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Although using mouthwash is certainly not the equal of brushing and flossing, it does have benefits for your dental hygiene. If you use mouthwash regularly, you should find out which type is best suited for your needs. Here are some things to think about the next time you’re at the store.

The first item to weigh is why you want to use mouthwash. If the reason involves a high risk for cavities, you should focus on a mouthwash that contains fluoride. Make sure to double-check the label, because some mouthwashes do not necessarily include fluoride.

If you’re looking for a mouthwash to fight gingivitis, select an oral rinse with antibacterial properties. Make sure to read labels and avoid picking one that contains alcohol. Antibacterial mouthwash would also be best for a patient who has periodontal disease.

Another option is prescription mouthwash. These should be discussed with Dr. Dalessandro and/or your pharmacist in order to avoid negative side effects. Pay close attention to the directions regarding how much to use and for how long. Keep in mind that some brands may lose their effectiveness if you use them on an ongoing basis.

For children, you can find a mouthwash that changes the color of plaque on their teeth. This is a fun way to help them understand how well they are brushing, and what areas they need to focus on. It can even be a tool for adults who have trouble reaching certain areas of their mouth.

While mouthwash is generally considered as a safe means to improve your oral health, you need to keep certain things in mind. Avoid using any mouthwash that has alcohol in it. If you are using a strong one, it can reduce your sense of taste over time. Be wary of a mouthwash that claims it can loosen plaque; this is not accurate and can mislead consumers.

We hope these simple suggestions will help you the next time you’re at the store. Make sure you pick the right mouthwash to keep that healthy smile! Feel free to contact Dr. Dalessandro at our Hoffman Estates, IL with any questions you may have.

Sports and energy drinks cause irreversible damage to the teeth of teens and young adults. A recent study published in General Dentistry states that energy and sports drinks contain so much acid that they begin destroying teeth after only five days of consistent use. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of U.S. teenagers consume energy drinks and as many as 62 percent consume at least one sports drink per day. The high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel and the result is irreversible damage.

Dr. Dalessandro and our team at Dalessandro Implants & Periodontics encourage our patients to limit their intake of sports drinks. The enamel erosion ultimately makes teeth more susceptible to bacteria and that can lead to hypersensitivity, staining, and tooth decay. If you do consume an energy or sports drink, make sure to wait at least 45 minutes until you brush, as consumption of acidic drinks causes tooth enamel to soften, making teeth more vulnerable to wear from the abrasives found in toothpaste.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, five times more common than asthma. It’s also preventable with proper care. Dr. Dalessandro and our team can help identify early signs of erosion and offer solutions on how to prevent further damage and more serious problems from occurring.

February is Gum Disease Awareness month, a timely reminder that preventing gum disease is one of the best ways to protect our oral health. 

Gum disease is easily treated in its earliest stages. Left untreated, the progressive nature of gum disease makes it one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults. 

Let’s take a moment in this shortest month of the year to discuss how understanding, treating, and, above all, preventing gum disease can help us enjoy long-lasting healthy smiles.

How Gum Disease Develops

Gingivitis is the first, mild stage of gum disease. 

• Gingivitis begins with plaque. 
• Plaque irritates gum tissue, causing inflammation, which is the body’s reaction to injury or infection. 
• Typical symptoms include gums which are swollen or red. The gums might feel tender or bleed easily when you brush or floss. You could develop persistent bad breath. 

With proper care, gingivitis is reversible. Because gingivitis symptoms can be very mild, they’re sometimes overlooked. That’s why it’s important to keep up with regular checkups to discover and treat the disease in its earliest stages. 

Periodontitis is a serious gum disease which is destructive to the structures which support our teeth: gums, connective tissue, and bone. 

• Plaque, when it’s not removed, hardens into tartar, which can form on the tooth above and below the gumline. 
• The gums pull away from plaque and tartar deposits, creating a space between the gum tissue and tooth roots. 
• As the gums continue to recede, pockets form between the teeth and gums.
• Infection-causing oral bacteria thrive in these pockets. Gum infections can lead to painful abscesses—but gum disease is not just an infection.
• The body normally responds to bacterial infection with inflammation. With periodontitis, this inflammation becomes destructive chronic inflammation. 
• Over time, chronic inflammation and infection break down the gum tissue, bone, and connective tissue holding teeth in place. Teeth become loose or shift out of alignment.

The tooth’s support structure eventually becomes so compromised that extraction is the only option. That’s why prompt treatment is essential.

Treating Gum Disease

Several options are available to treat gum disease, depending on its severity.

Treatment for gingivitis can be as simple as paying more careful attention to your brushing and flossing and, if necessary, seeing your dentist for a professional cleaning. In some cases, your dentist might recommend an antimicrobial mouthwash or rinse.

Periodontitis is best treated by a periodontist, and treatment will be based on how advanced the condition is. Periodontists have years of specialized study after dental school devoted to treating the supporting structures surrounding the teeth. A periodontist, such as Dr. Dalessandro, can provide:

• Topical, oral, or time-release medications to treat infection.
• Non-surgical deep cleaning procedures called scaling and root planing to remove plaque and tartar above and below the gumline, allowing gum tissue to reattach to the tooth. 
• Flap surgery for more advanced gum infection which reduces pocket depth and re-secures the gums snugly around the teeth.
• If needed, bone grafts, gum grafts, and other regenerative procedures which help repair and restore damaged tissue.

Preventing Gum Disease

What many people aren’t aware of is just how preventable gum disease is! 

• Brush twice a day, or as often as your dentist recommends. 
  • Use proper brushing technique, angling your brush toward the gums to gently clean around and below the gum line. 
  • Use a soft-bristled brush to protect both gum tissue and tooth enamel.
• Floss once each day or as directed by your dentist. Flossing removes food particles and plaque between the teeth, and it also helps remove plaque from the area around the gum line.
• Conditions such as family history, hormonal changes, medical conditions, age, poor diet, smoking, and other factors can increase your chances of developing gum disease. Talk to Dr. Dalessandro if you are in a higher risk group about proactive gum care.
• See your dentist regularly. Gum disease can be invisible in its beginning stages. Discovered early, treatment is simple and effective. 
• Having your teeth cleaned every six months, or as recommended, will remove tartar buildup which brushing alone can’t handle. You can get tips for better brushing and flossing techniques from the team at Dalessandro Implants & Periodontics in Hoffman Estates, IL, too!

Last, while gum health is essential for dental health, you may not be aware that healthy gums could affect more than just your oral health. Scientists are studying the potential links between gum disease and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.  

Even when it seems like there aren’t enough days in the month or hours in the day, it takes just a few minutes daily to care for your gums and teeth. And when you’re aware of just how much those few minutes mean to a healthy smile, it’s time well spent!

You pay attention to what you eat. After all, your oral health depends on it. Without the necessary proteins, vitamins, and minerals in your diet, your teeth and gums will suffer. But did you know it’s a two-way street? Without healthy teeth and gums, your digestive system can suffer as well.

Because digestion doesn’t start in your stomach—it starts in your mouth! Let’s take a quick look at how the digestive system operates.

• Teeth

The first step in digesting is breaking down foods so our bodies can extract their nutrients more easily. Healthy teeth are essential here. Incisors and canines tear food into smaller pieces while molars grind these pieces into an easy-to-swallow, paste-like consistency. While we chew, the surface area of the food increases, allowing the digestive enzymes in saliva, the stomach, and the small intestine to work more efficiently.

• Salivary Glands

Saliva production increases when we eat. Digestive enzymes in saliva begin breaking down carbs into sugars, and separating fat molecules. Saliva also contains antimicrobial peptides which are important for oral and gut health. 

• Esophagus

This muscular tube connects the back of the throat to the stomach. As we swallow, muscles in the esophagus contract and relax, an involuntary movement called peristalsis. These contractions push food down into the stomach. Peristalsis also occurs in the stomach and intestines, efficiently moving food through the rest of the digestive system. 

• Stomach

Inside the stomach are gastric acids and enzymes which break food down further to help the small intestine make use of these nutrients in the next stage of digestion.

• Small Intestine

This organ works to reap the benefits of our healthy diets. The small intestine absorbs about 95% of the nutrients from our digested food—carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, and minerals—and transfers these nutrients to the circulatory system to be used throughout the body. Any remaining food particles travel to the colon, or large intestine.

• Large Intestine

Bacteria in the large intestine help process soluble fiber, which we can’t digest on our own. The large intestine is also where insoluble fiber and anything else undigested are converted to solid waste. 

Over time, untreated gum disease can cause teeth to become loose as the bones and tissues which hold them in place are destroyed by infection. This is why gum disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults.

And when tooth and gum problems make chewing difficult, the entire digestive system can be affected:

• Uneven bite pressure

When you can’t apply chewing pressure because of a painful infection, a missing tooth or teeth, or you’re worried about putting pressure on loose teeth, it’s hard to chew food into the paste-like consistency necessary for rest of your system to process it smoothly.

• Reduction in enzymes and peptides

Inadequate chewing causes less saliva production. Without sufficient saliva, your system won’t benefit from the digestive prep work and gut protection which saliva typically provides. 

• Uncomfortable swallowing

Insufficiently chewed food makes peristalsis in the throat and other digestive organs more difficult. Larger pieces of food can become stuck in the esophagus, causing painful swallowing or even choking. 

• Higher risk of stomach problems

When food isn’t chewed thoroughly, the stomach has to work harder, and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux increases. Highly acidic gastric juices can back up into the esophagus and mouth, causing heartburn, chest pain, sore throat, and vomiting. 

• Bowel irritation

When food particles are too large, the small intestine must work harder to break them down and to absorb their nutrients. Insufficiently digested food can upset the bacterial balance in the large intestine. These problems can cause indigestion, constipation, gas, and bloating.

• Changes in nutrition 

Dental problems can also lead to nutritional imbalances even before we start to digest. Soft foods and liquids are often chosen over proteins, fruits, and vegetables when loose or missing teeth or painful infections make chewing difficult. While a soft diet is fine for a few days if your mouth is a bit sore following dental treatment, it can be difficult to get the all the nutrients your body needs with a long-term soft diet.

If your quality of life has been impacted by gum disease, expert care is available from Dr. Dalessandro. Periodontists are uniquely qualified to treat gum disease, to provide regenerative treatments for lost bone and tissue, to perform bone grafting procedures, and to place dental implants. 

If you suspect you have gum disease, would like to see about rebuilding lost bone, or want to restore your healthy smile with a dental implant, the team at Dalessandro Implants & Periodontics in Hoffman Estates, IL can help you discover solutions which can make eating and digesting your meals comfortable again. Your healthy smile—and your healthy body—will thank you!