Dentist Fairfield CA Blog

There are a few reasons why your gums can feel tender or be in pain while you are bushing your teeth.

The first is that you may not brush and floss your teeth often or well enough. If you are out of habit of these two things in your daily routine, your gums could become swollen and inflamed, causing them to hurt when touched, or even bleed. Fortunately, this comes with an easy fix. Just brush twice a day, floss once a day, and keep going. The longer and more regularly you brush your teeth and floss, the less inflamed your gums will become.

Another reason is if you have an infected tooth. If you have a toothache, you may have an infection near the root of the tooth, or close by. This can cause really sensitive gums around the area. Contact your dentist so they can diagnose the issue and help quickly. Root canals are sometimes needed, so don’t wait on that one.

A possible explantation to sensitive gums could be hormonal changes in your body. Strange right? Changes in the body like puberty, pregnancy, mensuration, and even menopause can change the blood flow to the gums and cause swollen, sensitive gums, that can be more likely to bleed. If you notice this during one of these times, contact your dentist so they can help treat you.

Overall, if you don’t brush your teeth often enough or with the proper technique, (and floss!) you are going to have gums that hurt when you do actually brush and floss in there. If enough time passes without doing what you need to be doing, it can lead to periodontal disease and other issues, so start brushing and flossing more to help reduce risk!

Pretty much all of the human race loves sugar. Pies, candy, chocolate, cookies, the list goes on and on. We know sugar isn’t great for our health because it can lead to diabetes, obesity, heart problems, etc. However, sugar can do more than just affect your physical health, it can mess with your oral health too. Drat! While treats are super yummy and should be enjoyed, we recommend eating it, with everything else, in moderation.

What does sugar to your teeth, gum, and overall oral health?

In simple terms, it causes cavities and tooth decay. In more of a detailed explanation, sugar is a fuel that bacteria in plaque uses as energy. After it’s used, the bacteria creates acid as an end product. That acid slowly build up and eat the enamel of the tooth, making holes, or cavities (dental caries) .

Unfortunately cavities can increase with age and sugar intake, the result also is not reversible. The younger generation is more at risk to get cavities from sugar than the older part of the population. According to actionsugar.org, “Plaque begins to build up on teeth only 20 minutes after we begin eating and if it is not removed effectively, tooth decay starts. People who regularly consume sugar have a higher risk of developing dental caries, particularly if the food they eat is sticky or consumed in between mealtimes. “

A couple ways to help lessen risk of cavities is to brush thoroughly twice a day, floss, reduce sugary snacks and drinks, and only eat sugary foods at mealtimes.

The recommendation from WHO ([WHO | World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/)) is for sugar intake to be kept below 5-10% our total energy (food) consumption.

Remember that this type of sugar is not connected to foods like whole fruits, or naturally occurring sugar. We are talking about added sugars!

A huge thing trending right now is Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). That thing that smells and tastes awful? Yup! Many people drink it and claim it can help them lose weight, kill of harmful bacteria in the gut, detoxify etc. It also can whiten teeth and much more! Can it hurt your teeth though? Let’s dig a little deeper.

Apple Cider Vinegar is used to clean and disinfect things like counter tops. Its vinegar properties allow it to kill off pathogens, which is bacteria that causes disease and illness. That’s a great thing, right?

But what about your teeth and mouth? It has been proven to have abilities to bleach, or whiten teeth because of the vinegar property in it. Undiluted ACV can help your teeth look white, but over time can cause the enamel of your teeth to soften.

Enamel is the white part of the tooth. It has no living cells, so it can’t grow back if it gets eaten or destroyed. Undiluted ACV is acidic on the pH scale, about a 2.5-3. Water is the neutral pH, at 7! The acid in it is what causes the damage to the tooth enamel.

Now that doesn’t really mean you can’t use it for health benefits. If you are going to use ACV, consult a doctor and/or dentist to see how they recommend to use it for specific purposes, like teeth whitening. Always remember to dilute it with water. This way the pH balance is a lot less acidic, helping to not eat away enamel as much.

Bottom line is sure, use it, if you use it right! It has good cleaning and detoxifying properties, as well as whitening your teeth! But always dilute it and use it properly if you’re putting in in your body. Always talk to health experts if you have questions, like our dentist, Dr. Mark Warner!

Who wants to add one more thing to their everyday oral routine? No one really wants to, but this blog post hopefully will sell you on using mouthwash regularly.
Pros of mouthwash include:
1. Canker sores: yes is hurts to use mouthwash when you have a canker sore, but it is because it is detoxifying that area! The rinse reduces the number of bacteria that can bother the sore. After a few days of rinsing with mouthwash, the canker sore should feel better and be reduced.
2. Gum Disease Warrior: Antibacterial mouthwash can help your mouth with periodontal disease, or gum disease. It helps to kill off germs and bacteria that cause these problems, and some of them even add protection throughout the day.
3. Cavity Protectant: Some of us may feel like we always have a cavity when we go to the dentist. It’s so embarrassing! Consider using a mouthwash with fluoride in it. Rinsing your mouth with fluoride (not swallowing it!) can be a protectant from cavities and tooth decay.

These are only a few of the good things mouthwash does, apart from helping your breath smell better! Rinsing everyday or so can help keep the bad bacteria away that comes from easting and chewing food. However, don’t think this can replace brushing and flossing! It is there for added protection and health benefits, not to take away brushing your teeth, sorry for the bad news!

A few good mouthwashes approved by the ADA (American Dental Association) are:
1. Listerine Total Care Zero Anti-cavity Mouthwash
2. Listerine Smart Rinse
3. TheraBreath Fresh Breath Oral Rinse
4. Listerine Gum Therapy
5. WinCo Foods Antiseptic Mouth Rinse
6. Kirkland Signature Ice Mint Antiseptic Mouth Rinse
7. Equate Mint Anti-cavity Fluoride Rinse
8. Kirkland Signature Ice Mint Antiseptic Mouth Rinse
9. ACT Kids Anti-cavity Fluoride Rinse
10. TopCare Kids (and normal) Anti-cavity Fluoride Rinse

The two may not seem like they have any similarities or connections, but there is more brewing under the surface than you might think.
For those that have depression, anxiety, or any other mental health hardship, stress if often present in everyday life. When stress is abundant, the hormone cortisol levels are higher than what is considered average or normal. While cortisol is good in the normal regulation, with abundant levels, it can do more harm than good. It’s been proven to weaken the immune system, leaving people more vulnerable to disease and conditions in the mouth, like gingivitis and periodontitis.
Another connection is that those that have higher stress, depression, and/or anxiety may have a harder time focusing on things that don’t feel important in the moment, like oral health.
People with depression may only brush once in a while and/or skip the semi-annual cleaning and other dentist appointments, leading to even more oral problems. In addition, there are some medications out there that can cause complications like dry mouth, leaving food harder to get out and increasing cavity risk. Some with severe anxiety are more subject to this, canker sores, or even teeth grinding.
Even if these normal oral habits are not in your everyday routine right now, we can get you back to good oral health. The first step is to brush twice a day, and floss daily. Once that basic routine is mastered again, work on getting to the dentist if you haven’t been there in a while. We are there to help. If you need tips or guidance for your specific needs, don’t hesitate to call and we will do all we can to get you to top-health in the oral department! Don’t lose hope, it’s never too late to help your teeth!

While there are a few of us out there that floss the recommended amount of times a day, or even more, most of us floss irregularly at best. In a survey given by the American Dental Association in 2017, it was shown that only 16% of Americans floss the recommended one time a day. 20% said they floss only when they need to, like when something is stuck in between teeth, and 8% claimed they never floss. Some reasons stated for this, was because it takes too much time, it can hurt, and some even said because it was gross. When asked if they ever fib about how much they floss to the dentist, 44% said they did!
Flossing can feel time consuming when it is added on to already bushing your teeth for two minutes each time. When done right, it can take time, but it’s so worth the extra minute or so.
What happens when you don’t floss?
First off, your risk for gum disease and cavities increases. Think about it, when you brush, the toothbrush can only get the outside of the teeth, but the in-between makes up a lot of surface area that isn’t even getting touched. That floss gets the tough to reach spots that bristles simply can’t. Your breath would smell worse if you didn’t floss too! So if you already don’t floss, your breath really is taking a hit. Another affect you may not know could happen is that when food is left in between teeth, your teeth can shift! Those expensive braces you had as a teenager? Those can’t stop your teeth from moving if you give them a reason to!
Is it too late to start now?
You may be thinking, “Wow, I really need to change my ways!”, and you are right! Flossing can be done at most stages at life, and continue until you die! It may hurt, like the survey mentioned, but over the course of a few days, that pain should lessen. There may be blood, since your gums are sensitive and there’s a chance of tartar buildup. Just know that the pain and the blood will go away over time. You will see the benefits and feel a clean mouth. Now you don’t have to lie to the Dentist when they ask you about your flossing habits!