Overall 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. 

National 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. 

When 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. 

It 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.