Bad habits often develop at a young age. Fox Lake, IL family dentist office Infinity Dental encourages you and your children to break bad habits as soon as possible to avoid possible damage to your oral health. Do you know how your bad habits may be affecting your oral health? Dr. Thomas Prendergast encourages patients of all ages to be proactive in their oral health and overall well being by quitting those bad habits.
Habit: Smoking
Consequences: People who smoke experience habitually bad breath, discoloration of teeth, and are at an increased risk for serious medical and dental health concerns. Smoking can cause oral cancer and increases your risk of developing gum disease. Oral cancer can be aggressive and should be treated as soon as possible. Gum disease is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
What To Do: Quit smoking! If you have recently quit smoking schedule a visit to our Fox Lake dentist office for a thorough dental cleaning. A professional tooth cleaning can help to keep your gums clean of disease causing bacteria. Dr. Prendergast offers tooth whitening services to help reverse some effects of smoking tooth discoloration. Frequent visits to the dentist can help diagnose oral cancer and gum disease for early treatment.
Habit: Using Your Teeth For Anything But Eating
Consequences: Trying to open a package with your teeth is risky. When we use our teeth to open, cut, or hold things they are not supposed to you risk cracking, chipping, or breaking your teeth. If you have dental restorations, you may break or remove a dental crown or filling. For information on the fillings we provide, please see Dental fillings.
What To Do: Highly trained and professional dentist Dr. Prendergast offers Emergency Dental Care. If you lose a tooth or crown, call our dentist office. If you lose a tooth, handle it by the crown and place it in milk. If you damage a crown, do not ever attempt to reattach it. Dr. Prendergast can help you restore the function, beauty, and health to your smile.
Habit: Snacking All Day Long
Consequences: Snacking and sipping on sugary drinks can allow sugar and food debris to build up on tooth and gum surfaces. Cavity causing bacteria thrive in sugar and will begin to decay tooth and gum tissue.
What To Do: When you do snack, choose healthy, low-sugar options. Always drink a large glass of water after a snack to help wash away debris. Chewing sugar free gum can also help remove harmful bacteria from teeth and gums- look for the ADA seal of approval!
You may also want to carry your toothbrush with you throughout the day for an extra brush in the middle of the day. If you are experiencing tooth pain or sensitivity, schedule a dentist office appointment, you may be suffering from tooth decay. Dr. Prendergast offers dental fillings to repair tooth decay and avoid further damage.
Dr. Thomas Prendergast provides quality and compassionate dental care for his patients so that they may enjoy their best oral health. Contact our Fox Lake family dentist office or schedule an appointment online.