Tooth decay can be an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. Most experts agree that plaque buildup leads to tooth decay and gum disease. There are lots of evidence that poor diet can also have an impact on oral health. Also, poor dental care is a deciding factor. Tooth decay can occur at any age and often begins in childhood. For a list of what family dental services we perform, click here.

Poor oral health can contribute to other health problems; this includes mental health, heart disease, and many other physical problems.

However, there are many things you can do to prevent tooth decay:

Use a soft bristle brush that you replace at least every three months. There are many different toothbrush types available and some will work better for you than others. If you aren’t sure, talk to your dental professionals for more information.

Your dentist can also give you some refreshers about proper brushing and dental care. You want to hold your brush at a 45-degree angle while brushing your teeth.

Make sure that you take sufficient time to brush your teeth well. You’ll usually want to spend about two minutes brushing. This is about the length of a song on the radio – so try playing some music when you brush your teeth. Don’t rush through your brushing routine, take your time.

You should floss your teeth at least once every day. Make sure to get into all the little nooks and crannies that you toothbrush can’t reach. A lot of people skip flossing all-together, so don’t be afraid to ask your dentist how to floss properly.

Using a good quality mouthwash is another step you can take to prevent tooth decay. Rinse at least twice daily, with an alcohol-free mouthwash, enriched with fluoride. Fluoride strengthens teeth and allows them to resist decay.

Your eating habits also have an impact on the health of your teeth. Avoid foods and beverages that are acidic or can stain your teeth. For example, sugar is not good for your overall dental health. Eating sugary foods or consuming sweet drinks on a regular basis, greatly increases the risk of tooth decay. Make a habit of rinsing your mouth out including between your teeth with water after sugary or acidic drinks.

You might be surprised to discover how much of your diet contains sugar. Check the content label for the different foods you eat. Many boxed and processed foods are full of sugar, which means you may be consuming a lot more sugar than you think.

Dark beverages, red wine, and coffee can leave stains on the teeth. So you want to avoid these drinks as much as possible. Especially, if you want to maintain a healthy looking white smile.

Cigarette smoking can also contribute to oral health problems, gum disease, and tooth decay. So try to quit smoking if you can.

Also, don’t underestimate the necessity for regularly scheduled professional dental cleanings. While it me seem like an inconvenient experience, the health benefits are many. Regular cleanings can help you avoid issues like gum disease and tooth decay before they get out of hand.

Taking the time to make and keep your dental appointments can save you a lot pain and money in the long run. Make seeing your dentist every six months. So it’s a great place to get your regular cleanings and exams done. Plaque is hiding place for acid based bacteria in the mouth and needs daily cleaning along with a professional cleaning. Having a clean mouth leads to fresher smelling breath and overall better health.

Don’t take Tooth Decay lightly. Nearly 80% of the population will suffer from some form of tooth decay during their lifetimes. Allowing decay to worsen can lead to even worse oral conditions and can leave you in a lot of pain. Luckily this condition can be easily remedied and even prevented. You might be surprised to learn there are some foods that promote healthy teeth.

Foods For Healthy Teeth

Foods like cranberries, oranges, and grapes are rich in poly-phenols, a group of organic substances that have strong antioxidant qualities. They also reduce the risk of tooth decay, and a host of other diseases, including cardiovascular disease. Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables are a great addition to almost anyone’s diets.

Fruits and veggies are also rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins that help your mouth fight out gum disease and infection. Fruits and vegetables also are a natural source of iron.

You don’t need to be a complete vegetarian. Fish and meats are loaded with heme-irons, which are fantastic for your blood and bones. Also, meat is rich in zinc and minerals, which your body needs to maintain good health.

You may also want to avoid processed foods if you want to promote good oral health. Natural and whole foods are much better for you. They also aren’t filled with tooth decaying acids and sugars, that many processed foods contain.

You may be surprised to learn that cheese is very good for your teeth. Cheese is not only tasty, but it neutralizes the acids that other foods leave in your mouth. Incorporating good natural cheese (not processed cheese) into your diet, is a good way to help keep your smile looking great.

Also don’t forget about whole grain foods, not only do they give you lots energy, they can help promote a healthy smile! Whole grains don’t wear on the teeth and are a good way to naturally cleanse the mouth during a meal.

If its time to see your dentist in Whittier for dental check and professional cleaning or you have a tooth or gum issue then give Whittier Square Dentistry a call:). Dr Hwang is excepting new patients.

 

Normally Tooth and Gum Problems Start In Early Childhood

Problems with teeth and cavities start early in life with poor habits in dental hygiene. Without good oral care habits, you can get many dental and health problems throughout your life. Tooth decay can slowly erode the enamel on your teeth. Gum disease is also a serious problem. When people neglect flossing, it sets the environment for harmful bacteria to develop setting the environment for gingivitis and periodontal disease. The body systems like the heart can also become infected by these bad bacteria.

Take the few minutes each day, and care for your teeth by learning about tooth decay and how it works.

Brush and Floss Twice A Day and Regular Dental Checkups
Most people realize they should brush their teeth twice a day. Brushing alone is not enough; the toothbrush misses the areas between your teeth. Floss this area to clean the food debris and plaque. Food debris collects between these teeth and on your gums creating the perfect environment ripe for harmful bacteria to thrive. Its also important to see your dentist every 6 months for a checkup and dental cleaning. Even the best brushing and flossing will miss some areas.

As food debris settles between your teeth and gum line plaque will develop. This plaque is acid based, and it will create small holes in your teeth and even eat the gums away. These teeth and gum problems are invisible to your eyes, and you usually won’t even know they are there until your are feeling pain. Always floss each time you brush your teeth. Please do not give the food and sugary drinks a chance to create tooth enamel decay.

The Tragedy of Poor Dental Hygiene

Poor dental hygiene is a tragedy in this country and even in the world. By taking simple steps, you can usually avoid gum disease, tooth pain, and even loss of teeth. Take two minutes twice a day to brush and floss your teeth and clean them properly; that’s all! This is the first line of defense to defeating the armies of bacteria and plaque that will attack your enamel and gums. Use the mouthwash to flush away food debris and bacteria after you are finished brushing and flossing.
Most stores offer many flavors and types of dental floss and toothpaste to satisfy most preferences. By using dental floss and toothpaste with a soft bristle toothbrush, you can avoid most dental problems. Wonderful habits like this will clean the gum line and the enamel of your teeth to keep it bacteria free and healthy.

Daily Care in Whittier To Stop Tooth Decay

Caring for your teeth takes very little time out of your day. This daily habit is the best insurance you can have to avoid painful and expensive dental procedures. Losing and replacing even one tooth can cost up to thousand dollars in many dental offices. A few minutes of daily care can save thousands of dollars you can use for better things like a vacation or even a down payment on a new car.

Why Root Canals?

Root canals were invented as a method to save a tooth that in the past had to be removed due to serious decay, was cracked from biting too hard or possibly even injured to a sports injury. It is called endodontic treatment. There is a material inside the tooth called living pulp. The living pulp can become inflamed due to trauma or infection. At Whittier Square Dentistry in Whittier Ca., during the root canal treatment we will remove the infected or dead pulp along with the nerve ending inside the tooth’s root canal chamber. Then we can thoroughly clean and seal the tooth root canal chamber so we can install the crown. In the past, the tooth would have had to be removed. For information on a family dentist, check out our dedicated page here.

How Do I Know I May Need A Root Canal?

This inflamed pulp inside the tooth’s root canal can cause intense pain especially when you are eating or drinking hot or cold foods and liquids, and they come in contact with the tooth. The pain can sometimes be intense due to the pulp being inflamed or maybe even infected.

When you feel this specific sensitivity on a particular tooth due to hot or cold liquids, you should see your dentist for an evaluation. In the past, the tooth would have had to be removed, but with endodontic treatment your tooth may be saved.

These are the signs you need a root canal:

Your tooth is tender to the touch
An abscessed tooth (pus inside the jawbone tissue)
Draining pus inside your mouth
Tenderness and swelling of the lymph nodes below your jaw
Occasionally a tooth problem will have no warning signs. A routine dental checkup or x-ray can reveal certain tooth damage.

So Why Do Most Root Canals Need Dental Crowns?

After the root canal is complete, the tooth structure will be weakened, and it will be much more fragile. We remove the pulp that had nourished and lubricated the tooth from the inside with moisture and nutrition. Additionally, we also removed a major portion of your tooth enamel to get access to the root. You need a dental crown because your tooth structure is weaker and more brittle. Under the forces of biting and chewing, your tooth has a great chance of eventually fracturing and breaking.

Sometimes the front teeth do not need to get dental crowns but the back teeth that use much greater biting forces need crowns. If they don’t get a crown to strengthen the tooth, there is a good chance it will fracture as you bite into something hard because of its fragile nature. When your tooth becomes fractured, it most likely won’t be able to be restored. You may now have a much more expensive options such as tooth removal and a new dental implant. Also, there may not be enough of the dental hard surface just to do a filling.

After the restoration of the tooth, a dental crown is normally placed on top of the tooth. This dental crown will allow you to eat and chew your food normally. The dental crown will stabilize and strengthen the tooth. With proper care, this tooth may last a lifetime.

This endodontic procedure normally takes two visits. The first to do a root canal then a second to install the crown. Once this dental crown is complete, your tooth should look and feel like a normal tooth. Keeping up your normal home care and oral hygiene your tooth should last many years.

If you suspect that you may have these symptoms listed above, its best to make an appointment to see our dentist in Whittier Ca to get a checkup and a repair if it’s necessary. Our wonderful Whittier dentists are here to serve you and your family.

Should You Invest In An Electric Tooth Brush?

At Whittier Square Dentistry, we do our best to be your top quality family dentist in Whittier, and provide you with up-to-date dental information for you to live a healthy dental life.  We get a lot of questions on the value of using an electric tooth brush. We believe using this can definitely help keep your teeth and gums healthier. Enjoy this article provided by your dentist in Whittier.

Electric Tooth Brush Ideas By Dentist In Whittier

An electric tooth brush has many advantages over any manual tooth brush. It can positively help you to have a healthier smile with fresher teeth and gums. Bright tooth color isn’t only determined by great genetics, the foods and drinks you consume, or whether or not you smoke. They definitely play a major role but, brushing with an electric toothbrush using high quality tooth paste can also play a role on their whiteness and overall health of your gums and teeth.

Truly Care For Your Tooth Enamel

The outer structure is called “enamel”. This enamel is truly hard and extremely strong. It gives support to the interior living parts of your teeth and protects them from damage. It also protects each tooth’s sensitive nerves in their roots and keeps bacteria from harming the interior of each tooth.  If you brush too forcefully or with a hard bristle brush, you can wear the enamel away exposing the interior parts and roots. This enamel can never be regenerated so once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Your teeth and gums need to be healthy to show your best, most beautiful smile. This requires brushing twice a day with a soft brush and fluoride toothpaste, along with daily flossing.  Using an electric toothbrush can help preserve your enamel by gently cleaning.

Many people purchase hard bristle toothbrushes with good intentions then brush vigorously thinking they are getting their teeth extra clean. But, very few people realize how vigorous brushing can actually harm the tooth’s enamel. By the way, even soft bristle toothbrushes with vigorous brushing can also wear away your health enamel. Using an electric toothbrush along with good brushing techniques will be much more effective for oral health. This will save your teeth and develop healthy gums.

Why Are Electric Brushes Better?

Electric toothbrushes work by moving or rotating the bristle of the toothbrush very rapidly: much faster than you can brush. They usually have two speeds; the slower speed usually rotates about 10,000 RPM’s and the higher speed usually rotates greater than 30,000 RPM’s. This is much faster than any human can ever dream of brushing. The electric toothbrush head is smaller than the manual toothbrush, allowing you to reach the difficult to brush areas. This makes it easier to keep all your teeth clean and healthy over the traditional manual toothbrush.

Another benefit of electric toothbrushes for people with debilitating arthritis is the large handle over the slender handle for manual toothbrushes. This larger handled toothbrush makes it much easier to use than the manual slender handle brushes.  The head of the power brushes are usually smaller. This allows you to clean hard to reach areas.

Many Choices

There are many choices and brands of electric brushes on the market today.  They are sold for $5 to a couple of hundred dollars. Some brushes need their batteries replaced fairly often, and others are rechargeable. $5 to $10 battery powered toothbrushes do not have the burst of cleaning power that the more expensive brushes will have. As the battery discharges it loses its cleaning power.

The most expensive ones can give you almost hygienist type results at home, but you will still need semi- or annual professional cleaning to remove any remaining plaque buildup.  Select a soft toothbrush that will gently clean your teeth and massage your gums to health.  When your brush starts to slow down, you can recharge ti in a couple of hours, making it work like brand new. This will keep it at its top cleaning power state.

Just purchasing a good quality electric toothbrush will not guarantee you perfectly cleaned and maintained teeth and gums. You need to use it twice and day and use it properly. What are the correct brushing techniques? Definitely use a soft bristle brushes and hold the handle easily in a gentle manner and allow the brush to do the work, rather than force brushing with excessive pressure. Your gums will be happier, and your teeth will be cleaner, when using the powered brush. All of them will need their heads replaced every three months.

Final Thoughts By Your Dentist In Whittier

The benefits of using an electric toothbrush by far out weight those of using the traditional manual tooth brush. It is an investment for your health when used regularly and properly along with daily flossing. This will go far in preventing tooth decay as well as gingivitis. Come for your check up and cleaning by your dentist in Whittier at Whittier Square Dentistry. We love families!