Diet Soda Can Cause as Much Tooth Damage as Meth

We all know that sugary drinks like soda aren’t the best for your smile. And in an attempt to avoid the sugar, calories, and caffeine in regular sodas, we often turn to diet soda to quench our thirst. However, at my The Woodlands dental office, we want you to understand that even these sugar-free drinks can be just as bad, if not worse, for your teeth.  

In fact, a study conducted in 2013 and published in the Academy of General Dentistry journal, General Dentistry, showed that excessive consumption of diet soda can have the same effect on your teeth as using illegal drugs like methamphetamine and crack cocaine.

In the study, the damage in the mouths of three individuals – a current methamphetamine user, a former cocaine addict, and an excessive diet soda drinker – was compared. The results showed that each of the mouths experienced similar damage, including tooth erosion, caused by high acid levels.

Soda, regular or diet, is highly acidic. And so are the ingredients in illegal drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine. The more food, drinks, or anything else with high amounts of acid that we put into our bodies, the more damage will be caused. Without tooth enamel, we’re more susceptible to cavities, sensitivity, discoloration, and damage. For this reason, I not only encourage everyone at my dental office in The Woodlands to put the soda down and drink more water, but also to keep up with regular dental appointments.

If you’re addicted to soda, already have damage caused by excessive intake of soda, or even have damage caused by past drug use, it’s time you see your dentist in The Woodlands. We can monitor your habits and make recommendations on how you can get your smile healthy and looking the way you want it to.

See Your Dentist in The Woodlands Before Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatment can cause some unwanted side effects in your body. It can also cause some dangerous problems in your mouth. Many of oral health side effects that occur as a result of chemotherapy can cause treatment to be delayed or even stopped. And when dealing with a serious disease like cancer, a proactive and regular treatment schedule is important, so decreasing the likelihood of these side effects is crucial to successful treatment. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with cancer and will be starting treatment soon, it’s important that you see your dentist in The Woodlands about a month before treatment begins.

Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells. But they also harm normal cells in the body and mouth. When chemotherapy treatment negatively affects the cells in the mouth, side effects can include dry mouth; pain; difficulty eating, talking, or swallowing; and burning or swelling of tongue. Chance of infection also increases, which can be very dangerous when undergoing cancer treatment.

A checkup at my The Woodlands dental office prior to cancer treatment can help prevent these painful mouth problems and keep your treatment on schedule. Often, many of the oral health side effects that occur from cancer treatment happen to unhealthy mouths. And while not all side effects can be avoided, visiting your The Woodlands dentist prior to treatment ensures that your mouth is better protected from the dangerous side effects.

An appointment with us is crucial to getting your mouth in its most healthy state and ready for cancer treatment. When you arrive, we’ll check for any oral health problems, perform an in-depth exam, and thoroughly clean your teeth. We’ll also talk to you about the best way you can help make sure your smile stays healthy throughout your treatment.

An early dental appointment to make sure your mouth is healthy is one of the first steps to a successful treatment. If know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, please give my dental office in The Woodlands a call as soon as you can. We’d love to be a part of your health care team.

Are You Ruining Your Teeth and Don’t Know It?

We’ve covered a lot of information about how to get and keep your smile healthy and strong at my dental office in The Woodlands. However, there are many common habits and situations that can cause damage to your teeth, and chances are, you’ve done at least one without ever thinking about the fact that you could be hurting your smile.   

Crunching Ice

Using your teeth to crunch the unmelted ice in your drink can be detrimental to the health of your smile. Ice cubes can chip away at your tooth enamel and can even lead to a broken tooth or broken restoration.

Brushing Too Hard

While I’m happy you’re brushing (and hopefully flossing too!), at my dental office in The Woodlands, we always encourage our patients to use a soft-bristled toothbrush and to brush in small circles. This can actually protect your enamel. Toothbrushes with hard bristles, or using rough, horizontal strokes, can damage enamel and leave you open to experiencing sensitivity.

Whitening Too Often

We all want our pearly whites to be exactly that – pearly white! And while teeth whitening is safe and effective, doing it too often can cause damage to your smile. Too much whitening can cause sensitivity, irritation, and can even result in a smile that’s too white. If you’re interested in a whiter smile, we can help get you the brightening you’re looking for, safely and effectively.

Eating Too Many Acidic Foods

Acidic foods and drinks like lemons, orange juice, and wine can wear away your enamel. And once your enamel is gone, you can’t grow it back. This can cause sensitivity or even pain. As your dentist in The Woodlands, I’m not expecting you avoid these types of food and drink, but I do encourage you to minimize the damage by drinking water with anything acidic. And if you’ve got to have that morning glass of orange juice, use a straw to limit how much juice comes in contact with your teeth.

Using Teeth as Tools

You know the feeling. You have a stubborn package that just won’t open, so instead of finding the scissors, you put the package in your mouth and use your teeth as a opening tool. Using your teeth as tools is always a bad idea and can result in broken teeth, mouth injuries, and damaged restorations.

In addition to these five smile-harming habits, there are many other ways you can be causing damage to your teeth without even knowing it. During a visit to my dental office in The Woodlands, we can talk about any habits you may have that could be harming your smile, and how to fix them. If you’re due for a checkup, or if you’re concerned with your grin, give me a call today!

Get Your Wedding Day Whites from Your Dentist in The Woodlands

Your wedding is a time to celebrate love. A lot of planning has gone into creating the perfect day. From the dress and the hair to the flowers and the photos, your wedding has demanded a lot of attention. You’re ready, the date is set, the cake is ordered… how’s your smile?

While there are many tricks in the book to get your smile looking whiter than it actually is (wear dark lipstick!), these tricks are only masking the problem. The truth is, getting your ideal wedding smile isn’t difficult, and no dark lipstick is needed!

An important first step to getting your ideal smile is stopping by my dental office in The Woodlands. We’ll discuss your desires and look into a variety of smile-perfecting options that can transform your smile from dull and dingy to wedding white. In fact, scheduling an appointment with your dentist in The Woodlands should always be the first step you take before doing anything to your smile, including simply whitening it.

Although often cheaper, over-the-counter whitening treatments can cause damage, and they may not even give you the results you want. It’s common for the solution in these products to irritate your gums and even cause tooth pain or sensitivity if the ingredients are too strong. Also, there are times when the solution isn’t strong enough to give you the results you want.

By first visiting your dentist in The Woodlands, you can rely on us to determine which treatment is best for your smile and the results you want. Whether we use a professional whitening system, veneers, or tooth bonding, we’re sure to get you the wedding-day whites that you want. Call our office to schedule your appointment today!

What Do You Know About Oral Cancer?

April is Oral Cancer Awareness month and I’d like to make sure all of the patients at my dental office in The Woodlands recognize how serious oral cancer is, know the risk factors associated with oral cancer, and understand the steps you can take to help with early detection.

The American Dental Association estimates that 42,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. Of the 42,000, only a few more than half are expected to survive longer than five years after diagnosis. While oral cancer is not particularly difficult to treat, the fatality rate is so high because the cancer is often caught too late. This is why a proactive approach to early detection is so important.

A self-exam performed every month at home can help catch oral cancer early, and can contribute to successful treatment. Once a month, grab a mirror and a bright light and check out your mouth for some of the common symptoms of oral cancer. Some things you should look for are red or white patches of tissue, a sore that doesn’t heal on its own, abnormal lumps or thickening of tissues, and difficulty swallowing.

In addition to your once a month self-exam, it’s very important that you keep your regularly scheduled appointments with your dentist in The Woodlands. While it’s common for oral cancer to not seem to have any symptoms early on, our team is trained to see and catch any suspicious areas. Again, an early diagnosis means that we can start treatment before the cancer gets too widespread and greatly improves your chances of survival.

As with almost any disease, there are a variety of risk factors that can increase your susceptibility to oral cancer. Tobacco use, in addition to heavy drinking, are the most common factors that contribute to oral cancer. Furthermore, the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) can also put someone at increase risk for oral cancer.

If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms we’ve discussed, if you’re at increased risk for oral cancer, or you are in need of a checkup, call my dental office in The Woodlands as soon as possible. I can’t stress enough the importance of early detection and early treatment. Don’t put your life in danger. Schedule an appointment today.

Making Dentistry Fun in The Woodlands

Usually our blogs are full of useful and educational information on maintaining your dental health. But at The Woodlands dental office of Dr. Shirley Cagle, we’re not only about educating, we also like to share some of the fun facts about dentistry we find so interesting.

As you probably know, there are some foods that are better for teeth than others. A little known healthy snack for your grin is cheese. Cheese is packed full of calcium and phosphorous which can reduce the pH level in plaque and helps remineralize tooth enamel.

Speaking of tooth enamel, it is, in fact, the strongest substance in your body. But that doesn’t mean your teeth can be used for ripping open a pesky package or to crack open that tightly sealed bottle. Using your teeth as tools can result in chipped or broken teeth in The Woodlands, and nobody wants that!

Another fun fact about your mouth is that, on average, you’ll produce about 25,000 quarts of saliva during your lifetime. How much is that exactly? Well, it’s enough to fill two swimming pools! Saliva doesn’t only serve to keep your mouth moist, it actually helps keep decay at bay, so producing that much saliva is a good thing!

Even though we promised to cover fun facts in this blogs, we can’t help but include a little at-home tip for good oral health. On average, people only brush their teeth for about 48 seconds every day. That’s not even half of the time we recommend! Both our dental office in The Woodlands and the Academy of General Dentistry recommend brushing for at least 2 minutes each time!

At the dental office of Dr. Shirley Cagle, we’re all about making sure your smile is kept in its best shape and educating you on how to make that happen. But we’re also about making dentistry fun and interesting. So if you’re overdue for your oral exam, or if you’re looking for a new dentist in The Woodlands, give us a call today!

Cavity Myths Debunked by Your Dentist in The Woodlands

At The Woodlands dental office of Dr. Shirley Cagle, we always try to make sure our patients know the truth about their dental health. That includes educating you about what types of things may or may not contribute to dental problems and what should truly be of concern. Cavities are no exception. Let’s separate fact from fiction.

We’ll start with one of the most widely-accepted myths, one that is so close to the truth that it seems like a fact. That’s the idea that sugar is the prime cause of cavities. In reality, the sugar itself isn’t doing the damage. It’s the acid produced by bacteria in your mouth that causes the decay. Here’s what happens: You eat carbohydrates, like sugar; the bacteria are triggered to make acid. The acid, in turn, can eat into your teeth, creating a cavity.

Another misconception is that cavities are harmless in baby teeth. Quite the opposite is true. If cavities in baby teeth are left untreated, they can actually develop into abscesses and can cause some serious pain. If this occurs, not only is the child in pain, they’re also at risk for spreading the infection to other areas of the body.

And lastly, some people think that if they have a cavity in The Woodlands, they’ll know it because it will cause pain. That’s definitely not that case. Mild tooth decay doesn’t really come with any symptoms. It’s when the cavity becomes more advanced and causes damage to the nerve that we typically start to experience the pain associated with a cavity. This is just one of the reasons it’s important to keep up with your oral exams with your The Woodlands dentist.

Regular check ups with Dr. Shirley Cagle at her dental office in The Woodlands can help catch any decay before it turns into a bigger problem, like needing a root canal. In addition, once a cavity starts, it will always continue to grow. This makes catching a cavity early so important for a healthy, pain-free smile.

If you’re overdue for your dental check up, call Dr. Cagle’s The Woodlands dental office to set up an appointment today. We’ll perform an in-depth exam to see what’s going on in your mouth and we’ll make sure to get your smile in top shape.