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Mouthguards are protective devices designed to cover and cushion your teeth, gums, and jaw. They are primarily used in contact sports, such as football, hockey, and boxing, to reduce the risk of dental and facial injuries.

Mouthguards can be custom-made by a dentist to fit your teeth and provide the highest level of protection, or they can be purchased at sporting goods stores or online. Boil-and-bite mouthguards are a popular option for those who want a better fit than what is available with standard over-the-counter mouthguards.

The primary purpose of a mouthguard in SW Calgary is to protect your teeth and jaw from damage during sports activities. Wearing a mouthguard act as a shock absorber, helping to evenly distribute the force of an impact and reducing the likelihood of dental fractures, chipped or broken teeth, and jaw injuries. Additionally, mouthguards can help prevent cuts to the inside of your mouth and damage to your lips and tongue.

While mouthguards are most commonly associated with sports, they can also prevent tooth damage caused by bruxism. Mouthguards can also manage snoring and sleep apnea by helping keep your airway open and reducing the risk of obstruction.

Choosing a mouthguard that fits properly is vital to provide adequate protection.

A poorly fitting mouthguard can lead to discomfort, difficulty speaking and breathing, and an increased risk of injury to the teeth and gums. A dentist in SW Calgary can help you select the right mouthguard for your needs and ensure that it fits properly.

How do Mouthguards Work?

Mouthguards protect the teeth from damage during high-impact sports or from grinding or clenching the teeth during sleep. They are commonly used in contact sports like football, basketball, and boxing, where the risk of injury to the mouth and teeth is high.

Mouthguards work by absorbing and redistributing the forces generated by an impact on the mouth. When a blow to the face occurs, the mouthguard acts as a cushion, spreading the force over a larger area and reducing the pressure on any particular tooth. This helps to minimize the risk of dental injury.

How to Wear Mouthguards

How you wear these mouth protectors will determine their effectiveness.

• Clean your mouthguard. Before using your mouthguard, clean it with cold or lukewarm water.
• Position the mouthguard correctly. Place the mouthguard in your mouth and align it with your teeth. Make sure it covers your upper teeth completely and fits snugly.
• Bite down on the mouthguard gently to ensure that it fits properly. Use your tongue to press the mouthguard to ensure it is properly positioned.
•   If your mouthguard feels loose or uncomfortable, you may need to remold it or get a different size.

How To Use Mouthguards

Mouthguards are essential safety gear that protects your teeth, gums, lips, and jaws during physical activities such as contact sports, weightlifting, or martial arts.

• Choose the right mouthguard. Select a mouthguard that fits your mouth properly and provides adequate protection. Different types of mouthguards are available, such as stock, boil-and-bite, and custom-fitted.
• Mouthguards should be worn during contact and in non-contact sports such as gymnastics and skating.
• Mouthguards should fit properly to provide the best protection. Custom-fit mouthguards can be obtained from a dentist, while boil-and-bite mouthguards can be purchased at sporting goods stores.
• Clean your mouthguards regularly with a toothbrush and toothpaste or with mouthwash. Also, store them in a case to prevent damage.
• Replace worn-out or damaged mouthguards to ensure proper protection. Replacing them every season for sports and every 6-12 months for nighttime use is ideal.

Cleaning your mouthguard is important to proper oral hygiene and can help prolong its lifespan. Rinse your mouthguard with cool water after each use, and use a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub away any debris gently. You can also soak your mouthguard in an antibacterial solution or mouthwash for added cleanliness.

Conclusion

It is important to properly fit a mouthguard to protect your teeth and prevent injuries. While different types of mouthguards are available, choosing one that fits securely is recommended. Visit My Dental Clinic for more information about mouthguards.

If you have an infected tooth causing fever, fatigue, or other symptoms, it indicates the infection is spreading your body, making medical attention necessary. What begins as a toothache becomes an infection if left untreated because the infection spreads to other parts of your body.

Why do My Teeth hurt when I’m sick?

When you are unwell with flu or cold, your entire body feels sore, including your teeth. The primary cause of most illnesses related to tooth pain is sinus inflammation. The upper molars on both sides of your jaw are positioned beneath the maxillary sinuses. Therefore, the nerves of the teeth are susceptible to any pain or pressure. When your sinuses are full and causing stress or if you have inflammation in the sinus lining, it often causes pain in the upper molars in one or both jaws. The pain becomes pronounced when you sneeze or cough.

If your teeth hurt when you are sick, you will experience symptoms like throbbing tooth pain, pain in the jawbone, ear or neck, discomfort worsening when you lie down, mouth pressure sensitivity, temperature sensitivity, seek swelling, fever, lousy breath, and an awful taste in your mouth.

Symptoms of Tooth Infections Spreading to the Body

If you leave an infected tooth untreated, the condition can spread elsewhere in your body, making it life-threatening. Some signs and symptoms of tooth infections include the following.

You feel unwell with headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. You also have a fever with skin flushing, sweating, and chills, making you think about a general sickness without considering the infection in your tooth.

Besides the above, you may notice swelling in your face impeding swallowing and breathing, dehydration, lightheadedness and stomach pain with diarrhea and vomiting.

The symptoms you experience can make you wonder why my teeth hurt when I’m sick. This is because you concentrate on the signs of the infection spreading to your body, thinking it makes you sick. Instead, if you consider tooth infections left untreated, it will encourage you to seek treatment from your dentist to deal with the problem appropriately.

How Can I Treat the Pain?

You can treat mild pain in your tooth by taking OTC painkillers and helping alleviate facial swelling by using hot or cold compresses on the cheeks. However, if the pain is excruciating and challenging to manage, it helps if you visit the dentist near me to determine whether you have a severe infection that makes you feel sick because it is spreading in your body.

When you have an infected tooth and feel sick, it indicates something is wrong in your mouth that needs treatment from a dentist to eliminate the infection before it worsens. Therefore while you can try over-the-counter painkillers or home remedies for relief, you must get the tooth evaluated by the dentist to ensure the tooth is not impacting your overall health.

When Should I See a Dentist?

Whenever you have a toothache or an untreated infection in your tooth, the optimal professional to contact is the dentist near you and not any other professional. Call your doctor if you have a high fever with temperatures over 103° Fahrenheit. Get immediate medical attention if you experience chest pain, mental confusion, atypical light sensitivity, unexplained skin rashes, persistent vomiting, and painful urination. However, if your infected tooth results in sickness, you must contact the Calgary dentist for help without wasting time.

Not every toothache is a severe health concern. However, if you are experiencing one, it is best to receive treatment from the dentist before it worsens. Contact your dentist for a same-day appointment if your toothache does not subside within 24 hours and is accompanied by swelling, fever, trouble breathing and swallowing, red gums, and painful chewing and biting.

If you have a broken tooth or your tooth falls out, see your dentist immediately. Meanwhile, you can take OTC painkillers and avoid hot or cold food and beverages, besides avoiding chewing on the side of the painful tooth.

You risk tooth infections, making you think you are unwell when you don’t maintain excellent dental hygiene. Therefore you must care for your teeth as suggested by the dentist and receive treatments for infections immediately before it expands and spreads to other parts of your body, making you feel sick.

While tooth infections spreading to the body can make you feel sick, a common cold or flu is unlikely to do so, although you may feel some pressure in your teeth when coughing or sneezing. However, if you care for your teeth as your dentist recommends and receive treatments for infections early, you can avoid the discomfort you experience and keep your dental and overall health in optimal shape.

If you think illnesses make your teeth hurt, you are sadly mistaken. It is your teeth with infections that make you feel sick. If you are affected by a similar situation, kindly arrange a meeting with My Dental Clinic to determine the primary cause of your sickness and get the infected tooth treated as soon as possible.

Dealing with food getting stuck in the hole left by a wisdom tooth extraction can be frustrating and uncomfortable. While it is normal to experience some degree of food impaction during the healing process, it is essential to address the issue to prevent infection or other complications.

Food Stuck in Wisdom Tooth Hole After 3 Weeks: Causes and Risks

Food getting stuck in the hole left by a wisdom tooth extraction is a common issue during the healing process. While it is normal to experience some degree of food impaction, it is essential to be aware of the potential causes and risks of this problem.

Causes: Several factors can contribute to food getting stuck in the hole after three weeks, including:

• Improper oral hygiene: Poor oral hygiene can lead to the buildup of food debris and bacteria in the extraction site, making it easier for food to get stuck.
• Deep extraction site: If the extraction site is deep or has an irregular shape, it can be more challenging to keep clean and increase the risk of food impaction.

Risks: If food debris becomes trapped in the extraction site, it can lead to several potential risks and complications, including:

• Infection: Bacteria can easily grow in the extraction site, leading to infection, inflammation, and pain.
• Delayed healing: Food impaction can prevent proper healing and prolong recovery.
• Bad breath: Bacteria and food debris in the extraction site can cause bad breath.
• Damage to adjacent teeth: If food debris is not removed promptly, it can damage the surrounding teeth.

It’s essential to address the issue of food getting stuck in the hole after three weeks to prevent these potential risks and complications.

How to Remove Food Stuck in The Wisdom Tooth Hole After 3 Weeks

Here are three tips on how to remove food stuck in your wisdom tooth hole after three weeks:

• Use a syringe: You can use a syringe filled with warm salt water to flush out any food particles trapped in the extraction site. Gently squirt the water into the hole and then spit it out.
• Use a soft-bristled toothbrush: Gently brush the area around the extraction site with a soft-bristled toothbrush to help dislodge any food particles that may be stuck. Be careful not to brush too hard, as this can irritate the extraction site and delay the healing process.
• Avoid certain foods: Avoid hard, crunchy, or sticky foods that can get stuck in the extraction site, such as popcorn, chips, and gum.

Preventing Food from Getting Stuck in The Wisdom Tooth Hole

Here are several tips on how to avoid food particles from getting stuck in the wisdom tooth hole:

• Maintain good oral hygiene: Brush and floss your teeth regularly to keep your mouth clean and free from food particles and debris that can get stuck in the wisdom tooth hole. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and avoid brushing too hard around the extraction site to avoid irritation.
• Avoid certain foods: Avoid hard, crunchy, or sticky foods that can get stuck in the wisdom tooth hole, such as popcorn, chips, and gum. Instead, choose soft, easy-to-chew foods that are less likely to get stuck.
• Try chewing on the opposite side of the mouth: Avoid chewing food on the side of your mouth where the wisdom tooth was extracted to prevent food from getting stuck in the extraction site.
• Follow your dentist’s instructions: Your dentist in Calgary, SW, will provide specific instructions on how to care for the extraction site and prevent food from getting stuck.

When to See A Dentist for Food Stuck in Wisdom Tooth Hole

Here are some signs that you should see a dentist at My Dental Clinic for food stuck in your wisdom tooth hole:

• Pain or discomfort: If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in the extraction site, you should see a dentist as soon as possible.
• Swelling or redness: If you notice swelling or redness around the extraction site, it may be a sign of gum infection or inflammation. You should see a dentist for periodontal treatment in SW Calgary.
• Difficulty opening your mouth: If you are having difficulty opening your mouth or if you experience difficulty swallowing or breathing, it may be a sign of a more serious complication, and you should seek emergency dental care immediately.

Teeth whitening helps lighten your teeth’ color and brighten your smile. It uses a bleaching agent, usually hydrogen peroxide, to break down the stains on your teeth. The bleaching agent is applied to the teeth and left for a while before being removed. Over time, this can help to remove stubborn stains and discoloration from your teeth and leave you with a brighter, whiter smile.

Understanding Teeth Stains

There are two types of teeth stains: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic stains are on the surface of your teeth and are usually caused by drinking coffee or smoking cigarettes. Intrinsic stains are inside your teeth and can be caused by certain medications or tooth trauma.

Teeth whitening products work by either removing the surface stains (extrinsic) or by bleaching the teeth to make the intrinsic stains less visible. Many different whitening products are available, so it’s important to talk to your dentist about which option is best for you.

If you have questions about teeth whitening, ask your dentist in Calgary, SW, about the right treatment.

Methods of Teeth Whitening

There are several ways to achieve teeth whitening; the best method depends on your needs and goals. Some popular methods of teeth whitening include:

1. Teeth whitening strips: These are thin, flexible strips coated with a hydrogen peroxide-based bleaching gel. You simply apply the strips to your teeth for a prescribed amount, typically 30 minutes to an hour, and then remove them. Teeth whitening strips are one of the most affordable options and are readily available at most drugstores.
2. Teeth whitening gels: These gels also contain hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient and work by being applied directly to the teeth with a small brush. After applying the gel, you must wear a mouthguard or dental tray for some time, usually around 30 minutes to an hour. Like teeth whitening strips, tooth whitening gels are relatively affordable.
3. In-Office teeth whitening: This is done by a professional dentist and offers the strongest and fastest results. A bleaching gel is applied directly to your teeth and then activated with a special light. The treatment usually takes less than an hour, and you will see dramatic results immediately afterward. In-office teeth whitening in Calgary is more expensive than at-home options but may be worth it if you have a big event coming.

How Does Teeth Whitening Work?

When it comes to teeth whitening, different options are available on the market. But how does teeth whitening work?

Bleaching products contain chemicals that react with the staining molecules in your teeth, breaking them down and allowing them to be removed more easily.

Most over-the-counter teeth whitening products use bleaching agents such as hydrogen or carbamide peroxide. These agents work by breaking down the staining molecules in your teeth so that they can be more easily removed.

Some professional teeth whitening treatments use lasers or other light sources to activate the bleaching agent and speed up the whitening process. However, it’s vital to note that not all teeth whitening products are created equal.

What Are the Safety Considerations for Teeth Whitening ?

When it comes to teeth bleaching, safety is always a top concern. Here are a few factors to consider a teeth whitening treatment:

1. Talk to your dentist first. Whitening products are not all created equal, and your dentist can help you select a product that is right for you and your smile.
2. Follow the instructions carefully. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions before using any teeth-whitening product. This will help ensure that you use the product safely and effectively.
3. Avoid over-the-counter whiteners if you have sensitive teeth. If your teeth are sensitive, ask your dentist about professional-grade whitening products that can be used with less risk of irritation.
4. Don’t overdo it. Teeth whitening is not meant to be an everyday occurrence. Overusing whitening products can damage your tooth enamel and lead to other problems, such as tooth sensitivity. Use them as directed by your dentist, and enjoy your brighter smile.

Schedule an Appointment

Visit My Dental Clinic for more information about teeth whitening and what you can expect.

Have you struggling with a dental emergency and need treatment? If yes, never ignore it. Although dental emergencies can be frightening, panicking will not help. It’s worth calling the team at My Dental Clinic if you need emergency dental care in the Calgary area. Read this blog to know about how to find and avoid a dental emergency.

How to Find an Emergency Dentist in Calgary SW: Tips and Resources?

When you have a dental emergency, it may be too late to waste time looking online or asking a friend for a dentist.

Before a dental emergency, you should select a dentist.

1. If you worry about how to find an emergency dentist, always start your search in your city or nearby area. In an emergency, you shouldn’t travel an hour to see a dentist. Additionally, it can wind up making things worse. Visit an emergency dentist as soon as possible—ideally, within 20 or 30 minutes.
2. Try to locate a dentist who is willing to accept your dental insurance. A list of dentists who accept the plan and offer emergency care is available from your insurance company.
3. Find out what times an emergency dentist is available. It is advisable to identify a dentist that is available during such hours if you are concerned that a dental emergency might occur late at night or on the weekend due to a planned event, such as a game.
4. Learn about the services they offer and provide. Finding an emergency dentist who can handle both dental and emergency patient care eliminates the need to have the remaining dental treatment done elsewhere.
5. Inquire about the ages they got the treatment. Visiting them with a child who has a chipped tooth is pointless if they exclusively treat adult patients. Always ask about the age ranges that a dentist treats so that you are well prepared for an emergency.

What to Expect at an Emergency Dentist Appointment in Calgary SW?

We are available to help you if you are in excruciating pain and need immediate patient care. When you contact our dental clinic Calgary, we’ll set you up with a same-day appointment. Depending on the kind and extent of your dental emergency as well as the required treatment, you should have different expectations.

After one of our dentists evaluates your condition, they will go over their treatment plan with you and address any questions you may have. The professional may use dental sedation and aesthetics, depending on the type of treatment. When you get in touch with us about a dental emergency, you can count on us to:

• Decide on a time and date for an urgent dental visit.
• Provide you with advice and counseling over the phone.
• Calling you to help with your medicine.
• Check you for COVID-19 under the law.

Preventing Dental Emergencies: Simple Tips for Avoiding Toothaches and Other Dental Crises

Even more urgent and hazardous than other medical emergencies might be dental emergencies. Here are some easy recommendations for preventing them:

Follow Good Dental Hygiene Daily

For the health of your teeth and gums, it’s essential to brush and floss frequently. Food waste tends to gather bacteria quickly, which can lead to gum illnesses or tooth decay. Infections can harm the gums and teeth and may necessitate a trip to the emergency dentist.

Do Not Panic

Although panicking is a normal reaction to a crisis, remaining calm might help you determine what is going on. Try softly inhaling and exhaling to calm down rather than panicking.

Mouthguards

Everyone benefits from wearing mouthguards, but athletes especially. By deflecting hard impacts to the mouth, mouth guards help to protect your teeth. When engaging in contact sports and leisure activities where the likelihood of falling and taking a hard blow is higher, the professional recommends a mouthguard.

Vitamins

Vitamin intake daily keeps the teeth and gums strong. It also makes them damage and decay-resistant. Vitamins A, B, and C have many advantages like better gum health and a decreased risk of periodontal disease. Also, calcium and vitamin D strengthen and stabilize the teeth.

Speak to Experts at Our Dental Clinic Calgary Today

Dental emergencies can have a crippling effect. They result in discomfort, long-term harm, and occasionally expensive, invasive dental procedures. Visit your nearby emergency dentist Calgary SW if you have dental emergencies.

If you, like many people, don’t realize alcohol is a toxin and, when consumed excessively, can significantly impact your general health, including jeopardizing the newly placed dental implants in SW Calgary with a condition called avascular necrosis.

Alcohol, unlike cigarettes, impacts your oral health mildly. Therefore, if you don’t drink immediately after implant placement or have carbonated drinks like beer, you can rest assured that your dental implants will not get affected.

Avascular Necrosis Explained

Avascular necrosis is a condition that causes bone death. If you have avascular necrosis, your bone starts dying because you have too few blood vessels or they become clogged. Any dental trauma that requires bone healing after placement of dental implants by the dentist in Calgary, SW, can result in this condition which is most likely in people who smoke because smoking hampers the formation of blood vessels.

Dentists think alcohol consumption causes bone death because it decreases your body’s ability to absorb fat, leaving excess fat in the blood. As a result, the fat clogs the blood vessels in the bone, resulting in starvation and death.

Why No Carbonated Beverages after Dental Implants?

After undergoing an intensive procedure to replace your missing teeth by getting dental implants from the dentist Calgary SW, the last thing you want is to confront challenges like avascular necrosis to encourage bone death to result in failure of the dental implants. In addition, the initial 72 hours are the most vulnerable for your dental implants, making it essential for you to refrain from having any alcoholic beverages or even carbonated drinks. Therefore dentists recommend not having carbonated beverages after getting dental implants placed in your jawbone.

The Risks of Carbonated Beverages after Dental Implants

If you realize the risks of consuming carbonated beverages like beer and other drinks after dental implant placement, you must understand the beverage can impact the natural healing response of your body to delay your recovery. As you heal from dental implant placement, your body must rebuild the lost and damaged skin, collagen, bone cells, and blood vessels. Carbonated beverages interfere with the healing signals to delay some aspects of the healing, particularly blood vessel formation. As new bone regenerates, poor blood vessel supply results in starvation and death.

The risks of avascular necrosis are significant even if you have one carbonated drink during the initial 72 hours, making it necessary to avoid drinking any beverages that impact your implant.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption

The risks of your dental implants failing continue even after you have healed if you consume excessive alcohol after the initial 72 hours. This is because your alcohol consumption results in inadequate blood supply to trigger the condition described earlier. In addition, any trauma triggers avascular necrosis to bone remodeling, which is more dynamic in the jaw than in other parts of your body.

No definition is available on what excessive alcohol consumption means, specifically to dental implants, because no studies have been performed to define excessive consumption. However, dentists consider determinations of other areas of bone death as the risks of avascular necrosis in the femoral head, where it commonly occurs.

Studies determine that patients with implants having carbonated drinks frequently are at a higher risk of combating the consequences of drinking with implants. Patients consuming excessive alcohol and remaining in the top 10 percent of alcohol drinkers have risks that are 18 times higher than other people. Therefore, you can consider the insignificant risk and question why no carbonated drinks after dental implant. However, dentists consider the risk significant because it results in implant failure.

During your consultation for dental implants from the Calgary dentist, they inquire about your lifestyle habits. They suggest you quit smoking and refrain from consuming alcohol or carbonated beverages 24 hours before implant placement and 72 hours after. Dentists consider the risks of bone death that might occur if you neglect their advice to challenge the decision of not having the prohibited beverages. Therefore if you wish to have natural-looking artificial teeth to replace your missing dentition, you must adhere to the dentist’s instructions unless you want to invite a severe complication in your mouth that might leave you without teeth because you requested avascular necrosis to affect your jawbone.

My Dental Clinic provides dental implants advising them to refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages and carbonated drinks from 24 hours before to 72 hours after the placement. Consult this practice if you desire dental implants to replace your missing teeth, preparing to adhere to the dentist’s instructions.

Canadian tap water has contained trace amounts of fluoride for seven decades to inhibit tooth decay. As a result, the fluoride content in the water has reduced tooth decay by 25 percent, states the CDA and the CDC. Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, helps build strong teeth and prevents cavities.

Although you can get fluoride from water and toothpaste, in-office fluoride treatments from dentists offer more significant benefits. The treatments are beneficial if you are at high risk of tooth decay but might only be suitable for some.

This article looks at the treatment recommendations for fluoride, its benefits and its side effects.

Fluoride Treatment Explained

If you are not aware of what is fluoride treatment at dentists, these are merely in-office treatments containing a high concentration of fluoride applied by a dentist or hygienist to the teeth to improve dental health and reduce cavity risks. In-office treatments come in the form of solutions, gels, varnish or foam. You can also purchase some high-concentration fluoride treatments for use at home. However, you can do so only if recommended by a dentist. The fluoride in in-office treatments is not dissimilar to the fluoride in toothpaste. However, the concentration levels are higher and offer immediate benefits.

When to Get Fluoride Treatment?

Fluoride treatment recommendations for adults vary, and various bodies have studied the range of concentration, frequencies of treatment, and doses. Professional fluoride treatments help if you have a moderate to high risk of tooth decay. Experts recommend getting fluoride treatments in Calgary twice a year for people at high risk of cavities. However, people must discuss the benefits and downsides of fluoride treatments and consider all sources of fluoride, including fluoride toothpaste, mouthwash, and fluoridated water. People living in areas without fluoridated water benefit significantly from frequent fluoride treatments.

Cavities are prominent in children during childhood and are five times more common than asthma. Therefore pediatric dentists recommend fluoride treatment for all children soon after their teeth emerge. The suggestion is to prevent decay, discomfort, and dental infections later.

How to Find a Fluoride Treatment Dentist?

Finding a fluoride treatment dentist in Calgary is relatively easy because most dentists provide these treatments after inquiring about your medical health history. However, you can also browse the Internet to search for a fluoride treatment dentist, confident you will soon receive a list of providers in your locality to help strengthen your teeth. Therefore if you are at risk of tooth decay, you must consider the effort essential to prevent complications in your mouth from a condition that can result in various problems.

The Benefits of Fluoride Treatment

Fluoride treatments from dentists have many benefits. Prominent among them include the following:

In-office fluoride treatments from the Calgary dental clinic help the body use minerals like calcium and phosphate better. Your teeth absorb the minerals to strengthen weak enamel.

Fluoride treatments join into the tooth structure in developing teeth to help strengthen tooth enamel making the teeth invulnerable to mouth bacteria and holes for life.

Fluoride treatments can slow or reverse early tooth decay by harming the bacteria causing it.

When combined, the benefits of fluoride reduce the risk of cavities or slow them down, delay the requirement of expensive dental treatments, extend the longevity of baby teeth, and cut down the time and money you might have to spend at dentist’s offices.

Fluoride treatments prevent cavities and slow down the progress of bacteria to help prevent gum disease, reduce tooth pain, and prevent premature loss of teeth.

Fluoride treatments from the Calgary provider help improve oral health, which the WHO states are a significant political overall health. Poor oral health can affect other body parts, causing health conditions like cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer.

Fluoride Side Effects

As is customary, some health advocates of natural remedies have expressed concerns about high-concentration fluoride treatments. They also determine, in contrast to the findings of the CDA and the CDC, that fluoride is unsafe for children and fluoridated water is harmful. However, they haven’t been able to provide any evidence about fluoride causing widespread harm, although children with developing teeth might develop some side effects like tooth discoloration because of ingesting toothpaste without spitting or having too much fluoridated water. However, the side effects are not harmful and merely result in white specks or brown stains appearing on the teeth, easily manageable by seeking whitening treatments.

Fluoride treatments are safe for everyone. Any side effects discussed are minimal compared to their benefits. The harm from fluoride is likely from swallowing excessive quantities of fluoride and results in cosmetic defects than causing damage to your general health.

If you are prone to cavities and are looking for a remedy, My Dental Clinic in Calgary provides fluoride treatments to strengthen your tooth enamel to prevent, slow, and reverse tooth decay. Consult with the practice to receive fluoride treatments in a brief therapy ending within minutes to find freedom from dental infections.

What Is Laser Dentistry?

It is the use of laser technology to perform various dental works in dentistry. Laser dentistry entails using lasers to target soft tissues in the mouth. In many cases, dentists use laser dentistry to address gum-related oral problems.

Lasers work by emitting intense beams of light energy that target specific portions of the mouth. The goal is to administer treatment in two main ways in dentistry:

1. As a cutting instrument – other than cutting through soft tissues, some types of lasers can cut through tooth structures. Dentists can use them as an alternative to dental drills.
2. As a tissue vaporizer

How Can Lasers Improve Dental Health?

Laser dentistry is an incredible improvement in dentistry, benefiting both patients and dentists. The revolutionary approach provides a new way of performing dental protocols with speed, precision, and heightened success. Laser dentistry in SW, Calgary, is where modern technology meets dentistry to elevate service provision. Some of the areas where lasers can improve your oral health are:

1. Teeth whitening – lasers activate the whitening agents, bleaching teeth and dissipating stains.
2. Oral surgeries – dentists can use lasers to cut the gum tissue instead of scissors or scalpels. Some oral surgeries that can benefit from laser dentistry are gum grafting, gum reduction surgery, and frenectomy.
3. Treating cavities – dentists use lasers to detect cavities. Therefore, when removing the damaged portion of your enamel, the dentist can use a laser to determine the extent of tooth decay. Sometimes, dentists use lasers to find evidence of tooth decay in your mouth where cavities are not obviously visible.
4. Treating gum disease – lasers can remove bacteria from the gums while reshaping them to overcome recession due to infection.
5. Cancer diagnosis – after oral cancer screening, your dentist may recommend further tests to determine whether you have cancerous cells in your mouth. Dentists use lasers for lesion removal or tissue extraction for biopsy.
6. Tooth extractions – particularly for impacted wisdom teeth. Dentists will use lasers to cut the gums, exposing the bone tissue that may be blocking the impacted tooth underneath.
7. Treating tooth hypersensitivity – lasers seal tooth root tubules during endodontic procedures to counter tooth sensitivity to cold and hot foods.

What Are the Benefits of Laser Dentistry?

If you need more convincing about trying out your dental treatments with laser dentistry, consider the following advantages:

1. Heightened precision – one of the reasons dental experts opt for laser dentistry is that it promotes accuracy. Such precision increases the success of dental procedures.
2. Reduces damage to surrounding tissues – lasers target the specific tissues, avoiding accidents on surrounding healthy ones.
3. Increased comfort – patients always want to know, does laser dentistry hurt? Ideally, it depends on the procedure and treatment you undergo. Invasive dental protocols like surgery will cause discomfort, whether the dentist uses lasers or traditional tools. However, laser dentistry will have lower pain levels, bleeding, and swelling due to heightened precision.
4. Speedy healing – since you have little to no damage to surrounding tissues, your healing will be quicker after laser dentistry than conventional dentistry.
5. Less need for stitches – dentists hardly need to suture your gums after treatment with lasers, compared to traditional tools.
6. Lower risk of infections – usually because lasers are sterile. Further, lasers can destroy bacteria in a tooth for procedures like root canal therapy.

How Can I Find a Qualified Laser Dentist?

Finding the best dental clinic in Calgary is the first step to identifying a qualified laser dentist to conduct your treatments. In an excellent dental clinic, you can be sure that the laser dentist is qualified for the task based on the following actors:

1. High-quality equipment and technology – to support different dental protocols that utilize lasers.
2. Certification, training, and experience – hardly will good dental clinics have dental experts with limited training or experience. If you visit us at My Dental Clinic, you will notice the presence of accredited and renowned dental experts in different facets of dentistry, including laser dentistry in SW Calgary.
3. Reviews and referrals – great customer service is primary for any successful enterprise. Consider patients’ reviews and feedback regarding service provision in a dental clinic to help you identify a qualified laser dentist.

Fear of any kind, including dental phobia or anxiety, can be crippling. The paralyzing effect fear has on an individual is not a good experience. But the sad reality is that scores of people suffer from dental anxiety for some reason or another, so they will not receive the much-needed care our dentist in Calgary, SW offers.

Even though dental fear is a psychological condition that exhibits psychological symptoms, it also has challenging physical health implications. Most people with dental anxiety or phobia have poorer oral health than those without dental fear. If this problem persists, you might need more invasive dental treatment to solve the issues that could have been solved earlier.

Let’s break down some components that make up dental fear.

How Are Fears Acquired?

There are two main ways that fears are acquired.

Through Learning

Under this category, people may acquire fear in one of the following:

• Direct conditioning where one is exposed to the cues that might lead them to become fearful of the cues
• Vicarious learning is where one learns fear through observing another’s reactions (social learning)
• Negative information where someone’s negative beliefs about a certain danger and the expectation of discomfort and threat they will gain from it

Through Nature

This is down to genetics and genetic factors, where certain innate fears tend to come alive as responses to perceived threats or dangers.

The Cognitive Factors That Influence Dental Fear

Many people, including practitioners, often assume that dental fear is primarily a result of trauma. Inasmuch as some people develop dental anxiety because of traumatic experiences, others still have dental anxiety and have never been to our dentist’s office before.

Hence the reason for cognitive factors that may lead to dental fears. Cognitive factors are simply basic processes that affect performance and learning and may include mental processes such as perception, sensation, learning, memory etc.

Therefore, the cognitive factors influencing dental fear include perceptions of uncontrollability, dangerousness, and unpredictability. In other words, how you perceive the dental appointment is a crucial determinant of fear.

At times, you might perceive the dentist to be cold and controlling has a huge psychological impact on someone with dental anxiety.

People sometimes learn to fear the dentist’s chair through indirect sources such as observing another person’s behavior, especially a close relative.

The Behavioral Factors That Influence Dental Fear

Certain behavioral factors influence dental fear. For instance, children with negative emotionality usually become more aggressive if frustrated. On the other hand, shyness sometimes leads to dental fear and behavior management issues.

The Health Factors That Influence Dental Fear

At times people may develop dental anxiety due to certain health factors. Any of the following health issues might influence dental fear:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Generalized anxiety or depression
• Other traumatic experiences such as abuse
• A traumatic experience with another healthcare practitioner
• Anxiety associated with other health conditions such as claustrophobia, agoraphobia or obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Patients with borderline intellectual functioning and mild intellectual disabilities

Determining Your Level of Dental Fear

The level of dental anxiety will vary greatly from patient to patient. Therefore, it is vital to use a standardized method of measuring. We have a dentist for nervous patients who will help you determine the level of your dental fear. Determining the level of your dental fear is done using the following method:

Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS)

The modified dental anxiety scale has five questions that our dentist can use to measure the degree of dental anxiety. It is a simplified system comprising five questions in five situations: preparing for a dental appointment, waiting in our dentist’s office, sitting in the dental chair, getting ready for dental treatment, etc.

You rate these questions on a five-point scale ranging from not anxious to extremely anxious. The highest possible score is 25. So, if you score 5-9, it indicates low or no dental anxiety, whereas 10-18 suggests moderate anxiety, and 19 and above have severe dental phobia.

You can always contact our dentist for people with anxiety at My Dental Clinic to have a chat about dental anxiety and how you can get help.

Your smile, no doubt, is one of your most memorable facial attributes. This is why most people strive to ensure it stays in tip-top condition. It’s not an easy task maintaining those pearly whites; you have to choose to do so deliberately.

Sometimes, however, despite your attempts, there are dental issues that may occur that can compromise your smile and oral health. One prime example of such dental issues is receding gums.

Gum recession occurs when gum tissue separates from teeth, causing the roots beneath to become visible. Receding gums increases tooth sensitivity and makes the affected teeth more vulnerable to cavities and tooth decay.

Gum recession leads to the formation of pockets between the affected teeth and the gum line. These pockets are an ideal location for bacteria accumulation. Over time if unchecked, gum recession can cause tooth loss.

If you notice or suspect this dental issue, you should first step to schedule a dental visit with our dentist in Calgary, SW. This is because there are procedures available that can be utilized to combat this dental issue and prevent it from becoming worse.

Receding gums is a prevalent dental issue that often goes unnoticed until it’s so pronounced. Keeping up with your scheduled dental appointments allows our family dentist in SW Calgary to notice and counteract this dental issue before it goes out of hand.

What Are the Causes of Receding Gums?

Some factors can bring about gum recession. Here are some of the common causes of receding gums:

• Plaque accumulation along the gum line
• Dental trauma or an injury to the gum tissue
• A tendency to brush too vigorously and to use a toothbrush with hard bristles
• Smoking
• Having tongue or lip piercings that rub against the gum tissue continuously, causing inflammation or irritation to the gum tissue
• Chewing tobacco
• Misaligned teeth and other orthodontic issues such as crooked teeth
• Poor oral hygiene practices
• Periodontal disease. This is among the leading cause of gum recession
• Genetic predisposition
• Bruxism and clenching teeth
• Aging
• Ill-fitting dentures

How Can You Prevent Receding Gums?

Gum recession is a preventable dental health issue. This means that you have the power to protect and safeguard yourself and your loved ones against the perils of this dental issue. Unfortunately, once your gums recede, they cannot naturally grow back to be like they were before; however, they are certain ways to prevent the dental issue from progressing or getting far, much worse.

Here are seven ways you can prevent gum recession from progressing:

1. The Role of Diet In Preventing Receding Gums

Your diet plays a fundamental role in promoting healthy gums. Eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet will help improve and maintain your gums. For instance, crunchy fruits and vegetables are excellent in removing plaque and food particles that can accumulate along the gum line and lead to recession.

They are packed with vitamins and nutrients that promote good gum health. On the other hand, opting to eat sugary and acidic foods can lead to further gum recession. This is because bacteria thrive in an acidic environment, and this can cause gum irritation and further recession.

2. Good Oral Hygiene Habits to Prevent Receding Gums

Good oral hygiene habits involve brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes after meals and flossing your teeth once a day. This will help prevent plaque buildup along the gum line that can cause periodontal disease, which is the root cause of gum recession.

You should also consider getting dental cleanings in Calgary as part of your oral hygiene program. These scheduled cleanings ensure that any plaque buildup is removed before it can bring about gum recession.

3. Brush Gently

Brushing too vigorously using a hard bristled brush is one of the habits that promote gum recession. You should get a soft-bristled brush and gently brush your teeth, tongue, and along the gum line at a 45-degree angle using circular motions.

4. Seek Orthodontic Treatment Where Necessary

You may be more vulnerable to progressive gum recession if you have an orthodontic issue such as crooked or poorly aligned teeth. You should talk to our family dentist in SW Calgary about a suitable orthodontic treatment, such as braces, which can resolve the issue and prevent further gum recession.

5. Avoid or Cut Back On Smoking

Cigarettes contain nicotine which promotes gum recession and hinders any healing process on the gums. This can contribute to further gum recession.

6. Deal With Bruxism

Bruxism and clenching teeth are habits that can also lead to gum recession because of the pressure it puts on the teeth. A customized mouth guard will help eradicate this issue and improve your teeth and gum health.

7. See the Dentist Regularly

Aspire to keep your biannual dental appointments with our dentist in Calgary, SW, to ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy and strong. These appointments are the key to maintaining your oral health.

Contact us today at My Dental Clinic for receding gum treatment and prevention.