Women With Periodontal Disease May Be At Risk Of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Are you currently pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant?  If so, then you will want to schedule a cleaning with your dentist and hygienist to avoid periodontal disease while you are pregnant.  According to a recent news release, new clinical recommendations from the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) encourage women that are pregnant to maintain good periodontal health.

If you have redness, tenderness, swollen, or bleeding gums, these could be indications that you have periodontal disease.  These signs, especially during pregnancy, need to be addressed and may require treatment from your dentist.

Several research studies have suggested that women with periodontal disease may be more likely to deliver babies prematurely or with low-birth weight than mothers with healthy gums. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), babies with a birth weight of less than 5.5 pounds may be at risk of long-term health problems such as delayed motor skills, social growth, or learning disabilities. Similar complications are true for babies born at least three weeks earlier than its due date. Other issues associated with pre-term birth include respiratory problems, vision and hearing loss, or feeding and digestive problems.

The medical and dental communities agree that maintaining periodontal health is an important part of a healthy pregnancy. The clinical recommendations released by the AAP and the EFP state that non-surgical periodontal therapy is safe for pregnant women, and can result in improved periodontal health. Published concurrently in the Journal of Periodontology and Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the report provides guidelines for both dental and medical professionals to use in diagnosing and treating periodontal disease in pregnant women.

Outside Magazine crowns Park City as nation's best

Outside Magazine ran an article ranking the best towns in America.  Park City took top honors.

Go check out their article and enjoy the very complimentary write up that they gave our town.  I know I love this city. My favorite things are the world class skiing, excellent biking trails, 4 seasons with tremendous colors in the autumn, the small town feel where everyone is your buddy, and the vibrant community with a very diverse population.  The people here come from all over and love living here.  What are your favorite reasons for living here?

(http://parkcitydentistry.blogspot.com/2013/08/outside-magazine-crowns-park-city-as.html)

Take Control of Your Life

One of our favorite dental mentors, Howard Farran, recently wrote a blog post about taking control of your life.  We love these words of advice and think they apply to all professions and walks of life.  Enjoy!

This is your life, do what you love, and do it often.

If you don't like something change it.

If you don't like your job, quit.

If you don't have enough time, quit watching TV.

If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be there waiting for you when you start doing the things you love.

Stop over analyzing, all emotions are beautiful.

When you eat, appreciate life is simple. Every last bite.

And people, we are united in our differences.

Ask the next person you see what their passion is, and share your inspiring dream with them.

Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself.

Some opportunities only come once, seize them.

Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them so go out and start creating.

Life is live your dream and share short. Your passion.

Emergency Dental Needs?

Even the Hollywood celebrities can have dental emergencies.  Watch Christina Applegate's interview with Jay Leno about her dental emergency.

If you find yourself in need of some emergency dental care, feel free to contact us.  We will help you to get out of pain and back on your feet.  Whether you need an emergency root canal, an extraction, or filling.  We are here to help you.

Why does orange juice taste so bad after brushing your teeth?

What is it about toothpaste that transforms the sweet flavor of orange juice into something so bitter? For the solution to that mysterious sensory phenomenon - in colorful, animated detail - check the latest episode of the American Chemical Society's award-winning Bytesize Science video series at http://www.bytesizescience.com/ 

The video, from the world's largest scientific society, explains that the mainstay ingredients in toothpaste include a detergent called sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS for short. When you brush your teeth, SLS produces the foamy suds and gives toothpaste its distinct mouth-feel. SLS also influences the way your personal, powerful chemical sensor tastes food. 

That sensor is your mouth, with its 10,000 individual taste buds. Each consists of scores of receptor cells that respond to the basic tastes. Those are sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (a pleasant, brothy or meaty flavor). Nerves carry the resulting signals to the brain, which registers tastes. How does SLS affect your sense of taste? For the answer: 

Soda = meth/crack for you teeth

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) recently published a case study comparing the consumption of illegal drugs to the abusive intake of soda.  Now before you panic and stop drinking your sodas altogether, the distinction here is abusive intake of soda.  They categorize abusive soda intake as 2 liters of soda a day for 3 to 5 years.
They found that abusive soda intake is just as destructive to your teeth as methamphetamine use or crack cocaine use.  Each participant in this study admitted to having poor oral hygiene and not visiting a dentist on a regular basis. Researchers found the same type and severity of damage from tooth erosion in each participant’s mouth.
“Each person experienced severe tooth erosion caused by the high acid levels present in their ‘drug’ of choice—meth, crack, or soda,” says Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, MSc, PhD, lead author of the study.
“The citric acid present in both regular and diet soda is known to have a high potential for causing tooth erosion,” says Dr. Bassiouny.
As the release states, similar to citric acid, the ingredients used in preparing methamphetamine can include extremely corrosive materials, such as battery acid, lantern fuel, and drain cleaner. Crack cocaine is highly acidic in nature, as well.
The individual who abused soda consumed two liters of diet soda daily for three to five years. Says Dr. Bassiouny, “The striking similarities found in this study should be a wake-up call to consumers who think that soda—even diet soda—is not harmful to their oral health.”
AGD Spokesperson Eugene Antenucci, DDS, FAGD, recommends that his patients minimize their intake of soda and drink more water. Additionally, he advises them to either chew sugar- free gum or rinse the mouth with water following consumption of soda. “Both tactics increase saliva flow, which naturally helps to return the acidity levels in the mouth to normal,” he says.

Veneers

One of the most rewarding aspects of dentistry is helping people to smile with more confidence.  We love to create beautiful smiles here at Park City Dentistry.  We pride ourselves on the quality of our cosmetic dentistry.  Here is a wonderful example of how much we can improve someone's smile with just a little work.

This young lady came to us with a very "gummy" smile.  She also had a discolored and misshapen filling on the front tooth.  She had braces previously as a teenager, but didn't like how short her teeth were or the gaps that were visible even when she was biting down.

We worked with our periodontist to adjust the level of her gums.  After she healed from that, we gave her veneers on her front 4 teeth, and the results were quite drastic.  She loves her smile, and we are very pleased with the final product.  Pretty impressive before and after difference.  The lab we work with to make the veneers has an incredible ability to make them look so natural and life like.

Are you dissatisfied with your teeth and their appearance?  If so, come in for a consult to see what options you have to improve your smile.