Oral Health

Beware Of Hidden Sugar

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Categories: Dental health, General dentistry, Oral Health

preventative dentistry in Wellington

Most of us consume far too much sugar. That isn’t exactly a news flash, but at The Fort Collins Dentist we want to remind you what sugar does to teeth, and what you can do about it.

We get cavities when acids in the mouth attack the enamel and dentin of the teeth. The acid is produced by bacteria in plaque, that sticky film that forms on the surfaces of teeth. When sugar is introduced it interacts with the bacteria in the plaque, and makes the acids, which attack the teeth and cause cavities.

That’s why it is so important to choose food and drink wisely. But it isn’t easy, is it? Sugar seems to be in just about everything. Health experts say the average person in the United States consumes about 19.5 teaspoons of sugar every single day. That is twice as much as is recommended by the American Heart Association!

Knowing how much sugar is in the food that you buy is vital: not just to your teeth, but to your overall health. Reading ingredient labels on processed foods is essential.

Of course, some things are obvious. Eliminate or minimize the sweet stuff, like soda, candy, cookies, cakes, and donuts. Sweet things may seem to make life worthwhile, but there is a high cost.

If you have an incurable sweet tooth, you might try softening the blow by eating more fruit. You’ll still need to brush, of course, but the natural sugars in fruit aren’t as harmful as those in processed foods. If making that change sounds difficult, remember what a wise person once said: we like what we learn to like.

At The Fort Collins Dentist we care about the dental health of each of our patients. So please cut back on sugar, brush your teeth at least twice a day, don’t forget to floss, and see us for a cleaning and checkup every six months. People from Loveland, Timnath, Wellington, and Windsor come to us for dental implants, complete general and family denstiry, and much more. Schedule your next appointment with us today!

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

ArticleID 2250

Two Hints For When You’re Too Tired To Brush

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Categories: Dental health, General dentistry, Oral Health

Timnath gentle dentist

Too tired to touch a toothbrush? We’ve all been there. At The Fort Collins Dentist we have two quick ideas to overcome your exhaustion and pick up your toothbrush.

Idea #1 Drag Tongue Along Teeth

As you lie there in bed after a long hard day and realize you forgot to brush, drag your tongue over your teeth a few times. As you do, visualize plaque: that filmy stuff on the teeth and gumline. It’s loaded with the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease. Then jump up and give your mouth just two minutes of gentle, thorough cleaning.

Idea #2 Scrutinize the Food You Eat

Another convenient and uncomplicated approach is to pay attention to what’s going into your mouth throughout the day. The higher the sugar content, the sooner the teeth will need a brushing to avoid harm. Swish with water after coffee, tea or soda if brushing isn’t going to happen soon.

Remember that brushing your teeth is an important part of any daily dental health routine. We recommend brushing twice a day, and with a soft-bristled toothbrush. We strongly recommend flossing, too.

Be sure to get all over your teeth: the front and the sides, inside and out, and the tops. Use a pea-sized blob of fluoridated toothpaste – or more than pea-sized, if you’d like. Too much toothpaste is no big deal, but be sure to use enough!

At The Fort Collins Dentist we want the best possible dental health for all of our patients. People from Loveland, Timnath, Wellington, and Windsor come to our practice for general and family dentistry, restorative dentistry, and much more. Schedule your next checkup with us today!

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

ArticleID 6830

Get Your Teeth In Shape!

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Categories: Dental health, General dentistry, Oral Health

Get Your Teeth In Shape, Loveland!

Regular exercise is essential to good health. When you’re physically fit then you look better, and more important, you feel better! And as we remind our patients here at The Fort Collins Dentist, that goes for keeping your teeth in good shape, too!

If your eyes are the window to the soul, then your mouth may well be the window to your overall health. Research has shown there is a clear link between your dental health and general health. It is safe to say that good dental health is necessary to your physical well-being throughout your life.

Here’s just one example: bacteria that starts in the mouth can cause infection in other parts of the body, especially if your immune system has been weakened by illness.

When you take good care of your teeth, you’re doing more for your well-being than you may ever have realized. So brush and floss every day, without fail, and see us for regular cleanings and checkups.

At The Fort Collins Dentist we want you keep yourself in shape with plenty of exercise. But never underestimate the importance of good dental health! People from Loveland, Timnath, Wellington, and Windsor come to our practice for general and cosmetic dentistry. Call to schedule an appointment with us today!

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

ArticleID 4111

Canadian City Sees Effects of Removing Fluoride

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Categories: Oral Health, Pediatric Dentistry

Known for its contribution to the Canadian auto industry, the mid-sized city of Windsor, Ontario, sits directly across the Detroit River from another major automotive hub: Detroit. But Windsor made headlines of its own back in 2013, when the city voted to stop adding fluoride to its public water supply.

Fluoridated water has long been shown to be a safe and effective way to reduce cavities and strengthen teeth and bones, but many still do not trust the additive and lobbied against it. In the case of those in Windsor, that lobbying was successful – or so they thought.

Fast forward to 2018, when the data from the city’s Oral Health Report revealed some startling numbers. According to the report, the city experienced a shocking 51 percent increase in Windsor children who required urgent dental care in the years following the fluoride removal. What’s worse, with only one in four Windsor families having dental insurance, the cost to treat these children – if they were fortunate enough to receive treatment at all – was passed along to their families and to taxpayers in the city.

And it just got worse from there. Because Windsor removed the equipment necessary to disperse fluoride, the city will now have to spend around $850,000 to replace the equipment, another expense passed along to taxpayers.

So, what does this mean for us here in America? While this story doesn’t directly affect us, it does go to show why fluoride and fluoridated water are so important for our oral health – and what can happen when that fluoride is taken away.

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

Tooth Sensitivity Causes and Effective Treatment Options

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Categories: Oral Health, Root Canals

root canal dentist in Fort Collins, COMore than 3 million Americans suffer from tooth sensitivity. While some are sensitive to cold, many are equally sensitive to sweets and may even cringe at the thought of sugary foods and drinks. As it turns out, you can treat your tooth sensitivity. Your success at this will, however, depend on how you’re able to identify and tackle the cause.

While this blog will provide some useful information, your dentist is still the first person you should talk to about how to treat your tooth sensitivity.

Tooth Sensitivity Causes

Your tooth sensitivity may come and go. Or it could be constant.

It’s often caused by the exposure of the dentin on the root areas of your teeth. This, in turn, is usually caused by gum recession, gum disease or erosion of the enamel or top layer of your tooth.

While the crown of the tooth is adequately protected by enamel, the root is not. Rather, it is covered by cementum. When this cementum erodes, the nerves underneath are exposed. This is why people react sensitively to cold, hot or sweet substances.

Common tooth sensitivity causes include:

  • Teeth grinding
  • Aggressive or overzealous brushing
  • Abrasive toothpaste
  • Bulimia
  • Excess acidity of the diet
  • Acid reflux disease
  • Dry mouth
  • Excess whitening of the teeth

Tooth Sensitivity Treatment

To start with, talk to your dentist about your tooth pain or sensitivity to cold, hot, sweet or acidic substances.

Rule out or treat underlying cases of cavities or tooth decay. Your dentist will let you know whether you’ll need an ADA-approved desensitizing toothpaste, fluoride gel, gum graft, filling or root canal depending on the cause and severity of your sensitivity.

Getting completely over your tooth sensitivity causes may also require changes to your diet as well as maintaining adequate oral hygiene.

Those who have experienced it know how frustrating tooth sensitivity can be. As frustrating as it can be, booking an appointment with your dentist is the first step to overcoming it quickly and easily.

For more information on tooth sensitivity causes and treatment options available to you, schedule a visit or contact us today at 970-812-0355.

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

Neglected Baby Teeth Cause Grown-Up Problems

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Categories: Oral Health, Pediatric Dentistry

With 78 percent of all adults experiencing at least one cavity in their teeth by the age of 17, teaching children excellent oral health habits at a young age is vitally important to their future dental health. But it goes much further than that, because poor oral hygiene in children can cause a host of dental problems – both in the future and in the present. Dr. Allison Lesko of Fort Collins, Colorado, explains why oral health is crucial in children.

“I think some people assume that since they’re just going to fall out anyway, baby teeth aren’t important,” says Lesko. “But not caring for baby teeth can set your child up for a lifetime of dental problems.”

What kind of problems? For starters, Lesko says baby teeth are more important than many people realize.

“Baby teeth are like starter teeth. Teaching your child to care for baby teeth is a great way to set them up for a lifetime of proper oral hygiene,” she says.

But that’s not all. Baby teeth can impact future teeth, too.

“Baby teeth act as placeholders for adult teeth,” Lesko says. “If they are severely decayed and need to be removed, those gaps and spaces can cause crowding issues when the adult teeth come in.”

According to Lesko, it goes even deeper. Cavities in children have been shown to cause adverse effects in their education. According to the Children’s Dental Health Project (CDHP), children with cavities missed up to three times more school than those without cavities because of oral pain. Another study out of Los Angeles found that dental pain was so prevalent, an estimated one-third of absences in lower-income elementary-school-aged children were dental related, and in yet another study, high-school-aged children experiencing prolonged dental pain were about four times more likely to have a lower GPA.

“Children can’t focus on school when they’re suffering from dental pain,” Lesko says. “And waiting too long to fix cavities can equate to missed school due to dental appointments and the child simply not feeling well enough to attend.”

So, what, as a parent, can you do to protect children’s oral health? The key, says Lesko, is prevention.

“Teach your children to properly care for their teeth,” Lesko says. “That means brushing twice a day for at least two minutes at a time and flossing at least once a day.”

But don’t just take their word for it, she says.

“Follow up – especially with younger kids,” Lesko says. “Make sure they are brushing and flossing, and make sure you are doing your due diligence as a parent and taking them to their regularly scheduled dental exams.”

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

Vaping Benefits Still Not Enough

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Categories: Oral Health

There may be some good news for people who use e-cigarettes, or “vape,” their tobacco products. For the estimated 34.3 million smokers in the United States, quitting smoking may prove to be difficult. That’s why many smokers have switched from traditional paper cigarettes to smokeless tobacco products such as e-cigarettes. Touted as a healthier alternative to smoking, a new study by British American Tobacco has a new reason why vaping may be better than smoking: less staining.

The studies findings, which were presented at the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw, Poland, found that the vapor generated by e-cigarettes caused less staining to everything from the teeth to common household objects such as wallpaper and furniture.

Study researchers measured the aerosol levels from vaping in cell culture chambers on wallpaper and on bovine teeth to simulate the results on human teeth.

Dr. Allison Lesko is a dentist from Fort Collins, Colorado. She says that though this is good news for any item that might be otherwise stained by tobacco, it’s not quite enough to earn a dentist’s seal of approval for the teeth.

“Vaping may stain the walls and your teeth less, but it’s still not good for your lungs or your teeth,” says Lesko. “The chemicals in vaping fluid are still addictive, and their long-term effects are still not known.”

Furthermore, Lesko says that while the staining from liquid tobacco products stain less than traditional cigarettes, they do still cause some staining. Worse yet, they still produce a film on furniture and floors.

“If you have family or friends sitting on your sofa, or children or pets playing on your floor, you are exposing them to the vape version of secondhand smoke,” Lesko says. “Stains should be the least of your worries.”

Another issue dentists have with e-cigarettes? Those lithium ion batteries.

“There have been numerous cases where an e-cigarette has exploded in the mouth of the user while in use,” says Lesko. “This has caused serious injury to the face and jaw and has resulted in lost teeth. Many victims have required numerous surgeries.”

So, if vaping really isn’t a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, what is the safer alternative?

“Quitting entirely,” says Lesko. “No staining, no secondhand chemicals to worry about, and no exploding devices, not to mention the numerous benefits to your health, like improved lung capacity and reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.”

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

Childhood Oral Health Matters

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Categories: Oral Health, Pediatric Dentistry

A recent study from the University of Helsinki in Finland has revealed some startling data that may make parents think twice about their children’s oral health routines. The study followed children from age 8 to around age 35, monitoring their oral health as well as overall health for the duration of the study. What the results revealed was nothing short of ominous.

It began in 1980, when University of Helsinki researchers examined the overall oral health of 755 8-year-olds. Of those 755 children, only 33 (less than 5 percent) had no signs of oral health problems, including cavities, bleeding gums, periodontal pockets and pre-existing fillings. The rest of the children in the study had at least one of these oral health issues present, some with two, three and even four present at once. In fact, the largest percent of children – 37 percent – had all four issues present.

Fast forward to 2007, and the 8-year-olds are now about 35 years old. The university researchers looked at the overall health of the participants of the original study and found that the children who had some kind of dental problem present at age 8 were a staggering 87 percent more likely to develop a condition called subclinical atherosclerosis, or hardened arteries, and the precursor to serious heart conditions such as high blood pressure.

Furthermore, the 37 percent of participants who exhibited all four of the dental maladies measured in the initial 1980 study were 95 percent more likely to have subclinical atherosclerosis.

Dr. Allison Lesko is a dentist in Fort Collins, Colorado. She says the study once again proves how vital excellent oral health is in relation to overall health and wellness.

“We see study after study, time and time again, that shows oral health contributes to total body health,” says Lesko. “Poor oral health can contribute to diabetes, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, periodontal disease – and this is just based on adult teeth. This new study shows that it doesn’t just start with the adult teeth. It goes much farther back.”

Lesko says problems arise when parents think that baby teeth are “just baby teeth” and are therefore disposable.

“It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that baby teeth don’t matter because they fall out,” says Lesko. “But this study proves that baby teeth are vitally important and their care or lack thereof can affect your overall health in the future.”

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

Athletes at Higher Risk for Poor Oral Health

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Categories: Oral Health

If you or your child are an athlete, you’re probably already in excellent physical health. But what about your oral health? You might think that because you take care of your body and your teeth, your oral health is in great shape. But a new study by the University College of London and published in the British Dental Journal says you could be dangerously mistaken.

The study followed 352 athletes of both genders, examining their teeth for decay, acid erosion and the health of their gums – all things that are checked at a regular oral health checkup, according to Fort Collins, Colorado, dentist Dr. Allison Lesko.

Lesko says what they found was quite startling.

“The athletes did take better-than-average care of their teeth, meaning they were more likely to brush twice a day for two minutes per brushing, and floss at least once a day,” Lesko says. “But somehow, these athletes had a higher rate of cavities.”

In fact, almost 50 percent of the athletes in the study had untreated tooth decay and early-stage gum disease. Nearly a third even claimed that these oral health problems hurt their athletic training and performance.

Researchers were baffled. How could people who take such excellent care of their teeth and overall health have such a higher instance of dental problems than the rest of us? The answer lies in something athletes use that the rest of us don’t.

“Sports-performance products,” says Lesko. “Things like sports drinks, energy gels and energy bars are the likely culprits here.”

That’s because sports and energy products are packed with something that may be good for athletic performance, but isn’t so great for the teeth: sugar.

“The sugar in some of these energy products sits on the teeth, feeding that bacteria that cause the plaque acid, which creates cavities,” says Lesko. “And if you’re training, you may not have time to run to the bathroom and brush after each time you use these products.”

Lesko says while the sugar and acids from sports drinks can stick to the teeth, busy athletes should rinse with water after drinking.

“And try not to drink the same drink all day,” she says. “Try to finish the drink quickly and drink some water.”

As for the gels and bars, these products are arguably more dangerous because they can stick to and between the teeth, so dentists like Lesko recommend brushing after eating.

“We know it’s not always easy to stop playing or practicing to brush your teeth, but try to get to a toothbrush as soon as you can,” she says. “It can go a long way toward keeping the teeth – and your game – healthy.”

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526

Older Chinese Patients at Higher Risk for Poor Oral Health

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Categories: Oral Health

For older people, the problems caused by poor oral health can be multifold. Recent studies have linked poor oral health in seniors to fatal diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, not to mention diabetes, cancer and heart disease. But two new studies have revealed more troubling evidence that poor oral health in seniors – especially those in vulnerable populations such as lower-socioeconomic and immigrant populations – can have dangerous consequences.

The two new studies found that older Chinese patients living in the United States with poor oral health have higher rates of conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure), cognitive decline (a precursor to dementia) and depression.

The two studies were conducted at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, by Darina Petrovsky, Bei Wu and Weiyu Mao. They examined data from more than 2,700 Chinese American participants over the age of 60. What they found was that almost half of the participants had some kind of problem with their teeth, and those with oral health problems reported having problems with memory decline and cognition.

The study also found that nearly 19 percent of participants had gum issues, over 15 percent had both teeth and gum issues, and a quarter of participants had dry mouth. Those patients with dry mouth also had poor overall oral health and experienced higher rates of stress.

Dr. Allison Lesko of Fort Collins, Colorado, says the study is very telling when it comes to highlighting the importance of oral health in seniors.

“Though this study was done on a very specific population – Chinese senior citizens living in America – it can be universally applied to other senior immigrant populations,” Lesko says.

Though researchers said part of the problem faced by seniors in this demographic is both a lack of dental insurance coverage and a language barrier between patients and American dentists, the problem is universal in that many seniors are unable to visit the dentist regularly.

The other element to the study, the discovery that stress may play a dangerous role in dry mouth, may have other solutions, as well as causes.

“Researchers recommend older people reach out to family and friends in times of stress to help reduce the stress and hopefully some of the dry mouth symptoms, but stress isn’t the only cause of dry mouth,” Lesko says. “Things like medication can cause dry mouth, and many seniors take medication each day, which is why it’s imperative we are working to get seniors to the dentist. A dentist can identify the medications that could be causing dry mouth and offer solutions to remedy it.”

Contact The Fort Collins Dentist Family & Implant Dentistry:

970-221-5115

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

2001 S Shields St Bldg L
Fort Collins, Colorado
80526