Information on Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease from a Sunnyvale Dentist

People come to our office and lie to our face every single day. The funniest lie that we experience is when patients tell us that they floss every single day.

As part of our tooth cleaning procedure, a dental hygienist will scale the teeth and remove any plaque that is being formed along the gum line. After the tooth is polished, they will do a final flossing. During this flossing process all truths come out into the open.

When teeth are not normally flossed, the gums are not being routinely worked out and cleansed. This means that once our dental hygienist flosses the teeth, more often than not in the case of non-flossers, lots of blood will be produced as a result. This blood is often the signal of a patient who is in floss denial.

In a study by the American Academy of Periodontology, about 25% of Americans lie to their dentist about their daily flossing habits!

According to the same study, Americans would prefer to do horrible routine tasks over brushing their teeth and flossing daily! Almost 20% of Americans would prefer to wash a sink full of dirty dishes then they would floss their teeth.

This is amazing to us.

Part of our dental philosophy is preventing the development of gingivitis and periodontal disease, and flossing is one of the best methods to avoid these diseases.

The study goes on to note that more than half of the American population will first notice the smile of a person of the opposite sex. Maintaining a good smile and overall oral health is based on the fundamentals of gum health.

The best way to maintain and promote healthy gums is by optimal hygienic standards and routine flossing.

If you are at risk for gum disease you must not be too nervous as gum disease treatment is very simple and straightforward. It must be accompanied by counseling and advice from a dental professional. Treatment can be as simple as a deep teeth cleaning or some sort of fluoride treatment over a time..

Dry Mouth Treatment and Causes

The cause of dry mouth can be brought on by many different things. Often times dry mouth can be a symptom of other medications you’re currently taking, or do to dietary or habitual habits that only you can identify with. If you attempt to treat dry mouth and fall short, you may be better off speaking with the dentist as dry mouth can be caused by gland issues or other medical issues you have not been accounted for.

Stay hydrated. Drink water or sugar-free liquids and be sure to drink while you are eating.

Stimulate the presence of saliva in your mouth. You can do this by eating foods that require mastication, chewing sugarless gum or candy. Sometimes if you’re in the desert, a survivalist will recommend that you place a small pebble in your mouth to stimulate the presence of saliva and to keep your mouth wet. While we would not suggest a pebble as this can damage your teeth – and might taste a bit earthy or dirty – you can apply the same concept with a lozenge or the rind of lemon.

Try to become a nasal breather. Constant air flow in and out of the mouth will dry out the mouth. Switching over to a habit of breathing through the nose will force the mouth to stay moist.

For other treatments and suggestions to preventing advanced treatments we recommend you subscribe to our dental philosophy. In addition to providing restorative works and being a leading Sunnyvale dentist, we make it our goal to train and educate our patients on the benefits and ways to implement preventive dental care in their lives.

If you haven’t been to the dentist for a while and don’t want anyone to know it’s been that long….then come get a cleaning and then it’ll be a moot point! Hop over to our About Us page and request a first appointment with us to see if we are a good fit! We’ll see you soon!