Diabetes and Oral Health – A Two-Way Street

If you, a friend or a family member have diabetes, you may have heard that this common disease increases a person’s risk of gum disease and other oral health problems. But did you know that this relationship is a mutually distressing one? Not only does diabetes make gum disease worse, but gum disease can actually make diabetes worse too by interfering with blood-glucose management strategies.

Here, we shine some light on the relationship between diabetes and oral health, and what you can do about it.

Diabetes makes it difficult for the body to fight infection. Whether the infection is located in the mouth, the foot or any other part of the body, poor circulation suppresses the immune system, making it harder for the body’s natural infection fighting responders to do their job. This means that if you have diabetes, you are more prone to gum disease, and other oral health problems too such as, thrush and dry mouth.

On the flip-side, gum disease can also make diabetes worse. Whenever the body is fighting illness or an infection (such as a cold or the flu or even gum disease), blood sugar spikes are harder to control with regular methods and thus extra monitoring and control-measures are required.

Are you wondering what you can do to minimize this damage? First and foremost, keep your blood sugar under control by using the methods that your physician has prescribed. Next, practice good oral health maintenance with regular brushing and flossing. And finally, don't skip regular trips to the dentist and other oral health professionals. If you have diabetes, you cannot afford to ignore this important part of your body. For more information about oral health call Dr. Alina Bergan D.D.S. today at (800) 223-0801.

How Long do Dental Implants Last?

If you're considering going through the dental implant process, it’s important to know how long they will last.  The good news is dental implants are designed to be a permanent solution to missing teeth caused by tooth decay, injury or other causes.  Implants should look, feel and act like real teeth.

Dr. Alina Bergan D.D.S. can provide you with a permanent solution to your missing or dead teeth. Dental implants are made of a titanium root that is anchored in the jaw. This acts as a functional anchor for the implanted tooth and crown.  The bone grows around the implanted post the same way bone grows around the natural root of a tooth.

Do Dental Implants Last as long as Your Real Teeth?

How long do your real teeth last?  They should last a lifetime.  However, we all can cite examples where teeth have not served for a person's lifetime.  Oftentimes, our teeth do not last long enough due to poor home care or a lack of dental visits. Just as natural teeth may not last a lifetime, dental implants may not be permanent. 

With proper care and routine dental check-ups your dental implants should last a lifetime. This can be maintained through good hygiene and following the instructions of your dentist. 

If you are ready to take a permanent step towards a more confident smile and are tired of seeing those missing teeth, please contact Dr. Alina Bergan D.D.S. We serve patients in 5 Towns area in Cedarhurst . Call us today at (800) 223-0801.

Dental Hygiene Essentials for Busy Parents

As a parent, life can get very busy. There’s so much to do and remember for work, for your kids, for you, personally, that things can sometimes get forgotten. Your kids’ dental habits shouldn’t be one of them. However, we understand it can be tough to manage it all, so we’ve put together a list of kid’s dental hygiene essentials every busy parent should have.

1. Give Your Kids a Tooth-Brushing Calendar. For busy parents, one tool that might help is a daily tooth-brushing calendar to make sure your kids are brushing their teeth twice a day and using floss at least once a day. Your kids could check off or place a sticker on each calendar day and time they’ve successfully brushed and flossed their teeth. Create a rewards system as an extra motivator. If they keep to their daily brushing schedule for a week or a month, then they could get a fun reward, like a trip to the movies or getting a DVD or toy they’ve been wanting. The reward can be whatever you think is best for your household, but it might give them some extra incentive to do well that week or month when it comes to brushing and flossing their teeth.

If your child is too young to brush his teeth on his own, recruit an older sibling to help. If he has no older siblings, schedule times that you and your spouse (or other family member) can take turns helping your child brush his teeth.

2. Keep their dental appointments a priority. Make sure your kids are seeing a dentist every six months. Schedule their dental appointments ahead of time. If you can’t find a time to take them, ask a friend or family member if they can help.

3. Compile a travel kit for your car that includes:

·         Toothpaste

·         Toothbrushes

·         Floss

·         Water

·         Healthy Snacks like granola bars

Whether you’re taking a vacation, a weekend trip or just running a few errands, being prepared when traveling can help safeguard your kids’ dental habits. Leave this travel kit in your car or grab it on your way out. If your kids forget their toothbrush and toothpaste on a trip, they’ll have backups; if they need to floss after eating a hearty meal, they won’t have to do without; and if they get hungry or thirsty, you won’t have to resort to junk food because you’ll have healthy snacks available (This can be a money-saver, too!).

4. Stock your house with extra:

·         Toothpaste

·         Floss

·         Toothbrushes 

·         Straws

·         Healthy Snacks

Having extra toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss stored in the bathroom is a good idea, especially if you’re really busy. It can be hard to make runs to the store for just a couple of items if you’ve already got a lot going on. You could even store some of these extras in the kitchen so your kids will remember to brush their teeth after eating.

Additionally, encourage your kids to use straws when they drink sugary beverages. Although these drinks should be limited for the betterment of your kids’ teeth and health, if they do drink some, using a straw can help keep the sugar from coating their teeth.

5. Educate your kids and sitters about the importance of dental hygiene. The more your kids know to do, the less you’ll have to do in this area. Educate your kids about proper dental hygiene habits so they’ll know when and why they need to brush and floss their teeth, what they should be eating and drinking and how to take care of their dental health overall. You can do this by giving them great dental books to read and referencing some of their favorite movies that mention dental care.

If you have sitters for your kids, stress the importance of your kids’ dental habits to them, too. They can make sure your kids are taking care of their teeth while you’re out.

Your kids’ dental hygiene habits are important and it’s good to be developing them now. We hope these essential dental hygiene tips can help you, even with your busy schedule. Contact our office for more information or to schedule a checkup today at 800-223-0801.

Fun Facts About Teeth

As children, we are obsessed with our teeth.  Counting them, watching them fall out and grow back in.  Waiting for the tooth fairy’s surprise under our pillows. Then as adults, we are still obsessed with them, but maybe in a different way (as in “why do they always hurt and why aren’t they white anymore?”)  So just for fun, and to further indulge in this fascination with teeth, here are some fun facts about teeth.

This is a great article to share with your children!  How many of these facts did you already know?

Sharks don’t get cavities.  Why?  Because their teeth are coated in fluoride.  That combined with the fact that they have rows and rows of replacement teeth, ready to go at a moment’s notice, give them an unfair advantage over humans when it comes to oral health.

You are lucky!  You have three types of teeth:  (1) Incisors to bite pieces off, (2) Canines to hold and tear, and (3) molars to grind food.  This allows you to eat a wide variety of foods.  Some animals, like crocodiles, aren’t so lucky, they only have sharp teeth to grab and kill, which greatly reduces their restaurant choices.

Enamel is the hardest material in the human body.  It is considered the last line of defense for your tooth.  Normal wearing down of enamel does occur over time and is simply a part of aging.  But bacteria can cause this breakdown to accelerate, which is why we brush and floss regularly!

Taste buds only live for about 10 days, or 2 weeks if they are lucky.  They go through a life cycle just like every other cell renewal processes in the body.

Sharkskin is covered in teeth.  Don’t believe me?  Both sharks and their cousins, rays, are covered in what are called dermal denticles.  Although they look like scales they are actually just modified teeth, with an enamel coating and all!  These protect them and also help them swim faster, but enough about sharks.

The jaw muscle, called the “masseter”, is the strongest muscle in the body if we are talking about strength based by weight.  When all of these muscles work together, the jaw exerts 55 pounds of weight on the incisors and 200 pounds on the molars.  This is why we take jaw disorders like teeth grinding, TMJ and bruxism very seriously – that’s a lot of force!  Call us today if you suspect you might be a teeth grinder.

For more information or to schedule an appointment call Dr. Alina Bergan D.D.S. today at (800) 223-0801.

 Did you know any of these fun facts about teeth already or did we surprise you?

Effects of alcohol on your teeth

It is the time of year for football tailgating and the start of the holiday party season. With these events there is an increase in alcohol consumption.

The main threat to your teeth and gums comes from the sugar content in alcohol (including beer) which, when broken down in your mouth, creates an acidic breeding ground for bacteria and plaque.

There is also a strong clinical link between the excessive consumption of alcohol and head and neck cancers. In fact, while it can increase the risk of getting these diseases if used together with tobacco, alcohol can pose a risk in its own right.

Limiting the Damage

§        Most importantly, after a night out, you should brush and floss your teeth before going to bed. If you often forget to do this, leave your tooth brush on your pillow before you go out to remind you to spend a couple of minutes brushing.

While you’re drinking try to swish a mouthful of water around every so often to increase the saliva flow and rinse away sugars and acid in your mouth

On your way home, chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva flow and clear the mouth of harmful sugars and acid.

     For more information or to schedule an appointment call Dr. Alina Bergan D.D.S. today at (800) 223-0801.

Floss......Or Die....

Okay…so the heading might be a tad dramatic and please don't take the threat literally. However let’s consider the facts and the truth is that not flossing has been linked with an increased risk of developing systemic diseases.

We understand that there are 5 tooth surfaces per tooth. (figure below)

Tooth brushing alone will eliminate the plaque (bacteria) build up on 3 of the 5 surfaces. The remaining 2 surfaces that sit against other teeth will not be accessible by your tooth brush bristles. Oral bacteria can travel through the blood stream to affect other areas of the body. It is for that reason, that dentists, emphasize the importance of good oral hygiene through regular brushing and flossing (and tongue cleaning) to minimize the risks of developing systemic conditions.

Be sure to floss your teeth and schedule regular check up and cleanings with Dr. Alina Bergan D.D.S today. Please call us at (800) 223-0801 with any questions or to schedule your cleaning today. 

Is Your Whitening Toothpaste Hurting You?

Tartar control and whitening pastes can be especially abrasive and should be used with great caution. If you are using any of those products you should know that they do not contain any of the materials dentists use to whiten teeth, such as carbamide peroxide and other oxygen releasing chemicals.

What they do contain are abrasives and scrubbing agents that do not brighten enamel or penetrate into the microscopic openings in the tooth surface to where the real darkening is happening.

They simply remove surface stains.  This is not real whitening and is only temporary.

But they also can cause microscopic scratches in the tooth enamel surface that not only collect stain, but can also harbor the biofilms that begin the decay process. And they can cause tooth sensitivity, especially to temperature extremes.

This is significant damage and it can be reversed to some degree by dental offices that know how.

Real tooth whitening can only be done with professionally effective and safe materials. Dentists know that they have to be sure your teeth do not have defects that can be harmed by whitening materials and they have to supervise the process.

Want whiter teeth?  Let us know.  We will show you how to do it, safely.  

Most toothpaste sold today is perfectly safe and effective.  Avoid those that claim to whiten teeth or remove stains from smoking. These are the bad ones that may cause your teeth harm.
Toothpaste is, basically, a lubricant and detergent.  It is the brush that does the work of removing biofilm, food debris and other unwanted stuff.  And it tastes good. Make sure it has fluoride.

All over the world there are cultures that clean their mouths very well without toothpaste.  But it's nice to have it.

So choose what you like according to the flavor, feel, cost, etc.

You also need floss, or some other effective way to get between teeth safely.

The important thing is to stay focused.  The goal is to remove biofim from all surfaces above and below the gumline, without damage.

Please call us at (800) 223-0801 with any questions or to schedule your teeth whitening today.