1836 Broadway Street, Paducah, KY 42001

Our Blog:

Archive:

Tags

My Blog

Posts for tag: oral hygiene

By Bohle Family Dentistry
January 09, 2019
Category: Oral Health
Tags: oral hygiene  
StayHydratedinWinterforBetterYear-RoundOralHygiene

Whether you live in the snow belt or the sunny south, the winter season often means a change in the weather. In many places, the sun isn't as strong and cooler temperatures bring relief from the summer's heat. Yet even though it may be chillier outside, your body's need for hydration is the same as it was in the summer—and a lack of proper hydration can be bad news for your oral hygiene.

Everyone knows we need to drink plenty of water every day to stay healthy. It's important for good oral hygiene because water is the major component of saliva, which fights bacteria and helps neutralize the acids that cause tooth decay. Water also keeps the soft tissues of the mouth moist and healthy, and helps fight bad breath. In many communities tap water is fluoridated, which offers proven protection against cavities.

But in the middle of winter, fewer people carry around bottles of cold water for refreshment—and that's a shame, because we need it just as much! While indoor (and outdoor) air is often drier in winter, your body continues to lose water in the same ways. And if you keep up a healthy exercise routine (like jogging, snow sports or backyard fun and games), you still need plenty of hydration. An ice-cold glass of water may not be as appealing in January as in July…but it's just as important.

Of course, the water you drink doesn't have to be freezing cold to do its job. Hot tea (especially herbal tea) can be a healthy option for wintertime hydration. So is plain water without ice. Fruits and vegetables also contain lots of water, plus vitamins, fiber, and many more substances that are good for your body.

But there are some drinks you should avoid—or at least take in moderation. Regularly drinking coffee and tea can stain your teeth, and excessive caffeine may have negative health effects. Consuming alcoholic beverages can cause dry mouth, and may increase the risk of oral cancers. And, of course, drinks that contain sugar (including soda, some juices, and many coffee and hot chocolate beverages) are linked not only to tooth decay, but to other health problems as well.

And whatever the season, don't forget to come in to the dental office for regular checkups and cleanings. We can remove the sticky tartar that clings to your teeth and may cause tooth decay and other problems. We will also perform a complete dental exam, evaluate your oral health and help resolve small problems before they turn into big headaches (or toothaches). Working together, we can help you enjoy the benefits of good oral hygiene all though the year.

If you would like more information on oral hygiene, please contact us or schedule a consultation. You can learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine articles “10 Tips For Daily Oral Care at Home” and “Think Before You Drink.”

0 Comment(s) Permalink
By Bohle Family Dentistry
December 20, 2018
Category: Oral Health
Tags: oral hygiene   flossing  
DontgiveuponFlossing

A couple of years ago the Associated Press published an article claiming the health benefits of flossing remained unproven. The article cited a number of studies that seemed to conclude the evidence for the effectiveness of flossing in helping to prevent dental disease as “weak.”

As you can imagine, dental providers were a bit chagrined while flossers everywhere threw away their dental floss and happily declared their independence from their least favorite hygiene task. It would have seemed the Age of Flossing had gone the way of the dinosaurs.

But, the demise of flossing may have been greatly exaggerated. A new study from the University of North Carolina seems to contradict the findings cited in the AP article. This more recent study looked at dental patients in two groups—those who flossed and those who didn’t—during two periods of five and ten years respectively. The new study found conclusively that the flosser group on average had a lower risk of tooth loss than the non-flossers.

While this is an important finding, it may not completely put the issue to rest. But assuming it does, let’s get to the real issue with flossing: a lot of people don’t like it, for various reasons. It can be time-consuming; it can be messy; and, depending on a person’s physical dexterity, difficult to perform.

On the latter, there are some things you can do to make it a less difficult task. You can use a floss threader, a device that makes it easier to thread the floss through the teeth. You can also switch to an oral irrigator or “water flosser,” a pump device that sprays a fine, pressurized stream of water to break up plaque between teeth and flush most of it away. We can also give you tips and training for flossing with just your fingers and thread.

But whatever you do, don’t give up the habit. It may not be your most favorite hygiene task but most dentists agree it can help keep your teeth healthy for the long-term.

If you would like more information on the benefits of flossing, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

0 Comment(s) Permalink
By Bohle Family Dentistry
March 30, 2018
Category: Oral Health
Tags: oral hygiene   oral heath  
InstillGoodDentalHabitsinYourChildasEarlyasPossible

Philosopher Will Durant wrote, "…We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." While that observation could aptly apply to a great deal of life, it's certainly true of dental health. Strong, healthy teeth and gums are largely the result of good oral habits started in early childhood.

Here are some important dental care habits you'll want to instill in your child, as well as yourself.

Practice and teach daily oral hygiene. Keeping your child's mouth clean helps prevent future dental disease. It should begin before teeth appear by wiping your baby's gums with a clean, wet cloth after every feeding to keep decay-causing bacteria from growing. Once teeth appear, switch to brushing with just a smear of toothpaste until age 2, when you can increase to a pea-sized amount. As your child matures, be sure to teach them to brush and floss for themselves, especially by modeling the behavior for them.

Begin dental visits early. Besides daily hygiene, regular professional dental care is one of the best habits for keeping healthy teeth and gums. Plan to begin your child's dental visits by age 1 when some of their teeth may have already come in. And by beginning early, it's more likely your child will view dental visits as a routine part of life, a habit they'll more likely continue into adulthood.

Keep your oral bacteria to yourself. Many strains of bacteria, especially harmful ones, don't occur spontaneously in a child's mouth. They come from the outside environment, most often from their parents or caregivers. To avoid transmitting disease-causing bacteria from you to your baby don't share eating utensils, don't lick a pacifier to clean it, and avoid kissing infants (whose immune systems are immature) on the mouth.

Encourage your teenager to avoid bad habits. Hopefully when your children reach adolescence, they've already developed good oral habits. But there are some bad habits you should also help your teen avoid. While piercings are a popular expression among this age group, teens should avoid tongue and lip bolts and other piercings that could damage teeth. A tobacco habit can also have negative consequences for dental health including increased decay or gum disease risk and cancer.

If you would like more information on dental care for children, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dentistry & Oral Health for Children.”

0 Comment(s) Permalink
By Bohle Family Dentistry
June 16, 2017
Category: Oral Health
AnyTimeAnyPlaceCamNewtonsGuidetoFlossing

When is the best time to floss your teeth: Morning? Bedtime? How about: whenever and wherever the moment feels right?

For Cam Newton, award-winning NFL quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, the answer is clearly the latter. During the third quarter of the 2016 season-opener between his team and the Denver Broncos, TV cameras focused on Newton as he sat on the bench. The 2015 MVP was clearly seen stretching a string of dental floss between his index fingers and taking care of some dental hygiene business… and thereby creating a minor storm on the internet.

Inappropriate? We don't think so. As dentists, we're always happy when someone comes along to remind people how important it is to floss. And when that person has a million-dollar smile like Cam Newton's — so much the better.

Of course, there has been a lot of discussion lately about flossing. News outlets have gleefully reported that there's a lack of hard evidence at present to show that flossing is effective. But we would like to point out that, as the saying goes, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” There are a number of reasons why health care organizations like the American Dental Association (ADA) still firmly recommend daily flossing. Here are a few:

  • It's well established that when plaque is allowed to build up on teeth, tooth decay and gum disease are bound to follow.
  • A tooth brush does a good job of cleaning most tooth surfaces, but it can't reach into spaces between teeth.
  • Cleaning between teeth (interdental cleaning) has been shown to remove plaque and food debris from these hard-to-reach spaces.
  • Dental floss isn't the only method for interdental cleaning… but it is recognized by dentists as the best way, and is an excellent method for doing this at home — or anywhere else!

Whether you use dental floss or another type of interdental cleaner is up to you. But the ADA stands by its recommendations for maintaining good oral health: Brush twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste; visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and checkups; and clean between teeth once a day with an interdental cleaner like floss. It doesn't matter if you do it in your own home, or on the sidelines of an NFL game… as long as you do it!

If you would like more information about flossing and oral hygiene, contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

0 Comment(s) Permalink
By Bohle Family Dentistry
April 09, 2017
Category: Oral Health
CleanYourImplantsJustLikeyouCleanYourNaturalTeeth

Dental implants to replace teeth are a popular choice as much for their durability as their life-likeness. Most implants last for decades, which can result in lower long-term maintenance costs than other replacement options.

But to achieve this longevity, you must take care of your implants. You should brush and floss them daily right along with your remaining natural teeth — and continue regular semi-annual dental visits for cleanings and checkups.

You may be wondering, though: if they're made of inorganic materials, why worry with brushing them? It's true that bacterial plaque, the thin film of food particles most responsible for dental disease, doesn't affect them.

Your implants, though, don't exist in a bubble: they're imbedded in real bone, surrounded by real gum tissue and placed next to real teeth. All these other living tissues are susceptible to infection caused by plaque, even from plaque on non-organic implants.

The bone and tissues around an implant can even have a higher susceptibility to infection. This is because an implant's attachment in the jaw differs from that of natural teeth. An implant is imbedded directly into the bone; a natural tooth, on the other hand, maintains its hold through an elastic gum tissue between it and the bone called the periodontal ligament. Tiny fibers from the ligament attach to the tooth on one side and to the bone on the other.

Besides holding the tooth in place, the ligament also contains blood vessels that supply the tooth and surrounding tissues not only with nutrients but also antibodies that help fight infection. Due to the absence of a ligament connection, an implant doesn't enjoy the same level of protection from infection.  It's much easier for tissues and teeth around an implant to become infected, and harder to stop it.

That's why prevention through daily hygiene is so important. So, be sure to brush and floss all your teeth — including implants — every day, and keep up your regular dental visits. And at the first sign of a possible infection — swollen, red or bleeding gums — see us as soon as possible for an examination.

Consider your implants a long-term investment in both your smile and dental health. Taking care of them will pay dividends for many years to come.

If you would like more information on taking care of your dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implant Maintenance.”

0 Comment(s) Permalink