Call Our Family Dentist Office If You Have Bad Breath

At our family dentist office, we want to hear from you if you are suffering from bad breath.  This can be a sign of a greater health condition so while it may be easy to blame your morning latte, we want to get to the bottom of what is causing the odor protruding from your mouth.  Yes, there are times where breath stinks as a direct result of what you have eaten.  This, however, is easy to identify and after brushing your teeth, your breath will typically smell better.  What concerns us, is breath that continues to smell bad even after you brush your teeth or is persistently getting worse.  If you aren't sure, ask your family since they are likely to be honest with you.

One of the common causes for bad breath is teeth that haven't been professionally cleaned for a long time.  There are certain areas within every mouth that are difficult to reach with at-home care.  Even those that are fastidious about brushing and flossing, may be unable to reach every area, and this is where we come in.  We can clean your teeth and remove the plaque and bacteria from hard to reach places.  This is good for your health and may also improve how your breath smells.

During these teeth cleanings and dental exams, we will also look for signs of an infection.  An infected tooth can cause irritation and sensitivity when you bite down but in many cases, you may not notice it until the infection requires immediate care.  We prefer, however, to treat the tooth before it reaches this point.  Your breath can be an early sign of the infection so if you come in right away, we can remove the infection and restore the tooth before you are bothered by it.  Depending on the severity of the infection, we may need to perform a root canal.  Given modern dental technology, this can be done while you remain completely comfortable in our family dentist office.

Another condition that we will look for is gum disease.  In its most extreme state, gum disease can cause  your gums to recede and pockets to form in the gum tissue.  This can lead to bone loss and future tooth loss.  However, if we catch the condition early enough you may not even know that you have it.  Gingivitis can make your gums red and swollen but the irritation is minor, and we can treat the gums by simply removing the plaque and tartar from under the surface of the gum tissue.  Once done, the gums will begin to return to good health.  Early detection allows us to prevent damage to your teeth and helps you to avoid discomfort.

In our family dentist office, we want to know about changes in your breath due to these primary health concerns.  It is our goal to help our patients avoid discomfort, and early detection and treatment makes this possible.  Therefore, if you notice that your breath stinks even after brushing, give us a call.

General Dentist  >  Dental

Get Questions Answered About Side Effects From a Sedation Dentist

As a sedation dentist, we are pleased to make it possible for people to receive the dental care that they need.  Given that millions of people suffer from mild to severe dental anxiety, we know that a lot of people skip out on important dental care due to their own fears.  This can only exasperate the problem and very often causes dental issues to become worse.  By offering sedation, we can eliminate these anxieties so that you can receive the care that you need.

During the initial exam and consultation, we will determine what your oral health challenges are and discuss the best way of treating them. We will also discuss your options for sedation.  There are several ways to help you to relax and discussing them in detail allows you to make an informed decision as to how to proceed. One of the questions we are regularly asked during these consultations is whether or not there are any real side effects associated with sedation.

Whenever you have dental work done or any type of procedure, you need to let your doctor know if you have any other health issues.  We want to know, for example, if you are a diabetic and if you have had a recent diabetic episode. This can make it difficult to recover from any type of procedure and may influence our recommendation for when you should receive treatment.  As a sedation dentist, we also need to know about any medications that you are taking before determining which type of sedation to give you.

You can expect to feel tired after experiencing sedation dentistry.  If you have only received nitrous oxide, this may be minor, and many people can bounce back immediately. If, however, you have been put to sleep or had deeper sedation, you will probably feel very tired afterwards.  Since being drowsy can be dangerous when driving, we recommend that you have someone else drive you home.  The risk of getting into a car wreck is high if you are drowsy so don't take the chance.   When you do get home, we recommend that you rest for twelve hours.  This can be sleeping, watching movies, reading a book, etc. Just take it easy and rest so that you can recover faster and so that your drowsiness wears away.

As a sedation dentist, we have also found that our patients tend to be extraordinarily thirsty after sedation.  This is an easy fix, simply buy a nice water bottle with a straw and drink plenty of water that day and the next.  Staying hydrated is good for you anyway so drinking water can be important, regardless of what you have going on.

If you have more questions about sedation and how it can be used to improve your dental experience, we invite you to schedule a consultation with our office.  We will be happy to answer any questions that you have.

Dentist  >  Dental Implants