Why Not Smoking Can Improve Your Chances of Preventing Gum Disease

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trying to quit smokingHopefully, you don’t need any more reasons to not smoke, or to quit smoking if you already practice the habit. The risks to your health associated with tobacco use are well-known, and include an increased risk for most types of cancer, a weakened immune system that leaves you more susceptible to infection, and an inhibited ability to heal. Your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Kania, explains how the various effects of smoking also combine to significantly increase your risk of developing destructive gum disease.

The Forest in Your Mouth

Your mouth is an ecological forest that contains over 600 different kinds of bacteria. Some of these microbes are responsible for processes that, when left unchecked, can lead to gum recession and inflammation that damages your periodontal tissues and facilitate the development of gum disease. The majority of these bacteria, however, facilitate your mouth’s wellbeing by acting as a shield against harmful pathogens. Smoking can kill these helpful microorganisms, as well as inhibit your saliva flow and lead to dry mouth, creating a hospitable environment for malicious bacteria to multiply and thrive. (more…)

How a Smile Can Change a Bad Mood

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good mood smileIf you were told that your smile and your mood are related, your first thought might be, “Duh.” Smiling is a universal sign of happiness, openness, excitement, and a host of other positive emotions and moods. However, research suggests that smiling doesn’t just reflect your mood; it might actually affect it, as well. Your Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explores the influence that a smile can have on your mood, and vice versa.

Examining Smiles and Dispositions

There are countless clichés about smiling, such as “smile and the world smiles with you.” Actually, that one has proven the subject of research across the globe into the relationship between smiling and emotion. In the search to discover whether we smile because we’re happy, or we’re happy because we smile, studies suggest that the visual expression of happiness can actually trigger the same emotion in those who witness it. In one trial, participants were asked to look at photos of varying expressions, including smiling, frowning, and neutral faces. While looking at smiling pictures, the participants had trouble forming frowns on their own faces. (more…)

San Diego Periodontist Discusses Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

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warning signMuch of dentistry’s advancement has focused on improving early detection, which can drastically increase your chances of successful, noninvasive treatment. For instance, digital x-rays provide clearer, more concise images than traditional X-ray film and allow for much earlier detection of pathological changes that could signal disease. However, good old fashioned diligence can still play a vital role in maintaining your oral health. San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explains a few of the signs that can warn you of impending danger, but that you might miss if you’re not careful.

Early Detection at Home

Sensitive and/or loose teeth

Sudden, intense toothaches may leave little doubt that your tooth is in trouble, but what about the dull ache that comes and goes at times, sometimes barely even bothering you? Tooth sensitivity can occur for a number of reasons and to varying degrees, such as when gum recession exposes your tooth’s roots. If ignored, receding gums can become significant defects, and can erode your tooth’s foundational support. If you don’t notice that your tooth hurts or is loose, or if you ignore the warnings, then your tooth is on the path to be lost. (more…)

What if Periodontal Disease Spread Throughout Your Body?

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bad breathFor some reason, your mouth is sometimes isolated from the rest of your body in many instances. Medical and dental insurances are separate, for example, and though periodontal disease (gum disease) affects over 80% of adults in America, people don’t often consider it a serious health issue. Nevertheless, the affliction is the number one cause of adult tooth loss, and when your gums or other oral tissues are diseased, the condition can have serious consequences for your physical wellbeing. Your Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explores the mechanisms that allow periodontal disease to become a threat to your systemic health, also known as the oral-systemic connection.

The Devil’s in the Details

You may be aware that an early sign of gum disease is known as gingivitis. When dental plaque, comprised of a myriad of oral bacteria, settles along your gum line, the germs it contains release toxins that irritate your gum tissue, causing your gums to lose their grip on your teeth and pull away (gum recession). The resulting periodontal pockets allow more germs to gather out of your toothbrush’s reach, but of special note is the germ Porphyromonas gingivalis. (more…)

San Diego Periodontist Explains Gum Grafting for Improved Support

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smile thumbs upYour gingival tissue, or gums, surround and protect your tooth roots and help support them as they erupt from your jawbone. Like a gasket in a motor, this seal is subject to wear and can begin to separate from your teeth for a number of reasons. When your gums recede, the vulnerable roots underneath become exposed to bacteria and your gums can become susceptible to disease. In many instances of gum recession, a gum graft may be necessary to protect your teeth and gums from danger. Your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explains the problem of receding gums, and how a gum graft can preserve your smile’s integrity in the face of gum recession.

Understanding Gum Recession

Your gums can recede after a lifetime of use from foreign material (dental restorations), or from trauma. One common reasons behind gum recession is the onset of gingivitis—the first stage of gum disease. When oral bacteria form plaque to stick to your teeth and along your gum line, the microbes release toxins that irritate your gums and damage the connective tissue that holds them to your teeth. As your gums recede, small spaces called periodontal pockets form that allow more bacteria to gather, exacerbating the destruction of your gingival tissue.  Aggressive toothbrushing and abrasive toothpastes increase recession. (more…)

The New Fight Against Gum Disease: Dr. Kania Talks LANAP

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say ahhDid you know that over 80% of adults are affected by periodontal (gum) disease to some degree? Even more alarming is the fact that over 95% of those afflicted are not being treated for their condition, which is the number one cause of adult tooth loss in America. In our last article, we discussed the dangers of unchecked gum disease, and how the destructive oral condition can wreak havoc with your oral health if not dealt with swiftly. As part of our dedication to providing our patients with advanced gum disease treatment, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explains how lasers and the LANAP protocol can help restore healthy gum tissue and remove the destructive bacterial infection to allow your gums to heal.

An Underlying Problem

Gum disease begins with excessive bacterial plaque buildup, particularly along and underneath your gum line. Brushing and flossing your teeth is meant to control this buildup, but missing a spot now and then is only human. In addition, individual immune response plays a role in disease activity.  (more…)

How Much Do You Know About Your Periodontal Disease?

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hmmmYou probably know that brushing and flossing your teeth helps you prevent tooth decay, but do you know the best methods for preventing gum disease? Actually, brushing and flossing is your main defense against that, too, but the mechanisms behind gum disease, or periodontal disease, are different than those of tooth decay, and knowing the difference is important to preserving your smile’s foundation. For instance, while a toothache can tell you when decay has a hold of your tooth, there are other signs you should be wary of that tell you when gum disease becomes a threat. To help stay vigilant against the attack on your gums, take our brief quiz below, provided by your Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, and beef up your knowledge about periodontal disease.

The Periodontal Disease True/False Quiz!

1.) Periodontal disease is the number one cause of adult tooth loss in America.

True—Unlike tooth decay, which directly attacks your teeth, periodontal disease attacks the gingival tissue and jawbone structure that support your teeth. Left unchecked, the disease takes away your mouth’s ability to retain your natural teeth, resulting in varying degrees of tooth loss. (more…)

Comprehensive Periodontal Therapy with Your San Diego Periodontist

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healthy gums smileThe soft periodontal tissue that surrounds and seals the roots of your teeth is a vital component of your oral health. Since tooth roots aren’t covered by the strong protective enamel that surrounds a healthy tooth’s crown, your gums are their main defense against the harmful bacteria that can threaten your oral health. Unfortunately, this seal is vulnerable to bacterial infection and disease in the midst of inadequate dental hygiene, and if not treated, your smile’s foundation can lose its ability to retain your teeth. Luckily, your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, is an expert in your periodontal health, and can help preserve your teeth and the health of your gums through comprehensive periodontal therapy.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

As destructive as periodontal disease can be, preventing its development is not complicated. Brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day is vital to controlling the buildup of dental plaque, which is formed by masses of oral bacteria, but the daily routine isn’t sufficient to prevent periodontal disease alone. Your regular dental cleaning allows your dentist or hygienist to more thoroughly remove any plaque you may have missed, and plaque’s calcified form, tartar. It also allows for a thorough inspection of your mouth for signs of trouble. The good news is that, while prevention is the best medicine against periodontal disease, early detection is the next best thing. (more…)

San Diego Periodontist Discusses Gum Disease and Tooth Loss

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gums and teethDid you know that periodontal (gum) disease is the number one cause of adult tooth loss in America? Unlike tooth decay, which directly attacks your tooth’s structure, periodontal disease attacks the structures that support your teeth, namely your periodontal tissue, or gums, and jawbone. By staying vigilant, however, you can detect gum disease in its earliest stage, gingivitis, and prevent the destruction that commonly leads to tooth loss. San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, examines how periodontal disease can cost you your teeth, how to detect the disease before it causes irreversible damage, and how to preserve your oral health in the case that gum disease claims one or more teeth.

Silently Destroying Your Smile’s Foundation

Although tooth decay and gum disease are different in nature, they share similar humble beginnings—both stem from bacterial infections. The sticky substance that coats your teeth, called plaque, contains nearly 600 different kinds of oral bacteria. When plaque accumulates along your gum line, some of these germs release toxins that irritate your gum tissue and cause them to pull away from your teeth. More bacteria can crawl into the spaces between your gums and teeth, working silently to destroy the periodontal tissues, and eventually the jawbone structure, that support your teeth. (more…)

Encinitas Periodontist Explores the Popularity of Fluoride

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fluoride drinking waterWhen it comes to the health of your smile, prevention is priceless. Since most dental issues like tooth decay and gum disease are progressive, they only grow worse with time once they’ve developed. One of the more popular preventive tools in the fight against tooth decay is fluoride, which can be found in most modern toothpaste and dental care products. In fact, the benefits of the mineral are so well-known that fluoride treatments are a routine measure at your dentist’s office for patients with an increased risk of tooth decay. Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Kania, explores the popularity of fluoride in today’s dental care by explaining how it protects your teeth from disease.

Discovering the Complex Mineral

The first indications that fluoride could benefit your oral health began in the early 1900s as an odd observation by a young dental school graduate named Frederick McKay. In 1901, McKay opened his dental practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Upon his arrival, McKay was astonished to find that a large portion of the population sported prominent brown stains on their teeth. In some cases, the stains were severe enough to resemble the color of chocolate candy. After decades of research and the eventual collaboration of other interested professionals, McKay and his colleagues discovered that the stains were caused by the supply of fluoride in the drinking water. What astounded McKay and friends most, however, was that teeth afflicted with the brown deformity were strangely resistant to tooth decay. (more…)