A prophy is short for prophylaxis. A prophylaxis is a professional dental cleaning which is intended to prevent periodontal disease. For people who already have developed periodontal disease, supportive periodontal therapy (SPT), which is more complex than a prophy, is required at regular intervals. Today your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania discusses professional dental cleanings.
Dental Quiz
How do you think Americans rate with their dental care? It seems like in a highly developed country like the U.S. people would tend to their dental care significantly better than other countries. However, there are definitely differences on our own soil. See how up-to-date you are with dental care facts by taking your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania’s quiz below.
- T or F: A very small percentage of Americans skip their dental visits.
- T or F: Men go to the dentist more often than women do.
- T or F: The older the person, the more likely they are to visit the dentist.
- Higher wage earners visited the dentist more often than those at lower income levels.
- T or F: People in higher income brackets visited the dentist more consistently than those with lower incomes.
- T or F: Geography made a slight difference regarding attention to dental care, but not a lot.
- T or F: Single people visited the dentist more than married people.
- T or F: People who were separated from their spouse visited the dentist more often than single people.
- T or F: It is important to your overall health to visit the dentist at least once a year.
Answers:
- False: Since 2008, one out of every three Americans have been skipping their dental visits.
- False: Women visit the dentist twice as often as men do.
- True: People making $120,000 per year visited the dentist more than those making only $12, 000 per year.
- True: People with lower incomes visited the dentist less since 2008, while the number of visits for those with higher incomes remained consistent.
- True: There was only a 9 percent difference between people living in southern states and those living in the east.
- False: Single people visited the dentist less often than their married counterparts.
- False: People who were separated visited the dentist the least often compared to single and married participants.
- True: Everyone should visit the dentist at least once a year, but twice a year is ideal.
- True: According to a recent study, senior citizens visited the dentist most. People ages 30 to 44 visited the dentist slightly less than their older counterparts, and people ages 18 to 29 slightly less than the 30 and 40 year-olds.
About Your Encinitas Periodontist
To learn how to keep your smile healthy and beautiful so you can enjoy the benefits it offers, subscribe to this blog, and visit Dr. Kania for a consultation. As a board-certified periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania is specially qualified to diagnose and treat issues concerning periodontal tissue and the supportive structures of a patient’s smile, as well as place dental implants to restore teeth lost to dental disease or trauma. To seek Dr. Kania’s expertise, visit our office or contact us today at (760) 642-0711.
Implant Quiz
If you think dental implants are a recent discovery, think again. Dental implants date back to 600 A.D. and the Mayan civilization. You may wonder how they were performed. What tools were used? Take your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania’s true or false quiz below to find out.
Teens And Gum Disease
Do you think the reason your grandparents lost their teeth was because of old age? Not true. Gum disease is the first and foremost reason people lose their teeth. Here is something else you might not know. Teens can develop gum disease. Because it takes time for gum disease to develop most people don’t show signs of the disease until their 30s, 40s, or later. However, teens can begin developing gum disease, or a milder form of the disease called gingivitis. To learn more about teens and gum disease contact your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania. Dr. Kania will be happy to explain the risks teens have of developing gum disease.
Are Your Gums And Heart Linked?
One of every two adults over the age of thirty in the U.S. has periodontal disease according to a new study. There has been a myriad of research establishing a link between periodontal disease and heart disease. This does not bode well for American adults. The largest study known to date to assess periodontal disease in patients with heart disease, has shown a link between the two diseases, as well. If you are experiencing tender, swollen, or bleeding gums, now is the time to visit your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, for a complete oral evaluation. Dr. Kania can explain the link between periodontal disease and other systemic diseases.
How Is Gum Disease Diagnosed?
We don’t often think about our gums unless they ache or bleed. Like our teeth, we sometimes take them for granted. But we’ve come to realize through research that our gums are very important to our health. We take care of our overall health by seeing our physician for regular check-ups. Because periodontal disease (gum disease) can affect the results of our check-ups, we need to take care of our teeth and gums just as diligently as we take care of the rest of our body. Your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, is a trained periodontist, and will be happy to explain the link between periodontal disease and other systemic diseases.
Diet And Dental Health
Diet and dental health go hand in hand. If you don’t eat nutritious foods your dentition won’t remain healthy. Without healthy dentition, you won’t be able to consume nutritious foods. You need a healthy bite and strong teeth to chew high protein foods, such as meat, greens, and beans. If you have sore gums, loose teeth, or are missing teeth, that can be difficult. Our teeth and gums need certain nutrients to remain healthy. If you are interested in learning more about nutrition and dental health, your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, is a trained periodontist, and can discuss a nutritious diet and the effects if will have on your teeth and gums.
Gum Grafting
The link between dental health and overall health has people looking in the mirror twice. How do your teeth and gums look? How do they feel? Are your gums bleeding, red, or swollen? Do they feel tender to the touch? Maybe they are pulling back from your teeth, or receding? Today people are interested in maintaining their overall health and looks, and because periodontal disease (gum disease) can mar both, periodontal plastic surgery is becoming a popular treatment option. If you have the symptoms of gum disease, your Encinitas, CA, periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania can counsel you regarding treatment.
Hormones and Gum Disease Linked for Some
Hormonal fluctuations and surges aren’t something you can directly control. Unfortunately, hormones cause side-effects throughout our lives. You may experience mood swings, bloating, blemishes, or any number of unpleasant emotional and physical manifestations of hormones in your years. You may not realize that dental health issues can also be linked to cyclical hormone changes – namely gum disease and other periodontal issues.
Hormonal Surges and Gum Disease
When a young woman hits puberty, estrogen and progesterone begin to ramp up production which can increase blood flow to gum tissues. This leads to an exaggerated response to plaque and tartar build-up. During menstrual cycles throughout a female’s reproductive years, salivary glands and gum tissues can become irritated and inflamed. Women who are prescribed progesterone-based birth control (more commonly known as the pill) sometimes experience puffy, swollen gums. During pregnancy, hormones and (more…)
Dental Implants and Oral Diseases
Losing one or more teeth is often the severe result of untreated oral diseases, like periodontitis, but it doesn’t mean the disease has run its course. Even if you replace your lost teeth, the oral disease that claimed them can still be a menace to your oral and overall health. As a skilled periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania has extensive experience dealing with complex oral diseases, as well as replacing lost teeth with innovative dental implants. As she warns, dental implant placement is only successful when your mouth is free of oral diseases, and maintaining your new smile relies on preventing an oral disease from returning. (more…)