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Why Are Visits To The Dentist So Important?

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Twice A Year

We’ll make you comfortable.

There’s a major reason why the American Dental Association, and your dentist, recommend that you come in for a cleaning/exam every six months. Regular dental visits are essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. If you need additional help, we may even suggest you come in and see us even more frequently, until we can get your issue under control. In addition, in-between your exams, it’s important for you to keep your teeth and gums as healthy as you can.

What To Expect

Cleanings don’t hurt, so there’s no need to be nervous.

At a typical checkup and cleaning appointment, we’ll perform an examination of your mouth, teeth, and gums. Dr. Burba will be looking for any signs of gum disease, loose, broken or cracked teeth, a damaged filling, or tooth decay. He will also look for any signs of oral cancer.

Once a year you’ll need X-rays taken, and if you’ve been experiencing any pain– we’ll examine your head and neck, your bite, and the movement of your jaw.

Finally, we clean, polish, and floss your teeth– leaving them fresh and beautiful.

Benefits

Taking care of your oral health means taking care of your overall health.

There’s a number of benefits that come along with seeing us regularly. Since there’s a strong correlation between your oral health and your overall health, taking good care of your mouth means taking care of your entire body.

For example, gum disease can increase your risk of serious health problems including heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes– just to name a few.

Deep Cleaning

We clean the places you can’t reach with just a toothbrush and floss.

You might think you don’t need regular cleanings, but we have specifically designed tools to clean your teeth much better than you’re able to at home. During your cleaning, we’ll remove plaque from hard to reach areas, and get rid of any buildup that has occurred since your last cleaning.

Prevent Gum Disease

We can catch gum disease before it spreads.

Regular visits to see us can help to prevent the onset of gum disease. Gum disease doesn’t just harm your oral health– it can affect your entire body. One of the biggest reasons you might develop periodontal disease, is by neglecting your oral health, and missing dental visits. The good news is, even if you’re more susceptible to gum disease than others– we can usually help you prevent it through regular cleanings and proper oral hygiene.

Detect Oral Cancer

Your visits could be life saving.

By seeing us twice a year, you’re giving yourself the best shot at catching the early warning signs of oral cancer. If we do detect any symptoms of the disease, we’ll recommend you begin treatment immediately to improve your chances of beating it quicker. If oral cancer is detected early, it’s curable.

Save Money

Regular check-ups save you time and money in the future.

In addition to their health benefits, regular checkups can even be good for your wallet. Finding and treating minor problems like cavities, can spare you the expense of future complicated procedures including extractions, crowns, or root canals.

Cure Side Effects

Knocking out one problem can fix another.

Sometimes dental problems have side effects, and Dr. Burba will be able to correct more than one issue at a time. For example, bacteria in your mouth can not only cause tooth decay, but it’s also responsible for bad breath. Conquering tooth decay will help you get rid of your mouth odor as well.

Make An Appointment

Don’t forget to schedule a cleaning every 6 months!

By visiting us twice a year, and practicing good oral hygiene daily, you’ll keep your teeth and gums healthy, and prevent diseases.

If it’s been over six months since your last appointment, request one today!

Dr. Randall Burba (left) and Dr. Stanley Burba (right)

Dr. Randall Burba is an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry accredited dentist, practicing in Salem, Massachusetts. He considers himself an artist–with teeth and beyond! He often paints, draws and has a passion for woodworking.

Sugar and Your Teeth

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Sugar, Sugar

We know it’s tasty, but it hurts your pearly whites.

Everyone knows eating too much sugar can lead to tooth decay, but many aren’t exactly aware of how and why it happens. Tooth decay is caused by bacteria in your mouth that uses sugar from foods and drinks to produce acids that dissolve and do damage to your teeth. Each acid attack lasts for around 20 minutes, but the good news is– it’s avoidable.

What Are The Effects?

According to the American Dental Association, your mouth is full of hundreds of bacteria. Some are helpful, but others can actually feed on the sugars you eat, and create acids that destroy your enamel. Tooth enamel is the shiny, protective outer layer of your teeth that keeps them healthy. Cavities are a bacterial infection created by acids that cause a hole in your teeth. Without proper treatment, cavities can progress past the enamel and into the deeper layers of your tooth, causing pain and even eventual tooth loss.

Avoid Sugary Drinks

That’s a lot of sugar for one drink!

 

Sugary drinks, including fruit drinks, sports drinks, sweetened waters, sugary teas, energy drinks, and sodas, have been recognized as the primary source of added sugars in American diets. Sugary drinks don’t make you feel full, so you eat the same amount of food as before– but with a lot of extra sugar calories on the side.

When you have a craving for one of these drinks, try choosing a healthy alternative, like water, milk, or 100% fruit juice with no added sugars.

The Remedy

To avoid having a mouth filled with cavities, we have several tips to prevent them.

Stimulate Saliva Flow

Make sure it’s sugar free!

In addition to cutting down on sugar, stimulating saliva flow is recommended. Chewing sugarless gum, and incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet that are high in fiber, are great ways to accomplish this. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products also contain calcium and phosphates that strengthen your teeth, and they’re much better choices than something high in sugar or starch.

Brush and Floss

Always brush after you eat or drink something with lots of sugar.

It’s important that you stay on top of your oral health by brushing and flossing twice a day. It’s even more crucial to brush after you consume sugar. Whenever you eat or drink something sweet, make sure you brush your teeth right when you’re finished. However, if whatever you have is acidic– wait at least a half hour before brushing or flossing.

Use Fluoride

Let fluoride do the work for you.

According to The American Dental Association, you should be using an ADA-approved fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is a mineral that has been proven to not only prevent tooth decay caused by too much sugar, but also reverses it in its early stages. The ADA also recommends professional fluoride treatments from a dentist.

In addition, you should try and introduce tap water into your routine. Fluoride is added to your tap water source and it doesn’t affect the appearance, smell or taste of your drinking water, but it does give you the benefit of helping to prevent cavities.

Finally, rinse your brush off before you add your toothpaste to avoid washing away the added fluoride.

Stay On Top Of It

Vigilance is the key to preventing the negative effects of sugar on your teeth. Limit your sugar intake, and always brush after eating anything with a high sugar content. Choose healthy foods and drinks that strengthen, instead of damage your teeth. Include regular appointments to see us and you’ll keep your teeth healthy and strong for a lifetime.

 

Dr. Randall Burba (left) and Dr. Stanley Burba (right)

Dr. Randall Burba is an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry accredited dentist, practicing in Salem, Massachusetts. He considers himself an artist–with teeth and beyond! He often paints, draws and has a passion for woodworking.

15 Fun Facts About Your Teeth

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 Teeth
They are strange little things
Always biting
Leaving their crescent, jagged mark
Everywhere
Tough bone, made to last
They say a smile on your face
Is the most beautiful accessory
A person can have
But no perfect smiles are without
Teeth

Our teeth are wonderful, fascinating things! Their main purpose is chewing, or breaking down items of food by cutting and crushing them in preparation for swallowing and digestion.

Let’s take a look at 15 facts about your pearly whites that you might be surprised to hear!

#1

33-percent-of-people-are-born-without-wisdom-teeth

Are you one of them?

#2

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Wow! That’s why you have to be so careful with them.

#3

Our ancestors had to improvise.

Our ancestors had to improvise.

#4

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You should have all of your adult chompers by your teenage years.

#5

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Flossing your teeth does all of that? Who knew?

#6

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That’s a lot of missing teeth! Be aware of your surroundings.

 

#7

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Healthy teeth require a lot of toothpaste!

#8

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Make sure it’s always sugar-free! Sugary gum is terrible for your teeth and makes you much more prone to cavities.

#9

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Among these are 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, and 12 molars (including 4 wisdom). Most people have their full adult set by the time they reach their teenage years.

#10

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They’re already there, they’re just waiting to pop through.

#11

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If this happens, put it in milk and get to us immediately.

#12

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Did you know?

#13

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Even harder than our bones.

#14

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This is an eye opening statistic. Make sure you’re bringing your child in for their first appointment, by their first birthday.

#15

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Now You Know

We hope you’ve learned something about how wonderful your pearly whites really are, and how important it is to take care of them. If it’s been over 6 months since you’ve come to see us, make your appointment today.

Dr. Randall Burba (left) and Dr. Stanley Burba (right)

Dr. Randall Burba (left) and Dr. Stanley Burba (right)

Dr. Randall Burba is an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry accredited dentist, practicing in Salem, Massachusetts. He considers himself an artist–with teeth and beyond! He often paints, draws and has a passion for woodworking.

Taking a Bite out of Stress

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It’s widely known that stress takes a toll on our bodies, but what effect does stress have specifically on your oral health?

In addition to the many ways stress affects our entire body, the teeth, mouth, jaw, and gums can be seriously affected. Understanding how stress affects the mouth is an important way to proactively head off these potential problems by keeping our stress level low and to bring awareness to the fact we are stressed even if we don’t realize it by knowing what signs to look for in the mouth.

Focusing on lowering your stress in general is going to be helpful in many ways, particularly for your mouth.  Here are some conditions to watch for that can be related to stress.

Mouth Sores

Canker Sores

Although it is not known exactly what causes canker sores, there is agreement that stress can make a person more likely to struggle with them. These small white spots show up in the mouth, sometimes in pairs or larger numbers, and can cause a lot more discomfort than their small size would indicate. When you have canker sores present, try limiting spicy food or highly acidic foods in general to keep pain to a minimum. Most canker sore usually lasts 7 – 10 days.

Cold Sore

Caused by the presence of the herpes simplex virus, cold sores or fever blisters appear on or near the lips. It isn’t possible to know when a cold sore will appear but many believe that stress or highly emotional times can trigger a sore to appear. Like canker sores, cold sores usually last 7 – 10 days, but unlike canker sores, cold sores can be spread and therefor treatment and precautions should be taken.

Grinding/Clenching

Clenching or grinding the teeth is known as bruxism and is believed to be due to stress. People struggling with bruxism may not even be aware of what they are doing. By definition, clenching occurs when you press your upper and lower teeth tightly together and grinding happens when you rub your teeth back and forth against each other.

After an extended period of time of clenching or grinding, people may experience jaw pain, jaw popping, earaches, headaches which can be due to problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This joint connects your skull to your lower jaw. TMJ pain can become severe and may even eventually damage the joint to the degree that surgery is required to repair it.

The goal is to stop the bruxism before it becomes a severe problem. Often your dentist will see broken teeth or teeth that have been ground down due to grinding. A nightguard may be recommended to help keep the teeth from pressing together while sleeping and relaxation techniques will be encouraged for minimizing clenching during the day.

Missed Brushing & Flossing

During times of high stress it can be easy for the standard oral care habits to drop off or be overlooked. A person may also find they are eating or drinking in ways that are less optimal for oral health as well. The trick is that putting your oral health in jeopardy due to your stress can cause additional mouth problems that will require attention and potentially cause new reason for stress. Keeping your healthy habits in tact is an important part of getting through the stressful time. Focusing on the positive feelings that come from taking care of ourselves can help motivate you to stay committed to your program.

Ultimately your stress level plays a role in many aspects of your health and your mouth is not exception.  Finding ways to lower your stress level and reminding yourself of the importance of self care at all times will help you avoid these conditions. It is important to always talk with your dentist if you see early signs of these conditions and share any relevant information about your stress level.

Changing Lives, One Smile at a Time

Dr. Randall Burba (left) and Dr. Stanley Burba (right)

Dr. Randall Burba is an AACD accredited dentist, practicing in Salem, MA. He considers himself an artist – with teeth and beyond! He often paints, draws and has a passion for woodworking. Follow Burba Dental Partners on Twitter and Facebook.

 

 

 

 

How Does Aging Affect Your Teeth?

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As we get older, many different things happen to our bodies. Overall wisdom tells us the best thing we can do is embrace the process and enjoy the ride. However as is the case with most things, there are some ways we can proactively choose to live and care for our bodies that will pay off tremendously as we get older.

What does this mean for taking care of your oral health? How does aging really affect your teeth?

 

Your oral health should be a top priority at every age as you can experience many serious conditions whether you are 25 or 75. There are some key conditions for which you become more susceptible as you get older. We have broken down some of the key items below and what you can do to minimize your risk.

Erosion

 

The biggest concern at the core of your oral health is preventing acid erosion. Sugary and starchy foods are carbohydrates that ferment and cause the bacteria in your mouth to produce acid. The acid erodes the enamel on your teeth which creates small holes or openings where a cavity can form. As you age, erosion is more likely to happen near previous fillings or where gums have receded. Your dentist will be able to monitor this at your check-ups.

Avoiding sugary foods and sweetened drinks and having regular check-ups are key to minimizing the risk of enamel erosion.

Wear and Tear

Your teeth are meant to withstand constant wear and tear. The challenge is that as you age, you may have more teeth that are compromised by fillings, root canals, or other dental procedures. These teeth are more vulnerable to breaking and chipping.

“Contrary to what many people assume, teeth do not become more brittle with age,” says Steven E. Schonfeld, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association and a practicing dentist. “Still, we see patients all the time who have cracked or chipped a tooth biting down hard on something like an olive that still has a pit or a kernel of unpopped popcorn.”

Avoid chewing hard foods. This can be helpful in minimizing the risk of chipping a tooth. It is advised that you don’t chew on ice at any age.

Another factor to consider is clenching or grinding your teeth. Bruxism, the technical term for clenching, can wear down the surface of your teeth which can lead to cavities. You may not even be aware you are doing it, but your dentist may be able to detect signs of wear and tear associated with bruxism. A nightguard may be recommended.

 

A nightguard can be very effective in preventing or minimizing the amount of clenching and grinding you are able to do. When the teeth are not able to line up directly, less muscles are activated during the clenching process so there is less risk of damage or jaw joint pain.

Gum Disease

According to a 2012 study done by the Center for Disease Control, nearly fifty percent of adults over the age of 30 have some amount of gum disease. Also known as periodontal disease, this disease involves chronic inflammation of the gum tissue and bone supporting a tooth.

It is imperative to treat periodontal disease before tooth loss happens. Gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss and there is also research that connects gum disease and heart disease, diabetes, and other serious conditions.

Flossing is the only way that plaque can be removed from between your teeth, which is where gum disease begins, according to the Academy of General Dentistry.

 

 

Changing Lives, One Smile at a Time

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Dr. Randall Burba is an AACD accredited dentist, practicing in Salem, MA. He considers himself an artist – with teeth and beyond! He often paints, draws and has a passion for woodworking. Follow Burba Dental Partners on Twitter and Facebook.