Did you know that a big investment you can make in your overall health and self-confidence is to make sure you have a healthy smile? June 15th is National Smile Power Day, and it’s a great time to become more aware of the many benefits of having a healthy, confident smile wherever you go!

The Psychology and Physiology of Smiling

Did you know that when you smile, it can trigger your autonomic nervous system to release endorphins into your blood? It triggers your body to release dopamine and serotonin, which act as natural pain relievers. Smiling also reduces your blood pressure levels (thank the happy hormone for that), so it has the power to relieve stress, help you relax, boost your immune system, and, when done habitually, even increase your odds of living longer!

In addition, it also helps whoever sees it to feel that same “happy hormone!” Smiling can make whoever you smile at feel better while also boosting their morale and helping them feel more confident. Smiling can be contagious, and at least half of the folks you smile at will reward you with one back. Who knew a simple smile which can produce anywhere and anytime was this powerful? We agree with the Buddhist author, Thich Nhat Hanh, that “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Did You Know?

• There are many different smiles, including the closed-lip smile, smirk smile, lop-sided smile, flirtatious smile, and open mouth smile.
• When it comes to learning facial expressions, a baby’s smile is one of the first ones they master!
• Smiling means the same thing anywhere you go in the world, which is why you often hear the familiar phrase, “When you smile, the world smiles with you!”
• Smiling people come across more confident and looking younger as the smiling facial muscles raise the face, making the cheeks, jowls, and neck look smoother.
• Women tend to smile more than 60 times a day while their male counterparts smile less than ten times a day!
• Most people think that having a bad-looking smile can harm their career goals.

Smile For Your Health and Success

No wonder smiling is such a good thing for your mental and physical well-being! It’s good for your social and career life, so smile more often. After all, it’s free so why not give the gift of a smile to others, brightening your day as well as theirs. This National Smile Power Day, why not share the hashtag #NationalSmilePowerDay in your online communications and tell a good joke or two. If you’re just not feeling the smile bug, try writing down some of the things you are grateful for onto some sticky notes and placing them around your home or office. Before you know it, you might catch yourself smiling!

Smile Boosting Tips

Your oral health is the first step to a more confident smile as it impacts your overall health. If not taken care of, you are at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and bruxism (where you grind your teeth while you sleep). You will also want to brush with a good toothbrush, floss daily and visit our team twice a year for cleanings. Limit sugary foods and beverages, especially tooth-staining drinks like coffee, tea, and red wine. Drink enough water throughout the day to protect your smile and follow a balanced, nutritious diet so your teeth and gums get the nutrients they need to thrive.

We also recommend giving yourself the gift of a confident smile if you don’t already have one. Your dentist can be one of your best friends when it comes to reaching your smile goals. Give us a call if your smile needs some love, whether it’s just getting your next dental cleaning, a teeth whitening treatment, or a smile makeover. Our team is excited to help you smile!

The post Smile With Us on National Smile Power Day on June 15th! first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

Winter is almost here, and sports activities can find a way to bring a dental emergency into your life during the busy holiday season. Whether you are skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, swimming, or surfing, accidents can happen. It can mean running into a tree while sledding, falling on your face at an ice skating rink, or knocking a tooth out on your surfboard. Your mouth can sustain a dental emergency all year round!

Protecting Your Smile

Whether you are out having fun hitting the snow-covered hills, playing hockey with friends, or even celebrating the season with friends, you usually are not thinking about how you can prevent a dental emergency. It’s what you can do beforehand that will really count! Protecting your smile is as easy as wearing the right gear for your recreational activity, whether that’s a mouth guard, face cage, or helmet.

So, what happens when the unthinkable happens? Seeking help right away can help stop your oral pain and lower the risk of having permanent oral damage. During business hours, calling our office is simple, but what if you have an accident on a holiday, weekend, or in the middle of the night that can’t wait? It might require getting help from an emergency room visit. But first, let’s look at what constitutes a dental emergency.

What Is a Dental Emergency?

Some emergencies can wait until the next morning, but others could result in a lost adult tooth if treatment is not sought out immediately. Ask yourself the following to make that assessment:

• Do you have severe pain along with bleeding?
• Do you have a partially dislodged or knocked-out adult tooth?
• Do you have a loose permanent tooth (but no pain)?
• Do you have an oral abscess or infection combined with swelling in the mouth or face?
• Do you have a severely bitten tongue or lip?
• Do you have a cracked or broken tooth?
• Have you lost a dental crown or filling?
• Do you have an object stuck between your teeth that shouldn’t be?
• Have you broken your jaw from trauma/injury?

Please call us right away if you have any of those conditions, and if you can’t reach us for emergency dental care, visiting the ER is your next best option.

What Is Not a Dental Emergency?

The easiest question you can ask yourself here is, “Can you wait to see your dentist in the next day or so?” It means that a chipped tooth that isn’t causing you pain can be delayed, but a chipped or cracked tooth that hurts or has sharp bits that hurt cannot wait. Sometimes, even a painful toothache can safely wait if it is not accompanied by an abscess or facial swelling, bumps on your gum tissue, or a rising fever. Losing a filling or crown can typically wait several days if necessary.

Dental emergencies benefit from remembering to stay calm. Knowing what to do beforehand can help facilitate that needed self-control, especially when pain is combined with stress, making it harder to think clearly. When should you visit an emergency room if you can’t reach our dentist?

Visiting Your Nearest Emergency Room

• You’ve sustained an injury to your head or eye
• You’ve suffered a concussion and are experiencing confusion
• You’ve broken a bone or dislocated a joint in your jaw
• You have a cut or facial laceration likely to require multiple stitches

When it comes to your oral health, remember to never ignore dental injuries, illnesses, or conditions. Sometimes a problem can wait until you see your dentist, but many times, early intervention is necessary. When in doubt, call our office to make sure! And if you can’t reach us after hours, please seek help at your local ER.

In between dental visits, stay on top of your oral hygiene habits to help keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong throughout the year. And if you are participating in recreational activities this winter, wear a mouth guard and helmet as needed. Speak to our team about what you can do today to prevent a dental accident. Your smile deserves your best care!

The post Don’t Let a Preventable Dental Emergency Sideline Your Oral Health first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

September is National Gum Care Month, so let’s talk about everything related to gums. This month is a good time to reflect on your dental health and commit to taking better care of your gums. Sometimes, we forget your gums help keep your teeth in their place and functioning at top capacity. When your gums are damaged, you risk losing your teeth!

Protecting your gums is simple; brushing and flossing every day is part of a personal dental hygiene practice as well as keeping routine dental cleanings. This way, tartar can be removed and your teeth polished. Your gums can also be checked for signs of trouble and to treat problems early. Stick to a balanced diet to give your gums the nutrients they need to fight disease.

The Problem With Gum Disease

Treating gum disease is most effective when done in the early stage of gum disease because treatment can reverse the progress of gum disease. Once your gums are fighting serious infection, it’s harder to treat and progressively worsens. Like most things medically related, preventative care supports your oral and general health most effectively. When teeth are lost (other than teeth that are pulled for a purpose like wisdom teeth or tooth extraction procedures), the cause is often progressive gum disease. Gum disease is a common problem in our country, affecting around 67 million Americans.

Two Types of Gum Disease

Gum disease is broken down into two types. The mild version is the early stage, called gingivitis. Over time it progresses into periodontitis, a more dangerous phase. Both are caused by bacterial toxins leading to infection. In the gingivitis stage, you’ll see your gums as red, swollen, painful, and bleeding. In the later stage, you’ll see infection from inflammation in the gums, ligaments, and bone surrounding the teeth loosening teeth that either fall out or need to be removed from bone loss.

Gingivitis

We urge you to tell your dentist right away if you notice that your gums are bleeding, find sores in your mouth, have gum pain or find yourself with an unpleasant taste in your mouth along with bad breath. Having your gums checked and treated right away will help them stay healthier, longer, and with minimal damage.

Periodontitis

Advancing periodontitis involves rapid gum recession. This version often appears with young people having a growth spurt. They may be deficient in vitamins that protect the gums, rather than being overrun by bad oral bacteria. Once gum disease advances because of periodontitis, you may see spurts of infection mingled with improvement as you receive treatment. But gum disease affects the rest of your health, not just your mouth. As a systemic disease, gum disease will spread through your bloodstream to other organs in the body, resulting in inflammation related to diabetes, heart disease and even autoimmune issues.

Preventing Gum Disease

Avoiding gum disease means stopping bacterial plaque in the mouth that leaves a sticky film coating your teeth that you can feel when you run your tongue across them. Brushing twice a day for two minutes each session – followed by flossing – removes harmful bacteria to keep it from building up and hardening into tartar. Some tartar buildup is inevitable around the gum line, and this is one of the main reasons you see your dentist for a professional cleaning every six months. As gingivitis progresses and the gums start to recede from the teeth, bacterial plaque hardens into tartar inside the pockets around the teeth. Without intervention, the bone and ligaments keeping your teeth in position continue to deteriorate until they loosen.

Keep your gums pink and healthy by using a soft-bristled toothbrush (replacing when the bristles start to fray) and enamel strengthening toothpaste. Don’t forget to floss and use an antibacterial mouthwash. Fend off dry mouth by staying hydrated throughout your day and chewing sugar-free gum or lozenges. Be sure to control diabetes if you have it, and quit tobacco use. Limit the sugar in your diet, and incorporate more nutrient-dense and vitamin-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and calcium.

Treating Gum Disease

National Gum Care Month is a great time to see your dentist if you have any concerns about your gums. Once gum disease is a problem for you, you may also need to see a periodontist, endodontist or oral surgeon who can help reverse gum disease. Your smile deserves the best care, so contact our team today!

The post National Gum Care Month Is a Good Reminder for You To Prevent Gum Disease first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

When it comes to your smile, taking care of your teeth is an investment in your oral health that pays many dividends. With tooth loss, missing teeth can affect you in multiple ways. Even losing just one tooth can cause problems. Some of that is emotional, as people often feel self-conscious and embarrassed to smile if a prominent tooth is missing, but losing a tooth can also impact your oral health. There are a variety of reasons that a tooth may be lost.

What Causes Tooth Loss?

• Tooth decay

• Gum disease

• Dental injury

• Family history/genetics

• Poor diet

• Lax oral hygiene

Replacing a missing tooth early on is important, and it’s not just about how you look. It also impacts your mouth, jaw and body as they work together to keep you functioning. Anyone can lose teeth, not just the elderly. It often happens gradually, starting when you are younger and worsening over time if left untreated or there are no changes made.

What Happens When a Tooth Is Lost?

Each tooth is a placeholder and exists for a reason. When you lose one tooth, the rest of your teeth must work harder, placing stress on them and wearing them out sooner. As the remaining teeth shift to fill the tooth gap, it can make cleaning between them much more difficult because you can’t get in to remove harmful plaque and developing tartar. The extra space left behind from the missing tooth tends to harbor bacteria that can spread to nearby teeth. Proper brushing and flossing are essential to prevent gum disease that could lead to more tooth loss.

If a tooth is lost, you may find yourself experiencing the following:

• An altered bite alignment as the upper and lower jaws don’t meet correctly, causing problems with your jaw joint and tooth sensitivity.

• The jawbone deteriorates when the tooth root structure is gone, leaving your facial profile sunken and misshapen.

• Losing teeth can impact your diet, making it difficult to eat healthy foods when it hurts to chew and cause problems digesting your food if you’re unable to break down the foods more with your mouth.

• Pronunciation is affected, leading to slurred words, lisping, or spitting when talking.

• You can have lower confidence because of problems such as incorrect speech, chewing and appearance.

Why Choose Dental Implants?

If you have lost one or more teeth, it is important to replace them for your dental and general health. Common tooth replacement options include a fixed dental bridge, removable partial dentures and dental implants. Thanks to advances in dentistry, dental implants are considered the gold standard for tooth replacement. In particular, implants are rooted in the jaw, preserving jaw bone health by replacing the lost tooth root.

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that replaces and integrates the tooth root. While dental bridges and dentures can give you a beautiful smile, your jawbone will keep deteriorating and will require adjustment or replacement in the years ahead. It is where dental implants shine as they maintain jawbone health along with your youthful appearance by preventing the facial sagging effect that can occur with other dental options.

Dental Implants Benefits:

• They are the most stable tooth replacement because they are anchored into the jawbone.

• Won’t shift around in the mouth or fall out.

• Don’t require daily attachment with a dental adhesive like dentures do.

• Your diet stays the same with 100% bite capacity.

• Dental implants don’t require a change in brushing and flossing.

• Look and feel natural in your mouth.

• Don’t take time getting used to since they look, feel and function like your own teeth.

Implants are a three-part restoration:

1. A biocompatible titanium post is placed into the jawbone (acting as a tooth root for stability).

2. An abutment piece is attached to the top of the post (acting as a connector).

3. It is then topped with a dental crown, dental bridge or denture for optimal security.

As you can see, dental implants are most like your natural teeth. If you want help replacing the missing teeth in your smile, dental implants are a proven dental restoration that can have you speaking, eating, and looking your best once again. Give our team a call to learn more!

The post Dental Implants Are a Solution to Replacing Lost Teeth first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

Good oral health is essential for a healthy smile. The mouth is home to colonies of microorganisms like bacteria and viruses, and when controlled by daily brushing and flossing, your oral health can thrive. Conversely, consuming a high sugar diet that feeds the bad bacteria creates harmful acids that erode your tooth enamel and lead to cavities. It also happens when you neglect your daily oral hygiene routine.

Gum Disease

But it’s not just your teeth that can suffer. This sticky, bacterial film (plaque) congregates around the gum line. If it isn’t removed daily, it hardens into tartar, irritating gum tissue, and leaving you with gingivitis (the early stage of gum disease). If tartar isn’t removed by a professional dental cleaning using special tools, your gums can recede or pull away from the teeth, causing gum pockets (periodontitis) that allow your teeth to loosen and possibly fall out.

Other factors leaving you more susceptible to gum disease include having a medical condition like diabetes, using medications that leave you with a chronic dry mouth or having a family history of gum disease.

Six-month dental checkups and cleanings are vital since treating dental and oral diseases early can give our team time to spot problems before they grow. We can examine your mouth, teeth, gum pockets, tongue, cheeks, throat, jaw, and neck with the help of X-rays so problems can be addressed quickly and efficiently. What kind of dental diseases are we looking to find?

Dental Diseases

• Cavities: Damage to a tooth from plaque that can leave a hole in enamel that allows decay to spread.

• Gingivitis: Gum disease that makes your inflamed gums bleed and become swollen that can worsen without intervention.

• Periodontitis: Untreated gum disease from an infection that can spread to the bone supporting the teeth and throughout your body.

• Tooth sensitivity: Pain from consuming hot or cold food and beverages, often arising from worn dental fillings or crowns, gum recession, cracks in a tooth, or having thin enamel.

• Oral cancer: Chronic tobacco use or excessive alcohol consumption places you at higher risk for this disease.

Poor oral health is also connected to health problems in the body like heart disease, stroke, low birth rate babies and premature birth. Treating dental problems with fillings, crowns and dental sealants to protect molars are effective methods of treating tooth problems. A root canal can often save a damaged tooth from extraction while dental implants, bridges or dentures can replace teeth that are extracted. No matter what stage a dental problem exists, treatment is available.

What You Can Do at Home

Just as you eat right and exercise to take care of your body, you want to brush and floss daily to care for your mouth. Brushing at least twice a day and flossing once removes harmful bacterial plaque and helps preserve teeth and gums.

Dental Tools

You can boost your hygiene routine with an antibacterial mouthwash, upgrade to an electric or battery-powered toothbrush or use a water flosser to get rid of trapped food particles where brushing can’t. Follow up this daily care with biannual dental cleanings to remove plaque and detect dental problems early.

Nutrition

Follow a balanced diet that gives your body the disease-fighting tools it needs. Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, lean proteins, and dairies (like cheese, milk and plain yogurt) provide essential vitamins and minerals. Drink plenty of water during the day, and add green or black teas rich in polyphenols to help get rid of bad bacteria in the mouth.

Boost healthy saliva production by limiting caffeinated drinks and alcohol and staying hydrated throughout the day. Saliva washes away harmful bacteria, and with its traces of calcium and phosphate, it replenishes minerals to parts of your teeth that have lost them from plaque. Chewing sugarless gum can also ramp up healthy saliva flow.

The bottom line is good oral health depends on doing everything you can do to prevent tooth decay and cavities from taking over your smile. Give our team a call if you have any concerns about your oral health or schedule a visit. Together we can create your healthiest smile!

The post Good Oral Health Starts in the Home and Continues With Great Dental Care first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

More and more people are keeping their natural teeth healthy for a lifetime of beautiful smiles. At any age, a healthy mouth is a valuable asset when it comes to looking and feeling your best. Getting older means taking care of yourself to continue feeling great. Like your body, your dental health requires daily attention to protect teeth and gums. Exercising, eating right, and practicing good daily oral hygiene habits will help you maintain a healthy body and smile so you can live your best life!

Oral Health Conditions

Aging tends to affect the mouth along with the body. Nerves located inside the teeth can narrow, preventing you from feeling cavities. Routine checkups will ensure developing cavities are spotted and treated early so you can keep your teeth healthy without losing them to disease.

Dry Mouth

Since health issues requiring prescription medications tend to crop up over time, you can end up with dry mouth from a lack of saliva production as a drug’s side effect. Healthy saliva flow is needed to rinse away bacteria and oral debris while neutralizing harmful acids. A chronic dry mouth condition can lead to root and coronal cavities and gum disease. It can be combated by staying hydrated with water while limiting alcohol, sweetened or caffeinated drinks.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is more prevalent as you age if you are not practicing good daily oral hygiene. This infection of the gum tissue, which holds the teeth in place, is the most common reason adults lose their teeth, thanks to harmful bacteria prevalent in plaque.

Gingivitis

The early stage of gum disease is gingivitis, and you might notice red, swollen, or bleeding gums when you clean your teeth. At this stage, the disease is reversible with daily oral hygiene and professional dental treatment. If you neglect to treat gingivitis, it will only worsen.

Periodontitis

The more advanced and severe stage of gingivitis is periodontitis. Unfortunately, it tends to affect over half of adults between 65 and 74. It can lead to the breakdown of the gums and bone material holding the teeth in place. The affected gum tissue can pull back from the teeth, revealing the root surfaces of the tooth. Once the root surfaces of the teeth are exposed because of gum recession, they are now more vulnerable to tooth decay. If enough supportive bone is lost, the tooth will fall out.

Oral Cancer

Adults over 40 are more susceptible to oral cancer. If you notice patches of red or white on the tongue, gums, inner cheeks, or other oral tissues, you should have an oral cancer check. Oral cancer can often be successfully treated if detected in the early stages.

What You Can Do at Home

– Brush your teeth with an electric or battery-operated toothbrush along with a cavity-fighting toothpaste and oral rinse to protect those pearly whites (this kind of toothbrush is especially useful if you have a condition such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis which prevents ease of movement).

– Floss between teeth with a flossing tool or interdental cleaner/brush to keep teeth and gums healthy.

– Clean full or partial dentures daily and remove them at least four hours a day to let the gums rest.

– Give up tobacco products as they can cause dry mouth, gum disease and tooth decay leading to tooth loss.

– Consume a diet rich in nutrients that support your body, teeth and gums.

– See your dentist regularly to spot developing problems early when they are least invasively treated.

Taking good care of your oral health as you age can help you keep your smile beautiful and strong for a lifetime! Give our team a call if you have any questions or concerns about your teeth and dental health.

The post Aging and Dental Health: Don’t Let Time Rob You of the Healthy, Beautiful Smile You Deserve! first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

In honor of February’s Gum Disease Awareness Month – a global public awareness campaign for preventing gum disease – our practice wants to help spread the word about this insidious disease. That’s because it can destroy your smile if it is left untreated. Fortunately, you can take action to help prevent this from happening!

Gum disease is caused by the ongoing attacks of the bacteria that live in dental plaque. Plaque is that sticky, colorless coating you can feel on your teeth before you brush them. The reason you need to brush and floss every day is to remove this bacterial film, which otherwise attacks tooth enamel and gum tissue to break them down. Plaque that isn’t removed daily quickly hardens into tartar, which then needs to be removed at your six-month dental checkup using special tools.

Factors Leading to Gum Disease

As you may have guessed by now, the leading cause of gum disease is poor oral hygiene. However, additional factors can speed up the development of this disease, including:

– Stress
– A high sugar diet
– Chronic tobacco use
– Regular alcohol consumption
– Misaligned teeth (prevents you from cleaning your teeth effectively)
– Fluctuating hormone levels
– Cancer & diabetes mellitus
– Breathing through the mouth which dries out oral tissues

Symptoms of Gum Disease

How do you know if you have gum disease, especially since it’s often painless in the early stage? Watch out for these symptoms:

– Bleeding gums when you brush and floss
– Red, tender or swollen gums
– Chronic bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth
– Tooth sensitivity to hot/cold temperatures
– Gum tissue pulling away from the teeth
– Loose-feeling teeth
– Altered bite pattern
– Loose-fitting partial dentures
– Pus around teeth and gums
– Pain when chewing

All of these are signs that you are dealing with some form of gum disease.

3 Stages of Gum Disease

1. Gingivitis

This beginning stage is when you might start noticing gum inflammation, swelling, redness, and bleeding, especially when you go to brush and floss. The good news is that this stage of gum disease can be reversed since it hasn’t yet reached the supportive bone and connective tissue.

2. Periodontitis

This intermediate stage irreversibly destroys supportive bone and connective tissue. You may feel pockets forming below the gum line. Gum pockets allow the formation of plaque buildup under the gum line, which often requires interventive periodontal treatment, like scaling and root planing coupled with a stepped-up daily oral hygiene routine.

3. Advanced Periodontitis

Should there be no periodontal intervention at stage two, you will likely find yourself in this final stage of the disease. Now the connective tissue and bone material will have been destroyed. It causes your teeth to loosen and shift out of position, altering your bite, speech, and ability to chew properly. Without periodontal treatment, the teeth will likely require extraction.

Gum Disease Prevention: Be Proactive!

Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do to prevent gum disease from attacking your smile!

– Stick to a diligent daily oral hygiene routine, including brushing and flossing at least twice a day.
– Keep all scheduled biannual dental checkups and cleanings.
– After eating (especially snacks), drink water to rinse away food particles and oral debris.
– Limit bacteria-feeding sugars in your diet, and when you do indulge, chew sugarless gum to increase saliva flow that helps rinse away bacteria.
– If you still use tobacco, there’s no better time than now to give it up. Your gums will thank you!

We hope spreading information about this disease in support of Gum Disease Awareness Month inspires you to be more proactive when it comes to protecting your oral health. After all, healthy teeth and gums are essential for a vibrant, beautiful smile!

The post National Gum Disease Awareness Month: How You Can Keep Your Gums Vibrant and Healthy! first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

Winter is here and if you are exposed to the harsher weather, you could find yourself experiencing more cold and canker sores, chapped lips and dry mouth from the colder, drier conditions of the season. The good news is, there are steps you can take to protect your mouth, teeth, and gums during this time.

1. Cold and Canker Sore Protection

When your smile is exposed to the winter sun you can find yourself with cold sore breakouts. Stress is another trigger for mouth sores, so all the holiday shopping, decorating, baking, entertaining, and extra socializing can bring on stress. Mouth sores can show up as red, fluid-filled blisters on the mouth and lips, or as ulcers on your cheeks, lips, gums, tongue, the bottom of your mouth, or soft palate, and even be accompanied by pain.

Getting plenty of sleep and eating a nutrient-rich diet with vitamins and minerals can build up your immune system. This is important as a weakened immune system are more vulnerable to viral infection.

Canker sores can also arise because of overindulgence in wintery treats if the food is high in acid (hello hot cider and spicy treats)! These are generally small and painful ulcers in the mouth that look red, white, or yellow.

Tip: Treat oral sores and help speed up healing by gargling with salt water and applying a paste of baking soda and water to the ulcer. Over-the-counter medications can help soothe any pain.

2. Limiting Sweets

Another way your smile takes a hit in the winter is from all the excess sugar consumed during the holidays, like hot cocoa and sugary treats. Be mindful of how much sugar you expose your pearly whites to on a daily basis. It doesn’t just feed your sweet tooth but also feeds cavity-causing oral bacteria!

We recommend limiting your consumption of these sugary treats:

– Holiday candy: Candy canes, peppermint bark, chocolate, fudge, truffles

– Chewy, sticky candy: Caramel, jellybeans, divinity, toffee

– Dried fruit: Trail mix, apricots, figs, raisins and prunes

– Alcohol: A double whammy, alcohol is high in sugar and dries out your mouth

Notice we’re not saying to avoid sugar altogether, just limit your consumption. When you do indulge, take a moment to rinse your mouth well with water or brush your teeth to clear any sugary residue.

Tip: Hydration provides a healthier oral environment, so drink plenty of water! Since winter is cold-and-flu season, stick to sugar-free cold/fever medicines and sugar-free cough drops and lozenges for your throat. Your mouth will thank you!

3. Oral Protection During Sports

Protecting your smile from injury is a big deal when you participate in sports that can result in cracked, broken or knocked-out teeth, lacerated oral tissues or even jaw injury. The best protection for teeth and gums and to prevent oral injury is wearing an athletic guard (and a helmet) during sporting activities.

Along with winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and ice skating which can lead to mouth, head and jaw injuries,, an athletic guard can safeguard your smile when you engage in the following:

– Biking
– Skateboarding
– Rollerblading
– Football
– Hockey
– Boxing
– Basketball
– Volleyball
– Baseball
– Softball
– Martial arts
– Lacrosse
– Wrestling

Tip: The main reason people forgo wearing mouth guards is that they can be uncomfortable, and that is often true for the stock and bite-and-boil or over-the-counter versions. However, a customized athletic guard from the dentist can solve that problem as it will be made to fit comfortably in the mouth while letting you breathe with ease.

Winter is a fun-filled time of year, but it can also bring elements that harm your teeth and gums. Call our team if you have any questions or concerns about protecting your smile. Take extra care of your mouth this season and ring in the New Year with a beautiful smile all-year-round!

The post Safeguard Your Mouth This Winter by Limiting Cavity-Causing Sugar, Eating Healthy and Wearing an Athletic Guard first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

September brings the month of National Gum Care, a time to raise awareness for healthy gums everywhere. No matter your age, you should always be striving for great oral care, and this doesn’t just mean your teeth. Your gums are just as important when it comes to maintaining a great smile.

As new research develops, we see a rise in medical conditions related to infected gums – such as heart disease, diabetes, pregnancy complications and more – and how preventing gum (periodontal) disease is vital for both your oral and overall health. It is believed that the inflammation caused by bacteria can destroy gum tissue and then invade the bloodstream, eventually affecting other parts of your body. You can help prevent this invasion by taking excellent care of your teeth and gums.

Healthy Gums vs. Diseased Gums

Do you know what healthy gums look like? Gums should be firm and pink with no bleeding and no discomfort. Signs of bad gums include loose or shifting teeth, chronic bad breath, a bad taste in your mouth, bleeding gums, redness, swelling, pus around teeth and gums, receding gums, and gum tenderness. If you have dentures, they may not fit correctly.

If your gums become paler than they usually are, contact your dentist right away. It is important to get treatment at the first sign of gum disease.

Preventing Gum Disease

You can help take care of your gums by following these guidelines:

– Healthy Brushing: Be sure to brush at least twice a day, waiting to brush for at least 30 minutes after your meal (brushing right away can cause corrosion from leftover food).

– Flossing Correctly: Floss at least once a day to remove debris between the teeth and near the gums. It is recommended you floss before brushing so your toothbrush can wipe away leftover bacteria and debris. Gently floss between each tooth, using clean sections of floss each time. Avoid snapping the floss down onto the gums.

– Seeing Your Dentist: You should receive a dental exam and cleaning every six months if not more often. Notify your dentist if you have concerns about your teeth and gums or you are experiencing pain or discomfort.

– Healthy Diet: Consume a regular diet of healthy foods and liquids. More sugar in your diet tends to lead to more lingering and sticky bacteria. Rinse your mouth with water after eating and drinking other beverages.

– Avoiding Substances: A great way to help your teeth and gums stay healthy is avoiding tobacco and limiting your alcohol intake. This includes smoking and vaping. Try to avoid drinking too much soda and energy beverages, candies, sugary snacks, and fast food.

– Other Tips: Replace your toothbrush every two to three months, depending on the wear. Exercise regularly to increase blood flow and encourage saliva flow. Choose a toothpaste that is best for your dental needs.

Treatments for Healthier Gums

Even if you haven’t had a cavity in your life, you are still vulnerable to gum disease. If your home dental care isn’t enough, there are alternative treatments to help rid your mouth of infection. These include the following options:

– Professional dental cleaning
– Scaling and root planing
– Pocket reduction
– Gum graft
– Soft tissue graft
– Prescribed medication, toothpaste or mouthwash
– Root canal therapy (if needed)

These options can help keep you and your smile in optimal health. Your gums are important in keeping your teeth in place. We invite you to consult with our team about what treatment may be best for you.

If you have questions or concerns about your gum health, feel free to give our experienced team a call. We will be happy to help you get the gum care you deserve, so reach out today and get your dental health where it deserves to be!

The post It’s National Gum Care Month! first appeared on Jeppson Dental.

Our team strongly encourages everyone to floss daily, but do you ever wonder why? Well, flossing is vital for top-notch oral health and smiles. It can help you and your oral health in more ways than you might realize. This means that if you forget to floss, your smile can also suffer. Forgetting to floss can:

– Leave your smile vulnerable to developing cavities: If you don’t remove food particles, plaque, bacteria and other harmful substances from between teeth, they can attack the tooth enamel and create a hole in the surface, creating what is known as a cavity. The cavity can affect one or more teeth and can spread, infecting multiple layers of the teeth. If you’re not careful, it can affect the tooth nerve, tooth pulp and even the root canal.

– Make you fall victim to gum disease: If you don’t remove plaque from the surfaces of the teeth as well as from the gumline, it can severely affect the gums. In fact, it can irritate and infect the gums to make them swell and bleed. It can also turn into tartar and make the gums recede from the base of the teeth. As time passes, that tartar can spread to the jawbone and deteriorate it, causing loose and even lost teeth. It’s very important to remove plaque daily before it affects the gums.

– Compromise the entire health of your body: If you don’t treat your gum disease quickly, it can contribute to serious health issues like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, respiratory disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

When it comes to proper flossing, some tips we have include the following:

– Use about 16-18 inches of floss and wind most of it around your middle fingers
– Using your thumbs and index fingers, gently use back-and-forth motions to slide the floss between your teeth (avoid snapping the floss onto your gums)
– Following the curves of your teeth, gently floss between each tooth and along the gums
– As you move between each tooth, use a clean area of the floss
– Keep floss or travel floss picks on hand for when you get food particles stuck during the day

Proper flossing helps you not only achieve better oral and overall health but can help avoid costly treatments. If you do need a specific treatment, our team will help you find the most cost-effective solution.

Make sure to floss regularly and at least once a day! That way, you can have the top-notch smile and oral health you deserve. To learn more about flossing, please reach out and talk to a member of our team. We will be more than happy to give you and your family the answers and information that you need for a great smile!

The post What Happens When I Forget to Floss? first appeared on Jeppson Dental.