How to Prevent Bleeding Gums

Do your gums often bleed from flossing?  Although this is a normal occurrence sometimes, here are many factors that could be causing your gums to bleed:

• Brushing too hard. Do you apply a lot of pressure when you brush your teeth? You shouldn’t have to dig into your mouth to clean your teeth. Ease up by switching your toothbrush to your non-dominant hand.
• Brushing incorrectly. If you brush your teeth using a back-and-forth motion, you’re doing it wrong. Brush up and down or in small circles to avoid irritating your gums.
• Using the wrong toothbrush. How firm are your toothbrush bristles? Most people should use soft-bristled toothbrushes. Try switching to see if it helps alleviate your discomfort.
• Not brushing/flossing often enough. Has it been a long time since you last brushed or flossed? If so, it could take about a week or so before your mouth is used to being scrubbed and prodded at. If this doesn’t take care of the bleeding schedule a dental appointment immediately as you may have an infection called Gingivitis or Periodontitis that needs to be treated right away.
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Natural looking dentures – is it possible?

Are you considering dentures, but worried friends and family will be able to tell immediately?  Here are some helpful items to consider from dentalhealthpress.com:

Have you ever met someone who you immediately knew was wearing dentures? Maybe the teeth were too big, too perfect, too straight or too white? Or maybe the dentures just didn’t fit and kept dropping down or sliding around when the person was talking or eating? An experience like this is often enough to discourage anyone from choosing dentures as the replacement for lost teeth. But it doesn’t have to be like that. These days dentures can be made to look so natural that only the trained eye can tell that they’re not your natural teeth. How?

Do you really want natural looking dentures?

First of all, you need to decide whether you really want natural looking dentures. If you don’t want anyone to notice that you exchanged your natural teeth for dentures, you will need to have your dentures made to look exactly like the original teeth with all their imperfections, such as miscolorations, cracks and visible fillings. Others decide that changing to dentures is their chance to get the teeth they always wanted. Although they might be happy with their perfect, white new teeth, this change will probably not go unnoticed by their friends and relatives. Others might find it unusual too, to see such a young looking set of teeth on a not so young looking person. Still others decide to go with with a set of dentures that is just slightly better looking than the original teeth. They reason that most people are not in the habit of studying other peoples' teeth so closely that they would notice small changes like that. Which is probably true.

How to get natural looking dentures

If you decide to go for the natural look, make sure that your dentist takes note of exactly how your original teeth look. If many teeth are already missing, bring a photo of yourself where you are smiling and thus showing off your natural teeth. This will also help the dentist see, not only what the dentures are supposed to look like, but also how the impression should be of your whole face when you are finally wearing the dentures. Dentures when worn should not be too tall or protruding, making it difficult to close your lips around them and they should not be so low that they never show when you smile. If you find that you suddenly have wrinkles around your mouth, especially at the corners is a sign that your dentures are too small or too low. If you’ve had dentures for a long time and start to experience these problems it is also a sign that your need to have your dentures refitted or maybe even changed.

Can periodontal disease cause premature birth?

Many pregnant mothers express worry over having their child prematurely.  Surely, this article from dentalhealthpress.com will help you understand the risks associated with periodontal disease.

Several epidemiological studies seem to support the theory that there is a link between periodontal disease in pregnant women and premature birth. For instance, one study suggested that pregnant women with periodontal disease are as much as seven times more likely to have babies that are born too early or have a relatively low birth weight.

Why does periodontal disease cause premature birth?

Although the connection between periodontal disease and premature birth seems clearly to be existing, researcher are still not certain about the reasons for this connection.

One theory is that periodontal disease triggers increased levels of the biological fluids that induce labor. In other words, the regulators that are supposed to send the message that birth is to begin are produced elsewhere in the body and the message is sent prematurely. Some of these regulators are called prostaglandins, and they can be produced by different diseases, among which is gum disease.

Another theory is that oral bacteria from the mother is transferred directly into the uterus, causing localized inflammation and adverse pregnancy outcome.

Maintain good oral health during pregnancy

Whatever the reason for the connection between gum disease and preterm birth, it is clear that it is crucial for pregnant mothers to maintain good oral hygiene through the whole pregnancy. Discomfort in connection with the pregnancy such as nausea may at times make it difficult to keep up the good oral hygiene habits from before the pregnancy, but with determination and good support from your dental health professional is it not impossible.

One advice that many pregnant mothers have benefitted from is to buy a toothbrush with soft bristles and a small head. If you suffer from nausea, a smaller toothbrush will make it easier to reach the teeth in the back of your mouth without causing too much discomfort. The soft bristles will also be more gentle on your gums, which might be extra sore during your pregnancy.

Some pregnant mothers experience more serious dental health problems during pregnancy, such as bleeding gums, loose teeth and bad breath despite frequent brushing. If you experience such problems, you might benefit from a visit to your dentist or dental hygienist. They can help evaluate the condition of your gums, make you aware of areas that you need to pay more attention to and teach you how to care for your own oral health and thereby the health of your baby.

Top 5 Signs Your Kids Need Orthodontic Treatments

If you have kids, you'll love this article from WorldDental.org:

If you have children, you know that kids are expensive. Between food, clothes, toys, music lessons and school supplies, you probably already spend more money than you want to. If this is the case, shelling out thousands of dollars for braces is probably the last thing you want to do. Before you make a decision on orthodontic treatments for your children, how can you know if they’re really necessary?

Crossbite
A crossbite can happen with just one tooth or a group of teeth. If your children seem to have one or more teeth that are too close to either the tongue or cheek, they could very well have a crossbite. The treatment for this varies, depending on the severity. However, the sooner it is corrected, the less expensive it will be for you.

Crowded Teeth
If your children complain about flossing, they could just hate the feeling of the floss in their mouth, but you should still check to see if their teeth are crowded. Teeth that are too close together can cause discomfort while flossing and are more likely to attract cavities.

Trouble Chewing
If your children’s teeth aren’t aligned right, you may notice them chewing their food on only one side of their mouth or swallowing food before it’s properly chewed. This can lead to complications and more problems down the road, so getting it taken care of soon is optimal.

Overbite or Underbite
If you think your children might be having trouble with the alignment of their teeth, ask them to give you a big smile. If a child’s lower jaw seems pretty far back compared to the upper jaw, they probably have an overbite. An underbite is when the lower jaw protrudes past the upper jaw. This is something that typically requires orthodontic work so it doesn’t get worse or affect other areas of the mouth.

Speech Impediment
While speech problems don’t necessarily come from teeth problems, they can. If you have trouble understanding your children sometimes and have to ask them to repeat themselves often, you may want to consider taking them to an orthodontist.
Irregular Loss of Baby Teeth

All kids lose their baby teeth at different times, but if you notice that one of your children seems to be losing his teeth early or late, it could indicate a problem. Also, pay attention to the rate at which your children are losing their baby teeth.

By taking your children to an orthodontist, their teeth will be healthier, and problems such as having a hard time eating or talking could be improved or fixed.

Anita is a freelance writer from Denver and often writes about family, health, home and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family when she isn’t writing. While many parents choose to take their children to an orthodontist for aesthetic purposes, the benefits of treatment go beyond appearance, says a Buford Orthodontist.