3 Ways To Destroy Your Gums

Your gums are the glue that hold your teeth in the socket. Without your gums, your teeth would not be able to maintain their position in your mouth. Dental decay and periodontal disease causes a pocket to build between the gum and the teeth, which can then cause your teeth to become loose and eventually fall out. Here are 3 ways which you can destroy your gums from Dr. Denine Rice,

1.     Consuming tobacco products. Periodontal disease is an infection in your mouth that can go to other parts of your body. Smoking and chewing tobacco decreases your body’s ability to fight infection. Once you have periodontal disease smoking also makes it harder for your gums to heal from infections.

2.     Not drinking enough fluids throughout the day. There are already bacteria in your mouth. When your mouth becomes dry the bacteria that is bad for your mouth can get worse, causing periodontal disease and other problems.

3.      Not fixing missing teeth. Once you have one missing tooth it is common for you to begin to lose other teeth. As you lose teeth, your other teeth shift into the position of the missing tooth. This can then cause problems for your bite as well as cause you to look older. 

For more information on healthy dental habits, contact Dr. Rice and her team.

A Dry Mouth is a Bacteria Filled Mouth

Dry mouth may not seem like a big deal but it is a problem, especially during the summer time as the weather heats up. Staying hydrated can be the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy mouth. Saliva helps to neutralize acid and protect against cavities, ulcers, bacterial and viral threats.  Saliva also contributes to a person’s ability to taste certain foods. Dr. Rice recommends these 4 ways to keep your body hydrated and avoid a dry mouth during this summer season.

1.     Drink water. For those of you who do not enjoy drinking water try infusing your water with strawberries, cucumbers, or other fruit and vegetables to increase the flavor. It is important to drink 1 oz for every pound you weigh. This amount goes up if you live in an area that is warmer.

2.     Enjoy fruits and vegetables as a snack instead of reaching for the chips and salty food. Salty foods dry out your mouth even more. Fruits and vegetables not only remove food from the surface of your teeth throughout the day, and in between brushing, they also help to keep your mouth moist.

3.     Chew sugar-free gum when you do not have water available. Sugar-free gum can help to build up saliva in your mouth when you are running low on water.

4.     Reduce consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol decreases saliva in the mouth contributing to dry mouth.

For more information on keeping your gums healthy and your mouth hydrated contact Dr. Denine Riceand 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.

Is Your Bread Habit Ruining Your Gums?

Unfortunately, you’ve been hearing for years about how your bread habit can be leading to your struggle to lose weight, it can also be causing problems with your smile. If you consume bread with every meal, you may be increasing your chance of periodontal disease. But just cutting out bread isn’t going to improve the health of your gums. Here are 3 ways to improve your smile & still be able to enjoy your specialty sandwich.

1.     Brush your teeth once you have consumed bread. The longer that bread stays on your teeth the more opportunity bacteria have to begin attacking your smile. If you brush right after you eat, you’re removing the harmful bacteria from mixing with the sugars in your mouth.

2.     Drink water in between eating bread. The more saliva or water you have in your mouth, the easier it is to rinse the bread from your teeth. Dr. Denine Rice says, “The key is not having food or carbohydrates stuck on your teeth for one second longer than necessary.” Water can ensure this occurs.

3.     Chew sugar free gum in between brushing and after consuming bread. The gum can help increase the amount of saliva in your mouth, but it also can help to rinse food from your teeth and gums.

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

6 Ways To Improve Your Oral Health

While there are millions of bacteria that live in your mouth on any given day, you don’t have to stand by and allow them to take your beautiful healthy smile away. It’s time to begin a strategic attack in order to battle decay and disease to get your smile back to a natural and healthy state. Optimal oral health is about more than cosmetic dentistry or seeing your periodontist, it’s about replacing old habits with new ones that will allow you to have a beautiful smile.

1.     Drink water. Drinking water is the easiest way to help decrease disease and decay and get your smile back to healthy. Water helps remove food from the teeth and keeps your mouth from getting dry.

2.     Eat fruit. Not only does fruit have a high concentration of water already in it, it’s low in sugar,“ says One of Inland Empire’s Top Dentists, Dr. Denine Rice. Foods with a high concentration of water increase the chance of sugar causing cavities and decay and increase bacteria counts in the mouth.

3.     Decrease the consumption of all other foods with sugar in them. The summer time provides an increased opportunity for spending time with loved ones enjoying cakes and other treats. Avoid large quantities of the goodies and make sure to brush as soon as you can.

4.     Avoid soda. Soda has a large amount of sugar and acid that attacks the enamel on your teeth. 

5.     Floss your teeth at least once a day. There is no reason to lie to your dentist because if you are not brushing it will show up during your routine cleaning. Floss is critical to keeping your smile healthy; it is the only option for removing food between the teeth.

     Visit your periodontist and have any procedures completed that need to be done to help keep your smile at its brightest and healthiest.

Talk to Dr. Rice & her team for more options.