When someone is depressed or anxious, they may neglect their overall care, including their oral health.
We do see that people who are depressed or anxious often “self-medicate” by smoking, drinking, and drug use. They often have poor oral hygiene.
Smokers are at increased risk for gum disease, bone loss, and tooth loss. Nicotine often causes ugly, yellow and brown stains on the teeth. The roof of the mouth becomes inflamed and turns red. Even smokeless tobacco causes gum disease problems. Patients die from mouth cancer.
Over the years, I have seen patients who were unhappy when they ignored dental advice and lost teeth. Also, some patients whose medical history included use of anti-depressants had increased incidence of dental problems.
Bottom Line: Please let us know if you’re taking anti-depressants. We need to know about your entire health regimen. Also, don’t neglect your teeth and gums for long periods of time for any reason. Once your gums “unhitch” your teeth, no new teeth will grow. Come in for your regularly schedule cleanings and checkups, so we can make sure your oral health and physical health are in good order.
Call today for your appointment. We’ll be glad to see you.
Dental infections that are left untreated can even spread to other parts of the body, and in very rare cases, can be life-threatening.
Gum disease may be connected with diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Some studies have even suggested a correlation between gum disease and pre-term and low-birth-weight babies, as well as with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, pulmonary disease, obesity and even Alzheimer’s.
Bottom Line: We hope to take care of our patients’ oral health so they can be healthy everywhere else. Your mouth is literally the gateway to your body. Taking good care of your teeth and gums will help you stay healthy so you can do all the things you want to do.
I wish more people could see Whoopi Goldberg’s discussion on The View a few years ago. It should be broadcast as a Public Service Announcement spot on T.V. In addition, lots of studies have shown the importance of an attractive healthy smile in getting a job or finding a mate. Perhaps a commercial with attractive, smiling celebrities talking about the importance they attach to their teeth’s appearance would get some attention.
What better “fountain of youth” is there than young teeth in an older person? Perhaps we need more makeover programs with teeth being a part of the formula for the geriatric set.
Bottom Line: I would like to see more health education classes in schools that include information on dental health. So many people don’t know how important your gum health is to keeping your teeth!
Fear of discomfort and pain can frighten people off from dental treatment. A caring, supportive dentist and staff can go a long way toward easing their anxiety. Some patients benefit from laughing gas or anti-anxiety medication, but gentle injection techniques coupled with an open, easy rapport and touch and occasional bad joke can help distract and calm the fearful patient.
Some patients aren’t overly fearful, but are simply embarrassed that their teeth look so bad and are afraid of what I might say!
Still other patients neglect their teeth because nothing hurts… at least until their problems are quite severe. Not that I wish pain on any one, but there often isn’t an easy correlation with the patient’s perception of a problem and the true severity of it. I’ve seen patients who say their teeth only recently started to bother them, so they think it’s something trivial, while I’m wondering if I’m going to see an extraction or root canal problem when they open their mouth.
For a lot of patients, it’s a lack of dental education. (They don’t know any better!)
Bottom Line: It’s best to visit us regularly so you can see all the new techniques we have to help save your teeth. We’d love also like you to learn of the many procedures we have that cause little or no discomfort at all! Besides, your teeth will thank you and repay you by staying healthy your whole life long!
What do people need to know about their teeth and oral health? Enough that Dr. Atkins has been quoted in the media several times. Here’s what YOU need to know.
Chewing Gum is Bad for Your Oral Health!
Dr. Atkins was quoted on ABCNews.com as saying: “Chewing gum can trigger TMJ, temporomandibular joint disorder, which includes jaw pain associated with the chewing muscles and joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull.
Fear of the dentist can be passed down from parents to their kids!
Dr. Atkins was quoted in Prevention.com just last year. Here’s the citation: “Not many people look forward to a dentist appointment, but an actual fear of the dentist can be handed down from parents, a study from Madrid shows. Published in the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, the research found a link between fear levels amongst fathers, mothers, and children. “If the parents are hovering over the dentist’s chair, making comments such as, ‘Don’t worry, it won’t hurt; it will be over soon,’ the child feels that there is something to worry about,” says Don Atkins, DDS, a dentist in Long Beach, CA. If this carries over into adulthood, the child may become part of the 9-15% of adults who avoid the dentist due to fear. Of course, this sort of behavior likely applies to other types of anxiety, too—something to keep in mind if you’re a nervous parent.”
BOTTOM LINE: Your teeth and your kids’ teeth are newsworthy. So be very excited about seeing the dentist for your children’s sake. Stay tuned to this “station” for important news about your teeth, your gums, your oral health, and you.
After 35 years of practicing dentistry, I am still surprised that people are unclear about how important it is to keep their gums in good health. Here’s the bottom line:
Gums are what hold your teeth in! If your gums are unhealthy, you can lose your teeth.
Your teeth and gums are sort of like a tree and its roots. While we think of those pink things in our mouth as gums, there are ligaments that attach to them that actually anchor the teeth within the jaw. So, when your gums are weakened by gum disease, your teeth can fall out in the same way a tree can fall over if you damage its roots.
Colgate (yes, the company that sells toothpaste) says: “Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss.” They care about you saving your teeth because they’re in the health field, but also, if no one had teeth, they couldn’t sell toothpaste!
The reason I became a dentist was to help people stay healthy and your oral health is tied to your overall health. [See our next post for information about that.]
Everyone here at Dr. Atkins’s dental office wants you to keep your teeth. Here’s what you need to know.
What is gum disease?
The American Academy of Periodontology has a great definition of gum disease. “Gingivitis is the mildest form of periodontal (gum) disease. It causes the gums to become red, swollen, and bleed easily. There is usually
little or no discomfort at this stage. Gingivitis is often caused by inadequate oral hygiene. Gingivitis is reversible with professional treatment and good oral home care.
Factors that may contribute to gingivitis include, diabetes, smoking, aging, genetic predisposition, systemic diseases and conditions, stress, inadequate nutrition, puberty, hormonal fluctuations, pregnancy, substance abuse, HIV infection, and certain medication use.
Untreated gingivitis can advance to periodontitis. With time, plaque can spread and grow below the gum line. Toxins produced by the bacteria in plaque irritate the gums. The toxins stimulate a chronic inflammatory response in which the body in essence turns on itself, and the tissues and bone that support the teeth are broken down and destroyed. Gums separate from the teeth, forming pockets (spaces between the teeth and gums) that become infected. As the disease progresses, the pockets deepen and more gum tissue and bone are destroyed. Often, this destructive process has very mild symptoms. Eventually, teeth can become loose and may have to be removed.”
Best Advice
Keep your teeth by brushing AND FLOSSING every day. Flossing done properly, removes the plaque from below your gums, and makes it so the destructive bacteria cannot grow. If you’re unsure of how to floss, ask Kim, our hygienist, or me, and we’ll make sure you and everyone in your family does a great job so you can keep your teeth!
The children come back from trick-or-treating — excited, happy and
waiting do dive into the candy. “Hey, Dad, we saw a real ghost!” “Mom, there were people trick-or-treating on roller skates!”
Halloween is fun. But it’s an age-old battle. How do you keep the kids from eating so much candy that they get sick, and how do you ration the kind of candy they eat so they don’t get lots of cavities?
Which is the worst candy for your kids’ teeth?
The first thing to do is to pour out the candy to see what’s there. Immediately discard anything that is not in a wrapper, or if the wrapper is broken or torn.
Let them see what you’re doing, though, so they can learn what candy is better and which is worse for their teeth.
Separate out the chocolate from the hard candy.
Make another pile of soft, sticky stuff like licorice, or gumdrops or Tootsie Rolls.
See if there’s any sugar free candy or sugar free gum!
The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) says, that sugar free candies might be okay, as they stimulate saliva, which prevents dry mouth. A dry mouth allows plaque to build up on teeth faster, leading to an increased risk of cavities.
Sugar free gum can actually prevent cavities, not only because it helps to dislodge food particles from the teeth, but also because it increases saliva. Saliva can neutralize the acids in the mouth and prevent tooth decay.
Dark Chocolate, while sugary, has antioxidants that can be good for health. Just be sure to brush after, and keep the quantities small.
The AGD suggests avoiding the following sugary snacks:
Candy corn, cookies, and cake all contain a high amount of sugar, which can cause tooth decay.
Chewy/sticky sweets: Gummy candies, taffy, and even dried fruit can be a serious source of tooth decay, particularly when they get stuck in the crevices between teeth and make it almost impossible for saliva to wash away.
Sour candies: High acid levels in these treats can break down tooth enamel quickly. For these candies, patients should wait 30 minutes to brush their teeth after consuming acidic foods or drinks; otherwise they will be brushing acid onto more tooth surfaces, increasing the erosive action. So, it’s best to rinse right after eating the candy, and then brush within 30 minutes after that.
BOTTOM LINE:
What’s the worst candy? Dr. Atkins says that any candy or any food that you don’t brush off your teeth can cause cavities. The best answer: Eat, rinse, and then brush.