Pregnancy and Oral Health

Pregnancy and oral health are two things that go hand in hand when you are expecting a baby. We encourage all of our patients to take good care of their dental hygiene and oral health when they become pregnant.

 

Most women know how vital it is that they take good care of their physical health, but often don’t consider the impact oral health has on their overall health. A surge in hormones can exasperate the way a pregnant woman’s gums react to plaque. As a result, there is an increased risk of tooth decay, loose teeth, and gum disease if proper oral hygiene isn’t maintained.

 

The following steps are important to follow while you are pregnant.

 

1. Brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each session.

2. Floss your teeth regularly, preferably once a day.

3. Visit dentist Shital Kazi for a check-up and cleaning.

4. Inform Dr. Kazi that you are pregnant and avoid getting x-rays.

5. Avoid eating sugary snacks as it increases the risk of tooth decay.

 

By following these steps, pregnant women have a better chance at maintaining their good oral health during pregnancy. Contact our dentist, Dr. Shital Kazi in San Lorenzo, CA to discuss pregnancy and oral health in more detail.

Dental Hygiene

Your daily dental hygiene is one of the biggest factors in your periodontal health. This can be for better or worse based on your individual habits. Brushing, flossing, a sensible diet and diligent biannual checkups all contribute to healthy dental hygiene and reduced risk of developing gum disease.  It is also wise to abstain from tobacco, alcohol, and foods high in sugar.

 

Maintaining good dental hygiene is simple but it goes quite a long way. We invite you to Lewelling Dental Care to ensure that your efforts have been effective and provide any necessary periodontal health treatments, including scaling and root planning and professional cleanings. Call 510-276-6040 to arrange your appointment or visit www.lewellingdental.com to learn more about oral hygiene.        

Bad Breath

The topic of bad breath can be tough to confront, whether it’s yours or someone else’s. And, whether or not you know you have it, it’s always a good idea to take steps against bad breath—as they are often one in the same with good dental hygiene.

 

Most bad breath can be traced to a source in the oral cavity, whether it’s trapped food particles or potent beverage residue, bacterial and plaque buildup, unclean dental prosthetics, gum disease, or even cavities. Many of our patients here at Lewelling Dental Care regularly ask us what they can do to prevent bad breath.  Besides completing all necessary dental work and consistently undergoing regular exams, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce bad breath on your own.

• Drink plenty of water: Drinking water helps flush away food and beverage residue. It also keeps your teeth and gums hydrated, which inhibits bacteria growth.
• Reduce intake of coffee and alcohol: Both substances can contribute to stubborn breath and dehydration.
• Abstain from all tobacco products: Cigarettes, pipes and chewing tobacco all contribute to fouls breath and other periodontal issues that feed into the problem.
• Brush, floss and use alcohol-free mouthwash every day: Good oral hygiene controls bacteria and prevents a number of dental problems. Your at-home hygiene efforts are extremely important in keeping your smile beautiful and fresh.  

TMJ

TMJ issues affect many Americans daily. This disorder causes pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) that connects your lower jaw to your skull at the temporal bone. This joint controls many jaw functions and any pain in this area may cause jaw joint muscle problems, known as temporamandibular disorder (TMD). At Lewelling Dental Care, Dr. Shital Kazi and her team have trained extensively in the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ and offer various treatment options to new and existing patients.

 

Symptoms of TMJ are wide-ranging. Patients will often feel pain when opening or closing their mouth, trouble chewing food, their jaw will become stuck, headaches are quite common and they will often hear a clicking or popping noise when opening or closing their mouth. These symptoms can be associated with a lot of other health problems so if you are feeling any of these symptoms, make sure to ask during your next appointment.

 

Treatment for TMJ can go many different ways. Pain relievers and hot/cold compresses are short term methods and often do not solve the problems. Another possible treatment for TMJ would be wearing a night mouth guard, this will lessen the effects of teeth grinding that can cause TMJ. More permanent solutions include possible surgery in severe cases, but behavioral treatments to change the way the jaw muscles are used can be enough to solve the problem permanently. 

Dental Hygiene

Dental Hygiene

Oral health and dental hygiene is a top priority of Dr. Shital Kazi. Our patients often come to us for different types of dental procedures and treatments, many of which are prevented by following proper at-home dental hygiene regimes and visiting us in San Lorenzo, CA for regular examinations and cleanings. We make sure all of our patients understand the importance of keeping up with their dental hygiene and taking their oral care very seriously.

Proper dental hygiene does a variety of things for our patients, including helping patients:

• maintain fresh breath.


• keep their teeth and gums clean.


• prevent swollen and bleeding gums.


• have more comfortable professional cleanings.


• reduce the risk of gum disease or periodontal disease.


• reduce the risk of tooth loss as they get older.

In addition, by battling gum disease through proper dental hygiene, patients can reduce the risk of needing more expensive dental procedures, such as implants, dentures, or bridges later.

The important practices of dental hygiene include brushing and flossing twice a day, using a fluoride rinse, visiting us every six months for a professional cleaning and examination, and reducing the intake of sugar, soft drinks and otherwise unhealthy foods that cause tooth decay and wearing down of the enamel. Visit us here at Lewelling Dental Care to keep on top of good dental hygiene.