that’s not practical for day-to-day use. However, they hope to utilize a bone conduction speaker system that could create auditory sounds during brushing that would improve brushing performance while also decreasing the risk of overbrushing. Brushing Still the Key to Quality Oral Health Until the day when these types of advanced toothbrushes hit the market, patients will just have to continue making brushing a regular part of their day. The ADA recommends brushing twice a day for at least two minutes at a time, once in the morning and again at night. If you have any questions about the best brushing practices, feel free to ask Dr. Nelson, your family dentist in Vancouver, during your next appointment at Salmon Creek Family Dental.
Smoking and Your Oral Health
At Salmon Creek Family Dental, the best family dentist Vancouver WA has, we want all of our patients to enjoy the very best oral health. That’s why Dr. Nelson, your trusted Vancouver dentist, wants to educate every patient on the dangers of smoking when it comes to your oral health. If you smoke, you probably already know the serious long-term health consequences the habit can have on your heart and lungs. While it’s easy to view these long-term problems as avoidable due to a lack of any outwardly noticeable symptoms, the impact of smoking on your oral health has a more immediate and apparent effect. Smoking, even occasionally, can lead to a variety of dental concerns, including: Frequent bad breath Tooth discoloration Increased buildup of tartar and plaque on your teeth Decay and loss of bone structure within the jaw Increased risk of developing leukoplakia Increased risk of developing periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease that leads to tooth loss Slowed recovery time following dental work such as tooth extraction, oral surgery, or periodontal treatment Decreased success rate following dental implant procedures Increase risk of developing some form or oral cancer While each of these conditions can negatively impact your oral health, the development of gum disease can have the most immediate impact on the health of your teeth and gums. Smoking and Gum Disease Smoking or the use of any other type of tobacco products can directly lead to the development of gum disease by damaging how bone and the soft tissue of your gums attach to your teeth. Research suggests that smoking interferes with how your gum tissue cells normally function. Not only does this interference causes smokers to become more susceptible to periodontal disease, it also limits blood flow to the gums, which causes wounds to heal more slowly. According to the American Dental Association, 75 percent of all cases of periodontal disease relate in some way to smoking. Pipes and Cigars A common misconception exists that since cigarettes generally contain more chemical additives than pipe or cigar tobacco, smoking either of these means fewer potential health concerns. However, just like with cigarettes, smoking cigars or pipes will eventually lead to oral health problems. A study conducted over a 23-year period found that cigar and pipe smokers suffer from tooth loss and jawbone degeneration at the same rate as those who smoke cigarettes. Even though they don’t inhale, pipe and cigar smokers still have an increased risk of developing oral or throat cancer, and suffer from stained teeth, bad breath, and periodontal disease. Smokeless Tobacco When it comes to your oral health, smokeless tobacco can cause even more damage than smoking any type of tobacco. Smokeless tobacco contains a minimum of 28 chemicals that studies have shown directly leads to an increased risk of oral and throat cancer. Most smokeless tobacco also contains more nicotine than either cigarettes or pipe tobacco, making it more difficult to give up. Additionally, because smokeless tobacco comes into direct contact with gum tissue, it causes increased irritation that leads to gum tissue receding away from your teeth. This causes the roots of your teeth to become exposed, which increases the risk of developing tooth decay. Exposed tooth roots also cause tooth sensitivity to hot or cold stimuli, making it more difficult to eat or drink. Smokeless tobacco producers also frequently add sugar to their products to improve flavor, which further increases the risk of tooth decay. In fact, the findings of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that smokeless tobacco users were four times more likely to suffer from tooth decay than non-users. The product also tends to contain grit and sand, which wears away tooth enamel when placed along the gum line. One More Reason to Quit While brushing and flossing daily generally help to ensure the health of your teeth and gums, smoking can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of these two habits. To ensure you enjoy a lifetime of quality oral health, it’s imperative that you quit smoking immediately. While this always remains easier said than done, the affect smoking can have on your smile provides just one more reason why to quit.