Blog

Could Brushing & Flossing Prevent a Heart Attack?

A lot of healthy lifestyle choices benefit more than one system within your body. Eating well, exercising, good sleep, and fresh air all support a lot of your physical needs. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that what hurts one area of your health can easily hurt another area, too. An important (though less known) connection in your health systems is the connection between oral hygiene and heart health.

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Chocolate is Good for Oral Health – True or False?

Most of us were taught when we were kids that sweets like chocolate will rot your teeth. While this may remain true for some types of our favorite sweet snack, that doesn’t mean we have to take it off the menu all together. In fact, recent studies have found that dark chocolate, containing high percentages of cocoa, may actually be beneficial to your dental health. Dr. David Case at Family Dental Health wants Portland residents to know the facts so they can satisfy their sweet-tooth safely.

How does it work?

Dark chocolate is known to contain high levels of antioxidants, which work with our bodies to fight bacteria and disease. Dark chocolate can contain up to four times the amount of antioxidants found in green tea! High levels of antioxidants found in saliva have been proven to help fight periodontal, or gum disease, and slow tooth decay.

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Relief from Dry, Chapped, & Cracked Lips

We’re no strangers to extreme temperatures and dry weather in Portland, and our lips are proof. Most of us experience chapped lips at some point during the year and it’s not uncommon to see lips that suffer from annoying, painful cracks. Here at Family Dental Health we are very much attuned the oral health needs of Portland, so here are a few tips from Dr. David Case about how to keep your lips healthy, kissable, and free to eat and drink whatever you crave!

Do You Have Chapped or Cracked Lips?

If you have dry lips that are chapped, peeling, and/or cracked, you probably already know about it. However, here are some telltale signs:

1. Sensitive or painful lips
2. Smiling hurts
3. You lick your lips often
4. Your lips show clear signs of peeling or cracking
5. You bleed from the corners of your mouth
6. You have open sores or marks on your lips

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Dentists Are Doctors, Too!

There are many kinds of doctors – Doctors of English, Doctors of Philosophy, Doctors of Medicine, Dr. Pepper… (wink).

Of course, when we use the term doctor, we most often mean a physician or doctor of medicine. But did you know that dentists are doctors, too? Every doctor has a specialty, and a dentist’s specialty is oral health.

Dr. David Case, your Portland dentist explains how dentistry is a specific branch of medicine, and what it all means for the link between oral health and overall wellness.

Dentists Are Doctors

Dentists are every bit as trained and educated as physicians. They have the same general education in science as physicians before they get clinical training in dentistry. This background education helps dentists look at you, the whole package, when taking care of your teeth.

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The Importance of Dental X-Rays

The technology of dental medicine is advancing by the minute. There are now sophisticated techniques for diagnosing and tracking oral cancer, correcting crooked teeth in less than a year, treating periodontitis (advanced gum disease) without surgery, and many more. Yet, when it comes down to diagnosing issues and creating an effective treatment plan, nothing beats a fresh set of X-rays. Dr. David Case uses dental X-rays to see the whole picture, in order to keep your teeth healthy, bright, and beautiful. If you are a Portland resident with questions about how X-rays work, read on, and don’t hesitate to call Family Dental Health with any concerns.

What are X-rays?

X-rays have been around since 1895, when Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen first discovered that his cathode ray tube could penetrate black paper and cast shadows of solid objects. X-rays are on a shorter wavelength than visible light and pass through soft tissue in the human body, providing a detailed picture of what’s going on inside. Without X-Rays, the treatment of everything from cavities, to broken bones, to cancer, would be much more difficult. Beyond medicine and science, X-Rays have useful applications across many industries.

Why do I need X-Rays?

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Dental Insurance FAQ: The Basics

We at Family Dental Health understand that dental insurance can be a tricky thing to navigate. Evaluating dental plans and considering deductibles, benefits, which treatments are covered, and the mountain of other information insurance companies provide can be a headache in and of itself. Dr. David Case wants every Portland resident to have the power to control their own health, so here’s a simplified guide to the basics of dental health insurance. As always, if you have a question, don’t be afraid to give us a call!

Dental Insurance

Dental insurance is an excellent investment that helps Portland residents ensure a lifetime of healthy smiles. However, in order to get the best value from your dental insurance, there are a few things you need to know. Here are the answers to the most common questions we hear at Family Dental Health:

What is dental insurance?

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The Story of Caries Prevention

If we told you that your mouth is the site of a constant battle between teeth and bacteria, would you believe us? Alright, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but the fact that Portland teeth are always at risk of developing dental caries is no exaggeration. In case you’ve never heard about caries, Dr. David Case is going to take this opportunity to shed some light on what it is, how to stop it, and what Family Dental Health can do to help.

Dental Caries, Tooth Decay, and Cavities

What do dental caries and tooth decay have in common? A lot – actually, they are the exact same thing. When bacteria interact with carbohydrates as they are broken down in the mouth, they ferment and produce lactic acid, which eats away at the structures of the teeth. Considered the most prevalent chronic disease among adults and children, this condition is called dental caries, or tooth decay. Without proper care and regular dental appointments, the acid from bacteria will eat away the surface layer of the tooth, creating a hole, or cavity. In other words, dental caries (tooth decay) is the cause of cavities.

Caries Prevention

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Having Jaw Pain? The Importance of Teeth Alignment

Why Do My Teeth Need To Be Aligned?

The only reason people get braces is to improve their smile, right? Wrong! Occlusion, or the alignment of your teeth, is a crucial factor in the health and functionality of your entire mouth. It may not seem like anything more than a cosmetic issue, but malocclusion (misaligned teeth) can cause jaw pain, difficulty eating, jaw popping and more. Your mouth is a finely tuned digestive organ and even the slightest issue with teeth alignment could cause big problems.

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