Oral Health Archives - Page 2 of 3 - West Los Angeles Dental Care

Bad Breath Fight | Following Tips To Reduce The Bad Breath

Afshin Golyad DDS.

Bad Breath Fight | Follow These Tips To Reduce The Bad Breath 

 

Whether it is occasional morning bad breath or consistent halitosis, most people at times suffer from bad breath fight. For most brushing, flossing and mouthwash on regular bases will get rid of the problem, but for some others a trip to their dentist is required. Removing hard tarter build up and gum treatment and taking care of cavities will help greatly. Occasional bad breath fight in some maybe related to the lung or the intestinal tract. Some health issues such as sinus infections or diabetic can cause it.

bad-breath-fightTips To Win The Bad Breath Fight

 

  • Brush and floss

Mouth has millions of bacteria. As a result of digesting food, the odor can be the byproduct of what bacteria produces. Although mouth wash kills the bacteria, it is temporarily since they will grow back again. The best thing to do is to brush twice a day and floss once a day. The cleaner you keep your mouth, the fewer bacteria you have and less odor you will have.

  • Clean your tongue

Bacteria also sits on your tongue. Brush your tongue from back to front daily as you brush your teeth. For better result, you can use a tongue scraper.

  • Stay hydrated

At night when you wake up, your mouth is dry. The dryness of the mouth increases the bad breath fight.

  • Don’t rely on mint

It would just mask the odor. As soon as the mint is gone the odor would return. If the mint has sugar in it, it causes more odors since it is food for bacteria.

  • Pay attention to the food you eat

Everybody knows some food such as garlic or onion causes bad breath, but others such as meat can get stocked between the teeth and cause odor.

  • Rinse out after eating and drinking

Just drinking water can neutralize the acids in your mouth that causes bad breath.

  • Drink green tea

It has antibacterial in it that helps fight the bad breath.

  • Eat fruits which are high in Vitamin C

Such as orange, celery, carrot, apple.

  • Stop smoking

People who smoke have higher chance of oral infection and disease. Not only that, smoking dries up the mouth which causes more odor since there isn’t much Oxygen in the mouth to fight the odor.

  • Visit your dentist on a regular bases

Your dentist can do your professional cleaning, remove the tarter and take care of any infection and cavity in your mouth to win your bad breath fight.


Healthy Gums and Teeth

Afshin Golyad DDS. ,

Healthy Gums and Teeth

In order to have healthy gums and teeth, it requires a lifetime commitment. This article can help you avoid infection of the gum which is known as periodontal disease.

As everyone knows you need to brush your teeth everyday. The brushing should be done twice a day within the first  hour of having food or sweet acidic drinks. Flushing the food debris around the teeth by swishing a mouthful of mouthwash or water would help when it is added to regular brushing and flossing. It is also recommended to floss your teeth once a day between all the teeth not forgetting the back of last molars.

 

How to Maintain Your Healthy Gums

bl-dental-care, healthy gumsAlways make sure you maintain your regular dental check up at least every 6 months. Some may require more cleaning up to 3-4 times a year. Ask your dentist and he/she will let you know what frequency works best for you. If there is a diagnosis of gum disease, it is easier to treat the disease in early stages. Make sure your dentist fixes all the broken teeth and fills all the cavities. Small cavities are much easier and cheaper to fix. When you don’t fix a small cavity, it tends to become larger in size over time making it more difficult and expensive to fix. Cavities do not go away on their own. They have to be removed by your dentist and be filled with a filling material such as composite which is tooth color and can not be seen by most people.

People who smoke or use smokeless tobacco have much greater chance of getting oral cancer. Stopping tobacco use would help in reducing bad breath as well as keeping teeth stain free. But most importantly it could save your life. Your dentist will evaluate for oral cancer screaming every time you go for check up.

 

Signs of Un- Healthy Gums:

There are few signs that warn us about dental problems. For example, if after brushing you still have bad breath it could be a sign of periodontal disease or presence of cavity. If your gums are puffy or bleed on their own, or at the time of brushing, it is an indication of gum disease.  If the teeth are getting longer, it is a sign of bone loss. If these signs are ignored, teeth may get loose, and eventually teeth loss may result.  Many of these problems can be minimized if proper dental treatment and oral hygiene can be maintained.

 

Healthy gums and teeth are essential for happy healthy life. Teeth and gums do not take care of themselves; it takes a team work between you and your dentist to maintain proper health.


Children Oral Health | When and How to Teach Them?

Afshin Golyad DDS. ,

Children Oral Health

Maintaining our children oral health and teaching our kids how to maintain their oral hygiene is one of the most important things a parent can teach his/her children. A proper oral care remains with the child for the rest of his/her life. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to make the process fun for the child. A good example is to brush with your children and show her/him how brushing(Read More about Brushing Tips) is something that has to be done everyday and is part of everyday life. Skipping brushing shows the child that it is not as important. Regular brushing sends a message that your children oral health care if valuable. Today there are many fun tooth brushes with cartoon characters that the child enjoys holding in his/her hand. There are many tooth pastes with different taste since not all kids like the same taste in their mouth. It is important to make sure only a small amount of paste is placed on the brush since the younger children have a tendency to swallow the paste. As they get older, you can teach them not to swallow and perhaps place as much a pea size paste on the brush.

In the first few years of life flossing perhaps would not be as necessary as later in life but by starting early we can teach the child how it is part of the everyday oral care.

Steps to Maintain Your Children Oral Health:

  • bl-dental-careBrush twice a day for two minutes. Electric tooth brushes are easier for a child to hold on to and does a better job cleaning. A tooth paste with fluoride is strongly suggested to help reduce production of cavities.
  • If your child eats a lot of sweets, make sure he/she brushes right after and that includes juices and sodas. Carbonated sodas even those without sugar can dissolve the enamel and cause cavity in the long term.
  • Use tap water if possible. LADWP places fluoride in the drinking water which helps reduce cavity. Using filter on the tap water does not remove the fluoride but if you are using bottle water, you may need to consult your dentist or pediatrician for supplemental fluoride.
  • Have your child see a dentist at least twice a year. If you see dark spots or holes on the teeth make sure you see your dentist ASAP.
  • It is good to see the dentist in the younger age perhaps as early as age 2. Although your child may not allow any treatment, but just seeing that going to the dentist can be fun and routine can help him/her to relax at the time so when it is time to have a cleaning or x-rays done, he/she is not scared. It is always helpful if the parents also have a dentist appointment at the same time so the child can watch the parents and learn on how to behave.

Healthy Gums | Healthy Teeth | A Lifetime Commitment

Afshin Golyad DDS.

 

In order to have healthy gums and teeth, it requires a lifetime commitment. This article can help you avoid infection of the gum which is known as periodontal disease.

As everyone knows you need to brush your teeth everyday. The brushing should be done twice a day within the first  hour of having food or sweet acidic drinks. Flushing the food debris around the teeth by swishing a mouthful of mouthwash or water would help when it is added to regular brushing and flossing. It is also recommended to floss your teeth once a day between all the teeth not forgetting the back of last molars.

 

Importance of Frequent Check Ups

Always make sure you maintain your regular dental check up at least every 6 months. Some may require more cleaning up to 3-4 times a year. Ask your dentist and he/she will let you know what frequency works best for you. If there is a diagnosis of gum disease, it is easier to treat the disease in early stages. Make sure your dentist fixes all the broken teeth and fills all the cavities. Small cavities are much easier and cheaper to fix. When you don’t fix a small cavity, it tends to become larger in size over time making it more difficult and expensive to fix. Cavities do not go away on their own. They have to be removed by your dentist and be filled with a filling material such as composite which is tooth color and can not be seen by most people.

bl-dental-careSmokers! Be Aware!

People who smoke or use smokeless tobacco have much greater chance of getting oral cancer. Stopping tobacco use would help in reducing bad breath as well as keeping teeth stain free. But most importantly it could save your life. Your dentist will evaluate for oral cancer screaming every time you go for check up.

Signs of Dental Problems:

There are few signs that warn us about dental problems. For example, if after brushing you still have bad breath it could be a sign of periodontal disease or presence of cavity. If your gums are puffy or bleed on their own, or at the time of brushing, it is an indication of gum disease.  If the teeth are getting longer, it is a sign of bone loss. If these signs are ignored, teeth may get loose, and eventually teeth loss may result.  Many of these problems can be minimized if proper dental treatment and oral hygiene can be maintained.

 

Healthy gums and teeth are essential for happy healthy life. Teeth and gums do not take care of themselves; it takes a team work between you and your dentist to maintain proper health.


Dental Care | 7 Basic Things You Should Do

Afshin Golyad DDS.

 

 

Dental Care | 7 Basic Things You Should Do

Basic dental care means brushing and flossing your teeth on a regular bases, going to your dentist regularly twice a year for check up, cleaning and x-rays as necessary and having a health diet.

Basic Dental Care Points

Here are some basic points to perform your dental care at home:

Brushing:

Dental Care, Fluoride ImageBrush your teeth twice a day for two minutes.  Electrical tooth brushes do better job in removing plaque than manual brushes. Use brushes that are soft and stay away from medium and hard tooth brushes. They will remove the enamel portion of your teeth which is the hard structure causing sensitivity and gum recession. Also do not press hard when brushing. The advantages of electric tooth brushes are that it would brush on its own and you do not need to place pressure on your tooth brush causing further damage on your teeth.

Fluoride Supplements:

Always use fluoride tooth paste. Even for adults, fluoride reduces the chance of cavity. Tab water in most big cities contains fluoride. If you like to filter your tab water, the fluoride is not being removed. If you drink bottle water consider asking your doctor or dentist for supplemental fluoride.

Flossing:

Dental Flossing ImageNo one likes to do it but we all have to do it. You need to floss all your teeth, everyday. Wax flosses are easier on the gums and reduces the chance of cutting the gums. Make sure you go behind the last molars when flossing. If you having a hard time flossing behind your wisdom teeth, ask your dentist if it is to your benefit to remove them.

Avoid Smoking!

Avoid smoking and smokeless tobaccos. Besides the obvious staining the teeth, it causes bad breath, gum disease and various oral cancer. It is never too late to stop smoking.

Say No To Sugary Drinks!

Stay away from sugary drinks and carbonated ones. If you have to have one, brush right after.

Don’t Forget Your Tongue!

When brushing your teeth, don’t forget to brush your tongue from back to front.

Regular Check Ups

See your dentist on regular bases at least twice a year. If there are minor issues or cavities, it is much easier to fix them when they are smaller. Waiting just makes things more difficult and costly.