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Genetics And Your Oral Health
While oral health is largely based on your oral health habits, your genetics can also play a role. Each person’s mouth is different, and genetics determine the physical makeup of your mouth, including tooth and jaw shape, the strength of your teeth, and other components of your smile. Although your smile is inherited, your Glendale Heights Dentist can help you maintain a healthy smile regardless of your mouth’s genetic makeup.
Appearance
The structure or look of your mouth can play a role in your oral health. For example, if you have large teeth with a relatively smaller jaw, you might be more susceptible to crowding. Conversely, if you have small teeth with a relatively larger jaw, you could experience diastema, or a gap in your teeth. If you experience crowding or diastema, you should schedule an appointment with your Glendale Heights IL Dentist to explore your options.Strength of Your Teeth
In addition, the strength of your teeth can impact your risk for developing cavities. If your teeth are inherently weaker than most, your Dentist Glendale Heights might recommend that you consume more dairy products and pay stricter attention to your oral health habits than others. While genetics play a role in your oral health, your habits and behaviors also make a great impact.Nutritional Preferences
Your preferences for certain foods and beverages are oftentimes inherited, which can also indirectly affect your oral health. It is important to be aware of foods and drinks that are harmful to your teeth so that you can keep your smile healthy. For example, if you are predisposed to favor sugary drinks over unsweetened tea, this can increase your chances of developing cavities if you do not resist the urge to consistently consume that type of beverage. Your Dentist Glendale Heights IL recommends sticking to water, dairy products and unsweetened tea to enhance your oral health.Although genetics affect the look of your smile, the state of your oral health is in your control.You should floss daily, brush twice a day, and visit your Glendale Heights Dentist regularly. You can prevent oral issues such as tooth decay and periodontal disease by keeping up with your oral hygiene and staying educated about oral health and advancements in dentistry. By using your knowledge of oral health to your advantage, you can keep your mouth healthy for your entire life.
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College Students Need Dentists, Too
The couple days ago, a patient of mine came in for a regular check up — for the first time in two years. She is a college student. Being a student, it can be easy to forget about scheduling visits to see the Dentist Glendale Heights . We see this a lot with patients; they maintain regular check-ups from childhood all the way through high school, and then they go away to school and disappear for a few years. When they come back, though, they have to make up for lost time, and they face more complications than the patients who have been regularly visiting their Glendale Heights Dentist .
When my patient stopped in for an appointment, she was showing the beginnings of gum disease. There was a lot of build-up on her teeth, and her gums were beginning to recede. Had more time passed, the periodontal disease could have advanced to a more severe stage. Although it was clear that she was trying to keep up with her oral health through regular brushing and flossing, the Dentist Glendale Heights IL has the tools to target and clean the spots that are easily missed.
It is important to be proactive about making appointments to prevent gum disease and other complications such as tooth decay and cavities. You should schedule appointments at time when you know you will be home for breaks. If you stop in to see your Glendale Heights IL Dentist over winter break and then over summer break, you will be able to maintain good oral health. If this timing does not work, you could also schedule appointments during a fall break and spring break. No matter what you decide, it is much more convenient to stop in twice a year for a cleaning than it would be to need to come home for restorative treatment during midterms.
To schedule your next appointment with your Dentist in Glendale Heights IL , give our office a call.
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Pick Up A Pack (Of Chewing Gum)
If you are in the habit of chewing sugarless gum on a regular basis, you’ll be happy to know that this can have a positive effect on your oral health. It is a simple way to give your oral health a little boost. If you don’t typically chew gum, your dentist Glendale Heights recommends picking up a pack.
Chewing gum increases the flow of saliva in your mouth. Your saliva washes away acids, sugars, and food debris in your mouth, preventing tooth decay and cavities. The flow of saliva can help to strengthen your tooth enamel, helping you to maintain strong, beautiful teeth. Your dentist in Glendale Heights recommends chewing gum right after you eat for about 20 minutes to best fight off cavities caused by food consumption.
Chewing gum has aesthetic benefits, as well. It can ward off bad breath and brighten your smile. By washing away the food debris that may have remained in your mouth from your last meal, chewing gum rids your mouth of any lingering odors. Additionally, it prevents the acids and debris in your mouth from staining your teeth, leading to a healthier, whiter smile.
Not only does chewing gum protect your teeth, but it can also help your gums. Chewing gum reduces plaque build-up, which is a way to prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease. Although this is not a cure to gum disease, chewing gum is a helpful way to supplement your oral hygiene in between visits to your Glendale Heights dentist .
In order to maximize the benefits of chewing gum, your dentist Glendale Heights IL recommends that you look for sugar-free gum, specifically gum that has been sweetened with xylitol. Xylitol prevents harmful bacteria from lingering in your mouth, reducing your risk for cavities. Additionally, xylitol can help to repair damage to enamel, strengthening your smile.
While there are many benefits to chewing gum, there are also complications that can arise if you chew excessively. Frequent gum chewing can lead to inflammation and soreness in your jaw, causing TMD and TMJ. Also, you are putting stress on your facial muscles when you chew, which may cause headaches.
Although chewing gum can be beneficial to your oral health, it is still very important to floss daily and brush twice a day. Chewing gum should serve as a complement, not a substitute. Additionally, you should regularly schedule visits with your dentist in Glendale Heights IL to ensure that you maintain the best possible oral health.
Zishan Bader
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Affordable Dentist Glendale Heights – Is Your Jaw Sore?
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) are issues you experience with your jaw, as well as the joint and facial muscles surrounding your jaw. This can cause stress and discomfort in your daily life. Symptoms of TMD include tension and tenderness in your face or jaw, difficulty with opening your mouth wide, locking or clicking or your jaw, difficulty in chewing, a tired feeling in your face, and swelling on the side of your face.
Your affordable dentist Glendale Heights can examine your jaw in order to diagnose TMD. Your dentist will check for locking of the jaw while opening and closing your mouth. Additionally, your bite and facial muscle function will be examined, and your dentist will evaluate your jaw pain and tenderness. In some cases, x-rays will be taken to check your jaw, jaw joint, and teeth for irregularities.
It can be difficult to diagnose TMD and TMJ because the symptoms of these are similar to symptoms of other health issues such as toothache, arthritis, and sinus problems. However, you should schedule an appointment with your affordable dentist in Glendale Heights if you experience any of the symptoms of TMD and TMJ.
There are precautions your Glendale Heights affordable dentist recommends to avoid TMD and TMJ problems from arising. First, you can avoid hard foods and excessively chewing gum. Although gum can have many oral health benefits such as preventing cavities and tooth decay, it can tire your jaw and cause some soreness if you are not accustomed to regularly chewing gum.
Another way to prevent TMD problems is to develop and practice relaxation techniques to reduce tension in your face and jaw. Clenching, especially in your sleep, can cause tension in your jaw, so you can reduce soreness by learning to relax your jaw. For example, by placing the tip of your tongue at the roof of your mouth, your jaw will automatically relax, reducing some of the tension. If you struggle with clenching your jaw while you sleep, you may want to consider getting fitted for a mouthguard from your affordable dentist Glendale Heights IL .
If you are feeling soreness or tenderness in your jaw, you should schedule an appointment with your affordable dentist in Glendale Heights IL in order to receive a proper diagnosis and to explore your options. Your dentist can help you to maintain a beautiful, healthy mouth that is free of discomfort.
Zishan Bader
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Preventing Dry Socket
After having a tooth extracted by the dentist Glendale Heights , it takes time for your mouth to heal. You have just undergone a procedure that will benefit you in the long run, and you are looking forward to your once-again healthy smile. During the healing process, though, it is important to take certain precautions to avoid a condition called alveolar osteitis, or dry socket.
When you have a tooth extracted by the dentist in Glendale Heights , a blood clot forms over the socket in order to keep the bone and nerves protected. Sometimes, though, this blood clot can become dislodged prematurely. If the mouth has not healed sufficiently at the time of the dislodging, the bone and nerves are exposed to air, liquids, and food, and dry socket occurs. It is an uncomfortable experience that can last for about five or six days.
While dry socket is definitely something to keep on your radar, it is an uncommon occurrence in most patients. Dry socket is most likely to develop within the first week or two after you have had a tooth extracted, and only about 2% to 5% of patients develop this condition. Still, the Glendale Heights dentist recommends the following precautions in order to prevent this from happening to you.
First, you should avoid intense exercise for at least 24 hours after the extraction. It is important to rest up and avoid excessive movement while your mouth begins to heal. Your dentist Glendale Heights IL also recommends that you avoid drinking through a straw for at least a week after receiving an extraction. The suction from the straw could cause the blood clot to dislodge. Additionally, you should avoid spitting in order to reduce the risk of dry socket. After the initial 24 hour period, you should begin gently rinsing with warm salt water about four times a day in order to remove any food particles in the area.
Although some patients have a greater risk of developing dry socket than others, all patients can avoid this condition by closely following after-care instructions from the dentist in Glendale Heights IL .
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