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Positive Views About Dentistry Will Benefit Your Child’s Health

July 26, 2011

Filed under: Blog,Your Appearance,Your Comfort,Your Health — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 5:00 pm

IF YOU’RE A PARENT, YOU INTUITIVELY UNDERSTAND that your children look to you as they form their own early opinions about life and all of its complexities. This principle applies to the things that you believe and the priorities you value. Kids ride piggyback on many of our opinions until they grow old enough to adapt, interpret, and challenge those beliefs on their own.

So, how does this notion relate to dentistry? Here at Lake Oconee Dentistry we believe that the best way to help your children not only understand the importance of oral health, but also make it a priority in their lives, is to get them in the habit of seeing us when they’re young.

Kids whose parents start taking them to the dentist at an early age have much better oral health in the long run.

As parents it’s our obligation to make sure our children are getting the best oral health care possible to help ensure they keep healthy smiles for life. Here at Lake Oconee Dentistry, Drs. Bradley and Dr. Boswell know that preventative care is much less costly than restorative care. Sometimes, people don’t look at regular preventive care this way, yet it’s an important principle to teach our children. Indeed, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

You can also help your children understand the benefits of a healthy smile, and having a mouth free of pain and hassle. If children hear a parent disparaging dental care they may start putting up a fight when it’s time for the next cleaning appointment.

Here’s a short video from CNN on the importance of early childhood dental care:Early visits to our practice help prevent future problems with tooth decay and gum disease—and perhaps most importantly, help your children become accustomed to visiting the dentist regularly so they won’t be hesitant in the future. These visits also show your kids that sound oral health is important to YOU, and that it’s a high priority.

If you haven’t already done so, feel free to “like” us on Facebook by clicking on the logo below! It’s a great way to stay updated on everything going on at our practice!

Stay Informed About Early Childhood Caries

July 19, 2011

Filed under: Blog,Your Appearance,Your Comfort,Your Health — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — @ 3:04 pm

EACH YEAR, MANY INFANTS AND TODDLERS SUFFER FROM EXTENSIVE TOOTH DECAY that could be avoided—and the culprit is surprising. Milk and sweet liquids are the biggest contributors to something referred to as ECC (Early Childhood Caries).

Just like adult mouths, babies’ mouths are full of bacteria that feed on the sugars found in the foods and liquids they consume. One of the byproducts of these bacteria buffets is an acid that can attack tooth enamel and cause cavities.

Now, don’t worry… We’re not suggesting that you stop using baby bottles or that you don’t give milk to your infants and toddlers. Drs. Bradley and Dr. Boswell simply recommend being aware of the issue and taking some simple preventive steps to help avoid a potential problem.

Here’s a short video from Nursery Water about preventing baby bottle tooth decay:

Many parents give their children a bottle to suck on as a way of helping them settle down and doze off at night. Unfortunately, studies show thatwhen a baby falls asleep with the bottle in his or her mouth, the fluid from the bottle can settle in a pool around their fragile teeth. This allows the bacteria in the baby’s mouth to feed off the sugar present in the liquid ALL night long, creating a steady stream of tooth-decaying acid. If your child absolutely needs a bottle to suck on as he or she goes to sleep, your best bet is to fill it with warm water. Or, once asleep, at least be sure to remove the bottle from your child’s mouth.

Here are a few other ways you can take care of your baby’s teeth:

  • Only Fill Bottles with Milk Or Formula. If you choose to give your child juice or other sugary drinks, make sure you only do so in a sippy cup so that the sugar doesn’t sit at the front of their mouths too long.
  • Clean Your Baby’s Teeth and Gums. Even before your child’s first teeth have come in, it’s important to gently wipe their teeth with a wet towel or gauze after they are fed.
  • Don’t Dip Pacifiers In Anything Containing Sugar. Some parents dip pacifiers in sweet substances like honey. This can be very damaging for baby teeth.

ECC is an infectious disease that can begin as soon as the baby’s first teeth appear, and it can have lasting, damaging effects on your child’s oral health. Here at Lake Oconee Dentistry we want to help you take care of your baby’s teeth. Not only are they more susceptible to cavities than are adults, but they are also at risk of gum disease if the bacteria in their mouths gets too out of hand.

If you think your child may be a victim of baby bottle tooth decay, set up an appointment to come in and see one of our doctors, or a member of our team today. We’d love to help return your baby’s mouth to its healthiest state! Feel free to contact usif you have any additional questions or concerns!

You Are What You Eat…

July 12, 2011

Filed under: Blog,Your Appearance,Your Comfort,Your Health — Tags: , , , , , , , — @ 3:14 pm

WE’VE ALL HEARD THE SAYING “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.” Surprisingly, it’s actually quite true—especially when it comes to your teeth and gums.

When you eat or drink sugary and starchy foods you are also feeding the plaque in your mouth. What you choose to eat, or not eat, has a huge affect on your teeth.

Here at Lake Oconee Dentistryyou hear us say the word “plaque” all the time, and although most of our patients understand that it’s something we want to avoid, they don’t really know what it is.

The best way to understand plaque is to think of it as a thin, invisible film of sticky bacteria and other unfriendly materials that coats the surfaces of your teeth. When sugars and starches come in contact with plaque, an acid is created that can attack your teeth for up to 20 minutes after you finish eating! Repeated attacks can break down tooth enamel, which can lead to cavities, decay, and gum disease.

So… How do we best avoid plaque? Here are some recommendations from our doctors about the effects of different foods:The “Good Guys”

  • Fruits and Vegetables: These high-fiber content foods stimulate saliva flow and defend against cavities and gum disease. Saliva is your best natural defense.
  • Dairy: Cheeses, milk, plain yogurt and other dairy products are more good saliva generators. The calcium in these products also helps put minerals back in your teeth.
  • Foods With Fluoride: Fluoridated water and any product made with that water is good for your teeth (as long as it doesn’t contain sugar).
  • Sugarless Chewing Gum: Gum is another great saliva generator, and it also helps remove leftover food from your mouth.
  • Licorice Root: Researches at the University of California, Los Angeles found that this herb contains compounds that inhibit the growth of plaque.

The “Bad Guys”

  • Sugar and Sweets That Stick To Your Teeth: We understand that treats aren’t easy to give up completely, so we recommend choosing the sweets that clear out of your mouth quickly. This means lollipops, cough drops, and caramels aren’t your best bet. However, chocolate washes out quickly because its sugars are coated in fat.
  • Starchy Foods: Starches like bread and potato chips get stuck in your teeth, and bacteria love to feed on carbohydrates.
  • Carbonated Soft Drinks and Sports Drinks: These drinks contain A LOT of sugar as well as acids that erode tooth enamel.
  • Other Sugary Drinks: High sugar levels promote tooth decay.
  • Lemons: Lemons are okay to eat, but don’t suck on them—they also contain acids that will erode the enamel of your teeth.

Be smart about what you eat—we promise it will pay off! And since avoiding plaque altogether is impossible, don’t forget to schedule your regular dental appointments with us so we can help brighten your smile and keep your teeth healthy for life!

A Balanced pH Level Can Help Protect Your Smile

July 5, 2011

Filed under: Blog,Your Appearance,Your Comfort,Your Health — Tags: , , , , , , — @ 3:03 pm

VISITING OUR PRACTICE REGULARLY HAS PROBABLY TURNED YOU INTO a cavity prevention expert, right? Well, there’s always more than meets the eye—especially when it comes to the little things we can do to keep our mouths healthy. Even those of us who are diligent brushers and flossers sometimes find ourselves with some tooth decay. Here’s one more little snippet of information that may help you.

While it is true that things like flossing, brushing for at least 2 minutes twice a day, coming in to Lake Oconee Dentistryfor regular checkups, using mouthwash, and avoiding sugary foods DO help prevent cavities, there are other things we can do. New discoveries show that the pH levels in our mouths actually have A LOT more to do with tooth decay than we may realize, and maintaining normal pH levels can be helpful in fighting off cavities and gum disease. Exactly What Is pH?

To put it simply, pH is a measure of acidity… The lower the pH, the higher the acidity, and the higher the pH, the higher the alkaline levels. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14, and in the middle of the scale is the neutral number 7, being most like water.

This is where we want our mouths to be. While we know that sugar feeds the bacteria that produces acids and turns into cavities, it is actually prolonged acidic oral pH that can cause tooth decay and a demineralization of your enamel.

Confused? Let us break this down…

Heading off the domino effect means intercepting those pH levels before they get out of hand. Ever heard of a pH test strips? They’re like the sticks you dip into your swimming pool, except they’re for your mouth. You can buy them at your local pharmacy and then try these remedies at home!

  • Fresh Lemon and/or Lime Juice: Lemons and limes are acidic until they react with the sodium bicarbonate released by the pancreas. Upon entering the intestinal tract lemon and lime juice have alkaline properties. However, since both lemons and limes can erode tooth enamel, if you spice up your water with these delicious flavor accents, make sure you drink with a straw placed at the back of your mouth!
  • Take your multivitamins: Take a high quality multivitamin that contains both the essential vitamins and minerals.
  • Eat those leafy greens: Dark green vegetables and “green drinks” contain a high abundance of chlorophyll—a strong detoxifier and immunity–building agent.
  • Avoid refined carbohydrates and sugar: Eliminate all processed foods, and when you opt for grains, make sure they’re “whole.”

If you have any additional questions about how to keep your mouth healthy, set up an appointment to talk to any one of our doctors. Let’s do all we can to prevent tooth decay!

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