Losing teeth is a problem that many people face, or will face, and that has longer-lasting consequences than you might realize. In addition to the visual effects, tooth loss leaves a void in your oral structures that influences how the rest of your teeth work. However, since these effects can take years before they become apparent, we help you understand them now so you can take steps to preserve your smile, either by preventing tooth loss, or by replacing lost teeth with one or more dental implants. (more…)
Are Toothaches a Symptom of Periodontal Disease?
Several things can warn you of impending periodontal disease. If your gums are red or swollen, or appear darker in some areas than normal, you might have cause to worry. The more periodontal disease progresses, the more symptoms you’ll exhibit, and in time, it may even cause your teeth to ache (even though it doesn’t directly affect your tooth structure). Unlike a cavity, however, which might exhibit tooth sensitivity as one its earliest symptoms, toothaches related to periodontal disease typically mean that the condition has advanced beyond its initial stages. (more…)
Questions About Laser Periodontal Therapy
As a periodontal expert, Dr. Kania’s goal is more than just treating your periodontal issues, but doing so in a way that offers the most comprehensive solutions, with minimal discomfort and inconvenience to you. When it comes to treating mild, moderate, or severe periodontal disease, conservative treatment may involve the use of a soft-tissue laser rather than more traditional, and often more invasive, treatment methods. Through laser periodontal therapy, your San Diego periodontist can help restore your oral health with more precision, increased comfort, and a much higher chance of long-term success. (more…)
Make Good Hygiene More Effective
Good hygiene is one of the earliest skills we learn, besides eating. It’s also one of most-consistently important routines we engage in. Yet, the tenets of continuing good hygiene aren’t always fully understood, and you might not realize that what you do throughout the rest of the day could negate the care you give your teeth and gums at the sink. With a little extra care in your daily routines, however, you can help make your good hygiene practices more effective, with longer-lasting benefits. (more…)
Is Bad Breath Trying to Tell You Something?
Bad breath can say a lot, and usually, its message isn’t a good one. To eliminate bad breath and the embarrassment that can go with it, you have to understand what’s causing it and address the problem at its root. For some patients, that might mean simply improving their hygiene practices, while for others, it might require more involved professional treatment.
How Breath Goes Bad
POOR HYGIENE
The most common reason for chronic bad breath is poor hygiene. More specifically, the bacteria that accumulate in your mouth when you don’t brush and floss your teeth well enough. Some these germs, particularly the ones that like to gather on your tongue, release sulfur gases that can overwhelm your mouth and breath. (more…)
Not Happy? Try Smiling More
Are you under the impression that smiling is an involuntary physical response to feeling happy? This would make sense. What if you reversed the equation, however? Believe it or not, the act of smiling can give you a release of endorphins in the brain that is similar to eating chocolate. So, instead of sinking deeper into feeling blue, Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, wants you to consider smiling more when life gets you down.
Fascinating Smile Studies
There have been many university studies on the power of smiles to predict the future successes and well-being of individuals. Here are a few:
- Researchers at Wayne State University compiled baseball cards to find out how the qualities in each player’s smile related to their longevity. Better, happier, healthier smiles correlated with longer lives.
- At UC Berkeley, yearbook photos were the focus for tracking the health, success, and quality of life reported by previous students. The more wide and natural a smile was on a graduate, the more success they were likely to have in marriage and career.
- Scientists in the United Kingdom instituted a study focused on the therapeutic effects of smiling. The power of one single smile from study volunteers elicited the same feelings of happiness you would feel if you were told you had won $25,000 in the lottery. Blood pressure was even lowered from smiling in this research.
Research Linking Gum Disease to Alzheimer’s Patients
New York University is among a long list of sites for research where evidence of oral-systemic health is consistently unraveled a bit more, year after year. Scientists at NYU believe that periodontal disease (gum disease) can increase the risk of lowered cognitive function in the elderly (commonly seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients). Much evidence has been uncovered throughout several years linking periodontal infection to a multitude of health issues which are most often seen in later years of life– heart disease, diabetes, strokes. Encinitas dentist, Dr. Ann Kania, will explain the details of a particular NYU research study which pinpoints gum inflammation having a link to brain inflammation.
Alzheimer’s and Gum Disease
Dr. Angela Kamer was an Assistant Professor of Periodontology & Implant Dentistry at NYU when the research took place. Dr. Kamer led a research team in examining over 20 years of collected data supporting a clear potential link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s . “The research suggests that cognitively normal subjects with periodontal inflammation are at an increased risk of lower cognitive function compared to cognitively normal subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation,” says Dr. Kamer. This research is backed up by studies, including another led by Dr. Kamer back in 2008. The plasma of subjects with (more…)
Missing Teeth? Learn About Dental Implants
Just like losing teeth, replacing teeth isn’t always as simple as it may seem. Besides looking natural, your replacement teeth are also responsible for restoring your teeth’s functions, and must be strong and stable enough to do so. Dental implants, which are small, biocompatible titanium posts, aren’t designed to reinvent the concept of prosthetic dentistry, but rather improve it by providing replacement teeth with the support that natural teeth possess—roots. Whether you’ve recently lost teeth or wish to improve your current dental bridge or denture, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, recommends learning more about the benefits of dental implants. (more…)
3 Ways to Help Yourself Prevent Tooth Loss
The search for an ideal way to replace lost teeth is one of dentistry’s oldest endeavors. For instance, dentures were popular long before standards of dental hygiene were suggested. Though losing teeth has always been an issue, that doesn’t mean that humans were meant to lose their teeth as they grow older. The point of modern hygiene and dental care is to keep your teeth healthy, safe, and intact by preventing or combatting issues that can lead to tooth loss. To improve your chances of retaining your natural, healthy smile, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, examines three ways you can help prevent tooth loss. (more…)
What Is Laser Dentistry?
If you suffer from dental anxiety you may want to seek out a dentist who practices laser dentistry. The use of dental lasers can help make procedures less scary, more comfortable, safe, and fast. There are many common and rather uncommon dental procedures that lasers can be used to perform. Dentists who practice laser dentistry can provide a wide variety of procedures to their patients. There is hard-tissue laser dentistry and there is soft-tissue laser dentistry. In today’s blog, your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania discusses laser dentistry procedures.