May is Asthma Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to educate people on this very common, yet very serious, disease. Around 25 million Americans, both children, and adults, have asthma, and it can’t be cured. While asthma predominantly affects the respiratory system and can cause shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness, your dentist in Canton wants all asthmatics to know that it can also affect oral health. 

Asthma & Oral Health 

Even though asthma can’t be cured, the good news is that it can often be treated. Many asthma sufferers will use inhalers to help control their asthma symptoms, but other medications also exist. It’s there where oral health problems related to asthma begin. 

• Dry Mouth

Inhalers and other asthma treatments can cause dry mouth. Dry mouth is an oral health condition that can be uncomfortable, but the truth is, it could also cause some dental concerns. When there’s not enough saliva in your mouth, bacteria and acids that would typically be washed away will hang around and attack teeth. This can weaken tooth enamel and increase the risk of decay, cavities, bad breath, and gum disease. Anyone experiencing dry mouth, whether they’re asthmatic or not, should talk to their dentist in Canton. 

• Mouth Breathing

Another concern that often affects those with asthma is mouth breathing. When we have trouble breathing, we will automatically start breathing out of the mouth instead of the nose. Since asthmatics typically have more difficulty breathing than those without asthma, they are more likely to breathe out of their mouths to get the oxygen they need. However, mouth breathing can quickly cause dry mouth. So not only are asthmatics more likely to experience dry mouth due to medications,but regular mouth breathing also increases the risk. 

How to Fix Dry Mouth

Dry mouth can leave us feeling constantly thirsty, and it is just simply uncomfortable. But the good news is that there are some tried and true tricks that can help alleviate dry mouth. 

• Stay Hydrated. Those with dry mouths may already drink more water throughout the day. This is important. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps keep the mouth hydrated, which will more effectively wash away bacteria and neutralize damaging acids. 
• Rinse With Water. After taking asthma medication, a quick rinse with water will help remove the drying ingredients, lowering the risk of dry mouth. 
• Talk to Your Dentist. It’s important to communicate any health conditions to your dentist in Canton. Knowing your health history helps your dental team customize treatment for you and notifies them to be on the lookout for any oral health concerns that may result from other health problems in the rest of the body.

As always, never stop any medication without first talking to your physician, brush and floss your teeth every day, and visit your dentist at least every six months for cleanings, dental x-rays, and checkups. 

Accepting patients at all of our dental offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia. 

If you or members of your family have been itching, sniffling, and sneezing lately, allergies may be to blame. In fact, a recent study shows that allergies may be starting earlier and be more severe than ever before. This could mean that more and more people are experiencing the side effects of high pollen counts, which is unpleasant in and of itself. But your dentist in Ann Arbor also wants you to know that allergies can also cause the body to react in such a way that could increase the risk for cavities and other dental problems.  

Mucky Mucus & Mouth Breathing

We’ve all experienced the surge of mucky mucus thanks to seasonal allergies. No matter how unpleasant this feeling is, it’s important to know that it’s a natural response. When we come in contact with an allergen, the body will overproduce mucus, which in turn will cause a stuffy nose. This can make it hard to breathe properly out of the nose, causing us to breathe from the mouth. While the intake of oxygen is sure to please the body, the mouth may disagree. 

Why is Mouth Breathing a Bad Thing? 

While allergies themselves don’t necessarily directly cause oral health problems, the symptoms can, such as mouth breathing due to a buildup of mucus and a stuffy nose. When we breathe out of our mouths instead of our noses, our mouths dry out faster than normal. Dry mouth is caused by a lack of saliva, and a healthy mouth needs saliva in order to stay healthy. Without it, bad bacteria can linger around and cause bad breath, wear away at protective tooth enamel, cause cavities, and can even result in gum disease. Additionally, and not necessarily related to allergies, mouth breathing while sleeping can be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can cause someone to stop breathing during sleep, sometimes several times a night. Signs of mouth breathing that should be reported to your dentist in Ann Arbor include snoring and abrupt awakenings. 

Tooth Pain

As if the overproduction of mucus potentially contributing to cavities concerns wasn’t enough, this mucus can also cause pain. An excessive amount of mucus can put pressure on the sinuses, which you may feel in your face or head. But this pressure can also extend to the maxillary sinuses, a nearby neighbor to the roots and nerves of the back teeth. When the maxillary sinuses are inflamed, it can put pressure on those nearby tooth nerves and cause discomfort. 

Allergy Medicine Can Help… And Hurt

Anyone suffering from allergies, or who has a child dealing with the symptoms, will often turn to allergy medication to alleviate the uncomfortable side effects of a flare-up. While these medications can relieve some of the stuffiness, itchiness, and drippiness, they too can sometimes cause dry mouth. But lucky for you, your dentist in Ann Arbor knows a few tricks that can reduce the likelihood of experiencing negative side effects of dry mouth, such as: 

Chewing sugar-free gum

Using lubricating mouthwash

Drinking water

Sleeping with a humidifier in your bedroom

Allergy season can feel neverending, but we’re here to help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment. Accepting new patients at all of our dental offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia. 

During checkups with your dentist in Farmington Hills, you may be asked to bite down as your dentist takes a closer look at your teeth. What exactly is the purpose of this examination? They’re looking at your bite or the way your top teeth meet your bottom teeth when you’re biting down, to see how your teeth fit together. In some cases, you may be told you have a bad bite. But there are also things to look out for on your own that help you determine if you have a good bite or a bad bite. 

4 Signs of a Bite Problem

A bad bite, also referred to as malocclusion, simply means that the upper top and lower teeth don’t fit together properly, or sometimes don’t meet together at all. A bad bite can affect many things, from the way you chew, breathe, and speak to an increased risk of developing dental problems. While we can thank genetics as the cause of most bad bites, they can also result from other things and can affect both kids and adults. Here are some signs of a bad bite from your dentist in Farmington Hills. 

• “Buck Teeth”

If your top teeth hang out over the bottom teeth when you’re fully biting down, they may take on the appearance of “buck teeth.” This is a tell-tale sign of an overbite. An overbite in kids can be caused by thumbsucking and pacifier, while developing an overbite later in life may be contributed to nail-biting, tooth grinding, or constantly pushing the tongue against the top teeth. “Buck teeth” are more prone to being damaged and broken and can make it hard for you to close your mouth completely. People with an overbite could suffer from dry mouth, an increased risk for cavities, and bad breath. 

• Lower Teeth Overlapping Upper Teeth

It’s also possible for the opposite to occur, and the lower teeth can overlap the upper teeth. This is appropriately called an underbite. Underbites can put too much pressure on the jaw and cause pain and can also make teeth more susceptible to wear down. Those with an underbite tend to have an appearance where the jaw looks pushed forward all the time. Causes of an underbite are similar to those of an overbite and include thumbsucking and the use of pacifiers. New underbites that appear in adulthood are most commonly the result of a dental injury. 

• Criss-Crossed Teeth

While it’s incredibly common for teeth to be crooked or slightly overlap, when a top tooth, or even several top teeth, criss-cross into the inside of lower teeth when the mouth is closed could be a sign of a crossbite. Crossbites are one of the more complicated types of malocclusion and can happen to either the front teeth or the back teeth. They’re caused by some sort of anatomical misalignment in the teeth or bone structure and can cause more stress to fall on one location rather than spread evenly, causing jaw pain and increasing the risk of enamel erosion and, therefore, decay. 

• Front Teeth That Don’t Touch

When you bite down on your back teeth, do your front teeth touch? How about the back molars? If the front teeth or your molars on top don’t touch those on the bottom, you may have what’s called an open bite. Again, open bites in kids may be caused by using a pacifier or thumb sucking, another reason why the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists recommends stopping these around age 3. Other causes of an open bite may include habitually pushing the tongue against the front teeth or breathing out of the mouth. An overbite could cause speech problems as well as difficulty swallowing. 

If you suspect that you or a family member has a bad bite, contact your dentist in Farmington Hills. Bad bites usually need some sort of treatment in order to fix them, so be open with your dental team about your concerns. After all, a healthier bite can mean fewer dental problems down the road. 

Accepting new patients at our dental offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia. 

Cancer can develop in any part of the body, including in the mouth. Oral cancer, also commonly referred to as mouth cancer, is incredibly common and can affect the mouth, tongue, tonsils, and throat. In fact, more than 50,000 people will be diagnosed with some type of oral cancer every year. The good news is that oral cancer doesn’t have to be deadly. If oral cancer is diagnosed by your dentist in Canton early enough, treatment can often be successful 

Oral Cancer Signs & Symptoms

The hard part about diagnosing oral cancer often comes from the fact that some of the early signs of oral cancer can easily be confused with other oral health conditions. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so if any of the signs and symptoms below don’t go away within 2-3 weeks, we recommend scheduling an appointment with your dentist in Canton as soon as you can. 

• Chronic cough
• Changes in voice 
• Difficulty swallowing
• An earache on one side 
• A hard lump in the soft tissues
• Swollen tonsil on one side without pain
• A painless lump on the outside of the neck
• Any sore that doesn’t heal itself within 2-weeks
• Discoloration in the mouth including a red, white, or black appearance

Check Your Mouth 

While regular checkups with your dentist are certainly important, there are things you can do at home to proactively check for early signs of oral cancer or other symptoms of tooth trouble. Keep an eye out for any new tooth sensitivity, bleeding, or sores in the mouth. Additionally, check in with the Check Your Mouth initiative to help you identify potential abnormalities in the mouth.

Oral Cancer Risk Factors 

Even though oral cancer can happen to anyone at any time, there are some things you can do to lower your risk of developing this serious and sometimes deadly disease. Keep in mind that some factors are genetic, but others can be controlled.

• Reduce Alcohol intake – Nearly 70% of people diagnosed with oral cancer are heavy drinkers

• Avoid Tobacco –  80% of those who get oral cancer either currently use tobacco or did at one time

• People 50 or older — Oral cancer tends to be most prominent in people over the age of 50

• Men — Men are more likely to develop oral cancer than women, but that doesn’t mean women are excluded from oral cancer

Oral cancer is a tricky thing, and the best way to protect yourself against it is to see your dentist in Canton twice a year. Like many oral health problems, oral cancer is best and most successfully treated when it’s caught early. 

Welcoming new patients at our dental offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia.

There are many things to feel stressed about, from taking care of work obligations to handling all the things that are happening in your personal life. While a certain amount of stress can actually be a good thing, too much of it can cause problems. In fact, excessive stress has been linked to heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, and obesity. But, not to stress you out even more, your dentist in Ann Arbor knows that too much stress can also affect your oral health. 

Stress & Oral Health

Many times, the effects of stress are simplified to include only things like increased anxiety levels, eating habits, headaches, and stomachaches. But it’s also common for signs of stress to first show up as symptoms that affect your oral health. In fact, stress can affect oral health in numerous ways. 

• Jaw Pain

While jaw pain could indicate a variety of problems, stress is often at the top of the list. When we’re stressed, especially over a long period of time, our bodies tend to react in a variety of ways. One of those ways is to start clenching or grinding our teeth together. Oftentimes this is done without us even knowing it’s happening, such as during sleep. This results in constant pressure on the jaw joint, making the muscles sore which could eventually cause TMJ disorder or TMD. TMD is painful, and some common signs are the popping or clicking of a jaw, a locked joint, or generalized jaw pain. If you have jaw pain that you can’t explain, talk to your dentist in Ann Arbor. 

• Bleeding Gums

Many people think that it’s normal for gums to bleed after brushing or flossing. However, bleeding gums at any time should be cause for concern. Bleeding gums is a tell-tale sign of gum disease, but there’s a common misconception related to gum disease. Many people think that gum disease is automatically a result of poor dental hygiene. But the truth is, several other things can increase the risk of gum disease, including smoking, certain medications, clenching or grinding your teeth, and yes, stress. When we experience too much stress, our immune system often becomes worn down. This can allow bad bacteria in the mouth to flourish, causing an infection and leading to gum disease. Gum disease can cause tooth loss, and heart disease, and increase the risk of stroke.

• Mouth Sores

Sores in the mouth, such as canker sores, can be triggered by a vitamin B deficiency or a variety of injuries or irritations. Research also supports the theory that mouth sores can appear during periods of increased stress. Mouth sores that should warrant a visit to your dentist in Ann Arbor include those that appear as white or red ulcers that last longer than two weeks. 

Reducing Stress Can Benefit Oral Health

We can’t completely avoid stress in our lives but can do things to manage stress in order to live happier lives and protect ourselves against the negative side effects of too much of it. Some ways to lower stress and therefore the effects of stress, include: 

• Breathing Techniques. Sometimes, all we need to do is breathe. Deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress, lower your heart rate, and make you feel relaxed. Take a walk, try yoga, or find a breathing exercise online. 

• Exercise. Exercise can do more than burn fat. In fact, exercising regularly will increase our brains’ “happy chemicals” of endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and testosterone. These chemicals can help make us feel good and lower anxiety and stress. 

• Sleep. Adults should get anywhere between 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. However, many of us don’t. Focusing on getting a good night’s sleep can reboot your body and lower stress levels. 

Stress is a natural part of life, and certain amounts of it can actually be beneficial. But too much can cause problems in oral and overall health. During this Stress Awareness Month, focus on your stress levels and how they may contribute to your overall health. 

Welcoming new patients at all of our dental offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia.

Your dentist in Livonia is certainly focused on keeping your mouth healthy, but the truth is, we’re also focused on what you eat. Why? Well, the truth is, what you eat can impact not only your overall health but your oral health, too. To help do our part in celebrating National Nutrition Month, we’re here to raise awareness about how eating right can keep your body and smile happy. 

How Foods Affect Oral Health

Everything we eat can impact oral health. There are some foods that are great for teeth, and some that can cause problems. 

What to Avoid

• Sugary Sweets: Eating too many sugary sweets can lead to tooth decay, cavities, and even gum disease. It’s why your dentist in Livonia recommends limiting your daily intake of sugar. When we eat sugar, it feeds the bacteria in the mouth that produce acid. This acid erodes tooth enamel and can cause cavities as well as tooth sensitivity.
• Acidic Foods & Drinks: Speaking of acid, foods, and drinks that are acidic, such as citrus fruits, sports drinks, and soda can also directly harm the protective layer of enamel on teeth, making them more vulnerable to decay.
• Starchy Snacks: Sugar and acid aren’t the only things that can negatively affect oral health. Starchy foods, such as bread, crackers, and potatoes, can also contribute to tooth decay. Additionally, high-carb foods break down into simple sugars and can affect your teeth in the same way as sugar. 

Best Types of Food for Teeth

• High in Calcium & Vitamin D: Two essential nutrients are needed to build and keep strong teeth (and bones!) – calcium and vitamin D. Foods that are high in calcium and vitamin D, such as dairy products, leafy greens, and salmon, can help keep teeth and gums healthy.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C isn’t only for enhancing the immune system, it’s also important for gum health. Enjoy foods with a lot of Vitamin C, such as broccoli, strawberries, and bell peppers.

Finding the Best Food for You

Nutrition can be complicated. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tried to help us out by introducing the Food Guide Pyramid in 1992 to show us how much of each food group we should strive to eat every day. But the truth is, nutritional needs are individual, and not all of us need the same things in the same quantities. Things like age, gender, height, weight, activity level, and underlying health concerns can make your ideal combination of foods different from someone else. The best way to find out your nutritional needs is to go to MyPlate and customize the best mix of dietary recommendations for you.

Do your part this month, and all year around, to commit to eating better to keep your mouth and body healthy. And, of course, make sure to see your dentist in Livonia at least twice a year for dental cleanings and exams.  

We have dental offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia to best serve our neighbors. 

The luckiest day of the year, St. Patrick’s Day, is almost here, which means we’re about to see a lot of green everywhere, including in your favorite adult beverages. In particular, it’s become a tradition to dye beer green, which is not only festive and fun but can also cause some concern for your dentist in Canton. In fact, green beer, and all types of alcohol, can negatively affect oral health. 

Green Mouth

The dye used to turn beer green can also temporarily turn your mouth and teeth green. This may be fun during St. Paddy’s Day but could be odd at any other time. This is why it’s a good thing that any green staining can usually be removed by brushing your teeth. Whitening toothpaste is often the best choice as they contain abrasive properties that can more effectively scrub away stains. Keep in mind that starting celebrations with clean teeth can help reduce stain severity. Areas of plaque or tartar buildup will attract and retain dying agents faster and more severely than clean teeth, much like disclosing plaque rinses show kids areas of their teeth they didn’t clean so well. 

However, it’s not only green beer that can cause tooth discoloration. In fact, drinking any type of alcohol excessively can cause tooth staining and make teeth look yellow or brown. These stains tend to be more difficult to remove and may need to be treated with a professional tooth whitening treatment or other forms of cosmetic dentistry from your Canton dentist such as veneers. 

Weakened Teeth

The strongest material in your body is your tooth enamel, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged. Acid is usually the culprit behind damaged tooth enamel, and a lot of things we eat and drink are acidic, including beer and other alcoholic beverages. The acidity of these foods and drinks can easily erode enamel and leave teeth at risk for decay, sensitivity, and discoloration. Weakened tooth enamel may be noticed if teeth look gray, dull, or translucent. 

Enjoy Your Beer, Protect Your Teeth

Enjoying alcoholic beverages in moderation greatly reduces your risk of any alcohol-related oral health problems. But besides limiting your alcohol intake, there are other ways you can further protect your smile including: 

• Drinking water after every alcoholic beverage
• Maintaining a great oral health care routine of brushing and flossing every day 
• Scheduling and keeping appointments with your dentist in Canton twice a year

Whether you’re due for a dental checkup or are looking for the best way to whiten your teeth, we’re always happy to see new patients. We have offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia. Call us to schedule an appointment today.  

If you’re considering getting dental implants to replace missing teeth, you probably have a lot of questions for your dentist in Livonia ranging from what’s involved with the procedure to how much it’s going to hurt. The truth is, the procedure for getting dental implants is a surgery, so some pain should be expected. However, the minimal amount of pain that’s typically associated with getting dental implants may be small compared to the benefits of a permanent solution to missing teeth. 

Dental Implant Surgery

A dental implant is one of, if not the best, ways to replace a missing tooth. Implants can even replace multiple teeth in order to avoid wearing dentures or a bridge. Dental implants are a permanent tooth replacement option so there is no need for removal, soaking, or worrying about slippage. But the treatment itself can cause concern, so let’s take a closer look at the surgery itself. 

• Step 1: Prep The Area

Before an implant can be placed the area needs to be fully prepped. This can mean different things for different people. If you’re already missing a tooth, there is no need for an extraction. But if a tooth isn’t healthy, it may need to be extracted by your dentist in Livonia first. Additionally, patients may sometimes need a bone graft to prepare the jaw bone and make it stronger for the actual implant placement. 

• Step 2: Post Placement

There are actually a few pieces and parts to a dental implant. The first part is the implant post which is metal and screw-like. This post is placed into a drilled hole in the jawbone and acts as an artificial tooth root. Once the post is placed, it will need time to integrate into the jawbone. This healing period can take a few months but it’s absolutely necessary in order to ensure a stable implant. 

• Step 3: Abutment & Crown Placement

Once the post is fully integrated and fused into the jaw bone, your dentist will attach an abutment and then a crown on top of it. Crowns are custom made in size, shape, and color to look like a natural tooth so the restoration blends into the smile. The final result is a permanent, complete, natural-looking smile.  

Dental Implant Pain

Now that we know a little more about what’s involved with getting a dental implant, let’s take a deeper look into how much pain is involved. Since dental implant treatment is in fact a surgery, patients should expect some level of pain, but it’s probably not as bad as you think. Patients shouldn’t experience any pain during the actual post placement, but they may have some discomfort for the next 10 days after surgery. If pain lasts more than 10 days, call your dentist. Excessive pain after 10 days may be a sign of an infection so it’s important to see your dentist sooner rather than later. 

Dental implants are often considered the superior tooth replacement option. So if you are missing teeth or at risk for losing teeth, talk to your dentist in Livonia about whether or not dental implants may be the best choice for you. 

We’re always accepting new patients at all of our dental offices in Ann Arbor, Canton, Farmington Hills, and Livonia.