If your gums bleed when brushing your teeth or biting into an apple, this condition could be pointing to periodontitis. Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the periodontal apparatus. Bacterial plaque attacks the bones,over time, the tooth could loosen. Leaving the disease untreated could lead to tooth loss.    

Periodontitis, also known as periodontal disease or “shrinking gums,” is also a source of disease for the entire body: If the to some extent highly aggressive bacteria make their way into the blood circulation, they could cause additional damage.     

According to many medical studies done they highlight the interaction between periodontal disease triggers and various diseases like cardiopulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Evidence shows that the affected patient has an elevated risk of cardiovascular constriction, as well as Alzheimer’s.

Periodontitis is a common ailment. If the inflammation remains untreated, it could lead to tooth loss. However, it is also suspected of triggering many other diseases, like cardiopulmonary diseases. Researchers are studying the interactions, and developing compounds to combat the causative agents.

New research shows vulnerable patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) who received enhanced oral care from a dentist were at significantly less risk for developing a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), like ventilator-associated pneumonia, during their stay. The study was published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

The Roman-British population from c. 200-400 AD appears to have had far less gum disease than we have today, according to a study of skulls by a periodontist. The surprise findings provide further evidence that modern habits like smoking can be damaging to oral health.

Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. According to studies, genetics may be a factor in cavity formation.   A new study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation reveals that keratins, proteins associated with strong hair, are important for tooth enamel integrity.  Maria Morasso and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that individuals with mutations in hair keratin genes are prone to cavities.  Tooth enamel from individuals with keratin mutations had abnormal structure that resulted in weakness.  The results from this study reveal a link between hair disorders and cavity formation.

UCLA research could lead to a simple saliva test capable of diagnosing — at an early stage — diabetes and cancer, and perhaps neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases. The study, the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted of RNA molecules in human saliva, reveals that saliva contains many of the same disease-revealing molecules that are contained in blood. It was published online today by the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Chemistry and will be published in the journal’s January 2015 special print issue, “Molecular Diagnostics: A Revolution in Progress.”

Did you know that it is starting to become common practice to change for missed or broken appointments. Many dental office will charge you a fee if you miss or brake a dental appointment without giving advance notice. Normally around 48 – 24 hour notice is required for changing or missing your dental appointment. The fee for this will very depending on the office so make sure to ask the dental office what they charge for missed appointments because it also important to note that most insurance companies will not coverage this type of charge.

When searching for a new dentist make sure to know what their business hours are and how they deal with dental emergencies.  The reason you want to confirm their business hours is that you are more likely to make and maintain regular dental visits when the practice has hours that works around your time frame.  Someone that has to take time off from work will tend to put off their dental care.

Check if the dental office is open on a Saturday or if they provide latter hours during the week.  In cases of emergencies know what their practice is.  Will they take a walk-ins or get you in that same day or the next in case of an emergency. Knowing this ahead of time will help make choosing a dental provider that is best for you and your needs.

When searching for a new family dentist make sure the dentist/dental office is quipped to provide services to children as well as adults.  One common mistake made is not choosing a provider that is able to provide service to young child. Or you choose a dental provider that may provide services to children but does not have an office that is kid friendly.   

This becomes a very important matter especially when dealing with dental insurance, since there are some dental insurance plans which will only let you go to one provider for the whole family.  Therefore it becomes important to see a dentist that able to provider dental care services regardless of age and offers an environment that benefits both children and adults.

If you are searching for a new dentist, and you have special conditions that you need to address (such as physical handicaps, diabetes HIV/AIDS, Autism etc) that may effect your dental services and or care make sure you go to a dentist that can handle you special needs requirements. All dentist are not the same so make sure to ask prior to booking a dental appointment.

If you have a current dental insurance but you are no longer happy with your current dentist or your current dentist is no longer accepting your dental insurance, it may be time to search for a new dental provider. With current insurance you want to make sure that the new dental office either accepts your dental insurance plan or that you have a dental insurance plan that lets you choose your own provider. Such as if you have a dental HMO plan you have to choose dentist within the plans network of dental providers. That does not mean you can not change dental office only that you must still make sure you going to a dentist that is a provider of said plan.

When shopping for a new dentist it is important to know some back round information. One key question to ask and find out about is how long the dentist in question as been in practice. How many years has the dental practice been in the same location? Ask for references or use web sites such as Yelp, Google, Annie’s List. The more you know about the dentist and the dental practice the better off you will be.

Bitewing X-rays are often used by dentist during your dental check up. Without dental insurance these types of X-rays can run between $50.00 – $100.00. However, most dental insurance plans provide this dental service for little to no cost. In addition to also provide little to no cost check ups and basic cleaning. Make sure you are not spending more money then you need to by having current dental insurance.