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We mark special times throughout the year to encourage better oral health, like Dental Hygiene Month, and Children’s Dental Health Month, and even National Root Canal Day! This July 21st is National Junk Food Day, and we couldn’t let it pass without some healthy ideas to help you make the best of this not-so-dentally-healthy day.

What makes junk food unhealthy? Most of the foods in this category have high levels of sugars, starches, salts, or fats, which aren’t good for your body in large quantities. When it comes to your dental health in particular, some junk foods are worse than others because they are actively destructive to your tooth enamel.

Foods like candy, cookies, doughnuts, chips, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sodas can have large amounts of sugar, starch, and acid. And a diet filled with sugars, starches, and acids puts your tooth enamel under constant attack. 

The bacteria in plaque make acids from the sugars and starches (which break down into sugars) in our diets. These acids then erode the mineral crystals which give our enamel its strength, leaving weak spots which can deepen and become cavities. A steady diet of sweet and starchy foods for you creates a steady diet of sugar for cavity-causing bacteria. 

Just like the acids produced by bacteria can erode tooth enamel, acids in food can also strip away the minerals which keep your enamel strong. Sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and many fruit juices are often both sugary and highly acidic, making them very damaging to tooth enamel.

So, let’s spend a few moments today to discuss how you can enjoy a bit of junk food every now and then and still take good care of your teeth.

• Limit Sugars, Starches, and Acids

We don’t just mean limiting the number of treats you eat in a day. It’s also a good idea to limit treats to certain times as well. Eat desserts with meals, when saliva production is higher, to help wash away sugary and starchy food particles. Acidic drinks, when sipped throughout the day, are like bathing your teeth in acids. Better to drink a soda or sports drink in one sitting and drink or rinse with water after! 

• Brush after Eating Sticky Sugary and Starchy Foods

Sticky foods filled with sugars and starches are double jeopardy for your tooth enamel. Not only are they the foods of choice for plaque bacteria, they also tend to stick to your enamel and between your teeth, giving cavity-causing bacteria more time to work. An after-treat brushing will get rid of any sugary or starchy leftovers as well as removing built up plaque.

• —But Don’t Brush Too Soon After Acidic Foods and Drinks

When you eat or drink something acidic, your enamel is more vulnerable to damage immediately afterward because acids remove minerals from tooth enamel. If you brush right away, even soft bristles can be abrasive. Wait about 60 minutes to brush, which gives your tooth surface time to get strong again with the enamel-building minerals found in saliva. 

• Make Water Part of Your Healthy Diet

Easy, available, inexpensive—what’s not to like about water? Oh, and it’s also healthy for your teeth! Rinsing with water after a treat helps remove lingering food particles and acids. And drinking water when you’re thirsty helps you produce saliva. Saliva not only rinses our teeth, it helps neutralize acids and helps replace calcium and phosphate minerals which may have been stripped away by acids.

This July 21st, we’re not really celebrating junk food—we’re celebrating all the things you do to protect your oral health. So, whether you’re indulging today or not, keep your teeth their healthiest by making junk food a rare treat, keeping up with your daily brushing and flossing, and seeing your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings. Let’s make National Junk Food Day just another day in a year filled with healthy smiles!

As our nation prepares to observe its birthday, we’d like to share some timely dental tips to help make celebrating the Fourth of July more enjoyable for you and healthier for your teeth and gums.

Hydrate

It might be hot and humid where you’re living, so be sure to keep hydrated in the backyard or along the parade route. Proper hydration is essential for both your overall health and your oral health. Drinking water helps prevent cavities by washing away food particles and bacteria and reducing acidic conditions in the mouth. 

Use Ice for Cooling, not Chewing

If you’re enjoying an icy cold beverage to beat the heat, don’t crunch down on that ice! Chewing on ice can lead to immediate disaster in the form of a chipped or cracked tooth or a broken filling or crown. And, over time, munching ice will damage your enamel, making your teeth more sensitive to heat and cold and more vulnerable to cavities. 

Enjoy All Your Cookout Favorites

If you celebrate the Fourth with family and friends, there’s a good chance you’re celebrating outdoors. According to surveys, Independence Day is the most popular grilling day in the country. Are you sitting on the picnic table sidelines because of loose teeth, tooth pain, or missing teeth? Don’t miss out on any of the fun in Mill Creek! 

• Tooth pain can be caused by cavities. It can also be a sign of a damaged tooth or an infection. If you suffer persistent tooth pain lasting several days or more, it’s time for a dental appointment.
• Gum disease can cause bone loss, loose teeth, and lost teeth, making sharing a meal with friends something you avoid instead of something you look forward to. Regular flossing, cleanings, and checkups will help keep your gums in the pink. If you have advanced gum disease, we can discuss treatment options.
• If you or a loved one wear braces, be sure your BBQ choices are not only delicious, but safe for wires and brackets. Offer menu options which are braces-friendly—that is, which are soft and easy to eat rather than hard, crunchy, or sticky. Remove kernels from corn on the cob and have utensils available to cut finger foods like burgers and hot dogs into fork-friendly bits. 
• Missing teeth not only make dining difficult, but can also lead to gum disease, decay, and misalignment in adjacent teeth. To enable you to enjoy your meals and to protect your dental health, talk to Dr. Kerry Olszewski about implants, bridges, or dentures to make your smile complete again.

Whether you’re marching in the parade, enjoying a meal with family and friends, oohing and aahing at the fireworks, or all of the above, we wish you a healthy and happy Fourth of July! If you have any dental concerns, we’re here at Mill Creek General Dentistry to help you achieve your best smile every day of the year.

There are many ways in which your oral health has an impact on your overall general health. There are naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth. Some of those bacteria, including strep and staph, are harmful, while other bacteria are essential for the balance of intestinal flora. The healthier your mouth is, the less likely it is the harmful bacteria will travel to other parts of your body to infect it and make you sick. There is much more to good dental hygiene than brushing and flossing.

Historical Methods of Maintaining Oral Health

Ancient civilizations relied on natural remedies for maintaining oral health. Around 250 AD, the Kemetic Egyptians used myrrh and other herbs as antiseptics for treating infected gums. Two centuries later, the Nubians, who lived in the Nile River valley, drank beer to ease the pain of infected teeth. That probably sounds crazy, but their beer was effective because they used grains that were contaminated with the same bacteria that produce the antibiotic tetracycline.

Today's Biggest Dental Hygiene Challenge

In the past, tooth decay was more of an issue because there was no routine dental care, and problems that are routinely treated today went untreated. Thanks to fluoridated water, and toothpastes containing fluoride, tooth decay is far less problematic than it was a century or more ago. Gum disease has replaced tooth decay as the most serious dental problem facing people today. According to the American Dental Association, a staggering 80 percent of Americans over age 65 suffer from some form of periodontal disease.

Ironically, if that infection attacked any other part of your body, especially in a place where it was clearly visible, you would head to your doctor for treatment immediately. People tend to ignore gum tenderness and bleeding. When the tenderness and bleeding aren't treated, the inflammation can turn into periodontitis. The longer you allow the inflammation to go untreated, the greater the likelihood that it will affect other body parts. Make sure to visit Dr. Kerry Olszewski at Mill Creek General Dentistry regularly to be proactive about dental health!

Researchers are now discovering that untreated inflammation in the mouth acts as a driving force for multiple chronic illnesses, including clogged arteries, heart attacks, arthritis, and even cancer. That inflammation is one of many hypotheses that may explain how chronic infections can trigger systemic diseases, and even intensify existing ones. Bacterial overgrowth in the inflamed gum tissue can enter the bloodstream through the food you eat, and from daily brushing.

Caring for your mouth at home is just as important as visiting our office for exams!

Fluoride has been one of the great game-changers in children’s dental health. Drinking fluoridated water. Using fluoride toothpaste. Scheduling fluoride treatments. All of these child-friendly dental habits help prevent cavities and strengthen tooth enamel.

And we adults enjoy the benefits of fluoride as well. Drinking fluoridated water. Using fluoride toothpaste. If only we hadn’t outgrown fluoride treatments… or have we? Time to have an adult conversation about fluoride treatments!

• To Start, Some Dental Chemistry

The enamel in our teeth is largely made of calcium and phosphate ions. These elements combine to form hydroxyapatite, the mineral crystals that make teeth and bones so hard and strong. But enamel isn’t indestructible. The oral bacteria in plaque create acids that cause demineralization, stripping away calcium and phosphate ions. This leaves the tooth surface weakened and vulnerable to decay.

Our bodies have a way of compensating for demineralization. Saliva is filled with calcium and phosphate ions that restore lost minerals. This balancing act goes on every day. When conditions in the mouth are too acidic, however, remineralization can’t take place as effectively. Here’s where fluoride is so beneficial.

• Why Fluoride?

First, because fluoride helps remineralize. Fluoride works on the surface of the tooth to attract the calcium and phosphate ions in our saliva, restoring them to our teeth. Even better, it joins with these ions to create fluorapatite. Fluorapatite crystals are larger, stronger, and more resistant to acids than hydroxyapatite. This means your teeth are not only remineralized, but stronger than they were originally!

• Why Adult Fluoride Treatments?

While fluoridated water and fluoride toothpaste might be all you need for strong enamel, there are several conditions that make fluoride treatments a good addition to your preventive care at our Mill Creek office.

• Problems with dental hygiene. Consider fluoride treatment if you have trouble brushing and flossing, if you wear braces, or if there’s any other reason that makes daily cleaning more difficult.
• Exposed roots. Gums often recede as we age, and can pull away from the teeth even further with added factors like gum disease, harsh brushing habits, teeth grinding, or smoking. As gums recede, parts of the tooth roots are exposed. Because roots are covered with cementum instead of the much harder enamel, they are more vulnerable to decay.
• Dry mouth. Medical conditions, medications, and aging can cause a decrease in saliva production. Because saliva helps wash away food particles and bacteria, bathes the teeth with minerals that strengthen enamel, and neutralizes acids, less saliva can equal more cavities.
• Our individual biology. Some of us are born with weaker tooth enamel, and so are more at risk for cavities—even with great brushing and flossing habits.

In all of these cases, fluoride treatments can provide the extra protection you might need for stronger tooth enamel and improved dental health.

• Treatments Are an Easy Addition to Your Dental Appointment

Regular fluoride treatments are neither complicated nor time-consuming. Fluoride can be administered as a varnish, a gel, a rinse, or a foam. It can be applied with a brush, a swab, as a mouthwash, or in a tray. After application, Dr. Kerry Olszewski will let you know if any follow up instructions, such as avoiding food and drink for 30 minutes after treatment, are necessary. That’s all there is to it. Protection lasts for months, and your dentist can let you know when a re-application is needed.

You’re doing the right thing by using a fluoride toothpaste and keeping up with your dental exams and cleanings. Ask Dr. Kerry Olszewski if a fluoride treatment is something that could strengthen your teeth and help prevent decay—it could be a game-changer for your dental health!