Today, we’re going to talk about the red flags and green flags of things that you might be doing to your mouth at home.
Meet the Experts
I’m Dr. Brett Langston.
And I’m Dr. Rachel Miro.
We’re here at Dental Implant Aesthetic Specialist in Brookhaven, Georgia, and we are here to help you. Watch your mouth.
Fluoride-Free Toothpaste: A Red Flag
Dr. Rachel Miro: Let’s say you see this cool new toothpaste at the store, and it says it has no fluoride.
Dr. Brett Langston: Red flag. That’s a big red flag. There are actually now a lot of homeopathic toothpastes that actually incorporate fluoride. Fluoride plays a very crucial role in strengthening your teeth and helping the body rebuild that outer enamel layer to protect from cavities and breakdown.
So, you need to make sure that no matter which toothpaste you select, it has fluoride in it. A lot of these charcoal-based or all-natural toothpaste don’t have fluoride, and you’re really doing a disservice to your teeth.
Skipping Nightly Brushing: A Red Flag
Dr. Brett Langston: So, it’s late at night. You’re watching TV, you fell asleep on the couch. You decide, you know what? I’m just going to go to bed. Maybe I’ll do a quick rinse with some water and then hop in bed.
Dr. Rachel Miro: Red flag. It’s really important to brush your teeth before you go to bed. It might be the most important time. You’ve got all of that stuff in your mouth that you ate throughout the day, the acids you drank, things like that. Think about it just resting in your mouth for those eight hours of sleep. You don’t want that. You want to make sure you clean all that off because that’s gross.Set featured image
Bleeding Gums While Brushing or Flossing
Dr. Rachel Miro: Let’s say you’re at home, you brush your teeth, or you floss your teeth, and every single time you just notice bleeding.
Dr. Brett Langston: That’s a big red flag. Healthy gums do not bleed. That’s really important to note. From simple brushing or flossing, the stimulation on a repeated basis makes nice healthy gums that don’t bleed. Bleeding is generally a sign of infection and unhappy gums.
Now, there’s the occasional overexuberant flossing that can cause something to bleed. If it’s a one-off time, probably nothing to worry about. Consistently bleeding gums is definitely a sign of infection in the gum tissue. You need to come in and have that checked out.
Morning Jaw Soreness: A Red Flag
Dr. Brett Langston: So, you wake up in the morning, and your jaw muscles are just sore, exhausted, fatigued, and it gets better throughout the day. But without fail, every morning, you wake up and the tightness and the soreness is still there.
Dr. Rachel Miro: That’s a red flag. Probably what’s causing this is you’re either grinding your teeth or you’re clenching at night. There’s a lot of things that can address this. If you get in to see your dental provider.
The first thing really is giving the patient a night guard, something to protect those teeth. Without this, it won’t just be that pain in the morning. It can turn into chipping those teeth, breaking those teeth. It can really turn into more serious issues. It might even end up in causing trauma to the teeth, and then you end up needing root canals, crowns, things like that.
So, if you’re waking up in the morning and you’re really having that discomfort in that jaw, you want to make sure that you get in to see your dental provider. You want to make sure that you address the issue on the front end so it doesn’t turn into something serious.
Sensitivity to Hot or Cold
Dr. Rachel Miro: Let’s say you’re drinking something hot or cold, and you just get that terrible sensation that just shoots up, goes to your ear, your eye, whatever it is.
Dr. Brett Langston: Red flag. Occasional sensitivity is normal, but repeated sensitivity, especially the hot or cold stimulus, is usually a sign there’s something else going on underneath the surface. A lot of times as we age, the gum tissue pulls back, and so some of that can just be typical root exposure with a little bit of sensitivity. But if it’s usually caused by a certain stimulus and repeated, you definitely want to come in and let us check it out because there could be some underlying issue going on with the nerve of the tooth.
Chewing Ice: A Major Dental Hazard
Dr. Brett Langston: So here’s a good one for you. It’s a hot day, Atlanta, nineties, a hundred degrees. You know what? I’m going to cool off. I’m going to take this nice cup of Chick-fil-A ice and just bite into it and just kind of cool myself off that way.
Dr. Rachel Miro: Red flag. You really want to avoid chewing ice. Chewing ice is never a good idea. One of the worst dental pains you can experience is a cracked tooth. A lot of times, these cracks can extend into the nerve of the tooth and cause you serious pain. And ice chewing, unfortunately, is something that we see on a regular basis that causes our patients to have microfracture lines or just actually break off a whole piece of their tooth.
So, next time you’re chewing that ice, you really need to ask yourself, is it worth a broken tooth?
Dental Anxiety: Don’t Avoid the Dentist
Dr. Rachel Miro: Let’s say you suffer from severe dental anxiety, and really the only thing you know how to do because you haven’t been to an office that can address it is you just avoid going to the dentist at all costs.
Dr. Brett Langston: That’s a red flag. Dental anxiety is a very common problem. We see that a lot in patients, so we’ve got lots of ways to address that from something as simple as a warm blanket or a nice cup of coffee or a cool beverage. We also have a therapy dog that allows our patients to relax and ease into the dental situation without being overwhelmed.
So, don’t let anxiety and nerves keep you from seeing a dentist. We really pride ourselves on creating a warm, welcoming environment, and we’d love for you to come be a part of our family.
Closing Thoughts
Dr. Rachel Miro: I’m Dr. Rachel Miro.
Dr. Brett Langston: And I’m Dr. Brett Langston, and we’re here to help you. Watch your mouth. Watch your mouth.
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