Fighting dry mouth

If your dental professional tells you that you have “xerostomia,” it doesn’t mean you have a bizarre, serious ailment. It means you have a condition colloquially known as “dry mouth,” where your mouth feels persistently dry due to lack of saliva.

Dry mouth is caused by a variety of factors, such as anxiety, alcohol or drug use, smoking or dehydration. It’s also a common side effect of many diseases, treatments, and medications, including chemotherapy, antidepressants and antihistamines.

Dry mouth can be more than just a minor annoyance – it can actually affect the health of your teeth. Saliva controls bacteria and fungi in your mouth, which helps prevent tooth decay. If your saliva isn’t naturally washing away food particles, that can lead to bacterial growth.

While usually you can resolve the problem with an adjustment of your type or dosage of medication, it’s important to ask your dentist and hygienist for their input. They may also prescribe a special mouthwash, or advise you to use a saliva substitute. And they’ll definitely remind you to drink plenty of water!

Original Source: http://www.brightnow.com/our-blog/how-ocmbat-dry-mouth

Basics of Gum Disease

Have you ever been advised to watch for signs of gum disease?

Chances are, if you’ve ever visited a dentist, you’ve been checked—to some extent—for symptoms of this problem.

Gum disease can be divided into three stages… which can range from a simple amount of gum inflammation to major tissue damage and tooth loss. It’s been said before, but as a reminder, the sooner periodontal disease is caught the more we can do to successfully reverse the effects.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms:

• Gums bleed easily while flossing or brushing
• Swollen, red or tender gums
• Receding or separated gums that are exposing teeth
• Changes in how your teeth fit together
• Constant bad breath or unpleasant taste in your mouth

Of course, never having gum disease is the best scenario.

Because gum disease starts with bacteria in the plaque on your teeth, paying close attention to your oral hygiene is your greatest defense. This includes your daily care—thorough brushing and regular flossing, as well as your regular checkups. If plaque hardens to your teeth, only a dental cleaning can completely remove it and stop gum disease from starting.

Original Source: http://martinandshengdentalblog.com/2011/05/gum-disease-basics/

All About Root Canal Therapy

MYTH #1: Root Canal Treatments Are Painful

Typically, it isn’t that the actual root canal treatment is painful—rather, the irreversible condition that is requiring the treatment is far from comfortable in the first place! Most people who have root canal therapy admit that the pain they experienced was prior to the procedure, not during it…  And, they felt so much better after.

MYTH #2: Root Canals Always Require Several Appointments

Some cases require a tooth to be restored after the root canal is completed, but these appointments are not part of the actual root canal process.

If you are already scheduled for root canal therapy with one of our doctors, and if you’re experiencing discomfort, here are a few ideas from our friends at eHow:

MYTH #3: Root Canal Therapy Leads to Illnesses

This myth stems from some research that is 100 years old—and, has NEVER been duplicated or confirmed through modern research. That is, the bacteria that may be present from doing the root canal procedure can somehow make you sick after your root canal therapy. The fact is that all kinds of bacteria can be found in your mouth at any time, even if you don’t have decaying teeth, gum disease, or an upcoming root canal treatment. This myth truly is just that—a myth you don’t need to worry about.

MYTH #4: Root Canal Therapy Isn’t Necessary Until Your Tooth Hurts

Teeth in need of root canal therapy don’t always hurt. In fact, some dead teeth may just require a root canal to prevent infection. You may have a tooth in need of a root canal and not even know it.MYTH #5: The Benefits of Root Canal Therapy Don’t Last Long

This fifth myth probably starts with people who have had a tooth crack at some point after having had a root canal treatment. While it’s true that when a nerve is removed from a tooth, the blood supply is eliminated and the tooth can become brittle—making it more fragile and susceptible to cracking. Technically, this means that although the complete restoration solution may need to be examined, it doesn’t mean that root canal therapy doesn’t “last”.

Original Source: http://martinandshengdentalblog.com/2011/05/general-information-root-canal-therapy/