A Link Between Fertility and Oral Health

Unless you’re an OB-Gyne or a dentist yourself, you probably wouldn’t be able to identify the link between caring for your oral health and your fertility rate. Nonetheless, studies have shown that there seems to be a definitive link for both.

Studies claim that women who want to become pregnant should keep up with optimum dental hygiene practices. Tests on approximately 3,400 pregnant women found that those with gum disease took an average of two months longer to conceive than those without periodontal problems.

A further look into this scenario yielded that leaving tartar and plaque in the gums will cause gingivitis, therefore causing gums to bleed. This in turn can also lead to periodontitis, or an inflammation around the teeth. The bacteria that caused all of these can then be transferred to the bloodstream, affecting the rest of your body—including your reproductive system—making it hard for you to conceive. Clearly, your teeth aren’t the only thing at risk from poor oral health.

Visiting a dentist can help prevent all of these from happening. You and your partner should have your mouth checked for possible gum disease. Also, when you inform the dentist that you are trying to conceive, they can avoid prescribing medicine that could possibly affect your fertility. A trusted dentist can also give you advice on how to keep your mouth healthy, whether before, during, and after pregnancy.

Seek Help from a Dentist on Denture Maintenance

Dentures are among the usual options a dentist will recommend to his patients to replace missing teeth. While there are newer methods that have gained popularity in this field, such as dental implants, dentures remain one of the most effective and least expensive teeth replacements.

Dentures have both cosmetic and functional uses. They help users smile confidently again with a proper set of teeth, while allowing them to properly chew food, thus improving their oral digestion. The use of dentures has been around for a very long time but have remained a very popular option in teeth restorations.

Dental Care: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

Taking care of your pearly whites should be a priority. Otherwise, you can end up ruining your oral health, which may take a toll on your overall health as well. Studies continually find links between dental or gum disease and serious ailments like heart disease and stroke. In order to reduce those risks, you have to know and value proper dental care.

Teeth-cleaning Habits

Without proper dental cleaning, your teeth and gums will acquire plaque from bacteria. Brushing with too much force or hard bristles can erode your teeth, too, and make it more vulnerable to plaque. Plaque, in turn, hastens tooth decay and gum infections. As such, clean your teeth properly by gently brushing at least twice a day, and flossing in between dentition once daily. You can also use antimicrobial mouth rinses.

Food and Beverage Choices

Excessive consumption of acidic food and beverages can cause enamel erosion. Sugary or high-carb foods like candies, rice, and potatoes can also increase the acid production in your mouth. Avoid or limit your intake of citrus fruits, coffee, and soda. Otherwise, simply rinse your mouth with water and wait 30 minutes prior to brushing to reduce acid levels.

Professional Dental Treatment

Lack of professional oral care and treatment for gum diseases can aggravate complications associated with chronic conditions like diabetes and cerebral artery disease. Visit your dentist regularly for routine checkups, cleaning, and treatments to promptly treat any dental concern and prevent serious consequences.

The Anatomy of a Tooth Cavity: Cause and Treatment

Kids have a taste for sweets. They can tell if you brought home a pack of candies, and will grab at the sweets when they have the chance. The problem with too much sweets is that it can lead to the formation of cavities. Sugar does not actually bore a hole on teeth but its prolonged presence on a tooth’s surface triggers a sinister chain of events in the mouth.

The mouth is filled with bacteria. Like your kids, these bacteria love sweets, too, and when they start decomposing those sugary bits, the enzymes they produce react with the sugar to form lactic acid. This acid is corrosive enough to melt down the enamel, the hardest tissue in the human body.

The corrosion produced grows bigger until it turns into a visible black hole--not the one that sucks objects in space, but the dark, stinky hole that exposes the sensitive layers of the tooth, such as the dentin and the tooth root. When this happens, the tooth begins to experience intermittent sensitivity, especially when it gets in contact with food substances and acidic liquid.

Before the cavity grows and eats an entire tooth, the tooth has to be pulled out by a dentist. If the hole has not yet grown too big, the dentist can fill it with amalgam to prevent it from enlarging. It is important to immediately treat cavities, as severe cases can infect even the gum tissues, resulting in periodontal diseases.