Category: Blog

There are many reasons that you can see a dentist, including for regular 6-month checkups, however, sometimes there are signs that you need to see your dentist ASAP. Here are a few of those clues that if you experience these symptoms you should see your dentist ASAP:

1. You have pain. You feel pain or severe swelling in/around your face, neck, or mouth area see your dentist immediately.
2. Your gums are acting up. If you have red, inflamed, painful gums and they are puffy and bleed when you brush or floss and if you have a history of gum disease it’s time to have the dentist take a look at it.
3. Your try to hide your smile. Whether you’re self-conscious about missing a tooth or hoping for a brighter smile then maybe seeing the dentist to get some pointers on how to make that happen is a good idea!
4. You’ve had work done. If you have had past dental work done, making sure the job that was done is holding up is vital to not ending up to having more work done again if something goes wrong in the future.
5. You have ongoing medical issues. Make your medical condition that can affect your oral health part of the dental problems a priority. Include your dentist as a person on your medical team so they know of any other treatment you are undergoing.
6. You’re Pregnant: It’s safe to go to the dentist while you are pregnant, especially in your first two trimesters. Ensure you are getting your regular checkups, and even more so if you are having gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant).
7. You’re Having Trouble Eating: If you are having trouble chewing or swallowing foods you may have something wrong that needs to be fixed. Same is true when you are experiencing pain while chewing or find yourself just gravitating towards softer foods to avoid pain.
8. You Have Dry Mouth: If you are seeming to drink nonstop but can’t satisfy that dry feeling in your mouth you may be having a side-effect from medications you are on, which can also spell dental problems if left untreated.
9. You Use Any Kind of Tobacco: If you chew tobacco or smoke cigarettes regular dental care is even more important as tobacco can cause tooth decay and loss.
10. You’re Having Jaw Pain: If your jaw is constantly in pain you may be grinding your teeth or clenching them while you sleep at night and not even know it. You may be wearing your teeth to nubs without even knowing it!
11. You Have Spots & Sores Appear in Your Mouth: If you are feeling new, funky spots on your tongue or in your mouth chances are you might have a fungus or a canker sore or cold sore or even a case of candidiasis developing. While many canker sores will heal themselves funguses or cold sores and candidiasis cases may need special treatment from your dentist. If you are having braces or other dental pieces put in and they are rubbing on your mouth you may have problems with infections if the rubbing is persistent and continues, or the area will just get rawer and more painful.
12. It’s Time for a Checkup: Even if you have no symptoms you should be visiting your dentist every 6 months anyways to make sure everything is good and that no problems are beginning. Problems are easier to catch in the beginning, and much less costly in many cases, too!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team“Where Family Comes First”

There are currently about 29.1 million people in the US living with diabetes. That totals about 9.3% of the entire US population. There are about 1.7 million new cases diagnosed each year, and about 8.1 million people out there have diabetes and don’t even know they are effected. Diabetes ruins your body’s ability to process sugar. Type I diabetics have the problem of not producing insulin, which is a hormone that carries the sugar to the cells of the body for energy. Type II diabetes is when the body quits responding to the insulin that is stored. Both cases result in severely heightened sugar levels being present in the blood, which in turn results in problems with various parts of your body. One problem a lot of people don’t consider that they may have is complications with their oral health.

Symptoms of Untreated Diabetes:

There are many warning signs that an individual may be suffering from diabetes and they can come from every part of your body. These are all signs that may point to you having high blood sugar and they include the following symptoms including the need to urinate excessive thirst, the need to urinate frequently, weight loss, excessive fatigue, and even loss of consciousness if blood sugars fall too low at any given time.

There are also problems that you can have with your oral health if you become diabetic. These problems include producing less saliva (dry mouth), gingivitis, problems tasting food, experience slower wound healing (especially in the mouth), higher susceptibility to infections, and teeth may erupt through the gum line at an earlier age than they should in children (usually Type I diabetes).

Why Are People with Diabetes More Prone to Gum Disease?

We all have tiny bacteria living in our mouth, and if these bacteria are not occasionally cleaned out (i.e. brushing and flossing) they can work their way into the gum line which can eat away at the bone structure underneath the teeth and cause periodontal disease. This chronic condition inflames and can destroy your gums and the tissues holding your teeth in, which in extreme cases can result in tooth decay or even loss.

Periodontal disease is much more relevant to people who are diabetic as it is estimated that about 22% of all diabetics have some form of periodontal disease. The risk of this condition increases with age, poor blood control tactics, and poor oral hygiene. This makes diabetes harder to control if the person cannot eat the foods they are supposed to eat to help keep their diabetes in check due to poor oral health and a lack of teeth.

How Can My Dentist Help Me Fight Diabetes?

Your dentist can help by seeing you for regularly scheduled appointments. Most people see the dentist at least every 6 months, but sometimes people with diabetes may need to go see their dentists even more frequently. Talk to your dentist about a good visitation plan for your individual needs, and be sure to stick to that schedule. Regular visits can help catch problems before they become more advanced and can save you a lot of trouble, headaches, and problems in the future.

Your Action Plan:

To control your diabetes and any orally-related problems there are some things you can continually do to ensure that your oral health is at a premium. Those things include controlling your blood sugar levels by ensuring you are using your blood-sugar medications as directed, avoid smoking, cleaning your dentures every day, brushing 2x a day/flossing 1x per day (good oral habits), and seeing your dentist for regular checkups.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”

Diabetes is a condition that millions of Americans are living with every single day. There are millions of new cases diagnosed every year, and this disease may also cause problems orally for the person that is diagnosed. It’s not the first thing people think of when they are diagnosed with diabetes, but it is a very real problem that can result from diabetes if it’s not controlled properly. Some of the problems that people may experience with their oral health after being diagnosed as diabetic include tooth decay, periodontal disease, salivary gland dysfunction, fungal infections, inflammatory skin reactions, infection/delayed healing, and tasting impairment can name a few conditions that you may experience.

Diet & Tooth Decay:

When diabetes is not controlled properly there will be higher levels of glucose in the saliva that will help bacteria thrive more than they would if there wasn’t this level of glucose present. Ensuring that you are brushing 2x per day with a fluoride-based toothpaste and flossing at least 1x per day will help remove plaque that comes from this glucose and can help limit the problems you experience dentally. If you do not remove this plaque it will eventually harden and turn into tartar which is much harder to remove from the mouth than the plaque before would have been to remove. Diabetes is a resistance to the body getting infections, so the most advanced stages of tooth decay from diabetes can result in periodontal disease and eventually a corroding of the bone structure under the teeth which can result in the loss of the teeth.

However, the good news is that most people who have control of their diabetes will not have these problems. It’s when the blood sugar constantly spikes and leaves the glucose in the saliva for extended periods of time, and there are poor oral hygiene habits that this problem is the most prevalent. If you notice any of the following symptoms see your dentist immediately: gums that are bleeding easily, red/swollen/tender gum, gums peeling back from teeth, pus between teeth/along gum line, persistent bad breath, permanent teeth that are lose/separating, any change in the way your teeth fit together when biting/chewing, and any change in the fit of partial dentures.

Fungal Infections:

While some bacteria and fungi naturally occur in the mouth, the body has a natural defense that keeps the amount of these various bacteria in check. Conditions like diabetes, however, can inhibit the body’s ability to control such bacteria or keep them in check. Individuals with diabetes often have something called oral candidiasis which is a condition where fungal infections appear in the mouth. Smoking while having diabetes is again likely to increase the level of bacteria in the mouth making it more likely a fungal infection can start.

Diminished saliva flow in the mouth (dry mouth) can also play a role in how many bacteria can grow in there as well. The most common condition you can develop is thrush, which is a red, scaly, patchy type of fungus that grows in the mouth and causes difficulty swallowing, and can even compromise your ability to taste foods you are eating.

Caring for Your Teeth:

Preventative oral care including regular cleanings at the dentist office can help ensure that you are not getting a fungal infection in your mouth. This way you can treat your initial fungal issues before they grow into full-blown oral health problems. Watch for signs and symptoms of any issues, and your dentist immediately if you notice anything different in your oral health patterns.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”