Diamons

periodontal disease

Photography by Dr. Padval

Resolutions for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Here's to Health in 2018! We care about you as patients and as friends too! As we all try to get healthier in the New Year, here are some common resolutions that can improve dental and overall health. Make the New Year tobacco-free! Do whatever you need to quit smoking—seek out a program, a patch, a support group. Half a million North Americans die annually from disease caused by cigarette smoking. It doesn't have to be! Check your blood pressure and cholesterol. See a [...]

By |2018-01-02T08:00:16-08:00January 2, 2018|Patient Education|

Hormones and Periodontal Disease

Women of all ages are prone to changing levels of progesterone in the body. And progesterone—especially when you are pregnant or taking oral contraceptives—causes some bacteria to grow in awesome numbers. Unfortunately, the bacteria associated with gum disease are among them. Are you taking progesterone medication? Tell us if these ring a bell: Provera, Amen, Cycrin, Norlutate, Norinyl, Otho-Novum, Ovral, Triphasil—among many others. In the face of such drugs, an existing periodontal problem may worsen, or the disease can develop suddenly in apparently healthy [...]

By |2017-11-21T00:00:53-08:00November 21, 2017|Patient Education|

The Most Common Affliction?

When it comes to most common, not even winter colds strike as many of us as gum infection (periodontal disease). As many as 75% of adults will be a victim sometime in their lifetime. If this infection could grow on your arm, you'd be horrified. Instead, periodontal disease does its dirty work out of sight: inside your mouth. Left alone, it opens up gaps between gums and teeth. Too soon, you're on your way to losing your teeth entirely. How can I stop gum [...]

By |2017-08-08T00:00:13-07:00August 8, 2017|Periodontal Dentistry|

Are First Teeth Just Born to Lose?

Kids' teeth—paying special attention to them lays a firm foundation for a lifetime of healthy teeth. They're milestones in your child's development, those first teeth. You mark the date in the baby book when the first baby tooth works its way through the gum. You record the day when that first loose tooth lets go, leaving an oh-so-cute gap in the grin and a bit of cash beneath the pillow. But you can't ignore the care of baby teeth on the grounds that when [...]

By |2017-07-25T00:00:22-07:00July 25, 2017|Children's Dentistry|

Baby Those Gums and Help Your Heart!

It started out as an unconventional theory. But now, more and more scientists, physicians and dentists are seeing the connection between gum disease and potentially fatal heart attacks. What would a problem with your gums have in common with an ailing heart? Researchers began by looking at heart attack patients and deciding what physical symptoms contributed to the attack in the first place. Their conclusions: inflammation, and infection. Then they set out to identify what might cause such inflammation and infection. High blood pressure, [...]

By |2017-04-25T00:00:58-07:00April 25, 2017|Periodontal Dentistry|

Stay Healthy in 2017!

With the new year upon us, it's again time we examine our health and lifestyles, and see how best we can improve and maintain them. Consider some of these easy resolutions that will help you lead a healthier life for years to come. 1. Stop smoking and make this New Year tobacco-free! If you smoke or use other tobacco products, the single greatest thing you can do to improve your health is quit. Do whatever you need to—seek out a program, a patch, a [...]

By |2017-01-03T00:00:50-08:00January 3, 2017|Patient Education|

Could You Have Gum Disease?

Periodontal disease, (aka gum disease) is painless in its early stages. So how can you tell if it's in your future? Take a good look at your gums. Then call us. Do your gums bleed—at all—when you brush? Are your gums swollen, red or tender? Have any permanent teeth loosened? Are you distressed by persistent bad breath? Are your gums pulling away from your teeth? Do your teeth or partial dentures fit together differently when you bite down?

By |2016-11-15T00:00:41-08:00November 15, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|

Prevention is Your Best Protection

If you're like the rest of us, now that belt-tightening is the "new normal," you may already be eating more meals at home, dropping subscriptions, vacationing closer to home. You may also be tempted to cut back on your dental care. But think it over. If a problem has surfaced with your oral health, nipping it in the bud is a big money saver. Letting it go can mean big, costly—and sometimes painful—treatment down the line. You're smarter than that. During your appointment, we'll [...]

By |2016-10-11T00:00:39-07:00October 11, 2016|Preventative Dentistry|

Heart Healthy News

Do you have sore, bleeding gums? Are you worried about your heart's health, and how much time may still be available to enjoy your life and family? A visit to our office just might help solve all these worries simultaneously! Fighting periodontal (gum) disease through outstanding daily hygiene and regular dental appointments is a three-for-the-price-of-one proposition. Protect your gums! Protect your teeth! And protect your heart in the bargain! Recent research has shown that the levels of two inflammatory proteins known to raise the [...]

By |2016-09-20T00:00:26-07:00September 20, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|

What to Know About Gum Disease

It afflicts as many as nine in 10 adults at some point in their lives, as well as teenagers and children as young as five or six years of age. Yet, many suffer from it without even suspecting anything is wrong. "It" is periodontal, or gum, disease—in the minds of most dentists, Public Enemy Number one for teeth. Only for the last 30 years have researchers understood that gum disease is an infectious disorder, caused by many different species of bacteria. But even today, [...]

By |2016-05-03T00:00:03-07:00May 3, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|