Bad breath, also called halitosis, can result from poor dental health habits and may be a sign of other health problems. Bad breath can also be made worse by the types of foods you eat and other unhealthy lifestyle habits. You may not even be aware of your own bad breath, so if you’re concerned you may be suffering from it, talk to our team. We can help identify the cause and, if it’s due to an oral condition, develop a treatment plan to treat it.
There are many reasons for bad breath:
• What you eat can also affect the way your breath smells. Certain foods, such as garlic and onions, can have a very strong and lasting odor.
• If you don’t brush and floss daily, particles of food remain in the mouth, collecting bacteria, which can cause bad breath, not to mention tooth decay and gingivitis.
• Bad breath can be caused by dry mouth (xerostomia), which occurs when the flow of saliva decreases. Saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove particles that may cause odor.
• Tobacco products cause bad breath. If you use tobacco, ask us for tips on kicking the habit.
• Bad breath may be the sign of a medical disorder, such as a local infection in the respiratory tract, chronic sinusitis, postnasal drip, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance, liver or kidney ailment. If this is the case, you may be referred to your family doctor or a specialist to determine the cause.
The good news is there are many ways to help eliminate bad breath from your life. Maintaining good oral health is essential to reducing bad breath, so schedule regular dental visits with our office for a professional cleaning and checkup. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove food debris and plaque, and don’t forget to brush your tongue, too!
What causes crooked teeth?
There are several reasons why some people’s teeth grow in crooked, overlapping, or twisted. Some people’s mouths are too small for their teeth, which crowds the teeth and causes them to shift. In other cases, a person’s upper and lower jaws aren’t the same size or are malformed. Most often, crooked teeth are inherited traits just as the color of your eyes or hair. Other causes of crooked teeth are early loss of baby or adult teeth, undue pressure on the teeth and gums, misalignment of jaw after facial injury, or common oral health problems in children such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, or prolonged use of a bottle or pacifier.
Having crooked teeth isn’t just a cosmetic issue; it can lead to serious health problems as well. Crooked teeth can:
• interfere with proper chewing
• make keeping teeth clean more of a challenge, increasing the risk of tooth decay, cavities, and gingivitis
• strain the teeth, jaws, and muscles, increasing the risk of breaking a tooth
There are several orthodontic procedures that can help correct crooked teeth, and at Dalseth Family & Cosmetic Dentistry we have many services that we can customize to meet your needs, including traditional braces and Invisalign®. Dr. Todd Weber has had extensive training in both traditional braces and Invisalign (clear braces). In fact, Dr. Weber is a Preferred Provider for the Invisalign treatment.
If you or someone you know has always wanted a straighter smile give us a call. Dr. Weber would love to talk to you about your options. We want you to be proud to show off your smile!
Cavities – Not Just Kids’ Stuff
Cavities occur as a result of the destruction of tooth structure, called tooth decay. Tooth decay can affect both the enamel (the outer coating of the tooth) and the dentin (the inner layer of the tooth). While it is very important to brush and floss every day to remove food particles and plaque, regular cleanings and checkups at Dalseth Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is the best way to help avoid cavities.
Drs. Stephen Dalseth, Pascal Dalseth, Todd Weber, and Sara Michel can discover cavities during your regular dental checkup. The tooth surface feels soft when probed with a dental instrument. X-rays can also show cavities before they become visible to the eye. In advanced stages of tooth decay, you might experience a toothache, especially after consuming sweet, hot, or cold foods or drinks. Other signs of tooth decay are visible pits or holes in the teeth.
Don’t wait for a toothache!
Remember, the longer you wait to treat a cavity, the more extensive your treatment will be. A small cavity can be treated with a filling, while a large cavity that weakens the structure of your tooth may require a crown. If the decay is so bad that it causes the nerve or pulp of the tooth to die, a root canal or tooth removal may be your only options. If you think you may have a cavity, contact our office and schedule an appointment. We’ll make sure you leave with a healthy, pain-free smile!
Presidents’ Day Fun Facts!
Monday, Feb. 20 marks Presidents’ Day, a day known for celebrating of both George Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s combined Birthdays. Presidents’ Day was created in 1971, when President Richard Nixon combined the birthdays of two of our most well-known presidents into one single federal holiday. Presidents’ Day also marks a hard-earned day off from work and school for a lot of our patients at Dalseth Family & Cosmetic Dentistry.
Here are a few fun facts about our nation’s presidents:
*Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, carried letters, bills and notes in his tall stovepipe hat.
*George Washington is the first president to be featured on a postage stamp.
*Ronald Reagan, our 40th president, broke the so-called “20-year curse,” in which every president elected in a year ending in zero died in office.
*Abraham Lincoln was the tallest of the U.S. presidents, measuring 6’ 4” tall.
*Virginia is the birthplace of more United States presidents than any other state, followed by Ohio and Massachusetts.
*Harry S. Truman was the first president to have his Inauguration and speeches televised.
Have a question? Just ask!
Drs. Stephen Dalseth, Pascal Dalseth, Todd Weber, and Sara Michel and their team are always available to answer patient questions about teeth and oral health. We strive to provide our patients with quality care and a warm, family-friendly environment.
We also recognize that the most important questions are our responsibility to answer. Some of the questions that we hear in the office include:
From the front desk:
— Do you take my insurance?
— Why are we out of network?
From the clinical staff:
— What age should I bring my child for their first visit?
— What is the difference between a regular clean and a periodontal cleaning?
— Will this hurt?
— Do I have to do this?
We also encourage you to ask us:
— How are my teeth affecting my overall health?
— Why do I get cavities?
— What can I do to prevent this from happening in the future?
— How beneficial is preventative care?
Most important questions to ask your dentist?
— Can you explain the problem to me, how can I resolve it, and how can I prevent it from happening again?
Answers to these and other questions often vary from patient to patient. We encourage to ask us the next time to you have an appointment at Dalseth Family and Cosmetic Dentistry. We want your dental experience to be informative and comfortable.
Five ways you can avoid plaque
At Dalseth Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we know nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth, courtesy of WebMD.
Let’s start with brushing regularly. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.
Next on the list is flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.
Also, evading a trip to visit to the dnetist is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting Dalseth Family and Cosmetic Dentistry at least twice a year or as recommended, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your natural teeth.
You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you’re wearing braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.
Finally, before you pick up that candy bar, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be. If you have any questions, give us a call or ask us on Facebook!
Make 2012 the year to improve your oral health
Many folks consider the beginning of a new year a time to not only reflect on the year that was, but also to set personal goals for the upcoming year. How are you planning to improve your health and happiness in 2012? Dr. Pascal Dalseth and our team recommend that you make a New Year’s resolution to benefit your oral health!
It is important that New Year’s resolutions are reasonable and attainable, and that they improve your overall quality of life—for example, did you know that flossing every day is the very best way to prevent periodontal, or gum, disease? Using a straw when drinking sugary beverages can also help prevent cavities. There are many small steps that you can take to prevent cavities, oral infections and bad breath.
Be sure to give us a call if you need a few suggestions on ways to improve your oral health, or visit this helpful article from our friends at the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). After all, we know your oral health is about more than just a beautiful smile.
Happy New Year!
Beware of those Christmas goodies!
Maintaining a healthy diet over the holiday season can prove a difficult task. After all, who can resist the tasty treats of Christmas? With grandma and everybody else offering you candy, chocolate logs or Christmas pudding, you just can’t say “I’ll pass” each time. But trouble lurks: every time you chow down on that chocolate or candy, the bacteria in your mouth have a feast on the sugar—at your expense. The sugar turns into acid, and the acid eats away at the enamel on your teeth. Then, you start getting cavities.
Instead, our friends at the American Dental Association recommend nuts or dried fruit, which are a nice alternative to sugars and have a greater nutritional value—and can satisfy your sweet tooth! Both nuts and fruit are a great source of fiber and act as an appetite suppressant. In addition, nuts are a great source of Vitamin E, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B9, nutrients that contribute to a healthy immune system. Nuts are also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked with reducing heart disease and lower blood pressure.
If you must indulge in chocolaty goodness this Christmas or holiday season, remember to brush your teeth after eating sugary treats. Hope this helps! Give us a call if you have any questions!
– Dr. Pascal Dalseth and team
From Dr. Pascal Dalseth: Are you social?
At Dalseth Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, our YouTube, Facebook and blog are all areas where patients can find out what we have been up to. There are informational videos on procedures and updates on CE. This a place were we let you know what we have been doing including activities in the community and special events at the office. We also update on highlights of the season and the week of both staff and their family.
I would enjoy having my patients let me know what they would like to see. Is there a specific are of dentistry that you are thinking about? Has there been something in the media about a material or procedure. Do you like the tidbits about what we are doing outside the office?
I cannot wait to hear!
From Dr. Pascal Dalseth DDS
A personal Thanksgiving message from Dr. Pascal Dalseth
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. It is a time that brings families together, gives us an opportunity to appreciate and be thankful for all that has happened throughout the year. Thanksgiving also seems to be the commencement of the giving season and thinking about helping those less fortunate than most of us. At Dalseth Family and Cosmetic Dentistry we also believe in giving back.
This past week we had the opportunity to visit Feed My Starving Children again. It is a wonderful organization that allows volunteers to pack and ship nutrient rich meals to children in countries where starvation is cause by drought, political unrest, or natural disasters. Last Friday the entire staff packed 25,056 meals, which is enough to feed 65 children for 1 year. At the end, a FMSC employee shared a story about an 8 year boy for EL Salvador who weighed 19 pounds, after 6 months of Manna pack meals the young boy weighed 74 pounds. His stomach was no longer distended and his hair had begun to grow. It is an amazing story of how a few people working together can help so many.
The one thing I took away from when volunteering at FMSC was, that sometime the greatest gift a person can give is one of time. The gift of time is important, whether you are reading to your child, listening to your grandparents share a story, picking up trash along the roadway, or working at a foodshelf. Without your gift of time, you are leaving a void that cannot be filled.
On this week of Thanksgiving all of us at Dalseth Family and Cosmetic Dentistry wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and want to thank you all you for sharing your time with us.
Dr. Pascal