cavity prevention

Maximize Your Oral Health Routine With These Tips

By on April 21, 2016

Brushing, flossing, and all that jazz are part of your daily routine. From the moment you wake up until the time you head off to bed you have to consider your oral health. It can be exhausting to keep up good habits, and a lot of us just end up falling into a trap of laziness and bad habits.

Even if you brush twice a day and floss in the evening you might not be getting the most out of your oral hygiene routine. Our Carmel dental team has seen plenty of cases where patients just didn’t know how to really maximize the benefits of brushing and flossing. In some cases they even end up doing damage to their teeth!

We want to help you get the best oral health you can, and all without much extra effort. Here’s a breakdown of your day and what you can do to maximize your oral health for every part of it!

First Thing In The Morning

When you wake up do you brush your teeth right away? Most of us don’t, but we need to get into the habit! We commonly think that brushing is done to get rid of food particles, and so we don’t need to brush until after we eat. That thinking is actually dangerous to your teeth and can lead to enamel damage and cavities.

We brush not to get rid of food particles, but to get rid of the stuff in our mouths that can turn those food particles into tooth-destroying acid. Plaque bacteria builds up in our mouths constantly, and it feeds on the sugars in many of the foods we eat. If you eat before you brush your teeth you’re eating with eight or more hours worth of bacteria in your mouth – more than enough to do some serious damage!

Brushing after you eat doesn’t just give bacteria a chance to damage your teeth, it’s also gives your brush a chance to do so as well! Acid attacks from plaque bacteria cause your teeth to soften enough to the point where you could scrape enamel away by brushing!

Our advice for the best morning habits: brush as soon as you get up and then use mouthwash or water to freshen up after breakfast.

Midday Touchups

Having acceptable breath is important in the working world, especially if you’re talking to clients or customers all day. Nothing’s worse than being in a meeting and stinking up the room because of something you ate during lunch – so you brush after a meal, right?

The same problem that followed eating breakfast follows eating lunch: you shouldn’t brush your teeth! Acid attacks that soften enamel last around 30 minutes, and brushing inside that window risks harming your teeth. So what should you do?

If you feel the need for a midday brushing we suggest doing it before you eat. That will keep the bacteria smell, acid production, and decay potential to a minimum. If you need to freshen your breath after you eat you could use mouthwash or water, or you could do the best thing: chew some gum sweetened with xylitol.

Xylitol is a great sugar substitute that’s actually sweeter and helps your teeth. When you chew xylitol gum you’re coating your teeth with a bacteria-resistant layer that makes it harder for them to stick to your teeth and produce acid. It’s a great way to freshen up and protect your teeth at the same time!

Evening Care

Getting ready for bed should always include brushing, but what about flossing? A lot of us hate to do it and avoid it as much as possible but it should really be part of your daily routine! Your brush simply can’t reach the spots between your teeth, making them some of the most vulnerable to decay and gum disease.

It only takes plaque bacteria about 24 hours to start irritating your gums, which is why you need to floss every night. The gross feeling you get on your teeth throughout the day is the same stuff that’s lurking between your teeth, so why wouldn’t you get rid of every bit that you can?

Don’t Forget Professional Care

Good oral care habits like the kind we described here need to be rounded out with twice yearly cleanings and exams too. There are some spots in your mouth that you simply can’t reach, and those spots need to be cleaned so that they don’t become harmful!

Schedule an exam by calling our Carmel office today at 317-597-8748 or request an appointment online. We hope to see you soon!

5 Surprising Reasons To Brush Your Teeth

By on January 21, 2016

Are you a regular tooth brusher? If you’re seeing us at Really Smile in Carmel IN there’s a good chance you are. But how well are you brushing? Are your habits good enough to stave off all of the possible risks that come with poor oral hygiene?

Brushing should always be done twice a day for at least two minutes, and be paired with flossing in the evening. You should be getting every surface of your teeth for best results, too. You know what’s at risk if you don’t brush well: cavities and gum disease!

Are those the only risks that come from not brushing properly? Not at all – while they are the most common and immediate problems for patients who don’t brush well they aren’t the only concern. The complications that come with bad tooth care are numerous – here’s five of them you might not know about at all!

#1: Lower Birthweight And Newborn Dental Problems

Are you expecting a bundle of joy? If so, congratulations! Now go brush your teeth.

Joking aside, women who suffer from gum disease are far more likely to have an underweight child, putting them at risk for numerous health conditions. There’s also a more long-term oral health problem for those children as well: they have much higher rates of cavities and gum disease.

The bacteria that causes problems in the mother’s mouth are easily passed to the fetus, and as they grow that bad bacteria will take up residence in their mouths as well. You don’t want to give your child the gift of bad teeth, do you?

#2: Conception Delays And Pregnancy Troubles

Women who have poor teeth might have a harder time getting pregnant too. An Australian study actually found that mothers with gum disease took on average two months longer to conceive a child. If you’re trying to start or continue a family that’s not good news!

Keeping up with your dental health is important for the start of, development, and continued health of a family. Don’t endanger a happy future by skipping on your oral hygiene!

#3: Impotency

Watch out, fellas: bad oral care habits don’t just affect the ladies. Men as young as 30 years of age have been shown to have impotence problems due to poor oral hygiene. One study found that 53 percent of men suffering from “those kinds” of issues had serious gum disease. Only 23 percent had completely healthy mouths – that’s a pretty big difference!

With all these family problems due to gum disease it pays to have a healthy smile – not just for your bodily health, but maybe to make your partner happier as well!

#4: Dementia Risks Skyrocket

There is a 30 to 40 percent increased risk of patients suffering from dementia if they also have poor oral health. Bacteria that causes gum disease and other oral health problems has an easy time getting into your bloodstream, and once there it can easily find its way to your brain.

The increased rates of gum disease and tooth decay in dementia patients points to the negative effects of that bacteria on psychological health, so do your best to keep it out of your bloodstream by brushing and flossing it away daily!

#5: Save Tons Of Money!

Bad oral health isn’t just a drain on your social life, family planning, mental health, and happiness: it’s also a drain on your bank account as well. Regular preventive dental care saves you the cost of expensive restorations and other treatments later on, and it takes far less time as well!

Good oral health isn’t challenging: it just takes good home care habits and regular visits to our Carmel office for cleanings and exams. Twice a year is all you need to ensure a healthy, happy smile for years to come!

Don’t Play Games With Your Smile

You can keep yourself healthy, save money, and eliminate all the uncertainty that comes with bad oral health by starting with a simple phone call to Really Smile Dentistry. Schedule an appointment by calling us today at 317-597-8748, or request the ideal time by filling out our online form. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Make That New Year’s Resolution Count In 2016!

By on January 1, 2016

Happy 2016 from all of us at Really Smile Dentistry! We hope that your 2015 closed with holiday fun and enjoyment and that you’re ready to face the year ahead with all you’ve got. If you’re like a lot of our patients in and around Carmel you’re probably coming face to face with a new year’s resolution that’s going to be quite the challenge. And there’s a good chance that your resolution has to do with your physical fitness.

If that’s the case you’re in for a challenge, but it isn’t impossible. Through discipline, a good schedule, and the right attitude you can end up with the look you’ve always wanted. There are some other things you have to consider along with your exercise, though: diet, your daily schedule, and even your teeth need to be considered as part of your resolution. It’s true: even your smile can be affected by your workout.

Exercise And Your Teeth: There’s A Connection?

If it seems odd to you that your teeth are affected by your exercise routine we understand: they don’t really seem connected, do they? Multiple studies have proven something to the contrary, however: athletes, gym rats, and even people who are really into home fitness all have a much higher risk of developing tooth decay.

For a long time the assumption was that sugary sports drinks were to blame – your oral bacteria turns sugar into acid that eats away at teeth – but now we know that’s not the only problem. Studies performed on athletes have shown that exercise actually changes the makeup of your saliva, and not for the better!

At rest everyone’s saliva is the same: it’s your mouth’s natural defense against bacteria, food particles, and the acid they create. During a workout, however, the composition of a person’s saliva is found to be vastly different, even going so far as to inhibit its natural ability to fight decay.

There are proteins in your saliva that are an important part of how it fights off bacteria, and during exercise your saliva becomes more alkaline. This interferes with the protein’s ability to do its job, making you more susceptible to decay. It’s bad news!

Exercise also makes you produce less saliva. We always tell our patients how important it is to stay hydrated because that’s how your mouth produces saliva. Working out uses a lot of your body’s water reserves, so you naturally salivate a lot less. Your mouth is already in trouble because it isn’t fighting decay as well, and less saliva in general just makes the problem worse.

Lowering Your Tooth Decay Risk: It Isn’t That Difficult

So, exercise is weakening your mouth’s natural cavity defenses by messing with proteins and lessening saliva production. Add to that a steady diet of sports drinks during a workout and you’re really doing a number on your teeth!

Your workout resolution doesn’t need to be a death sentence for your smile, though. It doesn’t even need to be very difficult to keep your teeth healthy as a physically active person. You just have to make good oral hygiene a part of your new year’s resolution. If you’re already a tooth care professional this shouldn’t be very difficult at all.

brushing and flossing needs to be done every day – no exceptions. Brush in the morning and evening, and try to do it before your workout. Since your mouth is having a harder time fighting decay you may as well give it an edge!
Thirsty? Just drink water. Sports drinks are formulated to restore lost electrolytes, but in reality that only helps if you’re doing intense exercise for at least an hour. The sugar isn’t worth it, and regular intake of water during a workout will help you feel better and more energized just as well.

The Most Important Tip:

You can try every home care tactic in the world but you’re still not going to be able to clean all the plaque from the deep corners of your mouth. You also can’t identify potential problems before they become serious – that’s why professional dental checkups are so essential. Our Carmel dentist office can give you the edge to keep up every part of that new year’s resolution by ensuring your mouth stays healthy and safe for years to come!

Don’t be caught off guard by a new year’s cavity. Let us help you put your best smile forward in 2016! You can request an appointment by calling Really Smile Dentistry at 317-597-8748 or by filling out our online request form. We look forward to seeing you soon!

We Don’t Just Treat Problems – We Prevent Them!

By on November 9, 2015

A lot of dental patients see us as a place they go when something is wrong. Whether they notice a cavity and decide they need a filling or they’re in pain that’s when we tend to see people! At Really Smile in Carmel we don’t want you to just react to dental problems – see us regularly to be sure they never happen!

We offer a variety of preventive treatments along with our comprehensive dental care. It’s important to take care of your oral health in the same way you would your overall body – by making regular visits to our office you can prevent expensive and painful work from being necessary later on!

It’s Not Just About Your Teeth!

There are more and more links between oral health and your overall bodily health. The care you receive at our Carmel dentist office can go a long way in preventing conditions like heart disease! Scientists recently discovered a connection between inflammation in the mouth and inflammation elsewhere in the body. The evidence points to the chronic inflammation of gum disease being connected to inflammation of the heart. They were also able to link regular dental care to lower risks of heart disease and arthritis as well!

You should also be aware of the connection between tooth loss and life expectancy! Tooth loss is an inevitable part of not getting regular dental care. It can be caused by tooth decay or gum disease, along with related conditions, and seriously disrupts your ability to eat well! Without proper nutrition your quality of life, health, and longevity decrease!

We consider these parts of your bodily health to be part of the work we do at Really Smile. Our goal for preventive treatment is to help you avoid these conditions by maintaining great oral health!

Preventive Treatments At Our Carmel Office

There are a number of things we do that are part of preventive care. The primary way we keep your teeth healthy over time is with regular cleanings and exams. By seeing you every six months we’re able to build up a treatment history and know exactly when anything changes. This allows us to address potential problems before they ever occur!

Depending on the results of X-rays and other imaging and screening we perform at your exams we can also give you advice on how to care for your teeth between appointments, steps to take to ensure you stay healthy, and answer any questions about your oral health that you have. A continued open conversation between you and your dentist is an essential part of good health!

We also use preventive treatments like dental sealants and fluoride to keep your teeth healthy between visits. Dental sealants are made of the same composite resin that we use to make our tooth-colored fillings. Our sealants are placed in the chewing surfaces of your molars and premolars in order to stop cavities from forming in those hard-to-reach grooves. The chewing surfaces of your teeth are some of the most common places to develop cavities and sealants do an amazing job at preventing them!

Fluoride is a fundamental part of protecting your teeth. It’s in your water, your toothpaste, and it’s available at our Carmel dentist office as well! Fluoride has the unique ability to “remineralize” the enamel on your teeth. Remineralization involves actually rebuilding it, something that is essential with the constant wear and tear on your teeth over time! We recommend fluoride treatments once a year unless you’re at risk for cavities. For some patients we’ll prescribe special extra-strength fluoride toothpaste or more frequent in-office treatments.

An Ounce Of Prevention …

It really is worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to your teeth! Almost all dental health conditions are preventable – so much so that you can easily maintain a healthy mouth with regular cleanings, good home care, and a good diet.

Don’t let your teeth be ruined when it’s so easy to keep them healthy! Call Really Smile today at 317-597-8748 or request an appointment by filling out our online form. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Decay Destroyers: These Foods Are Great!

By on August 5, 2015

In our previous blog post we talked about foods and drinks that we’ve identified at our Carmel dentist office as serious culprits in cavity formation. Today we want to flip the table and talk about the good things you might already be doing for your teeth.

There are a lot of foods and drinks that can benefit your teeth and their health, many of which are very common! You might be surprised at the good things you’re already doing for your oral health, so read on to find out all about the decay destroyers that are a priority to have in your oral health arsenal!

Decay Destroyer #1: Cheese

It’s almost too good to be true, isn’t it? You probably know dairy is a great way to protect your teeth, but there’s definitive evidence that one kind of dairy is better, and it’s cheese. Delicious, wonderful cheese. But not all varieties are a boost for your oral health! Processed cheeses don’t offer much benefit since they have many of the beneficial enzymes processed out.

Cheese is good for your teeth because of the amount of calcium it contains, and also because it’s sticky. That’s right – this is the one sticky food you should want hanging around! By staying in your mouth cheese also helps to boost saliva production, an important part of oral health. Lastly, cheese contains high levels of casein phosphate, a part of milk that actually acts a lot like fluoride in strengthening your teeth!

Decay Destroyer #2: Tea

Kick that coffee to the curb if you want to protect your teeth! Both green and black tea, which come from the same plant, have high levels of catechins that help stop bacteria from producing acids. Catechins also reduce inflammation, and studies have shown that drinking green tea can actually reduce symptoms of gum disease!

One important point: don’t add lemon or sugar to your tea – both can undo the health benefits tea brings! You should also avoid buying bottled tea due to high levels of sugar and additives. Just stick to brewing it at home – it’s safer, cheaper, and chances are your water contains fluoride for an even greater burst of decay prevention!

Decay Destroyer #3: High-Fiber Foods

Popeye ate his spinach, and he had a lot of good reasons! You can add oral health to that list, because all high-fiber foods are terrific at preventing tooth decay! Dark leafy greens, beans, and other high-fiber foods help you produce a lot of saliva, which is your body’s natural tooth washing mechanism! Saliva helps remove food particles from your teeth and wash away plaque, so it’s an important part of your oral health!

If you’re going for health benefits then you should definitely lean toward vegetables instead of fruit due to the lower sugar levels that veggies have. Things like broccoli, brussel sprouts, grains, and carrots are great ways to enjoy a meal and protect your teeth!

Decay Destroyer #4: Plain Old Tap Water

No, not bottled – straight from the tap. Because tap water is so heavily filtered you are deprived of any helpful minerals, compounds, and chemicals your water may contain. In most cities the water supply has an added amount of fluoride, making it even better for your teeth and body!

Fluoride is an important part of protecting your teeth because of its ability to aid in recalcification, or regrowth of enamel. It’s also perfectly safe – fluoride is a naturally occurring compound that you consume in various sources throughout the day. By adding a small amount to your water you can take massive steps in protecting your teeth!

If some of these habits are already part of your life then congratulations – you’re taking an active role in preventing tooth decay! If you aren’t already doing some of the things here then there’s never a better time to start!

Preventive dental care is a fundamental part of protecting your smile, and these foods and drinks are an amazing way to help! If you’re concerned with the health of your teeth don’t wait to see what happens – make an appointment at Really Smile Dentistry today! You can reach us by phone at 317-597-8748 or by filling out our online appointment request form. We look forward to helping you!

How Tooth Decay Works

By on July 5, 2015

Do you suffer with tooth decay? You’re not alone. It’s one of the most frequent health complaints in the US, just behind the common cold (the number one complaint). Tooth decay leads to cavities, and if it isn’t addressed in time, it can lead to tooth loss, or could even be potentially deadly.

In addition to great cosmetic dentistry, we also offer general dentistry to help you keep good oral health, as well as a beautiful smile. One of the ways we do that is by providing education to our patients in Carmel, IN on exactly why common oral diseases and problems happen, so that they can take action and hopefully avoid pain and expense.

In today’s post, we’re going to talk about tooth decay: how it happens, and what you can do to stop it.

How Tooth Decay Works

Most people, if you ask them how tooth decay and cavities happen, would probably tell you what they’ve heard all their lives, that sugar causes cavities. While sugar plays a significant role (limiting your consumption of sugar is a good way to reduce your risk of decay), it is only one part of a more complex whole.

Tooth decay is actually caused by your oral bacteria. Your mouth is full of bacteria, and there’s nothing you can do about it; you were born with it, and it’s a natural part of the your body’s ecosystem. Regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing (at least twice a day) can control the amount of bacteria you have in your mouth, but you can’t ever be fully rid of it.

The bacteria eat sugar (more specifically, a kind of sugar called glucose); they access it through the tiny bits of food left in your mouth following meals, as well as from your bodily fluids, such as saliva. Unlike humans who are satisfied with “three squares a day”, bacteria don’t stop eating, and as they eat they excrete powerfully corrosive organic acids as waste. This is why most people say that tooth decay is caused by sugar; the more sugar you consume, the more food for the bacteria, and the more tooth decay you’ll experience.

How Enamel Protects Your Teeth

Enamel is a translucent hard substance that constitutes the outermost layer of your teeth. It’s the hardest substance in your body, and it protects your teeth from damage, including tooth decay.

If you were able to get close enough to look, you’d see that your enamel is made of mineral crystals (a form of calcium, for the most part). These mineral crystals are densely packed together on the surface of your teeth. Your enamel is analogous to a brick wall, and the individual crystals are the bricks. The brick wall that is your enamel is under constant attack from the acids your oral bacteria produce. Eventually, the minerals are lost as a result; this process is called demineralization. However, your body is able to “rebuild the wall” by replacing the lost mineral crystals; this is called remineralization. If the rate of demineralization is higher than the rate of remineralization, the acids will get past the enamel and begin to destroy the dentin, which is the softer, second layer of your teeth. Over time, the acids will destroy enough of the interior of your tooth that a hole, or cavity, forms.

What You Can Do

There are a number of things you can do to improve your ability to fight tooth decay. One, you should see your dentist regularly, at least twice a year for exams and cleanings. Your dentist and the Really Smile dental hygiene team will be able to remove plaque and even slow its return far more effectively than you can with even very disciplined oral hygiene at home (which of course also helps: brush, floss, and rinse with a mouthwash at least twice a day to regulate your oral bacteria). Another thing you can do is use toothpastes and mouth rinses that have a lot of fluoride.

Want to Keep Your Teeth Healthy?

At Really Smile, your oral health is our top priority. We use advanced technology in conjunction with years of experience and training to provide comprehensive dental care to our patients.

Make an appointment today! Dial 317-597-8748 or click here to reach our online appointment form!

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