by Roseman Dental | Jun 29, 2016 | Dental Clinic Blog, Oral Health, Roseman Dental - NV, Roseman Dental - UT
Even with regular professional oral checkups and taking care of your teeth in between visits at home, bacteria still form in your mouth. Proteins and food byproducts mix to form a film on your teeth called dental plaque.
Prevention Routine for Plaque Buildup
Only a dental professional can remove plaque from your teeth once it has formed. Visiting your dentist every six months eliminates tartar and plaque that might have formed and prevents further problems. Preventing plaque buildup on your teeth is not that hard. It requires following a daily routine, limiting your daily sugar and starch intake, and drinking plenty of water after eating. Here’s how to get started on a daily plaque-prevention routine:
- Brush every day. To remove plaque and prevent tartar, brush regularly with a soft-bristled toothbrush twice a day for two minutes each time.
- Toothpaste. A tartar-control fluoride toothpaste helps prevent plaque from hardening into tartar. The fluoride helps repair enamel damage.
- Floss. Clean between your teeth. No matter how well you brush, flossing is the only way to remove plaque between your teeth and keep tartar out of hard-to-reach spaces.
- Rinse daily. Rinsing with an antiseptic mouthwash daily helps destroy bacteria that leads to plaque.
Plaque can build up if not removed through regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing. The associated bacteria can infect your teeth and gums, and also the bone and gum tissue that support your teeth.
Keeping Dental Plaque at Bay
Dental plaque is a natural result of eating. It will eventually harden into tartar if it’s not removed by a professional. If you cannot brush between meals, rinse your mouth out with water to help reduce plaque acids. Chewing sugarless gum stimulates the flow of saliva and is also beneficial. Choose products containing xylitol, which is a low-calorie sweetener that helps prevent plaque.
by Roseman Dental | Jun 22, 2016 | Dental Clinic Blog, Dental School, Roseman Dental - NV, Roseman Dental - UT
Are you still in high school, or do you have a child still figuring out what career to pursue? The options are limitless, but there are certain advantages to getting into the dentistry field. If you are interested in helping others or playing a key role in your community, then becoming a dentist might be the right career choice for you.
Dentists Help Others
One of the most rewarding things in any career is the knowledge that people depend on you and that you are making a difference in people’s lives. You will be helping people maintain healthier lives and improving their smiles for a better appearance. Additionally, part of the job will include identifying risk factors for disease and working with other healthcare professionals to identify signs of cardiovascular disease, manage diabetes, and spot cancer, so you can even save people’s lives.
Dentists are in High Demand
Every city needs dentists, and people of all ages require dental care. From small children to senior citizens, everyone needs access to high-quality dental procedures. With an aging population in the country, the demand is only going to increase in the coming years, so there will certainly be opportunities available to you once you are out of school.
Be Your Own Boss as a Dentist
Being your own boss is highly desirable to many people, and it is a real possibility when you get into dentistry. If you feel like it is time, then you can open up your own practice. This also makes dentistry a highly lucrative career to get into financially. The amount you will be able to make will depend on where exactly in the country you live, but for the most part, dentists are well paid.
If you have never considered a career as a dentist before, then you should seriously start considering it. The benefits are great, and it is a highly rewarding career. For any high schoolers out there, start looking at the schools you should go to in order to have the biggest leg-up when you graduate.
by Roseman Dental | Jun 8, 2016 | Dental Clinic Blog, Oral Health, Roseman Dental - NV, Roseman Dental - UT
You probably think that as long as you brush and floss every day your oral health should be fine. While brushing and flossing is critical for oral health, there are other actions you can take to ensure your teeth and gums remain healthy and avoid bad breath. One of those actions includes scraping your tongue.
Better Dental Health
The reason why you need to brush your teeth every day is so that you can remove harmful plaque. However, bacteria are also capable of building up on your tongue. If too much develops, then you are at an increased risk of having gum disease or receding gums. Scraping your tongue removes bacteria for added protection against these diseases.
Reduced Chance of Halitosis
While halitosis can come from a number of sources, one of the most common is simply a buildup of food and bacteria within your mouth. Brushing helps, but tongue scraping removes bacteria you ordinarily would not get with your toothbrush.
Experience Flavor Better
When bacteria and mucus develop on your tongue, they can block your taste buds and prevent you from fully experiencing the flavor of the food you are eating. This can even lead to false cravings for certain types of unhealthy foods. By opening up your taste buds, you can truly appreciate your meal. This also allows your body to better assimilate food and digest it more effectively.
While at first this may seem like just another thing you have to do in your morning or nightly routine, the benefits are great. It also does not take very long to thoroughly scrape your tongue. Scraping it between five and 10 times is typically all that is needed and you can find a tongue scraper fairly easily by visiting your local pharmacy or seeing your dentist for his or her opinion.
by Roseman Dental | Jun 2, 2016 | Dental Clinic Blog, Oral Health, Roseman Dental - NV, Roseman Dental - UT
Many people grind their teeth, a condition known as bruxism, and for many people, it is simply a habit that is hard to break. However, bruxism can lead to numerous dental problems, including jaw pain and loose teeth so as soon as you realize you grind your teeth, there are steps you should take to stop doing it.
Reduce Stress
Stress is a common reason why people end up grinding their teeth. While there is little you can do to eliminate stress altogether, there are things you can do to reduce it that are safe for your mouth and overall health. For instance, you can start exercising more regularly and get plenty of sleep at night or join a meditation class or support group.
Perform Jaw Exercises
If you still notice you have bruxism, consider seeing a dental professional about getting some physical therapy. There are a number of jaw exercises you can perform on your own at home. This will relax your jaw and strengthen the muscles around it.
Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol
A cup of coffee first thing in the morning is fine, and for some people it’s essential, but you should be careful not to overdo it. Too much caffeine can much you jumpy and jittery, increasing your odds of grinding your teeth. Alcohol also increases your desire to clench your jaw.
Wear a Custom Mouth Guard
There may be nothing you can really do to eliminate bruxism altogether. However, you can see your dentist about getting a mouth guard to wear at night. This device will protect your teeth from the effects of the grinding. You can get one custom built so that it fits perfectly over your teeth.
Bruxism may not seem like much at first, but it can lead to serious dental complications down the road. Nip the problem in the bud as soon as you notice it. By taking the necessary actions now, you will be doing yourself a lot of good in the future.
