Brushing and flossing is an important part of your everyday oral health routine. But what people don’t know is they should also make sure they are incorporating fluoride into their routine as well.

What is fluoride?

Fluoride is an ionic compound that derives from the element fluorine. About 95% of the fluoride added to public water comes from phosphorite rock. The first discovery of a connection between fluoride and cavity prevention was in the early 1900’s, but it wasn’t until the 1960’s that municipalities started adding fluoride to their water supplies.

Flouride is found naturally and because of its health benefits, it’s added to many foods, public water supplies, and dental care products. Bacteria and acids from foods and drinks will slowly start the process of tooth decay, but fluoride will help strengthen the enamel which protects your teeth. Untreated tooth decay can lead to tooth loss, gum disease and oral cancer. To make matters worse, a severe tooth infection doesn’t stop in the mouth. Over time, it can travel to other parts of the body to cause complex health issues.

One of the easiest ways to make sure you are getting enough fluoride is to brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste. If you use a toothpaste with fluoride or use a fluoride rinse then you are helping your teeth with remineralization and also helping stop the production of acids by bacteria.

Schedule a Visit to the Dentist

You should also make sure that you are getting a regular dental checkup every six months. In addition to cleaning, a dentist can provide a concentrated fluoride treatment. Schedule an appointment today.

All-on-4 dental implants are a full set of implants designed to replace your entire upper or lower set of teeth. They act as a more permanent and natural-looking alternative to dentures. With an All-on-4 implant, you don’t need to replace each lost tooth individually. Instead, a dental professional will surgically insert four titanium posts into your jawbone as the main anchors. They can then attach a permanent denture at those four areas for a seamless look across your entire mouth.

There are many advantages of implant-supported full bridges over conventional dentures.

Superior to Dentures – According to The American Academy of Periodontology, when it comes to bone and dental health, full-mouth dental implants are vastly superior to dentures. The implants replace some of the tooth roots and integrate with the jawbone, which better preserves the bone.

Greater Comfort and Stability – With conventional dentures, the bone that previously surrounded your tooth deteriorates over time. Implants are securely attached to your jawbone, making them much more stable and comfortable than dentures. They look, feel, and function very much like natural teeth.

Simple Maintenance – Regular maintenance is accomplished by brushing at least twice a day and flossing daily.

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If you’ve noticed a slight change in your smile or teeth alignment, it may be an indication that your bite has shifted. This condition is known as malocclusion and results from crooked or crowded teeth and misalignment between the lower and upper dental arches.

What Might Be Happening

A variety of issues may be contributing to you feeling like your bite has changed. If you have experienced tooth loss, your bite may not fit together the same way (or your teeth may be shifting out of place). If you suffer from bruxism, eroded tooth surfaces can affect your bite. Old dental work (like a crown or a bridge) may suddenly become worn or damaged, from which even minor changes can affect your overall bite balance. Dental care to address the problem will create a more balanced bite.

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For the first day after your treatment, you should only eat very soft or liquid foods. This helps prevent you from chewing on your mouth or biting your tongue due to the numbing agents used during your surgery.

• Immediately after surgery, stick with softer foods like yogurt, ice cream, pudding, applesauce, mashed potatoes, creamy soups and broth, and other such soft/liquid foods.
• The following week, you can move on to foods that may require a bit more chewing, like macaroni and cheese, pancakes, rice, soft bread, cooked vegetables, eggs, and pasta.
• After the first couple weeks, you may be able to start adding tough and chewy foods back into your diet, such as meat and fibrous, raw vegetables. This, of course, depends on how quickly you heal.
• You should also avoid chewing on the side of your mouth with the implant for at least 2 weeks.

 Other tips for proper healing include:

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Dentures are sets of artificial teeth designed to replace the entirety of the upper and/or lower dental arches. These prostheses have been utilized for decades and are often considered a go-to technique to resolve the dental needs of seniors and adults with widespread tooth loss.

While removable dentures can indeed restore a patient’s smile and ability to bite, recent studies have indicated that the limitations presented by these restorations may have consequences on one’s nutritional health.

Since dentures are traditionally fastened to the gums with dental pastes, the potential for gum slippage and irritation when chewing food can be high. In turn, many individuals who wear dentures opt to consume softer foods that require less mastication, such as mashed potatoes, pasta, and casseroles. These meals are often higher in cholesterol and fat content, leading to reduced intake of healthier ingredients. Dentures that are high quality and fit well can ultimately help patients more comfortably chew, which may reduce the desire to avoid the foods they need for adequate nutrition.

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The new year brings an opportunity to make positive changes. Why not start with your teeth? Get on your way to a more vibrant and healthy smile in 2023 with these five tips.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Plaque build-up can cause many problems for your teeth and gums if it isn’t regularly removed through brushing and flossing. As basic as it is, one of the most important tips for a healthy smile is simply: Brush and floss twice daily.

Food Matters

Eating healthy goes a long way toward supporting your oral health. Sticky sugary foods, crumbly crackers, or acidic delights can proliferate plaque rather efficiently, entrenching plaque’s assault on your pearly whites. But choosing crunchy fruits and veggies is a good way to fight plaque, with every apple or carrot you crunch, you’re feeding your body good nutrients and helping to remove plaque. Cheese and yogurt bolster your body with healthy minerals for strong teeth as well.

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Your tongue plays a crucial role in your oral function and is a key health indicator. Taking care of your tongue is just as important as maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Since the tongue is a muscle, it needs a diet rich in vitamins and minerals to thrive. Consuming iron-rich foods is extremely beneficial for your tongue.

Changes to the color and feel of the tongue can indicate a variety of health issues, from vitamin deficiencies to oral cancer. Here’s a quick guide:

• Red - A red tongue can be caused by many things, such as inflammation, infection, a blood disease, an underlying heart condition, or vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Blue - A blue tongue can indicate a lack of oxygen caused by respiratory issues, kidney disease, or a blood disorder.
• Yellow - The tongue may have a yellow appearance, or a yellow coating can develop due to a buildup of bacteria from poor oral hygiene, tobacco use, alcohol use, heavy consumption of coffee or black tea, dry mouth, inflammation of the stomach lining, or weakened immune system.
• White - A tongue with a thick and lumpy white coating could mean you have oral thrush, a fungal infection of your mouth's mucous membranes.
• Black - A tongue that appears black and hairy with swollen bumps can be due to certain antibiotics, poor oral hygiene, and smoking.

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There are so many reasons to smile during the holidays—friends, family, the cool weather, and lots of delicious food. Keep your pearly whites in top shape this holiday season with these five tips.

Don’t Forget the Water

Instead of heavy alcohol or eggnog, try drinking plenty of other healthy fluids, especially water. Staying hydrated is important to keep your teeth clean and mouth bacteria-free at the most.

Choose the Right Stocking Stuffers

Traditionally, stockings are filled with sweets…which lead to cavities. Start a new family tradition this year by placing a fresh toothbrush in each stocking to start the New Year off right. Then, replace candies with fresh fruit and nuts to enjoy on Christmas morning.

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If you have one or more missing teeth, you may have mulled over the different ways to fill those gaps. You could go with traditional bridges, crowns, or dentures (which certainly can do the trick) but if you’re looking for the longest-lasting, most structurally sound option for dental restoration, you should consider dental implants.

Implants look, feel, and act like a natural tooth.

Once you complete the dental implant process and recover, you’d hardly know that your new tooth isn’t real — and we’re confident that no one else would ever guess. That’s because dental implants mimic the shape, structure, color, and function of your natural teeth.

Implants can last a lifetime.

Assuming you don’t get into any accidents that harm your dental implants, they can last for the rest of your life if you take good care of them. That means brushing and flossing as you would for natural teeth, as well as not grinding them or chewing on hard objects like ice or pen caps.

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Teeth are incredibly important—they’re also highly sensitive. Are you damaging them without knowing it? Here are five common habits that cause damage to your teeth.

Brushing Too Hard

Aggressive brushing can cause enamel erosion and gum irritation over time. Instead, brush your teeth less vigorously for two minutes using a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Smoking

Cigarettes and other tobacco products (including vaping) are not only damaging to your general health, they can also put you at risk for dental problems. Smoking stains teeth, can cause gum and periodontal disease, and can even result in premature tooth loss. It can reduce the production of saliva, increasing the risk of bad breath (caused by harmful bacteria and food decomposition) and tooth decay. And of course, tobacco products are the primary cause of most oral cancers.

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