April is oral cancer awareness month. While not as delightful as the other signs of spring – blooming trees and longer days – a focus on early detection is a beautiful thing. While oral cancer (oral cavity and oropharynx cancers collectively) accounts for almost 3% of all cancers diagnosed annually in the United States, it is responsible for 1.8% of all cancer deaths. The death rate associated with oral cancer is particularly high because it is ...
More than half of all respondents in a recent poll said they were insecure about the appearance of their teeth. If tooth damage, loss, or decay has you covering your mouth, take heart in knowing that you're not destined to a tight-lipped smile forever! Thanks to cosmetic dentistry, there are several ways we can restore your smile. Cosmetic dentistry is a broad term that refers to any dental work that adjusts the appearance of ...
When you’re a parent, everyone has advice to share, from which diapers to use to how much screen time is appropriate. This often leaves us wondering if we’re doing it “right.” While much in parenting is subjective, your child’s oral health isn’t. Your family’s oral health is important to us, so read on to find answers to some questions parents commonly ask. When should my child see a dentist? The ...
In an ideal world, we would all have a travel-sized toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss ready for use after every meal, snack, and coffee break. Realistically, however, this level of oral hygiene adherence rarely (if ever) occurs. So, what does that mean for those of us who generally go all day without so much as a swish of mouthwash? Are we really doing more harm than we know? And, what about those people who forget to ...
The draw of sugar can be hard to resist, especially this time of year! Whether it’s Aunt Clara’s special holiday cookies or advent calendar chocolates, we’re surrounded by tempting treats from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. We know sugar isn’t “good” for us, but exactly how does it affect our dental health? Sugar Changes Mouth Acidity – As children, we learn that sugar causes cavities, but the real culprit is acid. Our ...
Unlike homeowner’s or automobile insurance, dental insurance is something you definitely WANT to use. Other insurance plans are often designed to cover a loss. For example, your homeowner’s insurance will reimburse you if you lose your home to a fire or natural disaster and if your car is damaged in an accident, your car insurance pays to have it repaired. Of course, specific coverage amounts vary depending on the policy, but the premise ...
You know brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing are staples of good oral hygiene, but is brushing your tongue really necessary? In short, yes. Why is my tongue important? Though the tongue often plays second fiddle to your pearly whites, it’s actually a critical body part. Without a tongue we wouldn’t be able to speak, chew, taste, or swallow food. Your tongue is an organ made up of a group of ...
Plaque, like many oral health concerns, begins as a silent menace. You may recognize this colorless, sticky film as the fuzzy coating you feel when you first wake up. For many people, a colorless film on the teeth may be the only sign. However, in some cases, more noticeable symptoms, such as receding gums or bad breath, occur. What is plaque and what causes it? Plaque forms in your mouth throughout the day as you ...
For those individuals that have lost their teeth or have been suffering from missing teeth, it is important to understand how critical it is to address the issue. The reality is that nobody would like to live their life with missing teeth. In addition to it looking very awkward, it also affects your self-confidence because it hinders you from being able to smile openly. Other than aesthetics, there are several other reasons why you should ...
Did you know that this year in the United States alone, the number of adults expected to be wearing dentures is a whopping 37.9 million? That's about 4.3 million more people than just 30 years ago! So, you're not alone if you think you may be headed down that path. Even people that take great care of their teeth sometimes end up requiring dentures, simply due to the many years of ...
