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Dental Associates Blog

Our Experts. Your Oral Health

Blood glucose meter, insulin syringe, pills, sugar cubes, and a pink donut representing diabetes management.
Aug 27
The Connection Between Diabetes and Oral Health

Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people from all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. In the U.S. alone, 34.2 million people, or 10.5% of our population, have diabetes. Of those, an estimated 26.8 million people are diagnosed while another 7.3 million people have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.1 Those diagnosed with diabetes monitor many aspects of their daily lives to keep them healthy, including glucose levels, diet, activity, and more. But did you know that those with diabetes are at higher risk for periodontal disease? That’s why those with diabetes need to ensure a good daily oral health routine and visit the dentist twice a year. Read on to learn more about diabetes and oral health.

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Aug 19
5 Ways to Improve Your Dental Hygiene Routine

You’ve probably heard numerous times that a daily dental hygiene routine should include brushing two times a day and flossing once a day. While this is a good baseline, simply brushing and flossing may not be enough to keep your oral health in the best shape possible. In this blog post, I’ll share five tips and tricks to upgrade your dental hygiene so you can keep your teeth healthy between your 6-month cleaning appointments!

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hands holding ribbon symbolizing oral cancer
Jul 31
Oral Cancer Signs

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 53,260 people will get oral cancer in 2020 and 10,750 people will die from these cancers. Oral cancer has a high survival rate when caught early, which is why Dental Associates dentists pledge to monitor our patients for signs of oral cancer at each routine exam. Oral Cancer Exams With each routine dental exam, we perform a soft tissue exam as well to look for any sign of oral cancer. During these soft tissue exams, we feel for lumps or abnormalities that could be a sign of something more. In between exams, and especially if you’re a high-risk patient (those who have a family history of oral cancer, or are a smoker or chew tobacco), you can also perform self-exams to check yourself for signs of oral cancer. To do this, simply use a light to look around your mouth and monitor for any of the below symptoms. You can also feel around your jawbone and neck area for any abnormal lumps. If you do find an area of concern, make an appointment with your dentist immediately to have it examined further. Oral Cancer Signs and Symptoms Signs of oral cancer can include the following: White or gray patches under and around the tongue White or gray patches on the inside of the cheek and near the throat Growths on the lips, gums, and roof of the mouth Lumps around the jawbone and neck area Monitoring for Oral Cancer A bit ago, I was performing an exam on a patient and detected signs of oral cancer. The patient was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, but luckily we caught it early and I was able to send them to our oral surgeon for care and the patient recovered fully. This is just one example of how examining our patients regularly for signs and symptoms of oral cancer can help keep them healthy and save lives down the road. It’s also important to share your family medical history with your dentist because those with a family history of oral cancers are at higher risk themselves. You may also be at higher risk if you’re a smoker or chew tobacco. By seeing your dentist for regular exams and self-monitoring between appointments, you can help keep yourself safe and we can catch oral cancer before it becomes too serious. If it’s been a while since you’ve had a dental exam, schedule an appointment with one of our teams below!

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A close-up of a bright, healthy smile with perfectly white teeth.
Jul 8
Hard Facts About Soft Teeth

People who claim to have soft teeth are likely to go to the dentist more frequently due to tooth sensitivity, cavities, toothaches, and other issues no matter how diligent their oral health care is. Some individuals say that after having children, as they age, or go through other life changes they notice a decline in their oral health—even if their habits haven’t changed and they’ve had great dental health previously. The truth is, there’s no such thing as “soft teeth.” Many people who think they have "soft teeth" actually have teeth that are less likely to withstand everyday wear and tear even with the best daily hygiene. Luckily, there are measures you can take to protect your teeth and make them less cavity-prone and able to withstand everyday use.

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pregnant woman sitting in dental chair
Jan 9
Do I Need to Go to the Dentist While Pregnant?

Oral Care While Pregnant Despite 90 percent of women knowing that gum health while pregnant is important, only about 60 percent of women receive routine oral care while pregnant, according to a study conducted by BMC Oral Health. For many women, knowing oral health is important while pregnant doesn’t equal a direct conversion to a routine teeth cleaning or check-in with their dentist. During pregnancy, the gums often become more sensitive and bleed more easily, causing women to feel embarrassed or even shameful to come into the dentist. Others may be worried about discomfort or nausea. More than anything, it is important to seek preventative care, as women who are pregnant have a higher risk for gum caries, inflammation, and bleeding. Women may even be susceptible to pre-term labor, should they have poor oral health.

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medical professional using a blood pressure cuff on a patient
Nov 13
Why Does My Dentist Take My Blood Pressure?

You may be wondering why a dentist took your blood pressure at a routine cleaning or prior to a dental procedure. In recent years, many dentists, especially oral surgeons, have begun to take their patients’ blood pressure as a best practice. Known as the ‘silent killer,’ hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a cause of about 60,000 deaths per year. Hypertension affects about 30% of Americans and often goes unnoticed because it is asymptomatic in most cases. For many individuals, maintaining routine cleanings at the dentist is more common than visiting their physician for annual physicals and wellness testing. Dentist appointments are a unique opportunity to serve as a wellness check on blood pressure every six months. Adding this service to a dental visit allows dentists and patients to have a baseline of their blood pressure in just a few moments.

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dental x-ray image showing teeth
Nov 8
Do I Really Need X-rays Every Year?

Dental X-Rays have become a common adjunct to a routine dental exam and are a standard of care practice, helping detect early signs of tooth decay, monitor jaw and tooth formation for adolescents and observe overall oral health not visible to the naked eye. While dental X-rays normally occur yearly, there can be other factors that affect the frequency of X-rays. These include: Age If your dentist is monitoring a specific issue Your current dental health History/symptoms of oral disease A history of gum disease (gingivitis), bone disease (periodontitis), or tooth decay For quite some time, there have been debates around the safety and risks regarding dental X-rays. As technology continues to develop and become more sophisticated, exposure to radiation is lowered significantly. Today, the risk is almost nonexistent due to minor radiation exposure and the implementation of digital X-rays, effective in cutting down radiation exposure by nearly half. To assist in reducing risk, dentists still use a lead covering with a thyroid collar to protect the thyroid. For adults, dental X-rays are used to look for areas of decay that the dentist would not be able to see with the naked eye, such as areas between the teeth or underneath a filling. X-rays allow dentists to exercise preventative action, alerting to things like bone loss from periodontal disease, show problems in the root of a tooth such as infection or death of the nerve and look for other problems like cysts, cancer or changes caused by diseases of the body. Dental X-rays can also assist in helping your dentist plan, prepare and place tooth implants, braces, dentures or other dental work. For these reasons, it is incredibly important that patients receive dental X-rays as needed to assess for various oral health concerns, and at minimum have a series of X-rays completed annually.

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young woman holding her mouth in pain from teeth grinding
Jul 11
Teeth Grinding and Bruxism

Bruxism is the medical term for teeth grinding and/or clenching of the teeth. Over time, bruxism can wear down tooth enamel, which can make teeth sensitive to food, drink, and teeth brushing. In addition, bruxism can lead to TMJ problems, jaw muscle pain, chipping of teeth, and damage of restorative dental work. People who grind their teeth often do so at nighttime and are usually not aware that they are grinding their teeth. Most of the time, your dentist will notice signs of bruxism during your routine dental exam. If you or someone you know grinds their teeth, read on to learn the causes and symptoms of bruxism, and how to prevent it.

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young woman holding at-home teeth whitening strips to her teeth
Jun 19
At-Home Teeth Whitening

Now, more than ever, people are taking advantage of the effects of teeth whitening. A bright, glowing smile helps inspire confidence wherever you go! However, there are new fads coming to light for at-home teeth whitening. From charcoal toothpaste to oil pulling and baking soda, these at-home teeth whitening methods are popping up all over social media. But are they safe? And are they actually effective? Keep reading to find out!

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