Preventive Dental Care Littleton CO

Healthy Teeth and Gums

What small, easy steps can I take to have a healthy teeth and gums?

1. Brush your teeth at least twice each day with fluoride toothpaste.
Aim for first thing in the morning and before going to bed. Once a day, use floss or an interdental cleaner to remove food your toothbrush missed. Make sure you:

Drink water that contains added fluoride if you can. Fluoride protects against dental decay. Most public water systems in the United States have added fluoride. Check with your community's water or health department to find out if there is fluoride in your water. You also may want to use a fluoride mouth rinse, along with brushing and flossing, to help prevent tooth decay.

Gently brush all sides of your teeth with a soft-bristled brush. Round and short back-and-forth strokes work best.

Take time to brush along the gum line, and lightly brush your tongue to help remove plaque and food.

Ask your dentist or dental hygienist to show you the best way to floss your teeth.

Change your toothbrush every three months, or earlier if the toothbrush looks worn or the bristles spread out. A new toothbrush removes more plaque.

If you wear dentures, be sure to remove them at night and clean them before putting them back in the next morning.

2. Have a healthy lifestyle.

Eat healthy meals. Cut down on tooth decay by brushing after meals. Avoid snacking on sugary or starchy foods between meals.
Don't smoke. It raises your risk of gum disease, oral and throat cancers, and oral fungal infections. It also affects the color of your teeth and the smell of your breath.
Limit alcohol use to one drink per day for women. Heavy alcohol use raises your risk of oral and throat cancers. Using alcohol and tobacco together raises your risk of oral cancers more than using one alone.
Limit how much soda you drink. Even diet soda contains acids that can erode tooth enamel.

3. Get regular checkups.

Have an oral exam once or twice a year. Your dentist may recommend more or fewer visits depending on your oral health. At most routine visits, the dentist and a dental hygienist will treat you. During regular checkups, dentists look for signs of diseases, infections, problems, injuries, and oral cancer.
See your dentist right away if:
Your gums bleed often
You see any red or white patches on the gums, tongue, or floor of the mouth
You have mouth or jaw pain that won't go away
You have sores that do not heal within two weeks
You have problems swallowing or chewing
Besides your dentist, there are other types of dental providers. Your dentist may send you to a specialist if you need extra care. Other providers include:
Dental hygienists: Members of the dental staff who clean gums and teeth and teach patients how to maintain good oral health.
Periodontists: Dentists who treat gum disease and place dental implants.
Oral surgeons: Dentists who operate on your mouth and supporting tissues.
Orthodontists: Dentists who straighten teeth and align jaws.
Endodontists: Dentists who perform root canals.
Prosthodontists: Dentists trained in restoring and replacing teeth.

4. Follow your dentist's advice.
Your dentist may suggest ways to keep your mouth healthy. He or she can teach you how to properly floss or brush. Follow any recommended steps or treatments to keep your mouth healthy.

5. If you have another health problem, think about how it may affect your oral health.
For instance, if you take medicines that give you a dry mouth, ask your doctor or nurse if there are other drugs you can use. Have an oral exam before starting cancer treatment. And if you have diabetes, practice good oral hygiene to prevent gum disease.

Above article from www.womenshealth.gov

Rocky View Dental Care
Tel: 303-797-6129
1 West Dry Creek Circle
Littleton, CO 80120
USA
www.rockyviewdentalcare.com

Gum Disease FAQs

1. How common is gum disease?

Very. Seven out of 10 Canadians will develop gum disease at some time in their lives. It is the most common dental problem, and it can progress quite painlessly until you have a real problem. That's why it is so important to prevent gum disease before it becomes serious.

2. How does gum disease get started?

Gum disease begins when plaque adheres at and below the visible edge of your gums. If plaque is not removed every day by brushing and flossing, it hardens into tartar (also called calculus). Tartar promotes a bacterial infection at the point of attachment. In these early stages, gum disease is called gingivitis.

Your gums may be a bit red, but you may not notice anything. As gingivitis gets more serious, tiny pockets of infection form. Your gums may be puffy and may bleed a little when you brush, but it is not painful. Over time, the infection destroys the gum tissue. Eventually, you may be at risk of losing one or more teeth.

3. How can I prevent gum disease?

Prevention is the most important factor in the fight against gum disease. It is essential to keep your teeth and gums clean. Brush your teeth properly at least twice a day and floss at least once every 24 hours.

Using proper brushing and flossing techniques is equally important. Be sure to see your dentist regularly for professional cleaning and dental exams, so that he or she can detect any early signs of gum disease, and provide appropriate treatment.
Above article from cda-adc.ca

Rocky View Dental Care
Tel: 303-797-6129
1 West Dry Creek Circle
Littleton, CO 80120
USA
www.rockyviewdentalcare.com

Dental Health : What Causes Cavities?

Dental Health : What Causes Cavities?

Above video created by: eHow.com

Preventive Dentistry at Rocky View Dental Care in Littleton Colorado. Visit our main web site to learn more about our dental care services

Dental Care Littleton Colorado

Dental Checkups Can Help Reveal Other Health Problems

The issues of dental care and personal hygiene are among the most topical social concerns of modern health care enthusiasts. According to the statistics, due to high prices for dental services and the requirements of our business life, very often we neglect visiting a dental specialist every 6 months for a regular checkup. This tendency is increasing, making public dental health get worse and worse.

In particular, specialists found out that lots of American people have such serious dental problem as gum disease, but they are not aware of the fact as they do not visit their dentists regularly. The same can be said about other dental diseases, which are closely linked to many serious health conditions and ailments, including heart disease, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes and many more. If we do not do regular dental checkups, we have no opportunity to get important information and prevent the development of other diseases which are very serious and sometimes even lethal.

This issue became a subject of interest of a group of dental specialists at one of the scientific centers in Virginia. As a result, one of the leaders of the research, Charles Martin, wrote a book which tells the wide audience how much oral hygiene is important for our overall health and what role it plays for maintaining excellent health or for effective weight management.

Martin underlines that in case if anything is not right in the body, there are always signs in our oral area. Therefore, dental checkup is one of the most effective ways to reveal other health problems, starting from common sore throat and ending up with increased risks for heart disease. He says that if the situation with children is more or less acceptable as children have regular checkups in their schools, adults must pay serious attention on the problem. That is why the dental specialist encourages citizens to buy affordable discounted dental plans and never miss regular checkups at their dentists.

Article from: http://tips4dentalcare.com

Children's Dentist Littleton Colorado

Choosing Your Child's Dentist is Like Choosing
Their Pediatrician

Dr. Maria Song, Rocky View Dental Care's trained pediatric dentist, understands this. Instilling good habits early, in an environment that's comfortable and fun, is essential for a lifetime of good oral health.

To ensure healthy teeth, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first visit by 12 months old. Children's teeth can be very susceptible to cavities at a young age due to many factors:

* Children are not able to brush well on their own. Because of this, it is important for parents to be involved in their child's daily dental care. This ensures both thorough cleaning as well as the development of proper dental habits.

* Little kids tend to eat more often during the day (grazing). This results in a prolonged exposure to acid (every time you eat you make acid), which may cause more cavities.

Visit our web site at www.rockyviewdentalcare.com to learn more about our dental care services for children.