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A Deeper Dental Cleaning: Scaling & Root Planing

Teeth are typically the first thing that comes to mind for people when they hear the words dentist or dentistry, which makes sense—the root word dent actually means tooth! However, your teeth require healthy gums to hold them in place. 

Did you know gum disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss? That’s why we need to examine your gums just as thoroughly as your teeth, and for you to remain diligent about your oral hygiene routines and cleaning visits with your Portland dental team at Family Dental Health.

If You Have Gum Disease

First, know that you’re not alone. Nearly half of adults in the U.S. over the age of 30 experience chronic periodontitis (the advanced stage of gum disease, which starts as gingivitis). Gum disease can be treated, and one of our first steps might be scaling and root planing.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a visit with Dr. David Case to ensure your teeth and gums are in good shape, contact Family Dental Health today!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Mouthwash: More Harm Than Good?

At Family Dental Health, we know a lot of people feel they’re adding a layer of tooth decay and gum disease prevention to their oral hygiene routines when they swish with mouthwash—which may be true, but it depends on the mouthwash. If you floss and brush properly, mouthwash isn’t always necessary, and certain types could even be harmful to your oral health.

Think about it this way: do you take antibiotics when you don’t have an infection that requires them? Like antibiotics, certain mouthwashes can kill beneficial bacteria and either create or aggravate problems.

It’s All About the Ingredients

One of the conditions that can be exacerbated by mouthwash is dry mouth, and it’s usually due to the alcohol content many of them carry. Do you know that burning feeling that makes it feel like it’s working? That’s the alcohol, and it’s doing more harm than good. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this topic or any other oral health subject, contact Family Dental Health today. We love staying in touch with our dental family!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Is it Time to Toss that Toothbrush?

When you find a toothbrush that’s just right for you, it can be easy to get attached. After all, you use your toothbrush morning and night (ideally) to prevent plaque and bacteria from hardening and becoming tartar—that’s what we like to call quality time! 

When your toothbrush does so much good, you want to return the favor, so throwing it out every three months can seem like a betrayal. What if it were your toothbrush that betrayed you, though? 

Learning to Let Go

Bad jokes aside, it’s important to replace your toothbrush seasonally (at least). Want to know why? First of all, your toothbrush bristles will inevitably become worn down over, and frayed, worn bristles just won’t get the job done. Second, old toothbrushes can be breeding grounds for bacteria and pathogens, and you should always replace toothbrushes after an illness to prevent reinfection.

If you’d like advice on toothbrushes or anything else dental health-related, your Portland, OR dentist, Dr. Case at Family Dental Health, would be happy to hear from you! Contact Family Dental Health today, and schedule a visit to find out if your toothbrush is serving you well.

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

What Did My Dentist Just Say?

At Family Dental Health, education is paramount in our mission to help our Portland, OR friends and neighbors improve and maintain their oral health. For this reason, we try to avoid using dental jargon when we’re speaking with our valued patient family. 

However, there are terms that can’t be broken down as easily; in those cases, we’ll explain things in as much detail as you need to feel comfortable and confident in your care. Usually what we’re describing isn’t as complex as it sounds! 

That’s a Mouthful

As an example: alveoloplasty. That’s just the technical term for the surgical reshaping of your jawbone, often performed after extraction to prepare your mouth for a tooth or teeth replacement. Words (or abbreviations) you’ll hear more commonly include prophylaxis, scaling and root planing, TMJ, and bruxism. For a crash course on these words and more, check out this glossary.

If you have questions about the terms you see (or terms that didn’t make the list) and you’d like to talk about it over an appointment, please contact Family Dental Health today. Dr. Case loves talking all things oral health and sharing smiles with you!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Zirconia Crowns for Kids

Zirconia has been used in major medical procedures like hip replacement for many years due to its strength and biocompatibility. It took the dental industry until the early 2000s to catch up, beginning with adult dental procedures such as dental implants, root canals and dental crowns. In 2010, zirconia became available for use in pediatric dentistry. Family Dental Health outlines some benefits of zirconia dental crowns for kids below.

The use of white zirconia results in a durable and visually pleasing crown. As the strongest non-metal material available on the market for use in restorative pediatric dentistry, it has allowed kids to enjoy natural-looking dental solutions they can rely on for:

• Damaged, chipped, or broken teeth
• Abnormal tooth development
• Significant dental decay
• Damage from cavities in early childhood

Family Dental Health may choose a crown restoration to protect a compromised tooth from breakage that the process of filling a tooth may cause. Zirconia crowns don’t stain, chip, or break and are resistant to plaque and decay. 

If you have any questions about zirconia crowns for kids or would like to schedule an appointment, get in touch with Family Dental Health today!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Strategies for Teasing: Helping Kids Feel Better About Their Smile

Every kid feels uncomfortable in social situations sometimes, especially when they feel they “look different”—and studies show the #1 reason kids are bullied for their appearance is the way their teeth look. Bullies sense this discomfort and annoy, anger, and confuse kids who already feel vulnerable—and if the child being teased is openly reactive, the bullies may choose to step up their efforts. 

Dr. Case of Family Dental Health would like to share some guidelines for positive self-esteem that our pediatric patients have found helpful. Parents can share these skills, which may help with more than just feelings about their teeth!

• Effort: Suggest kids take extra care with their appearance to help them approach situations with more confidence—and remind them they are worth the effort!
• Assertion: Encourage kids to be polite but direct. Consider ways they’ve answered past questions, and prepare to respond to things that might come up again—and to look mean kids straight in the eyes and smile at them, which will surprise the bullies (they feed off negative reactions). 
• Positive Self-Talk: Tell kids to repeat “I can do this” and similar messages to themselves, even if they don’t quite believe it yet.
• Humor: If your child is comfortable cracking a joke or two, others laughing with them can have positive results—and make sure they are jokes everyone can laugh at without hurting anyone else’s feelings or putting themselves down.
• Awareness: Avoid any location their bully or bullies seem to hang out. Let them know that staying away from a situation like this is smart—not cowardly.

Encourage kids to practice skills like these with you, friends they trust, or even in front of a mirror to help them get used to and feel more comfortable with these confident responses. 

If you need to schedule a checkup or your child has any dental questions, contact us today!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Teens & Prescription Opioid Use

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 40 Americans die from prescription opioid overdoses every day. As the opioid crisis grows, so does our expanded public knowledge—such as the realization that addiction to this family of drugs often begins with an innocent prescription.

Many teens first experience opioids when a dentist prescribes them to control the pain of wisdom tooth extraction, root canal treatment, or other oral surgery. While legitimate, this initial exposure increases the likelihood of future opioid addiction by 33%. Teens are also prone to opioid abuse due to the fact that the prefrontal cortex region of the brain—the portion that manages reason and impulse control—is not fully developed until reaching the early- to mid-20s.

Dr. David Case at Family Dental Health wants your child’s dental care to be effective, comfortable, and above all—safe. If you have any concerns about dental surgery and your teen or you’re just looking for a kind, knowledgeable dentist, contact Family Dental Health to make an appointment today. We’ll answer all your questions and put your mind at ease!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Can My Child Skip Visits to the Dentist?

You may think of our team at Family Dental Health as part of your child’s defensive line keeping them safe from gum disease and tooth decay, but we’re also myth busters! You’ve probably heard one of the most common misconceptions we have to challenge: dentistry isn’t important until after children lose their baby teeth. 

The truth is that oral health routines should be developed right from the beginning, and visiting the dentist is a foundational part of creating healthy habits.

From the beginning?

That’s right! There are tips you’ll want to follow as your little one’s smile forms and grows, and around the time you’re celebrating their first birthday, you’ll want to schedule their first dental visit. For an overview of why early introductions are crucial and what you can do to keep them on the right track before this milestone, we invite you to come to see us!

If you have any questions or you’d like to schedule a visit with Portland dentist, Dr. David Case to get your kids started on their smile journey, contact Family Dental Health today!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Prepare Your Child for Dental Visits with a Good Book!

When you’ve got your child’s first dental visit noted on the calendar, you might feel more anxious than they do as you approach the big day. At Family Dental Health, we want to help both of you relax and see there’s nothing to fear about having your smile cared for. Our team is kind and gentle, and though our technology might seem intimidating, it’s all geared toward increasing comfort while we get a clear picture of the condition of your little one’s oral health.

Knowledge is Power

We think one of the main reasons visiting the dentist can seem scary is because of the unknown. If you know more about what to expect, it’s easier to get comfortable in the chair! We want you and your young one to be informed and as prepared as possible, so we’re sharing this list of children’s books you can read together before we have the pleasure of sharing smiles with you.

Do you and your child have a favorite children’s book about going to the dentist? We’d love to hear about it! Contact Family Dental Health to let us know, and to schedule a visit with your Portland dentist, Dr. David Case.

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Teens & Tobacco: Know the Risks

Today, Family Dental Health wants to give teens the bottom line about tobacco use: there is no such thing as a “safe” or “safer” tobacco product. Every tobacco product contains nicotine in varying amounts—and not only is nicotine addictive, but it can also harm the brain. (Many people don’t realize the brain continues developing until the mid-20s or even early-30s.)

• Cigarettes are usually made of tobacco and chemical additives in a paper casing. Inhaled smoke from a lit cigarette contains more than 7,000 harmful chemicals; at least 70 of them are linked to cancer. Smoking cigarettes damages almost every organ of the body and leads to diseases like oral cancer and lung cancer, heart disease and stroke.
• The “vaping” of e-cigarettes has become increasingly popular in recent years. These devices heat liquid into an aerosol that is then inhaled by the user. Many believe this aerosol is innocuous, but it actually contains many chemicals that are unsafe to breathe. Most e-cigarettes also contain nicotine.
• Smokeless tobacco is tobacco that is not burned and includes chewing, oral and spitting tobacco, dip, chew, and snuff. Smokeless tobacco has high levels of toxic chemicals, and users are at high risk of oral cancer.

Oral cancer is one of the fastest-growing cancers worldwide, and Family Dental Health wants all their young patients to enjoy long, healthy lives. Get in touch with us at Family Dental Health with any questions about tobacco use and oral health today.

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.