Gum, or periodontal, disease can cause inflammation, tooth loss and bone damage. Gum disease begins with a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Gums in the early stage of disease, or gingivitis, can bleed easily and become red and swollen. As the disease progresses to periodontitis, teeth may fall out or need to be removed by a dentist. Gum disease is highly preventable and can usually be avoided by daily brushing and flossing. One indicator of gum disease is consistent bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth.

Bad Breath (Halitosis)

Daily brushing and flossing helps to prevent the buildup of food particles, plaque

and bacteria in your mouth. Food particles left in the mouth deteriorate and cause bad breath. While certain foods, such as garlic or anchovies, may create temporary bad breath, consistent bad breath may be a sign of gum disease or another dental problem.

Canker Sores

Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) are small sores inside the mouth that often recur. Generally lasting one or two weeks, the duration of canker sores can be reduced by the use of antimicrobial mouthwashes or topical agents. The canker sore has a white or gray base surrounded by a red border.

Orthodontic Problems

A bite that does not meet properly (a malocclusion) can be inherited, or some types may be acquired. Some causes of malocclusion include missing or extra teeth, crowded teeth or misaligned jaws. Accidents or developmental issues, such as finger or thumb sucking over an extended period of time, may cause malocclusions.

Just breathing cold air can be painful for those with extremely sensitive teeth.

There are toothpastes that can be used to combat tooth sensitivity with some reported success.  The key to long term success is to continue with the plan of action recommended by your dentist.  If your dentist prescribes a remedy, continue with it even after you have achieved the desired results, unless you are instructed otherwise.

It is important to have your teeth examined by a dentist to determine the cause of your sensitive teeth.  The remedy will be dependent on the cause.

Caries, or tooth decay, is a preventable disease. While caries might not endanger your life, they may negatively impact your quality of life, and infection in your mouth can spread to other parts of the body.

When your teeth and gums are consistently exposed to large amounts of starches and sugars, acids may form that begin to eat away at tooth enamel.

Carbohydrate-rich foods such as candy, cookies, soft drinks and even fruit juices leave deposits on your teeth. Those deposits bond with the bacteria that normally survive in your mouth and form plaque. The combination of deposits and plaque forms acids that can damage the mineral structure of teeth, with tooth decay resulting.

It is important that children brush and floss regularly, however getting them to do so can be a challenge.  Teeth that have been neglected in childhood tend to become weaker and increasingly prone to decay.  That being said, it is never too late to start taking better care of our teeth!

What you can do about it?

Well for one thing, if improper care is causing you to avoid the dentist due to embarrassment, it is critical that you suspend that concern and just do it!  The dentist is not going to berate or scold you, he/she will not be shocked or disgusted.  On the contrary, you will find that most dentists are very supportive and most will be thrilled to help you on your journey to better oral health.

Parents can encourage their children to brush and floss regularly, even if it requires bribery!  Perhaps a simple reward such as staying up an extra 15 or 30 minutes will motivate your child.  Some parents make oral hygiene a basic expectation and with hold privileges such as television or computer time until it is done.  With very young children, parents should perform the teeth brushing, and continue to do so until the child has developed adequate dexterity to do it themselves.  Often children who have experienced teeth cleaning from a very early age (infants) will keep up the habit easier than a child who is introduced to oral hygiene later.

Of course children should be taken to the dentist for regular check ups as well.  If you wait to go to the dentist until there is a problem, your child has a greater chance of developing dental anxiety.  It is far better if their first experiences are non invasive.  Some children actually look forward to going to the dentist!

To reduce acid in the mouth, some hygenists recommend eating cheese after eating sweets.  Chewing certain gums between meals, or when you don’t have access to your toothbrush, can be helpful in preventing tooth decay as well.  Xylitol, a natural sweetener, is a proven product that can help prevent caries and promote good overall oral health.

Did you know that improving your smile, with teeth whitening, straightening, porcelain veneers or other cosmetic dental procedures, can actually have a similar impact as having a facelift? It can! It can actually take 10 years or more off your appearance!

While teeth are not naturally white, just like other materials, years can add a deeper yellow tinge to our

teeth. Other habits such as smoking, drinking coffee, and even eating certain foods, can stain and discolor teeth. These are stains that cannot be removed with regular brushing. Whiter teeth just naturally appear younger. Kind of like giving an older house a new coat of paint, teeth whitening revitalizes the entire face.

Over the counter teeth whitening products are often quite effective, brightening as much as 2 shades, whereas professional whitening can increase whiteness by up to 8 or more shades. Truly, nothing can replace a good dentist and regular professional dental care.

Not that long ago cosmetic dental procedures was reserved for the rich and famous. Advances in technology have made cosmetic dentistry mainstream. You no longer need to be a celebrity to flash a Hollywood Smile!

The fact that cosmetic dentistry is in such high demand, means that there are some less qualified persons who want to capitalize on the opportunity. It is imperative that patients shop around to find the best dentist for their particular needs. There are some general dentists who are well trained in cosmetic dentistry, but not all great family dentists are great cosmetic dentists.

This is not something that should be taken lightly. A good dentist can do wonders for your overall oral health and your appearance, but making a bad choice can cause grief in more ways than one.

Inadequate training when it comes to cosmetic dental procedures can cost you money, but worse can actually do more damage to your smile. Dental problems should be addressed prior to the cosmetic procedure.

Do your due diligence. One of the first places to search for a good dentist is by personal referral. Having said that, getting a recommendation from your cousin or your neighbour is not good enough. With the internet, you can reach beyond your personal friends, relatives and aquaintances to get more recommendations from a broader range of patients.

Online reviews is the new “word of mouth” personal referral system that is highly effective. In fact, you can find reviews for most products or services that you are considering purchasing, not just a family or cosmetic dentist.

Do keep in mind that when it comes to writing reviews, people are more likely to be compelled to write a review if they have a complaint, however if you find more than a small percentage of “complaint” types of reviews, that should raise a red flag. Look for a dentist whose positive reviews greatly outweigh the negative. A dentist with positive online reviews and no negative reviews is probably a very good dentist!

The internet is certainly not the ONLY method of finding a top dentist in your area. Some fantastic dentists may not even have a web presence and many who do don’t have reviews. Particularly in Canada, this is a fairly new practice, but one that is certainly gaining momentum. If you have had a positive experience with a local dentist, do your part to assist others in finding your dentist!

We invite our readers to provide reviews of dentists they have been to at TopDentist.ca. This is a brand new site, so you may very well be the first to post your review! We highly recommend visiting RateMDs.com as a place to read and post reviews. This is a very good resource with over 800,000 ratings for physicians and dentists in the U.S. and Canada, Australia, UK, and India. It is a great place to start the research to find a top dentist, and any type of doctor, in your area.

Finally, once you have found a dentist with a high rating, it is important to meet him or her face to face. Make an appointment for a consultation, preferably make that appointment in person. This way you can meet the front end staff and get a “feel” for the “climate” in the dental office. Understand that many dentists are very busy, and many won’t have time to meet you if you just drop in, but you never know unless you ask!

There are many options available today to improve your smile from home whitening strips you can purchase over the counter, to more permanent solutions such as veneers.

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