Fall sports season is in full swing here in Nashville. The Titans are making Nashville proud across the river at LP field. The Predators have returned to Smashville. And little league and high school sports are keeping families busy each weekend.
While we love the excitement and joy fall sports bring, we’ve also seen how they can quickly lead to injuries or broken teeth that no one smiles about (unless you wear it as a badge of pride like a hockey player). Whether you or your little one are hitting the field this weekend, here are a few simple ways to protect your teeth and avoid any pain or embarrassment:
1. Use a mouthguard that fits. The best way to keep your teeth safe while playing sports is to wear a mouthguard that fits properly. A good quality mouthguard that fits, not only protects your teeth, but also protects your cheeks and gums. Here’s a list of options if you’re looking for a mouthguard that will effectively protect your teeth.
It’s equally important to consistently clean your mouthguard to prevent plaque build up.
2. Proper face protection should always be worn during higher contact sports. More elaborate protective equipment is recommended for sports such as football, baseball, hockey, wrestling, boxing, and lacrosse.
If you’re a parent, you know how challenging it can be to encourage kids to always wear the proper protection, but doing so can prevent serious damage to their teeth.
Treatment
It’s widely known that October is breast cancer awareness month. Over the past few years, our country has done an incredible job increasing awareness about the disease and coming together to support the millions of women who have undergone treatment. Virtually everyone knows someone who has had to take on the trying and brutal battle against cancer. That person may have been your mother, father, sister, wife, or even yourself.
While most people know the effects that chemotherapy and radiation can have on a person’s hair, eyebrows, and physical appearance, what most people don’t realize is the effect it can have on teeth and gums as well. As soon as radiation or chemotherapy treatments start, oral health is immediately affected.
· The mouth becomes drier, causing the teeth to become more susceptible to decay.
· Gum recession and mouth sores start occurring.
· Patients may have difficulty eating, drinking and swallowing.
These are the most common side effects of chemotherapy on your mouth.
How to prevent and treat dental damage during chemotherapy
Patients battling cancer often times find themselves dealing with other health issues that are side effects of their treatment. Here are a few ways to keep chemotherapy from affecting your teeth during treatment:
1. Visit your dentist BEFORE you start chemotherapy. This is the best way to avoid any serious issues. If you go to the dentist before chemotherapy begins, you can help prevent serious mouth problems. Side effects often happen because a person’s mouth is not healthy before chemotherapy starts. Not all mouth problems can be avoided but the fewer side effects you have, the more likely you will stay on your cancer treatment schedule.
2. Learn how to properly care for your teeth during chemo. If you’ve started chemotherapy before going to the dentist, it’s important to see one as soon as possible. Your dentist will be able to check and clean your teeth and show you how to take care of your mouth and prevent any side effects.
3. Be honest with your doctor and dentist during treatment. Some onchologist may discourage dental hygiene appointments because he side effects of a dental cleaning can increase the bacteria levels in the bloodstream. However, there are ways to take care of your teeth without negatively impacting your health. The best thing to do is to be open and honest with your doctor and dentist. It might be that you need to check your platelet counts before going to the dentist. Your dentist also needs to be informed of any major changes to your health before your check up.
At Downtown Dental, we care about the health of our patients from head to toe. We want to do everything we can to ensure our patients are living healthy, vibrant lives. Our support goes out to all those who have fought or been effected by cancer and our hope is that we can help you in any way possible.
Over the past few months, we’ve been rolling out a few of our favorite features of our new Waterlase iPlus Laser Dentistry option. Today, we want to take it a step further to talk about a dental procedure that no one likes to discuss… surgery.
When most people think of gum surgery, there are three words that come to mind: gross, ouch and no! Despite the fact that this surgery is necessary to prevent further issues or pain, many are hesitant to get the work done because of the anesthesia shots, the dreaded scalpel for removing tissue and stitches.
How we're removing the stress from gum surgery:
We want to remove those three words with our laser dentistry option! With the Waterlase iPlus laser, gum surgeries usually require only topical anesthetic, no stitches and little to no post-operative pain. This means that you can get rid of the potentially harmful dental diseases without skipping a beat in your daily routine - healing faster without the set backs from shots or pain.
Now that it's stress free, what work can be done?
Downtown Dental offers laser dentistry treatments for the following common types of gum surgery:
- Ulcers or canker sore removal: If you know someone who deals with canker sores, you know how annoyed they can be. Fixing this issue has never been easier.
- Gingivectomy: What used to be the painful removal of overgrown or unsightly gums around teeth can be done without any shots or temporary swelling.
- Frenectomy: This complicated procedure helps countless children who suffer from speech problems or from spacing between the teeth. It removes part of the of cheek, lip or tongue muscle attachments. In the past, this meant an in-depth and invasive surgery that typically leaves patients with uncomfortable stitches and after-effects of anesthesia. Laser dentistry allows our team to perform the procedure quickly and more comfortably.