Information About Oral Cancer and You

Let us indulge our obsession with oral health by talking to you about Oral Cancer, its risk factors, and sharing good information with you. At my The Woodlands dental office, we screen every adult for it at every visit.

Oral Cancer Facts

• 8,000 people in the United States die from oral cancer every year.
• If caught early, the oral cancer survival rate is between 85-90%.
• Oral Cancer risk factors are higher among these groups: People over age 45, Those who smoke or use alcohol, People with consistently high exposure to UV rays, Those who have been diagnosed with HPV, and People with poor nutrition.

How Can I Prevent it?

1. Don’t start smoking or drinking. If you do smoke, quit. If you drink, drink less.
2. Get at least five servings each day of fruits and vegetables.
3. If you have HPV, get checked for oral cancer regularly.
4. If you are 45 or older, get checked for oral cancer regularly.
5. If you spend a lot of time working or playing outdoors, wear at least SPF 15 on your lips, and reapply sunscreen to your face and neck (and your whole body) frequently.

Early Detection is Key

Even people with none of the above risk factors sometimes get oral cancer. So even if you have no risk factors, make sure you get checked every year. That’s why we invite you to make an appointment with us at my The Woodlands dental office in honor of Cancer Awareness Month.

Please keep your regularly scheduled appointments at my dental office in The Woodlands. The more you see us, the better chance we have to catch any serious concerns promptly.

If you’re due for a visit, give us a call. We’d love to see you and promise to care for you in a welcoming, non-judgemental atmosphere.

Accepting patients from The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe , and surrounding areas.

Sink Your Teeth Into These Cavity Myths

Nobody enjoys having a cavity. Some of us even take extra precautions to avoid one altogether. Even more of us are still unsure as to what exactly causes cavities in the first place. Have no fear, my dental office in The Woodlands is here to debunk some common cavity myths.

Cavity Myth 1: Sugar is what causes cavities.

While sugar is definitely a way to get cavities, it’s not the sole contributor. Carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, and yes, sugar, are actually the main cavity causing culprits, or are at least the first step in creating them. When carbs linger in the mouth, they trigger bacteria. The bacteria creates acid which eats away at tooth enamel. This makes it easier for the bacteria to grow and thrive, creating cavities. So should you limit your carb intake? Not necessarily. It’s not necessarily how many carbs you eat that determines how at risk you are for cavities, it’s how long your teeth are exposed to them.

Cavity Myth 2: Children get more cavities than adults.

Advancements in dental technology and preventive tactics have actually led to a decrease in the number of cavities in children. However, senior citizens are a different story. Many seniors take a variety of medications. Some of these medicines result in dry mouth. When someone suffers from dry mouth, their chance for cavities increases since the supply of saliva is inadequate. Saliva is used to rinse away those harmful bacteria. Without it, cavities have a better chance of developing.

Cavity Myth 3: You’ll know when you have a cavity.

Not necessarily. While it’s completely possible to feel pain when you have a cavity, the pain could be associated with a number of other dental concerns like cracks in the enamel, roots exposed by gum recession, or simply sensitive teeth. However, when a cavity is present with pain, it’s likely that the decay has reached an advanced stage when it’s caused damage to the nerves. People rarely experience pain with mild to moderate decay.

We’ve revealed some truth to cavity myths, but we haven’t talked about the best way to avoid decay. Regular visits to my dental office in The Woodlands, brushing at least twice a day, and flossing once a day are time-tested, dentist-approved top ways to keep your mouth healthy. Has it been awhile since you’ve seen a dentist? Give us call!

Welcoming patients in The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and nearby neighborhoods.

How Much Does that Pack of Cigarettes Really Cost?

The average out-of-pocket price for a pack a cigarettes in the United States is $6.18. But the true cost of smoking can’t be measured in dollars and cents. At my dental office in The Woodlands, we’d like to share some scary facts about smoking and encourage you to put down the cigarettes once and for all.

When a lot of us think of the effects of smoking, we immediately think of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and premature death. While all of those diseases and very scary realities should definitely be talked about, smoking can also have some detrimental effects on oral health.

Appearance

On the surface, smoking can lead to bad breath, discoloration of teeth, and premature aging. If we dig a little deeper and examine the inside of the mouth, as well as the gums and the teeth, we may find some even worse damage caused by cigarettes.

Oral Cancer

Since your mouth is the first area of your body to become exposed to cigarette smoke, it’s only natural that it be subjected to many of its hazardous ingredients. Like with other types of cancer, smokers are at increased risk for oral cancer. But that’s not all.

Gum Disease

Smoking is one of the leading causes of gum disease. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control puts smokers at seven times greater risk for developing gum disease than non-smokers. What’s more, 75% of all adult periodontal disease can be attributed to smoking. Gum disease is a serious health concern and has been linked with heart disease, stroke, difficulty controlling blood sugar, and tooth loss.

Tooth Loss

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, male smokers lose 2.9 teeth for every 10 years of smoking, and women lose 1.5. So remember that initial cost of $6.18 per pack? While that may seem rather inexpensive, we can see how each pack of cigarettes ends up costing much more.

It’s extremely crucial for smokers to keep up with regularly scheduled appointments at my dental office in The Woodlands. Here, we don’t judge or lecture, but we will work with you to keep your mouth healthy and monitor you closely for any potential problems.

Welcoming patients from The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and surrounding areas.

5 Reasons to See Us Regularly

We always encourage you to keep up with regularly scheduled appointments at my dental office in The Woodlands. But do you know why it’s so important? In this blog, we cover some of the top reasons seeing us at least twice a year is so crucial to your oral health.

1. Cavities. Regular cleanings and appointments are key to preventing serious problems that may be lurking. Plaque, that gross white stuff that you can sometimes see on your teeth, is the top cause of decay and, therefore, cavities. If left alone, the plaque eats away at enamel and forms cavities. Professional cleanings are really important to remove plaque buildup and protect smiles.

2. Keep Your Teeth. Not only can regular visits keep you healthy, they’re also really important if you want to keep your teeth. At your appointments, we look for gum disease, which is one of the major reasons adults lose their teeth. If left untreated, gum disease can weaken the bone that holds teeth in place. This can eventually cause teeth to fall out or loosen. If we catch gum disease early, it decreases the chance of this happening.

3. Save Your Money. Regular visits help catch any potential problems before they turn into big, expensive issues. Taking advantage of preventive care appointments can help keep cash in your wallet by helping avoid big ticket procedures.

4. Kissably Fresh Breath. While your at-home routine does help to keep bad breath germs away, professional cleanings get deep into the pockets and remove germs and bacteria below the gum line.

5. Overall Health. There is a strong connection between your oral health and your overall health. A healthy mouth typically means a healthier body, and there’s no better way to ensure you’re in tip-top shape than with regular cleanings. Regular cleanings may help lower risk for heart disease and stroke, and we can detect many other whole-body problems early at regular dental appointments.

If you’re due for a checkup or cleaning, call my dental office in The Woodlands. We’ll get you scheduled for an exam and cleaning, and check your entire mouth for any problems or potential ones. As always, we’ll also recommend that you return to see us in about six months.

Welcoming patients from The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and surrounding areas.

The Connection Between Heart and Mouth

Every February, we place a lof of focus on hearts. There’s heart candy, heart shaped boxes full of chocolate, and we’re all about making our significant others feel loved. At my dental office in The Woodlands, we like all the things that go along with spreading the love, especially the heart. This February, take a second to put your heart first and learn about the risks associated with heart disease and the heart-mouth connection.

February marks American Heart Month and is a time to learn the ways to keep your heart, mouth, and body healthy. While many know the typical risks involved with heart disease, like smoking, a poor diet, and lack of exercise, a little known correlation between heart health is oral health.

The Mouth-Heart Connection

One of the biggest mouth-heart connections is related to gum disease. In fact, research conducted by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) states that those with gum disease are at increased risk for a heart attack. Additionally, many systemic or whole body diseases first show signs in the mouth. Heart disease is one of them.

If you have known heart problems, it’s crucial to let us know about it as well as any medications you’re taking. As an important part of your complete health care team, we can work with you to improve your oral health and your overall health.

Signs of Gum Disease

Regular dental appointments with your dentist in The Woodlands are crucial to maintaining a healthy mouth and are the first line of defense when it comes to gum disease and, in turn, keeping your heart healthy, too. Some common symptoms of gum disease include:

• Swollen, red, or tender gums
• Bleeding while brushing or flossing
• Consistently bad breath
• Chronic bad taste in the mouth
• Loose teeth
• Gums that appear to be pulling away from the teeth

If you’re concerned about your risk for heart disease, or if any of the symptoms above relate to you, call my dental office in The Woodlands as soon as possible. We’ll work with you to determine your risks, diagnose any current issues, and put together an appropriate treatment plan to keep your mouth and your heart healthy.

Serving patients from The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and surrounding areas.

Is Your Cough Medicine Making Your Teeth Sick?

Coughs, stuffiness, colds, and the flu are at their peak this time of year. While we all try our best to keep germs away by washing our hands, avoiding other sick people, and exercising, there are times when catching the bug is basically unavoidable. At my dental office in The Woodlands, our goal is to help keep our patients’ oral and overall health in tip-top shape, and we’d like to share some surprising information about some of the medicine that’s meant to make you feel better.

Cough remedies like suppressing syrups or soothing drops help to ease your discomfort, however they not only have the traditional side effects like dizziness and queasiness that go hand in hand with any medication, they can also contribute to tooth decay.

The ingredients in many popular over-the-counter medications have been proven to lead to tooth decay and cavities.

High Fructose Corn Syrup & Sucrose

This duo of sugars is particularly dangerous to teeth. When these ingredients enter the mouth, bacteria begin to feed on them. This causes the sugars to break down into acids which are dangerous to the tooth enamel.

Alcohol

Alcohol reduces saliva production and may cause a mouth to become dry. In a normal mouth, quite a bit of saliva is produced every day – about 10,000 gallons in a lifetime! This saliva is great for the health of teeth since it helps wash away the dangerous sugars and acids that can lead to cavities.

So should you just suffer through the annoying symptoms of a cold? Not necessarily. There are a few ways to decrease your risk of cough syrup induced tooth damage.

• Trying taking the medication as a pill instead of a liquid. This will greatly decrease or eliminate the duration of dangerous ingredients lingering on teeth.
• Don’t take cough syrup right before bed. Saliva production naturally decreases at night, and since cough medicine also decreases saliva production, there is much greater risk for decay.
• Take liquid medicine with a meal when saliva production is greater.
• Brush your teeth after a dose of cough suppressant.

From all of us at my The Woodlands dental office, we hope you’re having a healthy winter. However, if this cold and flu season isn’t so kind and you find yourself under the weather, be careful  of how and when you take cough medicine, and keep your teeth healthy in the process.

Serving patients from The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and surrounding areas.

Dentistry of the Past… Way, Way Past

Dentistry of the past differs drastically from what you’ve become accustomed to at my dental office in The Woodlands. There are now a multitude of options available: comfortable routine cleanings, painless fillings, aesthetically enhancing cosmetic treatments, all to get and keep your smile healthy. However, while dentistry has been around since at least 7000 BC., the level of care was extremely different.

Back in the day, the link between oral and total body health was not yet recognized. Dental care only occurred when there was already a problem, not before. Because of the lack of scientific information available, many civilizations crafted urban legends to explain tooth pain and devised excruciating treatments.

Teeth Worms

In 5000 BC., the Sumerians believed teeth worms caused tooth pain. It was widely accepted that the worms bored tiny holes through teeth, thus causing the pain. Some primitive dentists mistook the actual tooth root for a worm and extracted it (talk about painful!). Belief in teeth worms lasted until the 1700s when it was proven untrue.

Drill Like an Egyptian

Egyptians learned a lot about the human body from their practice of mummification. They figured out where things were, and developed methods for how to heal various problems, including teeth and mouth problems. The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus provides a guide for minor dental work available to early Egyptians. The guide shows evidence of drilling cavities and pulling teeth.

The Birth of Modern Dentistry

It wasn’t until sometime between 1650 and 1800 that dentistry as we know it came to life. French physician Pierre Fauchard, often called The Father of Modern Dentistry, developed many of the dental treatments we now use. Dental filling rationale was his brainchild, he helped link sugar to tooth decay, and his work  justified opening the first dental college in 1840.

Although dentistry of the past is frightening, the dentistry we perform at my dental office in The Woodlands continues to improve and evolve with breakthroughs  in dental technology and treatment options. If you’re ready to experience dental care that’s designed to keep you comfortable, pain free, and healthy, give us a call today.

Accepting patients from The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and surrounding areas.