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.

Is Your High Blood Pressure Medicine Impacting Your Gums?

If you have high blood pressure and are taking antihypertensive medications you may be causing damage to your gums. There are several blood pressure medications that can negatively impact your gums over time and cause you to be susceptible to periodontal disease.  If you have high blood pressure and are struggling with bleeding and unhealthy gums, it may be time to schedule your appointment today with Dr. Rice & her team.

Blood pressure medication that falls into the category of calcium antagonists can cause thickening of the gums. As your gums thicken it can make it more difficult to floss correctly and keep food from negatively impacting your smile. Periodontal disease is not the only negative however; thicker gums can cause problems with chewing and cause you to become self-conscious when smiling.

The longer you wait to floss your teeth after eating, the more damage you are likely to encounter. Flossing right after you eat can help remove the food from between your teeth and gums and decrease your chances of periodontal disease.

The amount of medication you are taking can cause the problem to be even worse. If you are struggling to keep your gums and your body healthy, there are options. Talk to your periodontist today in order to figure out how you can improve your gum health.

For more information contact Dr. Denine Rice & her team today.

Yogurt Is Great For Your Gums!

You are faced with multiple choices of foods that you can consume throughout the day. Some are healthy and are some are not. But the next time you are walking through the grocery store and not sure what to buy, don’t forget to reach for some healthy plain yogurt. Recent research in Japan has found, that individuals who consume yogurt are less likely to be impacted by periodontal disease.

The normal process of decay is that food sits on the teeth, the longer it sits on the teeth the more opportunity bacteria has to cause problems to them, your gums and overall health. While brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist is the best way to ward off periodontal disease, yogurt and other healthy probiotics can help.

When picking yogurt up, it is critical to make sure that the yogurt you get is low in sugar. The higher concentration of sugar in a container the more likely you are to create more problems for your mouth, not less. The research conducted found that probiotics are able to counteract the negative bacteria in the mouth. Dr. Rice recommends, “Choose at least one serving of yogurt a day to keep the decay away.”

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

Flossing Is Not Optional

Millions of people everyday skip the floss. They may even lie to their dentist about how often they are flossing. But flossing is not and should not be optional if you want optimal health. It can be difficult to remember to floss if it is not a regular part of your day, but dentists and periodontists, especially Dr. Rice, encourage you to make this important action a habit not an option. Here are three reasons why you should floss everyday.

When you smile and your gums are puffy, bleeding, and you are missing teeth, opportunities may leave you. Dr. Rice says, “Potential employers look at potential candidate’s smiles in order to determine whether they should hire. While it may seem that this tiny detail should not stop you from having your dream job, sometimes it does.

There is no other single action you can take that keeps your gums healthy. Brushing is only 50% of the job. It will remove food from the surface of the teeth, but not in between the teeth. Once food stays in between the teeth for a long period of time, sugar mixes with the bacteria that is already in your mouth and cause further problems for your gums and your overall health.

Once you lose teeth, or your periodontal disease becomes bad enough, it can cause you to lose more of your teeth. At this point, your periodontal disease can impact your overall health. Periodontal disease has been linked to heart and liver disease, as well as a number of other systemic illnesses..

For more options on how to improve your smile contact Dr. Denine Rice & her team today.

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.

5 Dental Tips To Avoiding Periodontal Disease This Year

The New Year is finally here and now is the time to appreciate and take care of your gums. While millions of Americans are impacted by periodontal disease you do not have to be one of them. Take time to heal and improve your overall smile starting with your gum health. Here are five tips to healthy gums.

1.     Floss your teeth. There is no other way to avoid periodontal disease. You have heard this information before and it is not new, but if you want healthy gums you have to floss. Dr. Denine Rice says, “Flossing removes food from between the gums.”

2.     Eat fruits and vegetables with every meal. Fruits and vegetables have extra water that can remove food from the gums and food stuck in between the teeth.

3.     Brush at least two times a day. In order to remove food from the surface of the teeth you have to brush. Brushing allows your gums to not have food on them that increases opportunities for bacteria and decay to spread throughout your mouth.

4.     Visit the periodontist. If you have periodontal disease you cannot get rid of it by wishing it to be gone. Dr. Rice, encourages patients to get a really good cleaning and oral evaluation if they are struggling with periodontal disease.

5.     Use mouthwash. Any food particles left behind with brushing and flossing can be removed when you swish with mouthwash.

Periodontal disease is not a good look on anybody and can wreak havoc on your body. Take care of your gums today.  For more information contact Dr. Rice & her team today.

Your Periodontist Can’t Do It All

Don’t wait until you go to the periodontist to improve your dental health. It’s the New Year and now is your time to improve your gum health. While you assume you’re going to the periodontist and they are going to be able to fix your smile, they cannot do the job by themselves.  “They cannot care about your smile more than you,” says Periodontist Dr. Denine Rice.  Here are four tasks you can do to help keep your smile in tip-top shape.

1.     Take care of periodontal disease right away. If you have periodontal disease talk to your periodontist and come up with a plan to get it under control. Laser surgery is an opportunity to easily get your periodontal health back on track.

2.     Once you have periodontal laser surgery or other periodontal procedures, follow the after care instructions to make sure you are taking care of your new smile. You can’t fall back into old habits and keep your new smile looking healthy.

3.     Eat healthy. Eating healthy can remove food from your teeth in between brushing. Any fruits or vegetables that have a high water concentration are better than foods that are dry or high in carbs.

4.     Smile more. The more you smile, and show off your new smile, the more likely you are to want to maintain that great new smile. Show it off to your loved ones.

“Your periodontist can work only as hard as you do,” says Dr. Denine Rice. While her and the team want your smile to be the best it can be, they can only guide you to help you make the best decisions. The rest is up to you.