Cooler Weather

With the cooler weather moving in, it can be a time for people to dig out the warm food, high carb recipes. While these dishes can keep you warm and bring out the family, be careful of recipes with too many carbohydrates and not enough healthy vegetables. For years, dieticians and doctors have explained the importance of eating 8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. But the health of your smile is dependent on this choice as well.

Potato soups, chili and cornbread, and lasagna may make your house smell delicious, but the pasta, starches and breads can stick to the teeth and gums. The longer food stays stuck to the surface of your teeth or gums the more chance that bacteria have to grow and cause decay and other problems. Brushing immediately after consuming carbs is the best way to keep your smile healthy. But if you cannot do that, eating a green pepper or other vegetable with a high water concentration can restore your smile to a healthy place. You can also pop in a piece of sugar free gum in between brushing to help remove any extra food from your teeth.

For more information on the importance of consuming vegetables contact Dr. Rice and her team today.

Create A Flawless Smile

If you think achieving a cosmetically beautiful smile is out of your reach, periodontist Dr. Denine Rice and her team are here to help. There are lots of ways you can achieve the smile of your dreams. Here are 4 Tips from Dr. Rice on how to create a flawless smile.

1.     Floss. There is no other way to say it and no single piece of dental activity that helps you achieve the smile you were born to have. While millions of individuals say they floss, they in fact don’t. If you are struggling to floss regularly, Dr. Rice recommends you do some research to find floss that suits your needs and helps you create this necessary regime to your dental routine.

2.     Drink water. Drinking water helps to reduce bacteria in the mouth. A dry mouth is a breeding ground for dental problems. The more water you consume the less opportunity bacteria has to reek havoc. Water can also reduce the food left on your teeth from high carbohydrate foods.

3.     Consume healthy fruits and vegetables. This advice has as much to do with improving your overall health as it does in creating a healthy and flawless smile. The more fruits and vegetables you consume with a high water concentration the more food that is stuck to the teeth is removed. It also decreases bacteria that causes decay. Fruits and vegetables do not tend to stick to the teeth.

4.     Check out if you are a candidate for a laser periodontal procedure to reduce your risk of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease not only impacts the look of your smile, but your overall health as well.

Don’t live with a smile you don’t love, implement these 4 tips and create the smile you want for a lifetime.

3 Foods That Can Damage Your Gums

The food we eat can impact or help your gums. The more damage you cause to your gums over time, the less likely they are to remain healthy and supportive of your teeth. Our gums hold our teeth in place. Periodontal disease can cause bacteria to go below the gum line causing the gums to pull away from the teeth.  Dr. Rice recommends you avoid or limit these three foods to reduce your chances of losing your teeth to periodontal disease.

Popcorn can damage your gums, but also get stuck underneath the gums causing more problems for your smile. Once you consume popcorn you’ll want to floss right away and limit the opportunity for popcorn to damage your smile.

High sugar candy is another problem for your gums. The longer that sugar sits on the gums, the greater the  opportunity that the sugar has to mix with bacteria that is already in your mouth. The bacteria and sugar becomes acidic. The more acidic your mouth is, the higher level of damage that can occur.

High carbohydrate foods can also be damaging to your gums. Carbohydrates are more likely to stick to your gums and not wash off with saliva. The higher concentration of carbohydrates you consume in one meal, the more food that is sticking to your gums in between brushing.

For more information on how to keep your gums healthy, contact Dr. Rice & her team today.