It has been such a busy summer so far! We are enjoying the longer days and warmer weather. Dr. Johnson got a new puppy. Her name is Joelle. She is a Drahthaar. She is growing quickly and likes to get into trouble. Sometimes she makes a guest appearance at the office.
She is a sweetie!
At Johnson Dental, we have had so many patients come in lately who have a serious dental fear. Dental phobia is more common than you might think. I would say that 60-70% of people who call in on their first call describe anxiety when going to the dentist. Sometimes it comes from a previous experience and sometimes it is unexplained. People describe not liking the sounds or smells in a dental office. Many times, just calling the dental office and the anticipation of actually coming in is more than people can take.
We really try to be sensitive to this. Sometimes, if we feel a patient has a high level of fear, we will schedule a meeting first. It makes sense to allow someone to decide if they like us enough to let us even do any dentistry. We are a good fit for most patients.
We also offer Oral Conscious Sedation. So, if the patient feels they still can not relax enough for work to be done, we can make it even more comfortable by offering this option. Oral conscious sedation relaxes a patient enough that they are still able to answer questions but really have no connection to what is going on. People who have had it have little or no memory of the procedure.
If you know someone or if you suffer from dental fear, please give us a call. We can make this comfortable for you so that you can have your necessary dental care.
Puppies make people happy, too. So I will include one more picture of Joelle just to end on a really cute note:
She has not even had sedation, just too much fun!
Happy Summertime,
Kristine
Did you know that gum disease is contagious? It's true. The bacteria can be tranferred in saliva. So if you are planning on kissing your Valentine, you could be giving more than love.
If you share utensils, drinking glasses, or if you have a cough, if you sneeze or like to kiss, you can transfer gum disease to other family members including children. How can you avoid this?
- Have your entire family evaluated for gum disease
- Follow through with periodontal treatment
- Follow up with your recare visits recommended by your hygienist. Sometimes more frequent recare is recommended because the bacteria can repopulate within 30 days.
- Make sure your hygienist is checking your gum health at each visit.
Did you know that 75% of tooth loss is from gum disease? It's true. Gum disease can also cause or complicate the following illnesses:
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Heart Disease
- Osteoporosis
- Pneumonia
- Pre-term births
- Reduces effectiveness of medications
Give the greatest gift this holiday: the gift of health. Arrange for your family visit your dentist this month.
I worked for a large natural retailer for about ten years and I had the BEST job within that company. It was so amazing! I was in charge of the beer, wine, coffee, cheese, chocolate and olive department. It was easy to get excited about going to work when wine and cheese tasting started at 7am and moved through the afternoon.
I placed wine orders on Tuesdays and the wine representative from the largest company I worked with would come in on Tuesdays, sometimes bringing twenty or so samples. His name was Chris. This was a great thing to get paid to do, except for one thing. Our "tasting room" was basically the place where we did the dishes. It was small and hot and steamy and Chris had breath that smelled like three day old road kill on a hot street in July. It was terrible. It was so bad, I was thinking that he could not possibly taste the wine. How could he detect the subtle nuances of vanilla that French oak imparted into the wines? How could he detect the creaminess of the malolactic fermentation on a California chardonnay with all of the bacteria in his mouth? I could barely stand to be in the hot, steamy tasting room with him and would often delegate the job to one of my employees. It was sad to give up free wine.
I had to do something for Chris. I debated back and forth about what to say and how to say it. I knew it was my responsibility to say something given my family history in dentistry and with the additional knowledge that provided me.
Ultimately, I told him he was my friend and I cared about him and asked him if anyone had ever told him he had bad breath before. To my surprise he said, "Yes, all the time."
"Does that concern you?" I asked.
"Not really," he said. "I have always had bad breath."
"Did you know that it is caused from bacteria?" I asked.
"No," he said.
"Yes," I said. "The same types of bacteria that are found in carcasses and feces. And all of that bacteria can complicate and cause systemic diseases such as diabetes and can increase your chances of a heart attack."
"Wow," he said. "I didn't know."
"I'm only telling you because I care about you. Especially since your profession involves interpersonal relationships with people who have a highly trained sense of smell," I said.
I left the company shortly thereafter. Reports from my old team were that Chris's breath did not improve that much. But at least I did my part to help stop the stink. It was not an easy thing to do, but I feel better that I did it.
Transitory Bad Breath is usually caused by food that you eat such as garlic or onions.
Chronic Bad Breath is the long lasting type that makes people wince.
Bad breath is caused by bacteria building up in the mouth. The crevices in your tongue harbor a lot of bacteria and if not brushed or scraped properly, can become the source of very bad mouth odor.
If you have gingivitis or periodontal disease, you will harbor a lot more bacteria than usual. Bacteria constantly reproduces in your mouth and keeping it at bay requires diligence, the right tools and regular dental visits. Some people are more at risk for bad breath than others. Certain medicines can dry out your mouth. Since saliva keeps bacteria under control, in a dry mouth, bacteria reproduces much more quickly.
Smoking and alcohol can give you bad breath. Ironically, many commercial mouth rinses contain large amounts of alcohol, which dries out your mouth and causes bad breath! Make sure you read the label and use mouth wash that contains no alcohol.
How can you fix bad breath?
Practice Regular dental hygiene Brush your teeth twice a day, preferably three times a day, and floss, too! And don’t forget to scrape that tongue. That’s where most of the bacteria that cause bad breath live.
Drink plenty of water Throw back at least eight glasses of water a day. You can’t make saliva if you are not well hydrated. Cut down on coffee, which not only gives you “coffee breath” but stains your teeth as well.
Change your diet Some foods are tougher for your body to break down than others. Beans, onions and garlic produce gases that cause bad breath. Eat more fresh fruits and veggies. Carrots and apples naturally help to clean out your teeth and your breath.
Change your mouthwash Select an alcohol free mouthwash and use it regularly.