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Tulsa Dental Center Discusses Common Mouth Issues, Offers Comprehensive, Comfortable Treatments

Dry Mouth Can Cause Discomfort, Mouth Guards Can Prevent Problems, and Gum Disease Can Get Weaken Teeth – Thankfully, Tulsa Dental Center Offers Their Expertise

TULSA, OKLAHOMA, UNITED STATES, October 22, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- All of us have mouths, but few of us are experts in their care. That’s why Tulsa Dental Center regularly goes out of its way to inform and educate people about potential mouth problems and ways to avoid them. This time around, they’re talking about Dry Mouth, Mouth Guards, and Gum Disease.

Dry Mouth

One of the common mouth problems people are reporting these days is simple “dry mouth,” also called “xerostomia.” It’s a lack of the natural saliva the mouth normally generates to moisten and cleanse itself, as well as to help prevent infection by controlling oral bacteria and fungi. Saliva is also the first step in our body’s process of digesting food.

When your mouth doesn't make enough saliva, it feels dry, which can be very uncomfortable.

“Dry mouth” can result from many causes, including medications and disease. It is, for example, a known side effect of some 400 common drugs, both prescription and nonprescription. “Dry mouth” can also be caused by medical conditions such as diabetes, anemia, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and mumps, as well as some others.

Temporary “dry mouth” can result from normal dehydration, perhaps caused by fever, excessive sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, or burns.

Smoking or chewing tobacco can also reduce the production of saliva, as can the simple act of breathing through your mouth instead of your nose.

Less common, but not unheard of, is “dry mouth” caused by damage to the salivary glands, which then permanently reduces the amount of saliva in your mouth. Radiation to the head and neck, and chemotherapy treatments for cancer are sometimes responsible for this kind of damage. “Dry mouth” can also result from nerve damage in the head and neck area, due to an injury or needed surgery.

Thankfully, Tulsa Dental Center is expert at the long-term treatment of dry mouth. But they also recommend such simple “home remedy” steps as:

• Sucking on sugar-free candy or chewing sugar-free gum (specifically ones with xylitol).
• Avoiding acidic candies and gums.
• Drinking water frequently.
• Brushing, or rinsing with a fluoride preparation.
• Adding moisture to the air by means of a vaporizer.
• Rinsing with an over-the-counter saliva substitute.

Mouth Guards

Mouth guards are specially-designed protective coverings for your teeth. Different types and styles of mouth guards are intended to protect teeth from sports-related injuries or to prevent “grinding” during sleep. A mouth guard should feel comfortable, last a long time, clean easily, and leave your breathing and speech unrestricted.

Mouth guards are helpful to everyone who participates in a physical activity, not only contact sports like football and boxing, but also “safe” activities like gymnastics or mountain biking. In addition, both adults and children who grind their teeth while sleeping will benefit from a well-fitted mouth guard that prevents tooth damage.

Mass produced mouth guards are relatively inexpensive and minimally adjustable. Available at most sporting goods and department stores, they tend to be bulky, and make breathing or talking somewhat difficult. Tulsa Dental Center considers them to provide very little or no tooth protection.

“Boil and bite” mouth guards are also widely available. Made from a thermoplastic material, they soften in hot water and can then be shaped around the teeth quite easily. This type of mouth guard tends to provide a better fit and thus more tooth protection.

The best mouth guards are custom-fitted by your dentist, based on the actual sizes, shapes, and placement of your teeth. Because they conform so closely to the contours of your teeth, these custom-fitted mouth guards provide far more comfort and protection than cheaper options.

Gum Disease

Periodontal Disease, more commonly called “Gum Disease,” is often preceded by inflammation of the gums, which results from bacterial growth in the mouth. This inflammation can then progress to Periodontitis. If not promptly and properly treated, “gum disease” can lead to destruction of the tissue that surrounds your teeth and ultimately the loss of those teeth.

Early warning signs of “gum disease” include the build-up of plaque, inflammation of the gums, and bleeding every time you brush your teeth.

Plaque is the primary cause of gum disease. However, other factors can contribute to its progress. These include:

• Hormonal changes and a family history of dental disease.
• Illnesses that interfere with your immune system, as well as diabetes.
• Medications the reduce the flow of saliva or that cause abnormal gum tissue growth.
• Smoking, or not brushing and flossing each day.

Gum disease doesn’t always cause pain, and may not be obvious, even in its later stages. Although the symptoms of this periodontal disease are often subtle, the condition is not entirely without warning signs. Specific symptoms may point to the onset and progress of the disease. Symptoms of gum disease to watch for include:

• Bleeding, red, swollen, tender or receding gums.
• Persistent bad breath or a bad taste.
• Deep “pockets” between teeth and gums.
• Loose or shifting teeth.
• Changes in the bite, or the way upper and lower teeth fit together.

These symptoms are worth looking for, because “gum disease” is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

Tulsa Dental Center is expert at fighting “gum disease,” by helpful methods that tend to promote the reattachment of healthy gums to teeth, reduce the swelling, ameliorate the gum pockets, and reduce the overall risk of infection. All these treatments help to stop the progression of “gum disease” before you begin to lose teeth.

Specific treatment options depend on your overall health, how long you have been suffering from “gum disease,” and how you may have responded to earlier treatment. Options range from nonsurgical therapies that control bacterial growth to surgery that restores your teeth’s supportive tissues. You can learn more about the various treatment options by talking to the experts at Tulsa Dental Center.

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Joanna Roulston, DDS
Tulsa Dental Center
+19185844721
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