Gum Disease and Low Birth Weight

Frightening new studies have shown that women who had gum disease during their pregnancy were an astounding 7 times more likely to have a low birth weight baby. While it may seem strange that your mouth could be so important, gum disease is in fact an infection, and any infection can have detrimental effects on a healthy weight for your newborn. The best way to avoid this is to talk to Dr. Watson as soon as you know you are pregnant so that he can test for any health problems that might affect your baby.

“Catching” Cavities

Your oral health decisions can still affect your baby even after they are born. Researchers now agree that one of the most common ways babies get cavities is by “catching” them from their mothers. Tooth decay, just like the common cold, can be spread from one person to another through contact with their saliva when sharing utensils or food or kissing on the mouth.

The teeth of infants are especially vulnerable as they begin to develop, which means it is one of the few times you can transfer cavities to them. All you have to do to protect your baby is keep from kissing them on the mouth. Instead, kiss them on the cheek or forehead, anywhere that won’t transfer your saliva to them. And don’t forget to keep your regular dental appointments with Jackson Center for Smiles, to make sure your teeth are cavity free!

Your Health is Important!

We know that there are thousands of things for new mothers to worry about, but a fool proof way to avoid these problems is to simply take care of yourself. Come in for your regular appointments, with our Jackson office, as well as all of your other doctors.

Also, be aware of the strong correlation between stress and the health of your mouth. It can cause canker sores, dry mouth, gum disease, teeth grinding, and a painful jaw condition known as TMD which can bring on headaches, earaches and clicking in your jaw.

We want all of the mothers in our practice to have happy, healthy  mouths!

No one likes morning breath. The good news is that Jackson Center for Smiles is here to help you if you or a loved one wants help! It’s an avoidable situation, and no one should be too embarrassed. Remember, morning breath happens to everyone sometimes!

Your breath stinks!

Does your whole family magically clear out of the kitchen when you come down the stairs? Has anyone ever called you “dragon breath” in the morning? Does your spouse shove an orange slice in your mouth when you yawn? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have morning breath.

We can’t claim to cure morning breath, but we hope that by educating Jackson residents about its causes and giving you some possible tips to help, we might save you from some holiday morning embarrassment. Dr. Watson wants you to concentrate on Christmas, not how badly your mouth smells.

Why is morning breath so stinky?

If you have read some of our previous blog posts, then you remember that the number one cause of bad breath is dry mouth. The less saliva present in your mouth, the more likely your breath is to stink. It creates a condition known as halitosis, which is simply a fancy word for bad breath.

The bad news for us is that our mouths often get very dry when we sleep, especially if we are the kind of people who breath through our mouths at night. You know how your tongue feels all dry and swollen when you wake up? Saliva flow decreases dramatically overnight, which leads to a stinky mouth in the morning.

Morning Breath Fixes

Although it may sound like a broken record coming from Dr. Watson, the best way to avoid morning breath is truly to take good care of your teeth. Brush and floss twice a day, and make sure one of those times is right before you go to bed, after you are done eating and drinking. Don’t forget to brush your tongue, where a majority of bad-breath-causing plaque resides.

Stay away from alcohol and tobacco products if you want to escape the dreaded morning breath. Avoid eating foods that you know make your breath smell, such as garlic and onions. Drink lots of water. If you wear dentures, be sure to remove them at night.

Keep your regular dental check-ups with our Jackson office, to make sure your morning breath isn’t related to a more serious problem like gum disease or diabetes.

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“Oral cancer” includes the classifications of mouth cancer, tongue cancer, tonsil cancer, throat cancer, and others. Unfortunately, unlike other cancers, its prevalence is not decreasing in our population, but increasing. Dr. Watson wants to change that for everyone in the Jackson area, and help us all live long, healthy lives.

This post is not meant to diagnose or treat anyone who has, or believes they may have, oral cancer. It is merely meant to serve as information. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office to learn more.

Oral Cancer Symptoms

Because oral cancer comes in so many varieties, there is a wide range of symptoms, and it is impossible to list them all here. However, some of the more common symptoms include:

• White or red patches on your lips, gums, tongue, or inside your cheeks
• Numbness or loss of feeling anywhere around your face, mouth or neck
• Difficulty swallowing, chewing, speaking, or moving your jaw or tongue
• Swelling, lumps, or bumps on your lips, gums, tongue, or inside your cheeks
• A change in the way your teeth or dentures fit together
• Hoarseness, chronic sore throat, or a change in your voice

Oral Cancer Risk Factors

There are many risk factors for oral cancer, but they don’t always determine who contracts the disease. However, risk factors can still be helpful in determining who should keep an extra eye out for symptoms. Risk factors for oral cancer include:

• Tobacco use, whether through smoking, dip, snuff, or chewing tobacco
• Excessive consumption of alcohol
• Family history of cancer
• Excessive sun exposure
• Exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV), also known as genital warts

Oral Cancer Treatment

If you think you or someone you love may have oral cancer, please contact Jackson Center for Smiles today. We will schedule an appointment for a quick, evaluation that will help you understand your specific situation.

If any of these symptoms or risk factors apply to you, don’t hesitate. Oral cancer has encouragingly high survival rates if detected and treated early, so make an appointment today!

Dr. Watson and our office are here to answer any questions you may have about acid erosion. We hope to give everyone in Jackson the chance to prevent acid erosion before it starts, and diagnose and treat the damage already in their mouths. We want your teeth to be as healthy as possible, so at your next visit with our Jackson Center for Smiles staff be sure to bring up any issues you have with your mouth!

What is Acid Erosion?

Every substance that you put in your mouth, including anything you eat or drink, has a pH level that changes how it affects your teeth. If the pH level is lower than 6, the food or drink is classified as acidic, and it will trigger dental erosion in your mouth.

When you drink or eat acidic things, they start to wear away the enamel that protects your teeth. Soon, the sensitive parts of your teeth are exposed, and they can hurt when they come into contact with hot or cold substances. This can also lead to a general “toothache” or pain when chewing.

Causes of Acid Erosion

The worst attackers of tooth enamel are drinks, because they tend to sit in your mouth for a lot longer than foods and often take a while to consume, like when you sip a soda for an hour after dinner.

So which drinks are the worst? Soft drinks and juices are the hardest on your teeth enamel. These beverages are the most acidic for a variety of reasons, and should be consumed wisely to prevent permanent damage to your teeth. If you do consume soft drinks or juice, try not to sip them over a long period of time, and drink water afterwards to wash the acidity out of your mouth.

Tooth Enamel Loss

The big deal with acid erosion is that the loss of tooth enamel is permanent.  Once your teeth are damaged, there is no way for us to “regrow” your enamel. What we can do, is take steps to protect your teeth from further erosion, and ease any discomfort your tooth enamel loss may have caused.

Here at Jackson Center for Smiles, we would love to help you learn how to take great care of your teeth, and we want to make it as easy for you as possible. If you think you may have acid erosion or tooth enamel loss, call our Jackson office today to learn more!

What may seem like a healthy alternative to soda or energy drinks often really contains an acidic pH level that leads to tooth erosion. They also, like many other drinks, have unhealthy amounts of sugar. The best thing to do is drink it relatively quickly instead of slowly sipping it and exposing your teeth even longer to the chemicals.

2) Pepto-Bismol

This pink stomach medicine can sometimes have a strange side effect of turning both your tongue and the surface of your teeth black. The weird reaction comes from a chemical compound that changes color if exposed directly to the tongue, instead of with water. If this happens to you, don’t panic! It can be avoided or fixed by simply brushing your teeth or, for serious incidents, getting a cleaning from Dr. Watson

3) Over-whitening

Some scientists are still debating this phenomenon, but many feel that the harsh chemicals can thin out your enamel and cause your teeth to become more porous, which actually makes them look dingier. Even if this claim turns out to be false, no one likes glow-in-the-dark teeth, so practice moderation and get a consultation with Dr. Watson if you’re not sure.

4) Cranberry Juice

This and other dark-colored juices contain a lot of pigment which can stain and yellow teeth. They also have a lot of sugar to sweeten its naturally bitter taste, and that is never good for teeth. Try drinking out of a straw, following it up with water, or switching to white cranberry juice.

5) White Wine

Although everyone knows that red wine can stain your teeth, new studies show that white wine can actually do more damage. The chemicals can strip away your enamel and darken your teeth, especially if followed by other staining things like coffee or tea. Avoid brushing your damaged teeth for 20-30 minutes after drinking wine; just swish with water. If you think you may have tooth damage from white wine, schedule a consultation with Dr. Watson to check.

February is American Heart Month, where health care providers across the country unite to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease: the leading cause of death in the United States. Dr. Watson wants all Jackson residents to know about the link between poor oral hygiene.

Jailbreak Bacteria

When you eat or drink, your mouth becomes populated with the bacteria that cause plaque. This sounds gross, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. As long as you take care of your teeth, brush and floss them every day, the plaque will be regularly cleaned and won’t cause problems.

However, if bacteria accumulate in your mouth they irritate your gums, causing them to bleed. The bacteria then “jailbreak” into your bloodstream, where they can create blood clots. If these clots travel to your heart, they greatly increase your risk of heart attack.

Heart Disease Statistics

Unfortunately, most of us know a friend or family member in Jackson who has died of heart disease or a stroke; these conditions account for one out of every three deaths in our country.

Each year, Americans have more than 2 million heart attacks and strokes, and Dr. Watson wants to work with family doctors, to lower these numbers in our area.

Decrease Your Risk of Heart Attack

There are many ways to keep your heart healthy:

• watch what you eat
• check your blood pressure
• monitor your cholesterol
• exercise regularly
• see your doctor every year

We want everyone in Jackson to remember the importance of adding oral check-ups to this heart healthy regimen. Brush your teeth twice a day, floss every day, and just pay attention to what your mouth is telling you.

Everyone deserves to live a long, healthy life, and we hope American Heart Month will help you learn more about how Jackson Center for Smiles can help you do that!

No one wants to worry about their breath, especially not when you should be relaxing with a loved one. Our Jackson Center for Smiles staff will help in any way we can, and we thought a good start would be some tips about how to figure out if you have bad breath, where bad breath comes from, and what to do about bad breath.

Do I Have Bad Breath?

It can be really difficult to figure out if your breath is fresh or not. There are a number of little tricks you can try, but they aren’t very accurate in the long run. The best way really is to ask someone close to you.

It may seem scary to ask someone about your breath, but isn’t it better to know and work to fix it, then to not know and always wonder?

Causes of Bad Breath

Dry Mouth. If you’ve read our Dry Mouth blog post, you’ll know that this is the number one cause of bad breath. Saliva cleans your mouth as it circulates, getting rid of odor-causing bacteria. Our Jackson team has many ways to help with dry mouth, but the immediate solution is simple: drink more water!

Food. Everyone knows that onions and garlic make breath have a distinctive odor and this may not be exactly what you’re going for on your big, romantic night. Try bringing a toothbrush and toothpaste with you on your big date so that you can clean your teeth discreetly after you finish dinner.

Tobacco. Whether it’s smoking or chewing, tobacco interferes with your natural saliva production and very quickly leads to bad breath. Try staying away from tobacco during your date, or brushing your teeth as quickly as possible when you are finished.

Fixing Bad Breath

You’ve heard us say it before, and we’re going to say it again: the best way to maintain the beauty and health of your teeth is a consistent oral hygiene routine. If you have any questions, check out our oral hygiene page.

Chronic Bad Breath

If bad breath is a consistent problem for you or one of your loved ones, it could be an indication of a more serious health issue. Please be sure to mention it to our dental staff, either at your next appointment or by calling us with your concerns. Jackson Center for Smiles is always here to help you!

Dr. Watson wants to make sure you understand why the alignment of your teeth is such a big deal, and the options you have to fix any problems you may have. Always be sure to bring up any questions you may have with our Jackson dental staff, whether you have an appointment or call us up on the phone.

Are Your Teeth Aligned?

Malocclusion is when teeth are not aligning properly, and it can be caused by a number of things both in and out of your control. Often, malocclusion is hereditary, which means if your parents’ teeth didn’t align properly, chances are yours won’t either. This could be from the shapes of your jaws, overcrowded or unevenly spaced teeth, or an abnormal bite pattern.

Changes in your mouth can also have a dramatic effect on the alignment of your teeth. These can include:

• Loss of teeth, naturally or through extraction
• Chipped teeth
• Jaw injury
• New fillings, crowns, bridges, or dental appliances
• Braces or retainers
• Tumors of the mouth or jaw

Malocclusion Symptoms

Most people have some degree of misalignment in their teeth, but it doesn’t always cause problems. The Jackson Center for Smiles staff will always check to make sure everything looks right, and you should make sure to let us know if you have any pain or discomfort.

Symptoms of malocclusion include tooth pain, jaw pain, sensitivity to cold or heat, discomfort while biting or chewing, jaw popping, and mouth breathing due to an improperly closing mouth.

Align Your Bite

If Dr. Watson discovers that your bite is not aligned and that it is causing problems for you, there are a number of options available to fix the issue. A simple light filing of protruding points may get rid of any pain or discomfort, or we may readjust any new dental work you have in your mouth. In more troublesome cases, we might recommend braces or other appliances to straighten your teeth. The treatment for your mouth depends on your individual variables, and we will always make sure to find the best solution for all of our Jackson patients!

What is Hydrogen Peroxide?

Hydrogen peroxide is a common household product that can be found for very cheap at your local pharmacy or grocery store. Chemically, it is two oxygen molecules with two oxygen molecules, and it appears as a clear liquid with about the consistency of water. In the solution you can find in stores, it is diluted with water to only 3%.

1) To Ease a Toothache

If one of your teeth starts to hurt and you can’t make it to our Jackson office right away, try putting a capful of hydrogen peroxide in your mouth and holding it there for ten minutes, then spitting it out. This can be repeated several times a day until the pain subsides.

Much of the pain people experience in toothaches is caused by swelling and infection, which hydrogen peroxide helps fight. However, remember that this should only be used as a short term solution and you should see Dr. Watson as soon as possible.

2) To Help Treat Gingivitis

Hydrogen peroxide is a great way to kill germs, and germs are the force that leads to gingivitis. After you floss and brush your teeth, vigorously swish with an ounce of hydrogen peroxide, making sure to get all of the gum lines, including behind the upper lip. Swish for 5 or 6 seconds, then spit the chemical out and rinse with water.

3) To Clean Your Toothbrush

Once a week or more, soak your toothbrush bristles in a freshly poured cup of hydrogen peroxide. After about five seconds, watch it bubble as it kills the germs!

Leave your toothbrush in the cup for a few minutes to ensure it is properly cleaned, then rinse it off with water. Make sure to always use a fresh cup of hydrogen peroxide, as the chemical degrades when it’s exposed to light.

4) As a Toothpaste Substitute

Ever forget to buy toothpaste and find yourself without even that last little bit? Mix together one part hydrogen peroxide to four parts baking soda and brush your teeth with that. It may be a little grittier than you’re used to, but it works in mostly the same way.

Don’t forget though, that hydrogen peroxide degrades with light, so you can’t make large batches of this solution to store for later use.

5) To Propel a Rocket

Okay, so you can’t actually do this with the diluted, 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide that is sold at stores. And you certainly shouldn’t put rockets in your mouth. But the chemical was used at 70-98% concentrations to propel rockets during World War II, and is still used for some satellites. How cool is that?

Don’t worry: we’re not going to tell you to stop drinking coffee! We understand how necessary that morning (or afternoon) boost of caffeine can be, especially during these gloomy, winter months. We love our coffee too!

This Jackson Center for Smiles post is just to help you take care of your teeth by protecting them from stains and ridding them of any discoloration as safely as possible.

Why does coffee stain teeth?

Coffee is one of the leading causes of stained teeth in our area, and the discoloration can be as unsightly as those from tobacco. So why does coffee stain?

Unlike other drinks such as tea and red wine, coffee does not contain the chemical tannic acid, which is responsible for staining teeth. Coffee simply passes on its dark color to your teeth, as it does to porcelain cups, sweaters, and white carpet.

Protect Your Teeth from Coffee Stains

The most effective and easiest way to protect your teeth is to rinse with water when you finish your cup of coffee. Water is a great, healthy drink anyway, and using it to follow coffee helps rid the caustic chemicals from your mouth.

Another piece of advice that may seem strange is to drink your coffee as quickly as possible. This will minimize the time your teeth are in contact with the staining liquid, which will help prevent and diminish the damage to your enamel.

Whiten Teeth

If your teeth are already stained from coffee or any other substance, whitening may be an option. You should always check with Dr. Watson before whitening your teeth, and our Jackson dental staff will recommend the treatment that is right for you.

There are many whitening options available, whether you choose to use an in-office treatment or buy strips or gels from the store. We can help you find the perfect choice that will get rid of stains without damaging your teeth

Coffee and Caffeine

Of course, both for your teeth and your general health, it is best to limit the amount of coffee you drink each day. Too much caffeine, whether it’s from coffee or Red Bull© or Pepsi©, can affect your heart and stomach and lead to serious health problems over time.

Here in our Jackson office, we want to do everything we can to protect and maintain not only your oral health, but your overall health as well. If you have any questions about coffee stains, teeth whitening, or anything else, please contact Jackson Center for Smiles today!