Gum Disease and Low Birth Weight

Frightening new studies have shown that women who had gum disease during their pregnancy were an astounding 7 times more likely to have a low birth weight baby. While it may seem strange that your mouth could be so important, gum disease is in fact an infection, and any infection can have detrimental effects on a healthy weight for your newborn. The best way to avoid this is to talk to Dr. Barroso or Dr. Simpson as soon as you know you are pregnant so that he can test for any health problems that might affect your baby.

“Catching” Cavities

Your oral health decisions can still affect your baby even after they are born. Researchers now agree that one of the most common ways babies get cavities is by “catching” them from their mothers. Tooth decay, just like the common cold, can be spread from one person to another through contact with their saliva when sharing utensils or food or kissing on the mouth.

The teeth of infants are especially vulnerable as they begin to develop, which means it is one of the few times you can transfer cavities to them. All you have to do to protect your baby is keep from kissing them on the mouth. Instead, kiss them on the cheek or forehead, anywhere that won’t transfer your saliva to them. And don’t forget to keep your regular dental appointments with Legacy Dental, to make sure your teeth are cavity free!

Your Health is Important!

We know that there are thousands of things for new mothers to worry about, but a fool proof way to avoid these problems is to simply take care of yourself. Come in for your regular appointments, with our Burleson office, as well as all of your other doctors.

Also, be aware of the strong correlation between stress and the health of your mouth. It can cause canker sores, dry mouth, gum disease, teeth grinding, and a painful jaw condition known as TMD which can bring on headaches, earaches and clicking in your jaw.

We want all of the mothers in our practice to have happy, healthy mouths!

Here at Legacy Dental we want all of our patients to have the healthiest teeth possible, so we hope this post will help everyone prevent acid erosion before it starts. At your next appointment Dr. Barroso and Dr. Simpson will be more than happy to clear up any questions you may have, so don’t forget to ask. You can even call us today if you think you won’t remember!

What is Acid Erosion?

Every substance that you put in your mouth, including anything you eat or drink, has a pH level that changes how it affects your teeth. If the pH level is lower than 6, the food or drink is classified as acidic, and it will trigger dental erosion in your mouth.

When you drink or eat acidic things, they start to wear away the enamel that protects your teeth. Soon, the sensitive parts of your teeth are exposed, and they can hurt when they come into contact with hot or cold substances. This can also lead to a general “toothache” or pain when chewing.

Causes of Acid Erosion

The worst attackers of tooth enamel are drinks, because they tend to sit in your mouth for a lot longer than foods and often take a while to consume, like when you sip a soda for an hour after dinner.

So which drinks are the worst? Soft drinks and juices are the hardest on your teeth enamel. These beverages are the most acidic for a variety of reasons, and should be consumed wisely to prevent permanent damage to your teeth. If you do consume soft drinks or juice, try not to sip them over a long period of time, and drink water afterwards to wash the acidity out of your mouth.

Tooth Enamel Loss

The big deal with acid erosion is that the loss of tooth enamel is permanent. Once your teeth are damaged, there is no way for us to “regrow” your enamel. What we can do, is take steps to protect your teeth from further erosion, and ease any discomfort your tooth enamel loss may have caused.

Here at Legacy Dental, we would love to help you learn how to take great care of your teeth, and we want to make it as easy for you as possible. If you think you may have acid erosion or tooth enamel loss, call our Burleson office today to learn more!

We are excited to announce that Legacy Dental, Dr. John E. Barroso & Dr. Jeremy Simpson, are now a Dental Network Savings Providers with Cigna!  What does this mean to you?  Savings!  As a Dental Network Savings Provider for Cigna, our fees are automatically reduced for you by 20%, which means less out of pocket expense and sometimes no out of pocket cost to you.  To find out if your employer offers this plan, log onto mycigna.com or call our office with your information and we will be more than happy to check for you.  Not all employers offer their employees’ this plan, but many employers such as Burleson ISD, Joshua ISD, Shell Oil Co., Alcon Laboratory, and many others do.  Legacy Dental strives to give you the best oral healthcare possible, while saving you money.  Call us today to schedule your appointment.  New patients are ALWAYS welcome.

“Oral cancer” includes the classifications of mouth cancer, tongue cancer, tonsil cancer, throat cancer, and others. Unfortunately, unlike other cancers, its prevalence is not decreasing in our population, but increasing. Dr. Barroso wants to change that for everyone in the Burleson area, and help us all live long, healthy lives.

This post is not meant to diagnose or treat anyone who has, or believes they may have, oral cancer. It is merely meant to serve as information. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office to learn more.

Oral Cancer Symptoms

Because oral cancer comes in so many varieties, there is a wide range of symptoms, and it is impossible to list them all here. However, some of the more common symptoms include:

• White or red patches on your lips, gums, tongue, or inside your cheeks
• Numbness or loss of feeling anywhere around your face, mouth or neck
• Difficulty swallowing, chewing, speaking, or moving your jaw or tongue
• Swelling, lumps, or bumps on your lips, gums, tongue, or inside your cheeks
• A change in the way your teeth or dentures fit together
• Hoarseness, chronic sore throat, or a change in your voice

Oral Cancer Risk Factors

There are many risk factors for oral cancer, but they don’t always determine who contracts the disease. However, risk factors can still be helpful in determining who should keep an extra eye out for symptoms. Risk factors for oral cancer include:

• Tobacco use, whether through smoking, dip, snuff, or chewing tobacco
• Excessive consumption of alcohol
• Family history of cancer
• Excessive sun exposure
• Exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV), also known as genital warts

Oral Cancer Treatment

If you think you or someone you love may have oral cancer, please contact Legacy Dental today. We will schedule an appointment for a quick, evaluation that will help you understand your specific situation.

If any of these symptoms or risk factors apply to you, don’t hesitate. Oral cancer has encouragingly high survival rates if detected and treated early, so make an appointment today!

Oral cancer is on the rise in the US – Approximately 37,000 people will be diagnosed in 2012. Smoking, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol substantially increase the risk of developing oral cancer. Some oral cancers are linked to human papilloma virus (HPV) infections of the mouth and throat. However, many oral cancer patients did not have any of these risk factors.

We are excited to meet you! Refreshments will be provided.

Screenings will be on a first come first serve basis.

Candy is bad for our teeth, and we all know it. But it’s just so delicious, sometimes we simply can’t help ourselves. Dr. Barroso and Dr. Simpson don’t want you to have to stop eating candy altogether, we just want you to make better choices about which candy you choose to eat and how you eat them. We really don’t want to have to tell you that your mouth is full of cavities!

I’m not going to stop eating candy!

This post is not to tell you to stop eating candy altogether, but rather to educate you on what it does to your teeth and help you choose the right kinds. Easter is the second largest candy-buying season of the year in America, following just Halloween in the amount of money we spend on sugary treats.

Every March, dental professionals across the country seek to promote the importance of dental hygiene and the connection between a healthy, balanced diet and good oral health. There are several preventative measures that can be taken to ensure this Easter season will help minimize the risk of tooth decay or damage.

Frequently eating chocolates, candy, and other sweets can create an ideal environment for decay-causing bacteria, which contributes to toothaches, sensitivity, and cavities.  This also leads to plaque, a sticky substance made of bacteria that thrive on sugars and carbohydrates and produce harmful acid that attack your teeth. This attack by bacterial acid, lasting 20 minutes or more, can lead to a loss of tooth mineral and, eventually, to cavities, the American Dental Association explains.

What candy should I eat?

Candy that is sticky or hard tends to remain in the mouth for a longer period of time and can be more harmful than softer candy, like chocolate, which washes away easier with saliva. Choosing treats that are sugar free is one way to help reduce the amount of harmful bacteria your mouth is fighting. Hard, sticky candy can also wreak havoc on your dental work, including orthodontics, bridges, and crowns, and you should always exercise caution in those cases.

If you have any questions about candy or any other dental hygiene issue, always feel free to call us or send us an email. And don’t forget to follow Legacy Dental on Facebook (Click the button on the right to find our page)!

We want everyone in Burleson to understand what the big deal is with aligning your bite and your teeth so that you can make informed dental decisions. Make sure to bring up any questions or concerns you have at your next Legacy Dental visit, or always feel free to call us if something seems more pressing.

Are Your Teeth Aligned?

Malocclusion is when teeth are not aligning properly, and it can be caused by a number of things both in and out of your control. Often, malocclusion is hereditary, which means if your parents’ teeth didn’t align properly, chances are yours won’t either. This could be from the shapes of your jaws, overcrowded or unevenly spaced teeth, or an abnormal bite pattern.

Changes in your mouth can also have a dramatic effect on the alignment of your teeth. These can include:

• Loss of teeth, naturally or through extraction
• Chipped teeth
• Jaw injury
• New fillings, crowns, bridges, or dental appliances
• Braces or retainers
• Tumors of the mouth or jaw

Malocclusion Symptoms

Most people have some degree of misalignment in their teeth, but it doesn’t always cause problems. Our Legacy Dental staff will always check to make sure everything looks right, and you should make sure to let us know if you have any pain or discomfort.

Symptoms of malocclusion include tooth pain, jaw pain, sensitivity to cold or heat, discomfort while biting or chewing, jaw popping, and mouth breathing due to an improperly closing mouth.

Align Your Bite

If Dr. Barroso or Dr. Simpson discovers that your bite is not aligned and that it is causing problems for you, there are a number of options available to fix the issue. A simple light filing of protruding points may get rid of any pain or discomfort, or we may readjust any new dental work you have in your mouth. In more troublesome cases, we might recommend braces or other appliances to straighten your teeth. The treatment for your mouth depends on your individual variables, and we will always make sure to find the best solution for all of our Burleson patients!

White wine can actually damage your teeth in ways that are invisible to the naked eye, rather than leaving the surface stains of red wine. Of course, you won’t permanently harm your teeth with a glass of wine, we just want Burleson residents to have all the facts before they decide what to drink.

White or Red?

Everyone in Burleson knows that drinking red wine can leave unsightly stains your teeth, but a recent study shows that white wine may actually be a worse culprit. Scientists at the New York University College of Dentistry studied the effects on tooth whiteness, and found that although red wine discolors, white wine actually dissolves a microlayer of tooth, making it rougher and more vulnerable. If this is followed with staining drinks such as coffee and tea, or acidic foods such as citrus fruits, the resulting damage could be harmful to the health of your mouth.

White Wine Damages Teeth

Another study by a team from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, confirmed their findings and also discovered that the longer the time you spend drinking white wine, and the more frequently you drink it, the worse the damage will be to your teeth. Some ways to counteract these affects include making sure you eat a calcium-rich diet, limiting the other damaging food or drinks you have, and waiting 20 to 30 minutes to brush your teeth. Brushing too soon after white wine will cause more damage to their already weakened state. Instead, rinse with water and try using whitening toothpaste when you do brush.

Red Wine Protects Teeth?

To add to the debate, researchers at Pavia University in Italy found that a bacteria that feeds on sugars in food, contributing to cavities, was unable to cling to teeth when red wine was present. Another study from Lavel University in Quebec, Canada found that compounds in red wine may in fact prevent and treat inflammatory gum diseases.

Whiten Teeth

Whether you choose to drink red or white wine, you may find that your teeth are not as white as you might like. There are many whitening options available in our Burleson drug stores, but without a proper assessment from Dr. Barroso or Dr. Simpson, you could end up damaging your teeth.

We understand that you might not choose to get your teeth whitened with an in-office treatment, but please make sure to check with us before starting any whitening.

So white or red wine? That’s for you to decide! But if you have any questions always make sure to ask our Legacy Dental staff!

No one wants to worry about their breath, especially not when you should be relaxing with a loved one. Our Burleson staff will help in any way we can, and we thought a good start would be some tips about how to figure out if you have bad breath, where bad breath comes from, and what to do about bad breath.

Do I Have Bad Breath?

It can be really difficult to figure out if your breath is fresh or not. There are a number of little tricks you can try, but they aren’t very accurate in the long run. The best way really is to ask someone close to you.

It may seem scary to ask someone about your breath, but isn’t it better to know and work to fix it, then to not know and always wonder?

Causes of Bad Breath

Dry Mouth. If you’ve read our Dry Mouth blog post, you’ll know that this is the number one cause of bad breath. Saliva cleans your mouth as it circulates, getting rid of odor-causing bacteria. Our Burleson team has many ways to help with dry mouth, but the immediate solution is simple: drink more water!

Food. Everyone knows that onions and garlic make breath have a distinctive odor and this may not be exactly what you’re going for on your big, romantic night. Try bringing a toothbrush and toothpaste with you on your big date so that you can clean your teeth discreetly after you finish dinner.

Tobacco. Whether it’s smoking or chewing, tobacco interferes with your natural saliva production and very quickly leads to bad breath. Try staying away from tobacco during your date, or brushing your teeth as quickly as possible when you are finished.

Fixing Bad Breath

You’ve heard us say it before, and we’re going to say it again: the best way to maintain the beauty and health of your teeth is a consistent oral hygiene routine. If you have any questions, check out our oral hygiene page.

Chronic Bad Breath

If bad breath is a consistent problem for you or one of your loved ones, it could be an indication of a more serious health issue. Please be sure to mention it to our Burleson staff, either at your next appointment or by calling us with your concerns. Legacy Dental is always here to help you!

What is Hydrogen Peroxide?

Hydrogen peroxide is a common household product that can be found for very cheap at your local pharmacy or grocery store. Chemically, it is two oxygen molecules with two oxygen molecules, and it appears as a clear liquid with about the consistency of water. In the solution you can find in stores, it is diluted with water to only 3%.

1) To Ease a Toothache

If one of your teeth starts to hurt and you can’t make it to our Burleson office right away, try putting a capful of hydrogen peroxide in your mouth and holding it there for ten minutes, then spitting it out. This can be repeated several times a day until the pain subsides.

Much of the pain people experience in toothaches is caused by swelling and infection, which hydrogen peroxide helps fight. However, remember that this should only be used as a short term solution and you should see Dr. Barroso or Dr. Simpson as soon as possible.

2) To Help Treat Gingivitis

Hydrogen peroxide is a great way to kill germs, and germs are the force that leads to gingivitis. After you floss and brush your teeth, vigorously swish with an ounce of hydrogen peroxide, making sure to get all of the gum lines, including behind the upper lip. Swish for 5 or 6 seconds, then spit the chemical out and rinse with water.

3) To Clean Your Toothbrush

Once a week or more, soak your toothbrush bristles in a freshly poured cup of hydrogen peroxide. After about five seconds, watch it bubble as it kills the germs!

Leave your toothbrush in the cup for a few minutes to ensure it is properly cleaned, then rinse it off with water. Make sure to always use a fresh cup of hydrogen peroxide, as the chemical degrades when it’s exposed to light.

4) As a Toothpaste Substitute

Ever forget to buy toothpaste and find yourself without even that last little bit? Mix together one part hydrogen peroxide to four parts baking soda and brush your teeth with that. It may be a little grittier than you’re used to, but it works in mostly the same way.

Don’t forget though, that hydrogen peroxide degrades with light, so you can’t make large batches of this solution to store for later use.

5) To Propel a Rocket

Okay, so you can’t actually do this with the diluted, 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide that is sold at stores. And you certainly shouldn’t put rockets in your mouth. But the chemical was used at 70-98% concentrations to propel rockets during World War II, and is still used for some satellites. How cool is that?