Is Your Gum Health Impacted By Your Birth Control?

It is not uncommon for pregnant women to be impacted by bleeding or inflamed gums. This can also happen to women who are taking oral contraception. It does depend on the type of birth control you are taking. If you are brushing or flossing and your gums are bleeding, this is not something to take lightly. Contact Dr. Rice and her team today to set up an appointment for an evaluation.

Certain birth controls trick the body into believing it is pregnant. This response can lead to an increase in inflammation and cause bleeding when you are brushing or flossing. While this may not be cause to worry, it is something you should not leave unchecked. You may also discuss this with your doctor because she may be able to reduce the hormone levels in the birth control you are consuming.

There is no reason why you should accept long term inflammation and problems which can lead to more damage and eventually to missing teeth. Bodies who fight constant inflammation may also notice an impact to the major organs  of the body. Asking questions and getting an oral exam is a great way to determine if you have periodontal disease, gingivitis, or if something else is going on. Ignoring it is never a good option, because it can continue to get worse over time.

For more information, contract Dr. Rice and her team today.

Smoking Addiction

Smoking can be a difficult addiction to break, however with the New Year here, now is your time. While E-cigarettes seem like a healthier alternative to picking up and smoking a regular cigarette, it is not a better alternative for your teeth. E-cigarette companies are making the argument that the vapor you are inhaling is a real life healthy alternative that does not cause cancer, but e-cigarettes still contain nicotine.

Nicotine reduces saliva in the mouth. Reduced saliva causes food to stay on the teeth longer. The more time that food is stuck to the surface of your teeth the longer opportunity there is for it to attack the enamel, causing decay, periodontal disease and cavities.  The negative affects of nicotine doesn’t stop there, it also inhibits the body from regenerating healthy cells and fighting off disease.

While companies are marketing that e-cigarettes do not contain poisonous chemicals in them and are therefore healthy for everyone, the exact opposite is true. In a study completed by France’s National Consumer’s institute they found that there were in-fact other chemicals in the cigarette that are very dangerous such as formaldehyde and diethylene glycol.  

While research is still on the fence about the risks of this type of cigarette, the FDA has not approved it. Dentist, Dr. Denine Rice, suggests that these are not a healthy alternative for smoking and should be avoided. If you need help quitting smoking there are safer and healthier choices. Contact her office today for support.

How Your Gums Are Impacted During The Holiday Season!

 This holiday season don’t let brushing and flossing go to the wayside. We know you’re busy cooking, spending time with family and shopping, but your gums still need your care. Set reminders to brush and floss twice a day if you think your holiday is going to be jam-packed.  It can be easy to forget to pack your toothbrush when you’re rushing to make the six a.m. flight to New York to be with your brother or loved ones. However, the increased food consumption over the holidays and bad eating habits can cause multiple problems for you when you return if you haven’t kept to your normal routine.

            For example, Dr. Denine Rice reports that after the holidays she sees a rise of new patients who have severe dental decay. While your gums and teeth may not be in great shape before the holidays, not taking care of them while you are consuming turkey, stuffing, cranberries, nuts and pumpkin pie makes a bad situation for your gums and teeth even worse. Another one of the treatment areas where periodontist Dr. Denine Rice sees an increase after the holiday is in chipped and broken tooth.  While you’re enjoying the party mixed nuts or hardened foods you may unfortunately chip a tooth below the gum line.  If this situation happens to you, Dr. Rice is able to complete a crown lengthening procedure to help rebuild the area in order for teeth to be replaced.

            While it may seem like a good idea to indulge during the holidays, do your teeth a favor and protect your teeth and gums. And if it’s time to see your dentist, don’t let the holidays allow you to put it off. Call today.

Why should I floss if all my gums do is bleed?

When flossing your teeth you may notice some bleeding. This bleeding is due to a condition called gingivitis.  It is the first stage of periodontal disease but is reversible with the right treatment. “Part of that treatment is brushing and flossing says,” Dr. Denine Rice.   Dental plaque and tarter has bacteria in it that causes irritation to the gums. If you continue to not take proper care of your teeth the bacteria will continue to build and gingivitis can quickly turn into periodontal disease. Once you have periodontal disease, this unfortunately is not reversible.

                             Although, you may feel that you are doing more damage to your gums and therefore want to discontinue flossing you are not doing more damage.  “If you continue to floss for a week and your gums continue to bleed,” Dr. Rice, one of Inland Empire’s Top Periodontists suggests you set up a visit with your dentist.

                             Your gums will not bleed once the bacteria are removed. You want to floss in order to remove food from the gums where your toothbrush cannot be reached.  Depending on how much tarter and plaque is built up will depend on what type of treatment is recommended. You may need to have root planing and scaling to help remove the plaque from your teeth. What you don’t want to do is stop flossing, instead it’s time to actually floss more.

What foods are good for your gums and teeth?

It is important to keep your appointments with your periodontist,  is critical for the health of your gums. But certain foods also contain health benefits for your gums and teeth.

Consuming foods high in calcium are great for overall bone strength. Not only does it help with the bone strength in your hips, it is great for the strength of your teeth. Some studies have found foods high in dietary calcium may contribute (this doesn’t sound right – please check. Demineralization isn’t a good thing. Does it prevent it?) to demineralization.

“Something else that’s great for gums is green tea,” says Dr. Denine Rice of Rice Periodontics and Implant Surgery in Riverside, CA.  Recent research has found that green tea is great for keeping the bacteria in the mouth reduced.  Further research has found that there is a lower incidence of periodontal disease in men who drink green tea. Also both women and men had a lower incidence of tooth loss when they chose green tea as their beverage of choice. So, sit back and relax and enjoy a great cup of green tea. Skip the sugar though; you don’t want to add that to your teeth - it increases bacteria in the mouth.

Shitakes mushrooms are another healthy choice for your gums. They contain what is called, “lentinan.” This is a natural sugar that is better for your gums and teeth than regular sugar. This substance supports healthy gums and may reduce bleeding, swelling and redness on the gums.

Vitamin C is very important to your gum tissue, too. Although, orange juice is high in vitamin C it also contains a high amount of sugar. So instead of drinking juice, Dr. Rice and her team suggest you stick to healthy fresh fruits such as kiwis and strawberries which are great sources of vitamin C and help to protect the softer gum tissue from breaking down.

“Vegetables that have a higher concentration of water are better for the gums,” adds Dr. Denine Rice. The higher the concentration of water will help remove food from the teeth after eating, especially if you are not able to brush your teeth right away. 

For more information or a consultation on the health of your gums, call Dr. Rice and her team today. 

How does taste work?

Your sense of smell and taste work together to enhance your enjoyment of food.

The four basic tastes that you will recognize are:

Sour    Bitter    Sweet   Salty

 

The nerve receptors in your nose will be the first to signal the brain about what you are about to eat, but it is the sense of taste that most of us focus on.

The majority of the taste buds in your mouth are located on the edges and tip of the tongue, although there are a few on the roof of your mouth and throat. When you eat, the nerve receptors in your mouth send the message to your brain about the taste while at the same time your nose reports on the smell.

When you are a denture wearer, the taste buds located on the roof of your mouth are covered by the plastic palate of your upper denture. This can reduce the amount of pleasure you experience with meals. If you have discovered a decrease in taste with your new denture, contact your dentist. It may be possible to modify your denture to reduce the amount of plastic on the palate of your mouth.

For some, the only choice to regain their sense of taste may be a palate-less denture affixed to implants. 

How Can a Palate-less Denture Change Your Life?

The decision to extract teeth and wear a denture is not one easily made for most patients, but sometimes there is no other choice when teeth fail due to trauma, disease, or decay.

Wearing conventional dentures requires some getting used to. First they are removable so depending upon the level of bone remaining, especially with lower dentures, they will have a varying degree of stability. Also, a conventional upper denture covers the palate of the mouth. Which means speech may change initially and the sense of taste will be affected.

“The good news is Palate-less dentures that are implant-supported can create both the stability needed for the lower jaw along with the open palate that provides for more enjoyment of food,” says Dr. DenineRice from her Periodontal and Implant Surgery practice located in Riverside, California.

While most of a person’s taste buds are located on the tongue, a few are located on the roof of the mouth, which with a conventional denture, will be covered. “An implant supported denture is really more like one long bridge unit that restores all the teeth missing in an arch,” adds Dr.Rice.

If you are struggling with dentures that are unruly or if you are having difficulty speaking and enjoying food, perhaps you should consider an implant supported denture today.