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Dental Awareness

Diabetes: Dental Tips

Diabetes can cause serious problems in your mouth.

People with diabetes are at risk for mouth infections, especially periodontal (gum) disease. Periodontal disease can damage the gum and bone that hold your teeth in place and may lead to painful chewing problems. Some people with serious gum disease lose their teeth. Periodontal disease may also make it hard to control your blood glucose (blood sugar).

Other problems diabetes can cause are dry mouth and a fungal infection called thrush. Dry mouth happens when you do not have enough saliva—the fluid that keeps your mouth wet. Diabetes may also cause the glucose level in your saliva to increase. Together, these problems may lead to thrush, which causes painful white patches in your mouth.

Take steps to keep your mouth healthy.

If you have diabetes, follow these steps:

• Control your blood glucose.
• Brush and floss every day.
• Visit dentist regularly. Be sure to tell the dentist that you have diabetes.
• Tell the dentist if your dentures (false teeth) do not fit right, or if your gums are sore.
• Quit smoking. Smoking makes gum disease worse. There are smoking cessation programs that can help quit smoking.

Visit www.mydentistchino.com or Call 909 627 6699 for additional information.

Happy Independence day

First Aid for Dental Emergencies-Part 3

• Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth, with the infection possibly spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated.
  
  Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess, call the dental office as soon as possible if you discover a pimple-like swelling on your gum that usually is painful. In the meantime, to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your mouth with a mild salt water solution (1/2 teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) several times a day.
• Soft-tissue injuries. Injuries to the soft tissues, which include the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips, can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, here's what to do:
1. Rinse your mouth with a mild salt-water solution.
2. Use a moistened piece of gauze or tea bag to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. To both control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. If the bleeding doesn't stop, see your dentist right away or go to a hospital emergency room. Continue to apply pressure on the bleeding site with the gauze until you can be seen and treated. 

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth, also called xerostomia is the condition of not having enough saliva, or spit, to keep the mouth wet.  Dry mouth can happen to anyone occasionally—for example, when nervous or stressed.  However, when dry mouth persists, it can make chewing, eating, swallowing and even talking difficult.  Dry mouth also increases the risk for tooth decay because saliva helps keep harmful germs that cause cavities and other oral infections in check.

Causes

Dry mouth occurs when the salivary glands that make saliva don't work properly.  Many over-the-counter and prescription medicines, as well as diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease and Sjogren's syndrome, can reduce saliva formation. .  Other causes of dry mouth include certain cancer treatments and damage to the glands' nerve system.  It's important to see your dentist or physician to find out why your mouth is dry.

Treatment

Depending on the cause of your dry mouth, your health care provider can recommend appropriate treatment. There are also self-care steps you can take to help ease dry mouth, such as drinking plenty of water, chewing sugarless gum, and avoiding tobacco and alcohol.  Good oral care at home and regular dental check-ups will help keep your mouth healthy.

“Frequent use of moistening rinses along with topical fluoride applications and increasing dental recare visits are preventative measures that greatly enhance oral health” says Dr. Cherukuri from her Chino, California  dentalpractice

Mouth- Body Conection

Oncology Pocket Guide to Oral Health

Head and Neck Radiation Therapy

Patients receiving radiation therapy to the head and neck are at risk for developing oral complications. Because of the risk of osteonecrosis in irradiated fields, the best time to perform oral surgery is before radiation treatment begins. Prior to treatment, the dentist will consider extracting all teeth that may pose a problem in the future.

Before Head and Neck Radiation Therapy

• Refer the patient to a dentist for a pretreatment oral health examination, ideally 1 month before cancer treatment begins.
• Tell the dentist the treatment plan and timetable. Be sure the dentist is knowledgeable about cancer care issues.
• Help prevent tooth demineralization and radiation cavities by making sure the patient has a good oral hygiene program and has received instruction on fluoride gel application.
• Allow at least 14 days of healing for any oral surgical procedures before radiation treatment.
• Make sure pre-prosthetic surgery is done before treatment begins—surgical procedures may be contraindicated on irradiated bone.

During Radiation Therapy

• Make sure the patient follows the recommended oral hygiene regimen, whether at home or in the hospital.
• Monitor mucosa and oral structures for bleeding and infection.
• Advise patients not to wear removable appliances during treatment.

After Radiation Therapy

• Consult with the dental team about dentures and other appliances after mucositis subsides. Patients with friable tissues and xerostomia may not be able to wear them again.
• Make sure that the patient follows up with a dentist for fluoride gel/home care compliance. Lifelong, daily applications of fluoride gel are needed for patients who are severely xerostomic.
• Monitor the patient for trismus. Check for pain or weakness in masticating muscles in the radiation field. Instruct the patient to exercise jaw muscles three times a day, opening and closing the mouth as far as possible without pain; repeat 20 times.
• Advise against oral surgery on irradiated bone because of the risk of osteonecrosis. Tooth extraction, if unavoidable, should be conservative; use antibiotic coverage and possibly hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
• Consult the dentist to monitor irradiated craniofacial and dental structures for abnormal growth and development in pediatric patients.
   Visit www.chinosmiles.com for more information or Call 909 627 6699 to make an appointment for a complimentary consultation.

Neglect is expensive!

How often Should I Change My Toothbrush

The simple practice of changing your toothbrush regularly improves oral health and significantly reduces dental care costs.

Adults and children should change their toothbrush every 3 months because of the wear of bristles.  Electric toothbrushes usually have good brush heads and may only need to be changed every 6 months.

In patients with gum or periodontal disease, toothbrush must be changed every 4 to 6 weeks because bacteria can harbor in the bristles.. Always rinse the toothbrush in hot water after each use and change it after you have been sick.

Coinciding the change of the toothbrush with your scheduled dental recare visits establishes a pattern that is relatively easy to follow through. "A New Year is a great time to assess the 'old' and make room for the 'new'., including your tooth brush" adds Dr. Cherukuri from her Chino, California dental practice.

New Year Fitness

Dry Mouth

In recent years, prescribed and over-the-counter medications have emerged as the most common cause of dry mouth. Suspect medications include antihistamines, decongestants, painkillers, diuretics, antihypertensive medications and antidepressants. In fact, dry mouth is listed as a potential side effect of more than 400 medications. Be sure to read the literature that accompanies your medications and, if you think a medication is causing dry mouth, tell your dentist or physician. In some cases, substituting medications may alleviate the problem.
 

What is dry mouth?

Dry mouth is caused by a decrease in the amount of saliva in the mouth when the salivary glands do not work properly. The salivary glands help keep your mouth moist, which helps prevent tooth decay and other oral health problems. The medical name of the condition is xerostomia.

Although a common cause of dry mouth these days is medication, the condition may occur when a person experiences stress, or it may even be a sign of a serious health problem, such as AIDS, diabetes or Sjogren’s Syndrome (an autoimmune disease). Other possible causes include aging, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. People with Alzheimer’s disease or who suffer a stroke have been known to experience dry mouth.

How to relieve dry mouth

Your dentist or physician may recommend using artificial saliva — available at local pharmacies — to keep oral tissues lubricated. But the solution may be as simple as increasing your water intake. Other tips on how to ease dry mouth include:

• Brush and floss twice a day
• Chew sugarless gum
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, carbonated beverages and smoking
• Avoid certain juices (orange, grapefruit and tomato)
• Avoid dry foods, such as toast or crackers
• Avoid overly salty foods
• Use alcohol-free oral rinses 
• Topical fluoride applications

 Visit your dentist regularly. Ask your dentist for advice specific to your situation. 

“Sipping on water throughout the day not only hydrates the mouth but the body as well” adds Dr. Cherukuri from her Chino, California dental practice. ‘It is an easy fix to offset rampant decay and other related dental issues”