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Generally, gum disease plays the biggest role in receding gums. Simply put, bacteria that enters the dental cavity as a result of gum disease starts to develop plaque. Plaque build-up could trigger swelling of the gums – this swelling results in the erosion of your gums, giving them a sunken, recessed look.

What are the best ways to avoid receding gums?

Thankfully, gum disease is very easy to pinpoint. If you believe that your gum line is receding, then please make an appointment at your Langley dentist, Willow Dental Care Langley to confirm the diagnosis and begin proper treatment. Sensitive teeth, specifically sensitivity to hot and cold, are one more indicator of gum recession – the sensitive roots of the teeth come to be exposed and that’s why you may feel discomfort.

In the initial stage of gum recession, the gums are pink and appear scalloped around the edges. Afterwards, your gums turn a bright pink or red, soften and start to bleed. You can really see the gums receding away from the teeth as days go by. The teeth also loosen and liquid starts to collect in the area between gums and teeth. The final phase of receding gums is when the roots become visible. This is extremely unpleasant and causes severe bleeding along with tooth sensitivity.

Is there therapy for receding gums?

Do not postpone and schedule an appointment with a healthcare professional at Willow Dental Care Langley, your Langley dentist, for appropriate diagnosis and therapy. There is no single treatment for receding gums; treatment usually focused on gum disease as treating gum disease will typically treat receding gums. However, you may opt for gingival flap surgery, tissue graft, bone graft and aesthetic dentistry to save your teeth as well as restore the appearance of your gums and teeth.

The best and most appropriate treatment for receding gums is to recognize the value of a proper oral health care routine to protect against and curb gum recession.

In reality, flossing is one of the most necessary steps in any excellent dental health and wellness routine. Floss aids in removing any meals particles trapped between the teeth as well as reduces your chances of plaque buildup.

It is important to carry out flossing as part of your dental health routine; brushing alone can’t give you a 100% clean. Flossing makes sure that there is no buildup of plaque on the teeth. Plaque build-up can lead to gum illness, gingivitis or periodontitis.

Floss can be flavored or unflavoured, waxed or unwaxed. Talk to a hygienist at Willow Dental Care Langley, your Langley dentist, if you’re not sure which dental floss is ideal for you. If you are not sure of the right way to utilize floss or if you are not sure why you should floss at all, contact your Langley dentist, Willow Dental Care Langley or come for a flossing consultation.

Here are a couple of flossing starter strategies:

1. Floss should be held taut and weaved between each tooth as well as under the gums to make sure that all bits of food and plaque are taken out.

2. It is important to get floss that’s the right thickness. Floss that’s too thick or too thin won’t be as effective.

3. Use floss every day, ideally prior to going to bed, as a way to keep gum disease, bad breath and tooth cavities at bay.

4. If you’re a meat eater, floss after each meal if possible to get rid of the fibres that could get stuck between your teeth and cause cavities and tooth decay.

Contact your Langley dentist, Willow Dental Care Langley, to learn if you’re flossing correctly or if you require more tips on how to floss properly. The video beloe, courtesy of Colgate, shows you the ways to floss properly. Enjoy!

If it isn’t practical or possible to repair a tooth, our team of dental experts at Willow Dental Care Langley, your Langley dentist, may be required to do a dental extraction. Teeth that are extremely damaged by cavities or extensively chipped/broken will generally be extracted if root canal therapy isn’t a viable option.

Dental extractions are a must for a tooth that’s suffering from advanced periodontitis or gum disease because the chances of the tooth infecting surrounding tissues are high.

Wisdom teeth that are impacted (i.e. won’t be able to develop normally) or that simply don’t have room to grow are generally extracted.

If you are nervous or anxious about dental extractions, our dental clinic offers sedation dentistry for a stress-free dental appointment. To learn more about sedation dentistry, contact our dental clinic for more information.

Please contact Willow Dental Care Langley, your Langley dentist, if you have any questions or would like to book an appointment.

What to do after a tooth or wisdom tooth extraction

1. You may experience soreness after a tooth extraction – over-the-counter painkillers can help with the pain or you may request prescription painkillers from your Langley dentist at Willow Dental Care Langley if you find the pain to be too much.

2. Cold compresses will also help keep the pain and swelling down after a tooth extraction.

3. It’s very important that you don’t touch the extraction site, chew heavily around the area or smoke at all. It is recommended that you drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated. Simply follow these simple steps to ensure proper healing and a happy, healthy smile.

Subscribe to Willow Dental Care Langley’s blog for more dental secrets and contact us today to take care of your oral health care.

Fruits & Veggies:
Apples, celery and cucumbers are all excellent super snacks for your dental health. These super snacks are nutritious and will help keep clean the surfaces of your teeth and massage your gums, improving circulation.

Dairy products:
Milk, cheese and calcium help with preventing cavities. These super snacks are rich in calcium and help neutralize acids in the mouth, reducing the incidence of cavities and tooth decay.

Other Great Snacks:
Nuts are excellent super snacks for oral health because they provide calcium and phosphate – elements that help keep dental enamel strong.

Dental professionals recommend avoiding any sugary snacks because sugar feeds the bacteria in the mouth and causes cavities. If you have any questions about which snacks are appropriate and which aren’t, or if you would like to book an appointment at Willow Dental Care Langley, Langley dentist, to learn more about preventing cavities, please click here.

Subscribe to Willow Dental Care Langley’s blog for more dental secrets and contact us today to take care of your oral health care.

Abrasion is another common cause of worn teeth. Simply put, abrasion describes tooth enamel that is worn down by foreign objects in the mouth. Toothbrushes are the most common type of abrasive objects. If you brush your teeth too vigorously, you risk wearing down your enamel too much. Chewing pens or fingernails can cause teeth to lose enamel fast as well, as can an oral piercing or tongue ring.

Erosion is the third common cause of worn teeth. Erosion is caused by any substance that dissolves the enamel. Citric acid is the number one eroding agent of tooth enamel, but if you or a loved one has made a habit of purging, the gastric acids in your stomach can also dissolve your enamel.

At your Langley dentist, Willow Dental Care Langley, we offer several dental solutions for your worn teeth, but it’s our policy to work with you to address the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms. Take care of your teeth and contact your Langley dentist, Willow Dental Care Langley today for an appointment.

Read on for the 10 things you can do with toothpaste – aside from achieving excellent oral health care:

• Fix Insect Bites

Standard non-gel toothpaste can help relieve the itch from an insect bite and keep you from scratching at the site. Try it!

• Sanitize Hands

In a pinch, toothpaste (and a little water) is a great hand sanitizer. As a bonus, if you’ve just chopped onions or garlic, you can neutralize the odour with a bit of toothpaste/water.

• Fix Nail Holes

Nail holes generally require professional putty to fix but with a little bit of inexpensive toothpaste, you can fill in the hole and touch up with paint afterward.

• Clean your Diamond Ring

By scrubbing your diamond ring with a little bit of toothpaste on an old toothbrush, you could have your diamond looking as if you had just bought it!

• Help relieve burns

Always out of aloe? Put toothpaste on your burn right after it happens to help relieve the stinging sensation.

• Removes crayon from wall paint

Little one been drawing on the walls again? Get a damp rag with a little bit of toothpaste on it and simply wipe away the residue.

• Put up posters

Forget tape or thumb tacks, simply put a dab of toothpaste on the back of posters to hang it without damaging the wall.

• Treat Acne

It is only recommended to use this tip at most once a week, but by putting a small dab of toothpaste on a pimple before bed, it should be cleared up by morning!

• Remove scratches on glassware

Polish your scratched glasses with a dab of toothpaste and they should look like new instantly!

• Prevent fog in goggles

Many swimmers swear by toothpaste for keeping their goggles free of fog. Simply wipe it on, clean it off and enjoy a fog-free view.

However, don’t forget toothpaste’s most important role! Brush twice daily, floss regularly and visit Willow Dental Care Langley for a fantastically healthy smile you’ll be proud to show off!

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• Pain

Fear of pain is completely natural and the oral health care experts at Willow Dental Care Langley understand that anxiety associated with needles and the idea of pain/discomfort in the mouth can convince patients they’re better off suffering from oral health care issues than coming to the dentist. However, we want to set the record straight. Most dental procedures are currently pain-free. If you require sedation and dislike needles, we’ll offer you alternative options or conceal the needle if necessary.

• Embarrassment 

90% of patients in one recent study reported that embarrassment is the no. 1 reason why they don’t visit the dentist. If you’re worried that you’ve neglected your teeth and your oral health care, come in for an appointment and learn about your oral health care options at Willow Dental Care Langley, your Langley dentist. We’re here to help and we promise we won’t lecture you! After all, we’re your oral health care partner and your oral health is just as important to us as it is to you.

• Control 

If you don’t like feeling like you have no control over what happens in the dentist chair, come to Willow Dental Care Langley, your Langley dentist for a dental experience like no other. We promise to do our best to communicate with you, both online and offline. We’ll work out a system that allows you to alert us to any trouble or discomfort during a procedure.

At Willow Dental Care Langley, our goal is to give you the best dental experience possible. Contact us today and find out why we should be your choice for oral health care.

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The good news is, there are some tried and true toothache pain relief methods and here they are, brought to you by the caring team of oral health care experts at Langley dentist Willow Dental Care Langley

• Cold Compress

Applying a cold compress to your jaw should alleviate a toothache. The cold reduces blood flow to the site and therefore reduces swelling and pain. Apply a cold compress as often as necessary until the pain subsides.

• Pain Medication

Pain medication can help relieve a toothache but be sure not to exceed the recommended dose. Pain relievers such as aspirin and Advil typically contain anti-inflammatory medicine which can reduce the pain and swelling associated with a toothache.

• Warm Salt Water and Baking Soda 

Salt and Baking Soda combine to make an excellent anti-bacterial mouth-rise that can help reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth and potentially reduce the swelling and pain that stems from a toothache.

• Clove Oil and Garlic 

Pure clove oil, available in most drugstores, can act as a numbing agent if applied directly to the tooth. Don’t apply to the gums or apply too much as clove oil can be poisonous in too-high quantities. If you don’t want to use clove oil, a clove of garlic is an excellent substitute – simply hold it against the tooth for a few minutes and rinse with warm water afterward.