Bucktown Dental Care

Even if you follow just the first seven (7) tips below (and don’t smoke, of course), you’ll reduce the chance of having a heart attack by as much as 90 percent compared to a typical person your age!

1. Walk 30 minutes a day every day, no matter what. Walking a half-hour a day decreases the risk of having a heart attack by 30 percent.

2. Know your blood pressure and do whatever it takes to get it down to 115/75. The best way? Getting little exercise and losing some belly fat.

3. Eat an ounce of nuts a day. Nuts raise HDL good cholesterol and decreases inflammation. They have a heart benefit independent of those too.

4. Learn your HDL number and do what you can to raise it to 50. We have no idea why, study after study shows that the higher the number, the better (50 is fine). Easy ways you can increase it: exercise; eat healthy fats, such as olive and canola oil and nuts.

5. Eat ten (10) tablespoons of tomato sauce a week. Tomato sauce is loaded with blood-pressure-slashing potassium.

6. Floss your teeth regularly.  Avoiding periodontal disease prevents inflammation in the arteries, which helps your head off heart disease. Most people don’t know that your oral health affects all your arterial health and that includes blood flow to the heart.

7. Eat no more than 20 grams of saturated fat a day and as little Trans fat as possible. Saturated fat and Trans fat lead to inflammation in the arteries.

8. Read labels and throw out all food that has sugar in the first five (5) ingredients. Don’t be fooled by foods that are low in fat but higher in sugar.

9. Eat nine (9) servings of colorful fruits and vegetables a day. Make sure you wash fresh produce carefully and thoroughly.

Veneers Solve a Variety of Dental Problems to Give You the Perfect Smile in Just a Few Easy Visits.
Whether your teeth are discolored or chipped, or moderately crooked, Veneers is likely a perfect solution for you. Take this quick and easy self-assessment. Look through the indications below to see if you might be a candidate for treatment.

Brighten Stained and Discolored Teeth….Permanently
Staining and discoloration are common problems. Teeth whitening is a common option, but may not eliminate all the stains, or last very long.

Restore Chipped Teeth
Do you have a chip on one of your teeth? Is it right in the front where everyone can see?

Eliminate Spacing and Gaps
Is there a gap between your front teeth or some other spacing problem that you wish you didn’t have?

Align Crooked Teeth
Veneers provide a painless, fast alternative to braces that offers a perfectly-aligned look along with a beautiful smile.

Reshape Small or Misshapen Teeth
Misshapen teeth can really detract from your appearance.

Renew Old Dental Work
No matter your age, old crowns and bridgework add many years to your face.

Underneath your tooth’s outer enamel and within the dentin is an area of soft tissue called the pulp, which carries the tooth’s nerves, veins, arteries and lymph vessels.  Root canals are very small, thin divisions that branch off from the top pulp chamber down to the tip of the root.  A tooth has at least one but no more than four root canals.

When the pulp becomes infected  due to a deep cavity or fracture that allows bacteria to seep in, or injury due to trauma, it can die.  Damaged or dead pulp causes increased blood flow and cellular activity, and pressure cannot be relieved from inside the tooth.  Pain in the tooth is commonly felt when biting down, chewing on it and applying hot or cold foods and drinks.

Because the tooth will not heal by itself.  Without treatment, the infection will spread, bone around the tooth will begin to degenerate, and the tooth may fall-out.  Pain usually worsens until one is forced to seek emergency dental attention.  The only alternative is usually extraction of the tooth, which can cause surrounding teeth to shift, resulting in a bad bite.  Though an extraction is cheaper, the space left behind will require an implant or a bridge, which can be more expensive than root canal therapy.  If you have the choice,  it’s always best to keep your original teeth.

Natural tissue inflammation may cause discomfort for a few days, which can be controlled by an over-the-counter analgesic.  A follow-up exam can monitor tissue healing.  From this point on, brush and floss regularly, avoid chewing hard foods on the treated tooth, and see your dentist regularly.

What is Fluoride, and why is it good for my teeth?

Fluoride is a compound of the element fluorine, which is found universally throughout nature in water, soil, air and in most foods. Existing abundantly in living tissue as an ion, fluoride is absorbed easily into tooth enamel, especially in children’s growing teeth. Once teeth are developed, fluoride makes the entire tooth structure more resistant to decay and promotes remineralization, which aids in repairing early decay before the damage is even visible.

“Systemic” fluoride is ingested when added to public and private water supplies, soft drinks and teas, and is available in dietary supplement form. Once systemic fluoride is absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract, the blood supply distributes it throughout the entire body. Most fluoride not excreted is deposited in bones and hard tissues like teeth.

What’s a “topical” fluoride, and when should I use it?

“Topical” fluoride is found in products containing strong concentrations of fluoride to fight tooth decay. These products, including toothpastes and mouthrinses, are applied directly to the teeth and are the expectorated or rinsed from the mouth without swallowing. Dentists recommend brushing with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day or after every meal, combined with a regimen of flossing and regular dental checkups.

Professionally-administered topical fluorides such as gels or varnishes are applied by the dentist and left on for about four minutes, usually during a cleaning treatment. For patients with a high risk of dental caries, the dentist may prescribe a special gel for daily home use, to be applied with or without a mouth tray for up to six weeks.

Why is most of the water we drink fluoridated?

Fluoridated water protects against cavities and root caries – a progressive erosion of adult root surfaces caused by gum recession – and helps remineralize early carious lesions. Thanks to these preventive benefits, public water fluoridation is considered the most efficient and cost-effective dental caries prevention measure available. More than 144 million United States residents in more than 10,000 communities drink fluoridated water, most from public water supplies with sodium fluoride added artificially. A small percentage get water from private wells with naturally fluoridated water.

Water fluoridation is endorsed by nearly every major health and safety-related organization. Fluoridation of community water supplies is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay and to improve oral health for a lifetime.

Bad breath (halitosis) is not a condition to take lightly. It can affect your confidence, your intimacy and your ability to connect with others.

If you are like the other 80 million Americans suffering from halitosis, you have probably tried everything to cure it, mints, different flavored gums, and many types of these burning, store-brand mouthwashes.

Some Causes of Bad Breath:
Dry Mouth: Saliva is the body’s natural defense against odor-causing bacteria. When saliva is in short supply bacteria can grow and multiply. There are many things that can cause dry mouth: dehydration, smoking, stress, alcohol-based mouthwashes and over 400 medications.

Poor Oral Hygiene: No surprise here: when you don’t brush twice daily, floss once a day, and visit the dentist regularly (to have your teeth cleaned), you are inviting plaque and bacteria. These micro-organisms start overtaking your mouth….and your breath very quickly.

Certain Food & Drinks: You already know the “big 3” of bad breath: coffee, garlic and onions. But did you know? Food and drink that have a drying effect on the mouth (like vinegar and alcohol) or high-fructose foods (like sugary cereal) can kick bacteria growth into overdrive.
Nasal drip from sinus infections and colds can give the breath a “mothball-like” smell. Diabetes can give the breath a rotten fruit smell. Tonsil stones may give the breath an aroma of dirty diapers.

Easy Bad Breath Remedies:
1. Clean Your Tongue: You have heard of brushing your tongue. But did you know? There are specially designed tools called scrapers that remove 75% more odor-causing bacteria vs. brushing. Tongue cleaning is one of the simplest habits to reduce bad breath.
2. Pay Attention to Your Diet: What are the best foods for fresh breath? Reach for dark green and orange veggies, they are good for you, plus their fibrous crunch helps to remove leftover food particles between your teeth. Fruits rich in vitamin C are also great for the breath because they create an unfriendly environment for bacteria to grow. You can also chew on herbs like parsley, basil or cilantro. These herbs are packed with chlorophyll, a natural deodorizer. There are many other health benefits of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has been know to improve your health, boosting energy and fighting illnesses.
3. Drink more water: We all know that water is good for us. Yet, according to a report by CBS, up to 75% of Americans are dehydrated. Water is needed to prevent dry mouth, a leading cause of bad breath. Sneak more water consumption into your routine each day.