Find Your Smile

It can be easy to forget about yourself when you are running from place to place and trying to get everything in your life done. But your smile is important. Take time to find your best smile by having laser periodontal procedure and improving your gum health. Periodontal disease impacts more than just the look of your smile. It can impact your overall health and happiness.

Healthy gums can unfortunately begin to break down only after a few days of unhealthy habits. Brushing, flossing, drinking water and eating healthy can keep bad bacteria under control and increase the likelihood that you will be able to keep your natural teeth for a lifetime.

Once you have periodontal disease, while it can be managed, it will never go away. It will be important for you to keep your gums healthy and begin a periodontal treatment that will clean out the bacteria from below the gum line and restore your gums. Laser periodontal procedures take less time and do not require sutures, which can help you get back to life just a day after the procedure.

Dr. Rice and her team are dedicated professionals who want to help you establish healthy routines that will keep your smile for a lifetime. Contact them today for more information on Laser Periodontal Procedures.

5 Problems You Face When You Have Gum Disease

Gum disease may be a problem you do not think is important, or anything you need to spend time taking care of. But Dr. Denine Rice and her team feel that your gum health is critical. Gum disease research has shown that it doesn’t just impact your gums, but can potentially impact your entire body. Here are 5 other problems you may face when you have gum disease.

1.     Bleeding and swollen gums. As the gum disease progresses and turns into a more severe case of periodontal disease, your gums can begin to not look as healthy as they were before. They can begin to bleed easily and become painful when consuming foods that you normally enjoy.

2.     Heart disease, can become worse due to the inflammation that is present in your body when you are impacted by periodontal disease.

3.     Increased risk of stroke. Research found that individuals who have periodontal disease are more likely to have a stroke.

4.     Diabetes. Individuals who have diabetes are more likely to be impacted by diabetes.

5.     Other diseases. Inflammation that is left to run through your body and is not taken care of can begin to cause other diseases and break down your immune system.  

For more information on improving the health of your smile contact Dr. Rice and her team today.

6 Foods That Are Good For Your Gums

With the weather warming up and the heart of the summer upon us, you may want to reach for whichever cool drink you can get in your hands. But drinks and food high in sugar or high in carbohydrates are worse for your smile and can contribute to a dry mouth. A dry mouth can create bacteria, ulcers, and other problems for your gums. Here are 6 foods from Dr. Rice that can help your gums.

1.     Watermelon, is one of the best foods for your gums. It helps rinse food from your gums that is left from other meals. It also helps to keep you hydrated.

2.     Reach for an apple when you are hungry. Not only do apples help remove plaque from your gums they are also high in water.

3.     Milk is a great way to neutralize the acid in your mouth from plaque buildup. Drink a glass of milk after dinner to help build-up the calcium in your teeth and to keep your gums healthy.

4.     Eat green leafy foods. The greener the better they are for the health of your gums.

5.     Cheese, while it does not have the same benefit as drinking a glass of milk, the dairy in the cheese can help to strengthen your teeth and decrease the impact of bacteria.

6.     Carrots are a fantastic food for the teeth and gums. While there are hundreds of other vegetables that have the same benefits for your smile. Carrots have tons of water and help to rinse food from your gums between brushing and flossing.

The food you eat can directly impact your smile, for more information on how to improve your smile and how to keep it healthy, contact Dr. Rice and her team today.

Why Periodontist Recommend You Should Smile More

You may think your smile has no bearing on the rest of your life, but did you know that smiling and the health of your smile is linked to your overall success and happiness in life? The healthier your smile is the more you share your smile with the world and the happier you are overall in life.

Research has found individuals who do not love their smile tend to smile less, and they may even attempt to cover up their teeth by tucking in their lips. Smiling is a universal sign for individuals to know that others are happy about something, or are appreciative. Lack of smiling can create a barrier between individuals and decrease a person’s sense of belonging.

Smiling can help you to feel happy even if you are feeling down. The more you smile, the more you release endorphins that produce happiness. If you are feeling down about something in your life, Periodontist Dr. Denine Rice recommends you find some great friends that can help you smile or spend time doing things that automatically make you smile. It can turn your life around. While you may not feel happy all the time, the more often you smile, the quicker you will find things that make you happy, and then you'll spend less time thinking about the things that do not make you happy.

For more information on the importance of smiling, contact Dr. Rice & her team.

3 Reasons Why Water Is Great For Your Gums

Water not only improves your overall health, it can also improve your smile and your gum health. Periodontal disease is a gum disease where bacteria and plaque build up and impacts the overall health of the gums, bone and eventually the teeth. Brushing and flossing are not steps you can skip if you want healthy gums. In order to take your gum health to the next level, Dr. Rice recommends you drink more water and here’s why.

1.     Water helps rinse food from your teeth in between brushing. Once you have consumed any type of food, you don’t want it to stick to the surface of your teeth. Water helps to rinse the mouth and gives bacteria less opportunity to bind with food and turn it into plaque.

2.     When your mouth is dry and humid, it is a breeding ground for bacteria that is already present in the mouth. By drinking water you can limit the opportunity of bacteria to grow.

3.     Drinking water helps rinse out the bacteria that is lying in the mouth but has not yet turned to plaque.   The sooner you can remove the bacteria from your mouth the more likely you are to keep your smile looking great.

Don’t spend time destroying your smile and gums, take time to improve your gums and they can last a lifetime.  For more information contact Periodontist Dr.Rice and her team today.

Periodontal Laser Surgery After Care

Periodontal laser surgery can reduce the impact of periodontal disease by removing the bacteria from below the gum line without having to cut or suture the gums. Laser surgery allows for faster recovery, and following these four tips will help your gums heal.

1.     Stay on a liquid diet for at least two days and a soft diet for seven to ten days after that. There are blood clots that are formed at the treatment spots. These clots help healing. "Eating hard food can potentially dislodge the clots causing your healing to become derailed,” says Dr. Rice.

2.     Don’t brush and floss until directed to do so. You’ll want to rinse with water, or perioguard, if approved by your periodontist, in order to remove soft foods from the teeth. 

3.     Avoid smoking. If you smoke, you’ll want to quit during the healing process. If you need help on quitting smoking, Dr. DenineRice and her team can suggest smoking cessation products. 

4.     Avoid using a straw. The sucking motion that is used when drinking out of a straw can dislodge the clots at the healing site. Avoid drinking through a straw to cause any problems during the healing process. 

Periodontal laser surgery can help to get your smile back on track. Follow these simple tips to achieve greater dental health.

Use It Or Lose It

The holidays are almost here and that is an exciting time. Fall leaves, cooler weather, 

hot chocolate and holiday eating. But it also marks the closing of a timeline.  Your insurance benefits run out at the end of the year. For many insurance plans, any money you haven’t used for the year will go away with the beginning of the New Year. Here are three ways you can use your dental benefits to your advantage.  

1.     Improve your smile through bone or tissue grafting surgery. If you have gum recession due to periodontal disease, gingivitis or trauma you may wish to look into repairing your smile. Or if you are missing a tooth, now might be the time to look into preparing your jaw for implant placement.

2.     Get periodontal laser surgery. If you have periodontal disease and you have been putting off treatment, the bacteria in your mouth means your situation is only getting worse. This can lead to other problems down the line including loss of teeth,  gum recession, and many times health issues. Laser surgery can help not only improve the health of your smile, but the overall look of your smile as well.

3.     Crown lengthening. This procedure can help to reposition the gums in order to improve the length of the teeth. Dr. Rice states, “Immediately after the surgery the teeth will look longer.”

Your dental insurance is yours to use, now is your opportunity to use it to your advantage. Call Dr. Denine Rice & her team for more information today.

Digital X-rays & Why We Take Them

Digital x-rays are a great way for Dr. Rice and her team to determine if there are problems with your smile below the gum line. There are multiple problems that can occur in the mouth that cannot be seen by the naked eye. The only way for problems below the gum line to be diagnosed and treated is with an x-ray.

Digital x-rays machines go the extra mile and expose you to less radiation then dental x-ray machines of the past. We are all exposed each day to some type of radiation, but digital x-rays take less time, emit less radiation and allow for better accuracy. These three positives allow you to get an x-ray without having to worry about exposure.

Digital x-rays can allow your periodontist to identify and treat cancerous and noncancerous tumors that otherwise would go untreated. When you visit the periodontist and they conduct a thorough exam, there is only one way to see what is going on below the gums. This requires a machine that can look through the tissue. The earlier problems are detected the sooner they can be taken care of.

Each tooth has a root and that means you may feel sensitivity when eating or drinking certain foods. This sensitivity is sometimes caused by problems with the root position. An x-ray allows Dr. Denine Rice and you to come up with a plan in order to solve the problem.

For more information on Digital X-Rays contact Dr. Rice & her team.

Bone Grafts Can Change Your Smile

Dr. Denine Rice and her team are able to provide multiple options if your smile is impacted by gum loss due to trauma, periodontal disease or oral cancer.  Your smile is as important as your body and bone grafting can provide an excellent way to restore your smile.  

There are multiple types of bone grafts. Some use bone that is from an animal, but it can also be removed from other parts of your body and placed in the jawbone. Placing new bone in the jaw can strengthen bone that has been lost in order to place implants to restore missing teeth.  Depending on your needs, Dr. Rice may recommend the bone used for your procedure to be synthetically created in a lab. No matter which type of bone is utilized, the impact will allow you to have a restored and healthy smile.

If your jawbone has been impacted due to trauma and there are ridges in the jawbone, bone graft surgery can allow your jaw to have a more uniform look. Once the bone is placed in the right places, it will fuse to your jawbone.

Your smile is the universal way to communicate with the world. If your smile is communicating something other than health and happiness call Periodontist Dr. Denine Rice and her team today for more options.

Recovery From Gum Graft Surgery

Gum graft surgery may be recommended if you have gum recession that is impacting the look of your smile or is causing you tooth sensitivity. There are three most often used procedures, one of which includes your own tissue to be removed in order to add it to the area around the tooth. "Some people do not have their own tissue removed, they have tissue from a tissue bank," Dr. Denine Rice. No matter which choice you make, you are sure to have your smile back shortly after your procedure.

Once the procedure is completed and you are sutured, you’ll be able to leave the office and, depending on the amount of pain and medication used during the procedure, go on with your day. However, if you were given a mild sedative to help you relax, you will need to have a friend drive you home. 

Once you get home, before you eat, drink or brush you will want to review the instructions given to you by your dentist. You may be restricted to only consume certain foods, especially the first few hours after the surgery. You will not be able to brush and floss the area until after the entire area is healed.

Risk of infection can be higher during the healing time because you are not able to brush and floss the particular area. However, there is a special mouthwash that you can rinse with in order to control the level of bacteria during this time.