Helpful Hints to Protect Your Oral Health

During these unprecedented times, we’ve all become much more focused on caring for our overall health. But did you know that taking care of your oral health is also a crucial part of staying healthy? Join your dentist in Lewisburg as we share some helpful hints that you can use to protect your oral and overall health now and forever.

Wash Your Hands

This important message has been spread far and wide over the past few weeks, and with good reason. Washing your hands several times a day can help remove germs and keep you healthy. It’s also important to wash your hands prior to brushing or flossing your teeth. So before you pick up your toothbrush or floss, scrub your mitts for at least 20 seconds and never put unwashed hands or fingers in your mouth. 

Don’t Bite Your Nails

Speaking of not putting your hands in your mouth, now is a great time to stop your nail-biting habit. Not only are our nails packed with dirt and bacteria that are easily transferred into our mouths when we nibble on our nails, but you can also damage your teeth from the constant biting. 

Protect Your Toothbrush

Maintaining a good oral hygiene routine has always been important, and your dentist in Lewisburg still recommends brushing your teeth at least twice a day. But you also need to protect your toothbrush from damage and bacteria buildup. To do this, make sure you store your toothbrush properly. This means keeping your toothbrush away from other ones in your house — a few inches will do. You should also store your toothbrush upright with the bristles at the top and keep it uncovered. Avoid cross-contamination by never sharing your toothbrush with anyone, as that can lead to an unhealthy exchange of bodily fluids. 

Replace & Disinfect Your Toothbrush

If you do happen to get sick, you should invest in a new toothbrush once you feel better. In the meantime, you can disinfect your toothbrush using a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water. In fact, a peer-reviewed study has found that 0.5% hydrogen peroxide effectively reduces coronavirus infectivity. To make this mixture for your toothbrush, follow these steps:

  • Mix 1 fl oz of 3% hydrogen peroxide with 5 fl oz of water
  • Soak your toothbrush in the mixture for 10 minutes. Dump out the mixture. 
  • Rinse your toothbrush prior to brushing. 

Even if you haven’t been sick but your toothbrush is 3-4 months old, or if the bristles are frayed, you should still purchase a new toothbrush. 

At this time, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends postponing any routine dental care for three weeks. Please know that your dentist in Lewisburg is eagerly awaiting the day when we can actively see all of our patients again in our clean and safe office. Until that time, take care of your oral health at home to protect your teeth and your overall health. 

We’re happy to serve patients from Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Williamsport, and nearby communities. 

Best Foods for Teeth

nutrition monthNational Nutrition Month, which is celebrated every March, strives to help Americans better understand how eating right can help keep them healthy. While it’s certainly true that what we eat affects our overall health, your dentist in Lewisburg wants you to know that our food choices also play a key role in our oral health. 

Understanding Nutrition

Most of us know that proper nutrition involves increasing the intake of vegetables and decreasing foods that contain a lot of sugar or fat, but outside of those basics, nutrition isn’t really well understood. The truth is, nutrition is complicated and recommendations vary from person to person based on age, gender, height, weight, as well as activity level. Nutrition is so confusing that the Food Pyramid Guide from the United States Department of Agriculture has changed two times since it was originally created in 1992. However, the Department of Agriculture is trying to simplify nutrition and has created a website called MyPlate. This is the best place to find out what’s best for you and your family’s nutritional needs. Now, even though nutrition as a whole can be complicated, you’ll find that some of the simple basics you already know are the same. This includes eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and dairy.

The Connection Between Good Nutrition and Good Oral Health

Focusing on choosing good foods is beneficial for overall and oral health, just like how eating too much bad food can negatively affect both. Take your Lewisburg dentist’s least favorite thing — sugary foods and drinks, for example. Sugar is high in calories and can cause weight gain and an increased risk for heart disease. Sugar also poses dangers to our mouths by fueling bacteria and causing them to release an acidic byproduct. This acid easily eats away at tooth enamel which makes teeth more susceptible to decay, cavities, and sensitivity. One of the harder parts of nutrition is understanding that just because a food doesn’t taste sweet doesn’t mean there isn’t a risk of sugar complications. Take carbohydrates as an example. Carbs are sneaky and result in something called the hidden sugar effect. They break down into simple sugars as we eat them, which again fuels mouth bacteria and increases the likelihood of decay. 

What Should You Eat to Protect Your Teeth?

There are plenty of tooth-friendly foods to choose from, and many aren’t only nutritious but also delicious. When picking foods and snacks for your family, try some of these foods that are good for your oral health: 

  • Cheese
  • Fatty Fish
  • Poultry
  • Eggs
  • Vegetables
  • Water

There is a direct correlation between what we eat and how healthy we are. This also applies to how healthy your mouth is. Select foods and portions from your MyPlate recommendation, limit your intake of sugary foods, including carbs, and drink plenty of water to help fuel your body and protect your overall and oral health. 

Lastly, don’t forget to also brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and see your dentist in Lewisburg to further keep your teeth in tip-top shape. 

Accepting new patients from Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Williamsport, and nearby areas. 

Why You Should Always Brush Your Tongue

boy and dad brushing teethYour dentist in Lewisburg may spend a lot of time talking about the health of your teeth and the best way to take care of them. After all, dentists are responsible for doing everything they can to make sure your pearly whites stay strong for a lifetime. But there’s another part of your oral health that’s often forgotten but shouldn’t be ignored — your tongue. 

Fast Facts

Your tongue is a fascinating part of your body and is responsible for a lot of important things. In fact, your tongue helps you speak, chew, and swallow. It’s also one of the strongest muscles in your entire body! But your tongue can also hide some dangerous bacteria, and if you don’t care for your tongue properly, these bacteria can cause a lot of problems. 

Benefits of a Clean Tongue

Every time you brush and floss, make sure to give your tongue some attention. Properly cleaning your tongue can help: 

  • Food Taste Better. As we’ve mentioned, tongues can hold a lot of bacteria. These bacteria can build up on taste buds and influence the way foods taste. By cleaning your tongue daily, you’re freeing up your taste buds to absorb all of your favorite foods so that you’re able to savor every last delicious bite. 
  • Freshen Breath. Even though bad breath can be caused by many different things, tongue bacteria are often to blame. When you don’t remove all of the bacteria build-up from your tongue, it can put off an unpleasant odor. If you notice that your breath isn’t so minty-fresh, make sure you’re brushing your tongue every day. If the bad breath doesn’t go away, schedule an appointment with your dentist in Lewisburg as it may be a sign of something more serious. 
  • Make Teeth Healthier. Your teeth are in constant contact with your tongue — all day and all night. This means that anything lurking on your tongue can easily transfer to your teeth. So when bacteria are left lingering around on your tongue, it can affect your teeth and cause decay, cavities, or even gum disease. 

How to Brush Your Tongue

It’s just as important to brush your tongue every day as it is to brush and floss. So every time you pick up your toothbrush, make sure to show your tongue some love. Proper tongue brushing includes starting from the back and gently brushing forward, then swiping your toothbrush from left to right. If you have trouble brushing your tongue, try using a tongue scraper. This little tool is also effective at removing tongue bacteria and may be easier for those with a sensitive gag reflex. 

As always, make sure you see your dentist in Lewisburg twice a year, as well as practice good oral hygiene habits at home… including your tongue. 

Accepting patients from Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Williamsport, and nearby areas. 

Surprising Things About Spit

dental saliva toolWhen we think of spit, we may automatically think about how gross it is, especially when someone spits in public. But what would you say if we told you that spit is actually something pretty incredible? Join your dentist in Lewisburg as we talk about some of the surprising facts about spit.  

We Produce A LOT of Spit

Throughout our lives, we will produce an average of 25,000 quarts of spit. That’s enough to fill a standard swimming pool! While that may seem like a ton of spit, it sure is handy when it comes to your oral and overall health. 

Spit & Oral Health

Believe it or not, spit is in our mouths for a reason or rather several reasons. First, spit plays an important role every time we eat. As we chew, our bodies produce more saliva, and it’s this saliva that helps us breakdown food to make it more digestible. But that’s not all. Saliva also helps rinse away any leftover food particles that may have been left behind long after you finish eating. This helps keep your teeth clean and bacteria-free. Spit serves yet another purpose — neutralizing acid. Acid can wear away the protective tooth enamel and leave teeth exposed to bacteria. But with saliva on our side to neutralize the acid, teeth are protected against decay

The Problem With Not Enough Saliva

When salivary glands don’t produce enough spit, the side effect is dry mouth, which is exactly what it sounds like. Dry mouth can leave your mouth feeling like a desert- no matter how much water you drink. While dry mouth can certainly be annoying, it’s also something you should talk to your Lewisburg dentist about. Dry mouth can be a serious problem that, if left untreated, could certainly increase the risk of bad breath, decay, and even gum disease

Spit Can Save a Life

The benefits of spit go beyond oral health alone and can be used to help those with blood cancers. Blood cancers are, unfortunately, common. Every three minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with blood cancer. But thanks to organizations like BeTheMatch.org, more and more people are being treated successfully. You see, bone marrow is one of the most common treatments of blood cancer, and it’s often hard to find a compatible match. But thanks to spit and a national registry, it’s becoming much easier. A simple swap of spit and entry into a database provides donor match organizations access to find the right bone marrow match for blood cancer patients, increasing the chance of survival. 

When it comes to spitting, it may still be gross. But that doesn’t mean the spit itself is necessarily gross, too. Spit can benefit us in many ways and protect our smiles against the dangers of bacteria and acid. It can also help save a life. 

Welcoming new patients from Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Williamsport, and nearby areas. 

Diabetes & Your Teeth

diabetes dayIt may seem strange to hear your dentist in Lewisburg talk about a disease that doesn’t seem to affect your oral health. But the truth is, many diseases, including diabetes, can negatively affect your teeth. In fact, diabetes can increase the likelihood of gum disease, dry mouth, and other oral health problems. For this World Diabetes Day (November 14), we want to do our part to raise awareness of the importance of dental care for those with diabetes by sharing three ways to reduce the risk of oral health complications related to diabetes. 

The Truth is in the Numbers

Nearly 30 million Americans are living with diabetes, and of those, an estimated 8.1 million aren’t even diagnosed. But those aren’t the only numbers we’re concerned about. As any diabetic knows, checking blood glucose levels often is an important part of making sure their diabetes is under control. But keeping those numbers stable can also help reduce the risk of oral health complications related to diabetes. If blood glucose is elevated, there is an increased risk of losing teeth or developing gum disease. Gum disease is a serious infection in the gum tissue and, like other infections, can also cause blood sugar to rise and make diabetes difficult to control.

Diet is Everything

Besides checking blood sugar levels regularly, diabetics are used to being careful about what they eat. This is certainly a habit your dentist in Lewisburg can get behind! Of course, limiting sugary snacks or sweets is always a recommendation, but it’s also important to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet to not only help maintain blood sugar but also for your overall and oral health. Choose raw veggies or fresh fruits and whole grains whenever possible. Your medical doctor can also help develop a meal plan that will work for you and your body. 

Don’t Forget About Oral Hygiene

We would be missing a key detail about maintaining good oral health if we didn’t talk about the importance of oral hygiene, whether you’re diabetic or not. A healthy mouth starts with a good oral hygiene routine at home. This means brushing twice a day for two minutes each time and flossing once a day to remove plaque and bacteria from teeth, under the gums, and the tongue. But even the most dedicated at-home oral hygiene routine will only go so far. Seeing your dentist in Lewisburg at least twice a year for professional cleanings is also key to a healthy mouth. These appointments are important for everyone, but especially for those with diabetes. 

Our dental office in Lewisburg believes in doing everything we can to keep our patients healthy, including talking about and raising awareness of diseases that originate in other parts of the body. After all, oral health can be negatively affected by many of these diseases. 

Want to do your part to raise awareness for diabetes this November? Wear blue on November 14, schedule an appointment with your doctor if you suspect you have diabetes, and, as always, remember to brush, floss, and see your dentist regularly. 

Welcoming patients from Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, and Williamsport.

5 Ways to Say “No Way!” to Sugar Cravings

gummy bearsThis is the time of year when sugary sweets and candy seem to be lurking around every turn of the grocery or pharmacy aisles. There are so many ooey, gooey, colorful, delicious treats we want to eat. But as we all know, your dentist in Lewisburg will tell you to step away from the sweets because they’re bad for your teeth. Now, we’re not saying you can’t enjoy fall-flavored fun this month, just remember to brush your teeth too!

There are some super easy things you can do to avoid those cravings for candies and cakes. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ways you can help steer clear of sugar.

1) Stay Hydrated – Sometimes, when our bodies don’t get enough water, we crave things or become extra hungry, even “hangry.” If you find yourself daydreaming about Devil Dogs or Coffee Cakes, try drinking a full 8-ounce glass of good old water. If you want to make it tastier, try adding some fruit for an infusion that can dress up any beverage.

2) Find Fruit – Refined sugars are very bad for teeth of all ages and stages of life. Instead of having a candy bar, bite into a piece of fruit like bananas, apples, oranges, pears, and watermelon. Sure, fruits contain sugar too, but they’re better for you than sweets.

3) Get SleepYour Lewisburg dentist will tell you that when you’re not sleeping right, it can cause issues throughout your body. When you’re feeling tired or rundown, it’s easy to gravitate towards foods that are not-so-healthy and filled with sugar. Getting the right amount of rest should help ward off cravings and restore your clarity and the ability to make healthy diet choices.

4) Stop Stress – Just like when you’re a sleepless zombie, being crazy stressed is just as bad for your diet. Excess stress leads to cravings for things that we know aren’t good for our oral and overall health. Fighting these urges when you’re stressed and tired can be a big battle. Remember to relax and do your best to stay mindful and in the moment each day.

5) Eat Regularly – This ranks right up there with our first tip. If your body is out of water or food, then you’re basically out of fuel. Your body is going to take whatever it can get for some much-needed calories. Sometimes our bodies tend to go right for the sweets when we’re hungry instead of healthy options like fruits, veggies, proteins, etc.

The easiest way to avoid a sugar craving is to not be around it at all. We know, it’s not easy to do that this time of year. If you have a bite here and there, please remember to brush and floss. We don’t want sugar taking your smile from healthy to scary. Don’t forget to call our dental office in Lewisburg if you have any questions about your oral health! We’re always here for you and happy to help. 

Welcoming patients from Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Williamsport, and nearby areas.