Dental Health

Good dental health is vital to maintaining a beautiful smile. Understanding proper oral hygiene is can help you avoid some of the most common dental health issues.

Common Dental Health Issues

At Vance Dentistry, our team of experts see a variety of common dental health issues. We work diligently to create a customized dental plan to address all of our patient’s dental issues and opportunities. We will help guide you on a path to ultimate dental and hygiene health.

Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is a preventable disease. While tooth decay may not endanger you, it can negatively impact your life.

When your teeth and gums are exposed to  starches and sugars, acids can begin to eat away at tooth enamel. Carbohydrate-rich foods such as candy, cookies, soft drinks and even fruit juices leave deposits on your teeth. Those deposits bond with the bacteria that normally thrive in your mouth and form plaque. The combination of deposits and plaque form acids that can damage the mineral structure of teeth, with tooth decay resulting.

Sensitive Teeth

Your teeth expand and contract in reaction to changes in temperature. Hot and cold food and beverages can cause pain or irritation to people with sensitive teeth. Over time, tooth enamel can be worn down, gums may recede or teeth may develop microscopic cracks, exposing the interior of the tooth and irritating nerve endings. Just breathing cold air can be painful for those with extremely sensitive teeth. 

Gum Disease

Gum disease, or periodontal disease,  can cause inflammation, tooth loss and bone damage. Gum disease begins with a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Gums in the early stage of disease, or gingivitis, can bleed easily and become red and swollen. As the disease progresses to periodontitis, teeth may fall out or need to be removed by a dentist. Gum disease is highly preventable and can usually be avoided by daily brushing and flossing. One indicator of gum disease is consistently bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth.

Bad Breath (Halitosis)

Daily brushing and flossing habits help prevent the build-up of food particles, plaque and bacteria in your mouth. Food particles left in the mouth deteriorate and cause bad breath. While certain foods, such as garlic or anchovies, may create temporary bad breath, consistent bad breath may be a sign of gum disease or another dental problem.

Another contributing factor to bad breath is your diet. Eating foods with high-sugar or protein content can cause bad breath. The bacteria that exists in your mouth can feed on sugars turning sweets into bad odors. Food that are high in protein can be difficult for your body to digest and tend to release sulfurous gases when they don’t metabolize.

The best solution is a well-balanced diet, which includes more vegetables and herbs.

Canker Sores

Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) are small sores inside the mouth that often recur. Generally lasting one or two weeks, the duration of canker sores can be reduced by the use of antimicrobial mouthwashes or topical agents, antiviral medications. The canker sore has a white or gray base surrounded by a red border.

Orthodontic Problems

A bite that does not meet properly (a malocclusion) can be inherited, or some types may be acquired. Some causes of malocclusion include missing or extra teeth, crowded teeth or misaligned jaws. Accidents or developmental issues, such as finger or thumb sucking over an extended period of time, may cause malocclusions.

How to Prevent Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is a progressive disease that results from the interaction of bacteria that naturally occur on the teeth and sugars in the everyday diet. Sugar causes a reaction in the bacteria, causing it to produce acids that break down the mineral in teeth, forming a cavity.

If this occurs, Dr. Vance removes the decay and fills the tooth using a variety of composite fillings, restoring the tooth to a healthy state. Nerve damage can result from severe tooth decay and may require a crown (a crown is like a large filling that can cap a tooth, making it stronger or covering it).

Dr. Vance and his team of experts encourage patients to avoid unnecessary decay by simply adhering to a strict dental hygiene regimen: brushing and flossing twice a day, regular dental check-ups, diet control and fluoride treatment. Practicing good oral hygiene avoids unhealthy teeth and costly dental treatments.

Innumerable studies and research have concluded on the importance of starting children early in their lives with good dental hygiene and oral care. According to research, the most common chronic childhood disease in America is tooth decay, affecting 50 percent of first-graders and 80 percent of 17-year-olds. Early treatment prevents problems affecting a child’s health, well-being, self-image and overall achievement.

The National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research estimates that children will miss 52 million hours of school each year due to oral health problems and about 12.5 million days of restricted activity every year from dental symptoms. Because there is such a significant loss in their academic performance, the Surgeon General has made children’s oral health a priority.

Parents are responsible for ensuring their children practice good dental hygiene. Parents must introduce proper oral care early in a child’s life—as early as infancy. The American Dental Hygiene Association states that a good oral hygiene routine for children includes:

• Thoroughly cleaning your infant’s gums after each feeding with a water-soaked infant cloth. This stimulates the gum tissue and removes food.
• Gently brushing your baby’s erupted teeth with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush and using a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste.
• Teaching your child at age 2 or 3 about proper brushing techniques and later teaching them brushing and gentle flossing until 7 or 8 years old.
• Regular visits with their dentist to check for cavities in the primary teeth and for possible developmental problems.
• Encouraging your child to discuss any fears they may have about oral health visits, but not mentioning words like “pain” or “hurt,” since this may instill the possibility of pain in the child’s thought process.
• Determining if the water supply that serves your home is fluoridated; if not, discussing supplement options with your dentist or hygienist.
• Asking your hygienist or dentist about sealant applications to protect your child’s teeth-chewing surfaces and about bottle tooth decay, which occurs when teeth are frequently exposed to sugary liquids.