Category: Preventive Dentistry

The Link Between Celiac Disease and Oral Health

Posted on by Dr. Brian Evans

Celiac disease is a condition that primarily affects the digestive system, but its impact doesn’t stop there. If you have celiac disease, it’s important to understand how it can influence your oral health and what you can do to maintain a healthy mouth.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by consuming gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When someone with celiac disease eats gluten, it causes an immune reaction that damages the small intestine’s lining. This damage can lead to various symptoms, including issues that affect your oral health.

Oral Health Issues Associated with Celiac Disease

Celiac disease can manifest in the mouth in several ways. Here are some common oral health problems linked to this condition:

  • Enamel Abnormalities

Teeth may develop unusual colorations, and grooves, or rough texture due to enamel defects.

  • Recurring Mouth Ulcers

Small, painful sores inside the mouth can be more frequent for those with celiac disease.

  • Delayed Dental Growth

In children, there might be delays in the appearance of teeth or irregular tooth development.

  • Dry Mouth

Reduced saliva flow can increase the risk of cavities and gum disease.

  • Cheilitis & Glossitis

Inflammation of the lips and tongue, often due to nutritional deficiencies, can cause discomfort.

Managing Oral Health with Celiac Disease

Taking care of your oral health when you have celiac disease involves a combination of dietary management and regular dental care. Consider these steps:

  • Follow a gluten-free diet. This is essential to managing celiac disease and can help prevent oral health complications.
  • Stay hydrated. Drinking water frequently and using products designed to alleviate dry mouth can help maintain oral moisture levels.
  • Nutritional counseling. Ensuring adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals, like calcium and folic acid, supports overall dental health.
  • Fluoride usage. Incorporating fluoride treatments into your routine can help protect teeth that may be vulnerable due to enamel defects.
  • Frequent dental check-ups. Regular visits to our dental office in Reno allow for early detection and treatment of any issues.

The Importance of Dental Care

For individuals with celiac disease, regular dental care can help address the unique oral health challenges posed by celiac disease. At our Reno dental office, we offer services tailored to the needs of celiac patients, including:

  • Assessments for enamel damage
  • Fluoride treatment plans
  • Dry mouth solutions

Celiac disease can affect more than just your digestive system – it can also impact your smile. You can keep your teeth and gums healthy by taking proactive steps and seeing a dentist regularly. Contact our office today to schedule your appointment. We’re here to help.

The Critical Link Between Oral Health and Heart Health

Posted on by goldenproportions

The Critical Link Between Oral Health and Heart Health

As February unfolds, it not only marks the celebration of love but also serves as a timely reminder that it’s Heart Health Month. While matters of the heart are often associated with emotions, there’s a lesser-known connection that demands our attention – the intricate link between oral health and heart disease. In fact, poor oral health can have a negative impact on the heart, and your dentist in Reno is dedicated to guiding you toward a healthier, happier you.

How is Oral Health Linked to Heart Health?

Surprising as it may be, the state of your oral health is intimately tied to the well-being of your heart. Research has shown, and continues to show, the connection between poor oral health and an increased risk of heart disease, emphasizing the need for oral hygiene practices. 

Poor oral health can lead to the accumulation of harmful bacteria in the mouth, triggering inflammation and infections. The risks of this inflammation extend beyond the oral cavity, reaching the arteries and increasing the risk of heart disease, strokes, and other cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and heart attacks. Notably, a study revealed that individuals with severe gum disease were twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease than those with good gum health. 

Maintaining Good Oral Hygiene Habits

Understanding just how connected oral health is with heart health shows the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene habits. Here are some key steps to take to protect your oral health and, consequently, your heart health:

  • Brush your teeth twice a day to remove and prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria.
  • Floss daily to eliminate plaque and dislodge food particles between your teeth. 
  • See your dentist in Reno at least twice a year for checkups and cleanings to help detect potential problems early.
  • Eat a heart-healthy diet and limit sugary and acidic foods and drinks to limit the growth of harmful bacteria.

Other Ways to Protect Your Heart

Besides taking great care of your oral health, there are other things you can do to help protect your heart such as:

  • Exercising
  • Quitting Smoking
  • Managing Stress
  • Maintaining a Healthy Weight
  • Getting Enough Sleep

As we navigate through Heart Health Month, and every month, let’s acknowledge the connection between oral health and heart health and take steps to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and complications by incorporating heart-healthy habits into your lifestyle, including following a good oral hygiene routine. 

 

How Cancer Treatment Affects Your Mouth

Posted on by Dr. Brian Evans

 

As we head into the month of October, we tend to see pink ribbons everywhere in support of breast cancer research and breast cancer patients. Cancer is one of those scary words nobody wants to hear, and it can cause feelings of uncertainness and weariness of what treatment will bring. While there are sure to be many thoughts racing through your mind following any cancer diagnosis, there’s one thing you may not immediately think of — seeing your dentist in Reno. However, this visit, and follow up visits, can actually help make cancer treatment more successful. 

 

Chemotherapy

The cancer treatment we tend to be most familiar with is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has been used for many years and can help kill cancer cells. However, it certainly doesn’t come without side effects. While these side effects can affect any area of the body, there are certain ones that directly affect the mouth. Sometimes these side effects are so serious that your medical team may decide to temporarily stop treatment until the side effects are resolved. To help avoid this, it’s important to see your dentist in Reno prior to starting chemotherapy. 

Chemotherapy and Oral Health

As we’ve mentioned, chemotherapy can be really effective at killing cancer cells. But it can also harm healthy cells in the process, including cells in the mouth. This damage can affect any part of your mouth from your teeth to the soft tissues such as your gums and the glands that create saliva. Some common oral health side effects of chemotherapy include: 

  • Pain with eating or talking
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Dry mouth
  • Sores or ulcers
  • Peeling, burning tongue
  • Infection

These side effects can happen to anyone, and they do tend to vary from person to person. Make sure you talk with your cancer treatment team as well as your dentist in Reno during treatment so any side effects are caught and treated early. If they’re not, some infections or side effects can be so severe they’ll cause a delay or pause in your cancer treatment. 

The Importance of Regular Dentistry

Seeing your dentist every six months is recommended for everyone, but those undergoing cancer treatment may need to visit more often. After all, your dentist in Reno is a key part of your cancer treatment team, and seeing them regularly can help avoid or keep serious side effects at bay. Additionally, if you see your dentist before treatment begins, you can rest assured that you’ll start treatment with an already healthy mouth, reducing the risk of complications. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with cancer, schedule an appointment with your dentist, ideally one month prior to beginning treatment.

The Oral Health Dangers of Cough Medicine

Posted on by Dr. Brian Evans

During this time of the year, it seems as if everyone we encounter is sneezing, sniffling, or coughing. While we do as much as we can to avoid getting a cold, sometimes we just get sick. When we do get a case of the coughs we just want it to go away, so we will try almost anything to make it stop. Most commonly, we’ll suck on cough drops and take cough syrup throughout the day. Even though these medications can alleviate our symptoms, your dentist in Reno wants you to know that the common ingredients in cough medicine do pose risks to oral health.    

Concerning Ingredients

Many cough syrups and cough drops contain ingredients that can cause damage to teeth. More specifically, those medications containing sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, and alcohol are the most concerning to your Reno dentist. The truth is, these ingredients can make us feel better during the course of a cold but can have long-term negative side effects on oral health. 

Sugars

We’ve all heard Mary Poppins sing about how a spoonful of sugar will help the medicine go down, and she was right. Most cough syrups and cough drops contain sugar to help mask their naturally bad and bitter taste. But just like sugary snacks and foods, these sugars can be dangerous to teeth. When we introduce sugars into our mouths we can essentially create a feeding frenzy for bacteria. These bacteria will feed on sugar and then release an acidic byproduct. This acid will wear away tooth enamel and increases the risk of decay and cavities.  

Alcohol

Besides sugar, some cold medicines contain small amounts of alcohol. Alcohol is known to cause dry mouth, even in smaller quantities. Normally, our mouths produce a lot of saliva — between 0.5 and 1.5 liters every day. This saliva helps neutralize dangerous acids and reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth. However, when alcohol causes dry mouth, saliva production slows and acids and bacteria stick around. This can increase the likelihood of decay. 

Feel Better While Protecting Teeth

Even though cold medicine can increase the risk of tooth decay and cavities, you shouldn’t suffer through a cold by not taking it. However, your dentist in Reno my recommend: 

  • Taking a pill instead of liquid medication. Liquid medication can basically coat your mouth with sugar and alcohol, while pills greatly reduce how much contact your mouth has with those ingredients. 
  • Taking cold medication with food. When we eat we tend to produce more saliva which, as we know, will help wash away sugar and alcohol before they have a chance to cause damage.  
  • Brushing your teeth after you take medicine, especially before bed. Taking medicine then brushing your teeth will help reduce the amount of sugar and alcohol left in the mouth. This is particularly important before bed. Taking cough syrup before bed without brushing your teeth after means the ingredients are lingering in the mouth all night long.  

While we truly hope our patients and neighbors stay healthy all year round if you do happen to get sick, try taking medicine using the tips above to protect your smile.

Avoiding Dental Health Troubles Through Smart Daily Care

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

Your Reno, NV dentist’s office can help your smile by providing restorative and preventive dental care that keeps you in good health. In between visits, you should be doing your part to protect your smile. Tooth decay can do permanent damage to your tooth, cause an infection, and – if nothing is done in time – even make an extraction necessary. When you consider how harmful a cavity can be, it becomes easy to see why an effective approach to daily dental care is so important. Consistently brushing and flossing will help, but you should think about oral care as more than just a matter of cleaning your teeth. Your diet choices, and your habits, can also have an impact on your dental health.  Continue reading “Avoiding Dental Health Troubles Through Smart Daily Care” →

Flossing Offers Vital Support For The Spaces Between Teeth

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

Your Reno, NV dentist’s office is ready to provide you with great general dental care when you need to come in for routine treatment, or if you have a dental problem. While having access to professional oral health care is important, you always need to be mindful of how your daily efforts to protect your smile might benefit you. For instance, if you take pride in your thorough, consistent brushing habits, but fail to floss, you can leave the spaces between your teeth without quality support. This can leave you at risk for problems like tooth decay and gum disease, despite what you may have considered to be a great effort to prevent dental troubles. Continue reading “Flossing Offers Vital Support For The Spaces Between Teeth” →

3 Oral Health Mistakes That Put Your Smile At Risk

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

There is no shortage of information concerning how to prevent cavities from forming on your teeth. That knowledge is widespread, but so are cavities. Why is this problem so persistent? Many people can be mistaken in their assumption that their oral health habits are up to the task of protecting their smiles. For instance, a person might feel good about their chances against tooth decay because they brush two times a day, only to find that they are having cavity troubles because they never floss. A combination of quality dental care at home, and preventive dental care at your dentist’s office, will help you combat oral health troubles. Good habits do more than just protect you from cavities – you are also protecting yourself against gum disease, which can cause serious issues if it is left untreated. Continue reading “3 Oral Health Mistakes That Put Your Smile At Risk” →

Quiz: What Are The Benefits That Come With Routine Exams?

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

What is it about routine dental exams that make them so important to your overall oral health? Can they really do more to help you prevent dental troubles if you already take care to brush and floss, and monitor your diet? While daily care is crucial to your smile’s condition, there are also vital benefits to regular exams that can help you keep on top of your oral health needs. When you see your dentist, your smile is checked for any possible issues that might affect you – that includes a cavity check, as well as a check for gum disease, and signs of harmful conditions like oral cancer. Unless you are told to plan around a different schedule, you should anticipate seeing your dentist every six months. Continue reading “Quiz: What Are The Benefits That Come With Routine Exams?” →

Control Your Oral Health Risks With Smart Daily Practices

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

When it comes to protecting yourself against gum disease and tooth decay, what you do on a daily basis matters. If you typically rush to work without properly cleaning your teeth, or if you tend to depend on sugary snacks to keep you satisfied between meals, you can be more likely to need restorative dental work. Preventive dental care is not just about what you do at home, of course. Combining professional and personal care can help you keep your smile in top form. Patients gain that support by attending routine dental exams, which should take place every six months.  Continue reading “Control Your Oral Health Risks With Smart Daily Practices” →

Is Your Dentist Making Sure Your Smile Is Fully Healthy?

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

How sure are you about the state of your smile? If you only make trips to the dentist to address active concerns, you may not realize how important it is to plan for routine preventive dental care. Ongoing checkups give your dentist the opportunity to keep up with a regular study of your smile. They can alert you to problems with your teeth, symptoms of gum disease, and many more troubles. Ongoing care also means enjoying regular professional teeth cleanings, and digital x-rays of your smile. With this regular support, you can look forward to prompt treatment for your oral health troubles, and better protection against future problems. Continue reading “Is Your Dentist Making Sure Your Smile Is Fully Healthy?” →