gums

WE UNDERSTAND THAT we’re your orthodontic practice, not your general dentist. However, as one of your lifelong health partners, we’re concerned here at our practice about your complete oral health. That’s why we feel like it’s important to provide relevant and useful information that’s often not orthodontics specific.

Did you realize that women have special challenges when it comes to oral health? Hormonal cycles can affect the way women’s bodies react to bacteria and plaque inside their mouths. If you’re a woman — or if you’d like to pass this information along to a woman who could benefit from it — our team encourages you to learn more about these important dental facts.

Hormonal Cycles Can Affect Gums

Puberty, pregnancy, and menstruation cause increased progesterone and estrogen levels, which can lead to increased gum sensitivity. There’s also a condition known as menstruation gingivitis, which can cause some women to experience increased bleeding and swollen gums right before menstruation. This condition is typically not serious and clears up quickly. Gingivitis during pregnancy can be more severe, and may even cause non-cancerous oral tumors. That’s another reason why it’s important for women to keep their regular checkup appointments with their general dentist during pregnancy.

Oral contraceptives also increase hormone levels in women’s bodies, which can cause increased sensitivity and vulnerability to gum disease. During menopause, hormonal fluctuations can also create oral health problems including dry mouth syndrome, which can significantly add to a woman’s tooth decay risk.

Other Oral Health Problems That Are More Likely To Affect Women

• Women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with TMD (Temporomandibular Disorders). TMD causes strain on one’s jaw joint and potential damage to teeth, often as a result of clenching and/or teeth grinding.
• HPV is becoming more common, and research is increasingly suggesting a link between HPV and oral cancer. Regular oral cancer screenings are important whether or not a woman has high risk factors.
• Women are much more susceptible to osteoporosis than men, which can cause jaw bone loss and associated periodontal disease problems.

The Great News? Women Take Better Care Of Their Oral Health!

As you might expect, a helpful remedy in many instances is to simply maintain good dental health habits! Fortunately, women are better at this than men! A recent study of over 800 young men and women shows:

• Women are more consistent when it comes to regular checkups
• Women exhibit better attitudes toward dentistry in general
• Women have better personal dental habits

Questions? 

If you are a woman and you have questions about your oral health, please visit us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California. Call us at 925-757-9000 to schedule your complimentary exam. Visit us at www.clubbraces.com. If we don’t have the answer, we’ll go out of our way to point you in the best direction to find the answer! There are lots of easy ways to connect with us — and we promise to be very responsive! You can make a comment below, or even connect with us on our Facebook page.

Women need to take time to care for themselves and their oral health. Your smile is our inspiration.

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

WE’VE ALL SEEN IT: that little piece of spinach that gets stuck between the upper front tooth and lateral incisor. Real friends tell friends when they have spinach teeth. Here’s why it happens and what we can do to prevent it.

Spinach contains oxalic acid. This substance, when combined with saliva, produces calcium oxalate crystals that stick to your teeth.

Make Sure You Have The Right Tools

To prevent spinach teeth, drink water vigorously to flush away spinach after eating. If necessary, floss your teeth after eating spinach. If you are a spinach lover, you may want to carry floss in your purse or pocket to avoid that spinach tooth moment, especially if you are on a date or at an important dinner event.

Avoid picking at spinach teeth with a toothpick in public. This can damage your gums and can be impolite. Excuse yourself from the dinner table and visit the rest room to use floss to remove spinach. This is safer, more effective, healthier, and better etiquette.

Overcrowding Helps Spinach Stick

Straightening your front teeth will also help you avoid spinach teeth.

Eliminating crooked front teeth will give spinach fewer nooks and crannies in the dental arch in which it can get stuck. Straight teeth can be accomplished quickly by an orthodontist using either braces, Invisalign, aligners, or spring clip aligners (Inman retainer).

Gorczyca Orthodontics Can Help!

If you have questions about how to avoid spinach teeth with orthodontic treatment, visit us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California for a free orthodontic exam. Call us at (925) 757-9000 or find us at www.clubbraces.com.

There’s no reason for your teeth to go green. Let us help you avoid spinach teeth.

Your smile is our inspiration.

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

DID YOU REALIZE THAT an estimated 90 percent of systemic diseases can have an oral manifestation? Your mouth is loaded with helpful information about your body’s overall health.

Now, we are neither your physician nor your dentist. But we see your mouth more often than either of them, and sometimes we spot important signs about your body’s total health. Fortunately, most of your mouth’s “stories” are related to minor issues. However, some can actually be signs of more serious problems.

Your Teeth

If you have worn-down teeth, it can mean that you’ve been grinding them — probably in your sleep. Teeth-grinding is more common in teens than any other age group. If it starts to cause a problem for your treatment plan, we may recommend a special night guard for your teeth.

If we notice that your tooth enamel is thin, it could be a sign of a condition such as acid reflux or bulimia because both regularly bathe teeth in stomach acid.

Your Gums

Occasionally, we all may have swollen, sensitive gums. But if it persists, even when you’re taking really good care of your mouth, it could be an early sign of something serious like diabetes or leukemia. Sometimes it may simply be a sign of vitamin C deficiency. But it’s good to consider all the possibilities.

In addition, modern research and many health experts continue to draw lines between gum disease and other whole-body health issues, including lung disease, cardiovascular problems, and even early-term labor.

Your Tongue

There are a few odd tongue conditions like hairy black tongue (which is pretty much what it sounds like) and geographic tongue (random-shaped, smooth red patches) that have various causes but are not considered serious — although they can cause discomfort. However, what IS serious are early signs of oral cancer which often show up on the side of your tongue first, in small red or white spots. If you have a sore on your tongue, cheek, or elsewhere in your mouth that doesn’t go away in a reasonable amount of time, have a dentist check it out right away.

Nutritional Imbalances

Nutritional deficiencies are often reflected in your mouth where the soft tissues are renewed quickly. An Academy of General Dentistry study shows that oral tissue sensitivity can be a sign of deficiencies in iron, zinc, and folic acid which can show up as gum disease.

Questions About Your Oral Or Overall Health? 

First of all, don’t skip your doctor appointments! That’s not what we’re suggesting with this post! But remember that your regular dental checkups are more important than ever. And if, at any point, we see something that might be a sign of a health problem, we may recommend that you have a dentist or physician take a closer look.

Here at our practice, we’re so grateful for your trust. If you ever have any questions or concerns about your oral health or your orthodontic treatment, please ask us. And if you have any persistent symptoms like those listed in this post, let us know.

Thank you for choosing Gorczyca Orthodontics for your orthodontic needs.

YOU MAY NOT THINK of gelatin as a health food. Yet, homemade natural jello is one of the best things you can eat for healthy gums.

Gelatin And Gum Tissue

Gelatin is made of collagen. The collagen of natural jello gives your body the amino acids glycine and proline, which are important for new collagen synthesis in your gums. New collagen produced in your gums helps make your periodontal tissue firm and strong. Some components of the collagen in gelatin have been shown to help repair gum tissue and can also be beneficial in your body’s wound healing.

Gelatin’s Other Benefits

Not only is natural gelatin good for your gums, it is also good for your bones, teeth, cartilage, joints, and digestive tract. Gelatin can help reduce wrinkles. How great is that? Gelatin can also give you healthier skin and hair. It can even reduce cellulite! In addition, gelatin has been found to improve sleep and relieve stress.

Homemade Gelatin

To make your own healthy gelatin at home that is low in sugar and free of artificial coloring, try the recipe below:

• 4 Tbs gelatin power
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups fruit juice
• fruit
• shredded coconut

Mix ingredients together, then chill in refrigerator.

Enjoy Your Gum-Healthy Gelatin Treats!

With all these health benefits, why wouldn't we all eat gelatin? Make some gelatin for your gums. Gelatin can be acquired either in a powdered form for your recipes or from bone broth.

Here’s to your dental health!

Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca, Orthodontist, 5201 Deer Valley Road, Suite 1A, Antioch, California (925) 757-9000

Top image by Flickr user Andrew Mager used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

IT’S OFTEN SAID, and health studies agree, that breakfast may be the most important meal of the day. And by the way, breakfast affects our oral health too!

Breakfast Can Damage Smiles During Ortho Treatment

Given our on-the-go lifestyles, breakfast can become an imbalanced, over-sugary meal! We don’t typically eat candy for breakfast—yet, we choose popular cereals and pastries that are full of sugar. These unhealthy breakfast choices can be damaging to your teeth and gums—and your appliances—with multiplying effects if you’re not brushing and flossing after breakfast.

A Healthy, Balanced Breakfast Can Protect Your Smile

Your mouth, like your body, needs nutritious food to stay healthy. A balanced breakfast rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber, and healthy proteins can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay, early tooth loss, and gum disease.

Healthy teeth and gums respond better to orthodontic treatment—so eating a good breakfast may also help you towards your goal of a straighter, more lovely smile!

Tips For A Smile-Friendly Breakfast

• Eat whole grains (oatmeal, whole wheat bread) instead of refined grains.
• Eat firm, ripe fruits and healthier vegetables (cut into bite-sized pieces).
• Drink water or unsweetened tea to strengthen tooth enamel and help prevent tooth decay.
• Use moderation with fruit juices and smoothies—they’re typically high in sugar and can be quite acidic.
• Consider dinner for breakfast! Chicken, fish, beans, cheese, etc.
• Eat high fiber cereals with less preservatives and added sugar.
• Avoid hard or sticky foods that could damage your appliance.

Quick, Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast Kickstarts Your Day & Your Healthy Smile

Start eating breakfasts that protect your smile AND make you feel good (studies have found that breakfast affects your energy and focus). If you have ideas or recipes for healthy, balanced breakfasts, share them with us below or on Facebook!

Gorczyca Orthodontics, 5201 Deer Valley Road, Antioch 925-757-9000.  Find us at www.clubbraces.com.

Thank you for trusting us with your oral health! We appreciate you.