Diabetes is a disease that affects more and more people every day, but did you know that it affects more than just your blood sugar? It’s true. Diabetes not only needs to be monitored to maintain your overall health, but not taking care of your diabetes can also affect your mouth. Let’s explain.
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Cavities, those tiny troublemakers that wreak havoc in our mouths, are a common dental woe that can turn a sweet tooth sour. These pesky holes in our teeth are caused by a combination of factors, making them a prevalent concern for people of all ages. However, armed with knowledge and a proactive approach, you can keep these dental demons at bay.
At the heart of cavity formation lies a dynamic interplay of bacteria, sugars, and the protective enamel covering our teeth. When we consume sugary or starchy foods, the bacteria in our mouths feast on these remnants, producing acids that erode the enamel. Over time, this process weakens the enamel, creating openings for cavities to form.
Prevention is the first line of defense against cavities. Regular dental check-ups and cleanings are crucial to catch potential cavities in their infancy. Dentists can identify problem areas, provide professional cleanings, and offer personalized advice on maintaining optimal oral health. Establishing a robust oral hygiene routine at home, including brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and flossing, is essential in keeping those enamel-destroying bacteria at bay.
Diet plays a pivotal role in cavity prevention. Minimizing the intake of sugary snacks and beverages can significantly reduce the risk of cavity formation. Opt for a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products that contribute to overall oral health. Chewing sugar-free gum can also stimulate saliva production, aiding in the natural remineralization of enamel.
Fluoride, often referred to as nature’s cavity fighter, is a powerful ally in the battle against cavities. It strengthens enamel and can even reverse early-stage cavities. Many toothpaste brands and public water supplies contain fluoride, providing a convenient and effective way to incorporate this mineral into your oral care routine.
In conclusion, understanding the dynamics of cavity formation empowers individuals to take proactive steps in maintaining optimal oral health. Through regular dental check-ups, a diligent oral hygiene routine, a cavity-conscious diet, and the power of fluoride, you can stand strong against these dental demons and enjoy a cavity-free smile for years to come.
For more information about caring for your veneers, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
Embarking on the journey to become a board-certified dentist is a commendable pursuit that requires dedication, education, and a passion for oral health. This transformative path not only elevates your professional status but also ensures a commitment to the highest standards of patient care. In this blog post, we’ll explore the essential steps and key considerations for those aspiring to achieve dental board certification.
The journey to becoming a board-certified dentist begins with a solid educational foundation. Pursue a bachelor’s degree with a strong focus on the sciences, and subsequently, complete a rigorous dental program from an accredited dental school. This education lays the groundwork for a comprehensive understanding of oral health, anatomy, and the technical skills required in dentistry.
Building hands-on experience through clinical rotations, internships, or residencies is invaluable for honing your skills and gaining exposure to diverse patient cases. These experiences not only enhance your clinical proficiency but also provide insights into effective communication and patient management.
To progress towards board certification, successfully passing the National Board Dental Examinations is crucial. This two-part examination assesses your understanding of biomedical and dental sciences, as well as your clinical knowledge and skills. Achieving a competitive score demonstrates your readiness for the challenges that lie ahead.
After completing dental school and passing the NBDE, obtain a dental license by fulfilling the requirements of your state dental board. Licensure is a prerequisite for practicing dentistry independently and is a stepping stone towards eligibility for board certification.
Many specialty boards require additional postdoctoral education, such as completing a residency program or an accredited advanced education program. This specialized training allows you to delve deeper into your chosen area of expertise, whether it be oral surgery, orthodontics, or periodontics.
Once you’ve met the educational and clinical requirements, pursue board certification in your chosen specialty. The process typically involves written and oral examinations, case presentations, and an assessment of your clinical skills. This certification signifies your commitment to excellence and distinguishes you as an expert in your field.
Maintaining board certification is an ongoing commitment to staying current with advancements in dentistry. Engage in continuous learning through conferences, workshops, and ongoing education courses to ensure that your skills and knowledge remain at the forefront of the field.
Active involvement in professional organizations and societies is essential for networking, staying informed about industry trends, and contributing to the advancement of dentistry. It also demonstrates your dedication to the ethical standards and principles upheld by the dental community.
Becoming a board-certified dentist is a multifaceted journey that demands unwavering dedication, continuous learning, and a passion for providing exceptional patient care. By following these steps and embracing the challenges along the way, you can elevate your career, earn the trust of your patients, and contribute to the advancement of oral health care. Embark on this transformative path, and let your commitment to excellence in dentistry shine.
For more information about caring for your veneers, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
If you are employing a thorough routine of proper brushing and flossing, you should be able to avoid tartar buildup. Yet, it’s still important to understand the signs and symptoms of tarter buildup, so that if you do recognize it’s happening, you can consult your dentist sooner than later.
When plaque isn’t removed properly from your hygienic routine, that’s when the soft, removable plaque can turn into tartar. Tarter is a buildup of minerals that if above the gum line, is fairly easy to spot. If you notice yellow or brown-colored stains on the teeth or gums, it may be tarter. The only real way to know, however, is to consult your dentist, and they can remove it for you. If it gets really bad, you may experience bad breath, darker staining, loose teeth, and red, swollen, or bleeding gums.
Regular visits with your dentist and flossing also go a long way in helping ensure a thorough oral care routine and minimize the risk of tartar buildup. But if you do have tarter buildup, your dentist or hygienist may employ a method called scaling in which he or she uses special instruments to remove the tartar from around the gum line and bottom of the tooth pocket.
While tartar buildup can happen, there are ways your can mitigate your risk. Tarter control toothpaste and rinses can help eliminate stubborn plaque to help prevent tarter altogether.
For more information about caring for your veneers, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
Having our X-rays taken at the dentist is considered standard procedure. Yet, there are reasonable reservations individuals may have about the risks associated with inviting x-rays into their lives. Here are some things you should know about dental x-rays.
Overview
X-rays are an important tool for every specialty within dentistry. They are generally considered to be a safe, effective means for dentists to understand your unique oral structure and health. Dentists will take four different types of x-rays; bitewing, occlusal, panoramic and periodical. Each of these focus on a different aspect of your teeth and bite.
The bitewing will show how well your teeth align and may also show cavity development. Occlusal x-rays capture all your teeth in a single image and can help detect abnormalities in the anatomy of your mouth or palate. Panoramic images let dentists check your wisdom teeth, jaw and any implants you may have. Periodical images show the entire tooth from root to crown.
Purpose
The purpose of a radiograph, or x-ray, is to analyze oral health. They capture what is happening on the interior if your teeth and gums. Images allow dentists and orthodontists to evaluate positioning, decay and impact of the teeth. Whenever you enter a new practice without existing or current imagery your dentist will take them for your file with their practice.
They are also used to track the progression of growing teeth in children and the progress of any treatment you may undergo.
For more information about caring for your veneers, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
Technology has advanced to the point that our own eyes are not always the best for probing your mouth. And thus, for those deep, precise examinations of every nook and cranny inside of your mouth, we break out the intraoral camera.
With Great Power Comes Great Resolution
One of the major reasons why we use these cameras is because they are adroit at maneuvering inside of your mouth and revealing what they see, far better than our own fingers, tiny mirror, and eyeballs. With an intraoral camera, we can check for a suspected fracture and see exactly how deep it runs down the tooth, and immediately begin preparing our treatment plan.
Rather than press around uncomfortably on diseased or injured gums, we can just point the camera in the direction and see exactly where the disease is, what stage it is at, and anything that may not have been apparent during the routine exam. This saves you time, comfort and allows us to focus our attention on providing care, when before we would still have to spend more time diagnosing the root of the issue.
Lastly, it helps provide comprehensive care, by allowing us to see places we might normally not check on first pass, detect issues too small to be easily seen with the naked eye, and provide an easier way to document and keep records of discoveries during your care, for this and future visits…
All in all, intraoral cameras are a marvelous piece of technology that has revolutionized and streamlined oral care, allowing us to see patients and treat them more efficiently during every visit.
For more information about intraoral cameras, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
It’s common knowledge that cheerleaders and gymnasts are at highest risk for back injuries, and boxers and football players are high risk for brain injuries. But which sports are infamous for dental injuries, and lead to the horrifying statistic that 5 million teeth are popped out each year? Let’s take a look…
Dental injuries in sports are normally preventable with the right gear, but some damage can slip through. There are several sports that put you at higher risk of toothaches and jaw injuries, some which may seem surprising.
Sports with balls in play top the list, with football, basketball, tennis, and baseball on the list. It makes sense, in any game where high speed objects flying at your face, occasionally one will connect and leave the victim with a nasty welt at best and spitting out teeth at worst.
Other high-speed objects to avoid include pucks, gloves, and even bare fists, for the respective sports of hockey, boxing, and martial arts. These tend to be moving faster, and thus extra care should be taken to avoid them!
It’s not just violent, contact-oriented sports, either. Falls and collisions can occur that impact teeth if you are a marathon runner, jogger, skater, or cyclist. Dental trauma can even be caused by no-contact sports: for example, the tooth grinding stress of winning a game of chess (which the International Olympic Committee recognizes as a sport), planning out a fantasy football league, or solo activities like squash and swimming can lead to lost or damaged teeth.
If you have experienced dental trauma while exercising or participating in sports, don’t panic! In some cases, the teeth can be reimplanted and put back without lingering issue. In other cases, you’ll have a smile with character that serves as a warning for other sportsmen to follow.
In either case, the best contact sport is contacting us, so we can help you form a sporting solution to your dental needs!
For more information about dental sports injuries, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
There are many things that you have to do to keep your teeth healthy. You must brush your teeth and it helps if you brushed them when you wake and when you go to sleep. Flossing after brushing helps to ferret out food particles stuck between your teeth.
Your teeth also require a lot of nutrients to stay their healthiest. Do you eat the right kinds of foods to give your teeth the kinds of nutrients that they need? Your teeth need nutrients just as much as they need a strict oral hygiene schedule. Here are some nutrients that your teeth need to be their healthiest:
Vitamin D. Your body requires Vitamin D to allow calcium to be properly absorbed into your bones and teeth. Vitamin D makes bones and teeth strong. If you have a Vitamin D deficiency, then your body will actually strip the calcium from your bones and teeth. You can get Vitamin D from direct sunlight, orange juice, eggs, dairy products, fatty fish, mushrooms, and Vitamin D fortified cereal.
Calcium. Calcium and Vitamin D work together to make your bones healthy. However, your teeth really need Calcium to remain strong. You can acquire your calcium needs from dairy products, fatty fish, and leafy green vegetables.
Potassium. Potassium contributes to make the enamel of your teeth both dense and strong. There are a variety of potassium-rich foods like bananas, fish, beef, pork, soybeans and lentils, and dairy products.
Take a supplement. Taking a daily supplement can also help you get the nutrients that you need to keep your teeth healthy. Always stick to your oral hygiene regimens. Also remember that your teeth need nutrients to keep them strong. For more information, make sure to call our office.
For more information about tooth-friendly nutrients, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
Most people take their trip to the dentist for granted. They go in with the hope that they will hear they have no cavities, a new toothbrush and an appointment to return in 6 months. They don’t really pay attention to what we are doing, but it’s not a bad thing to learn about if you want to improve your oral health.
While most people think that the most important work we do is during the actual exam, the work we do before that is just as important. We start out by looking at the history we have for our patients, including any issues that could signal potential problems with oral health. We also want to look at the x-rays and notes from previous exams to see if there are any changes that signal a potential issue.
During the exam we are looking for more than changes. We look for signs of any bacterial growth that could lead to plaque buildup, the positioning of your teeth and gums, and gaps and pockets that may cause a problem. We look for any discoloration of the teeth or spots on the teeth that are signs of tooth decay. We are looking for the same signs that a patient can look for at home that the health of their teeth and gums are at risk.
We also rely on x-rays to look at the structure of the teeth and gums to spot problems before they become a bigger issue. Our goal is to make sure we can treat any issues as easily as possible to prevent problems before they occur. During an office visit, we will do this and then give you the treatments and tools needed for optimal oral health.
For more information about dental examinations, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
In recent years, scientific research has discovered a close link between your oral health and your overall health. There are many conditions we can identify during a visual examination of your oral cavity, even if you don’t know you suffer from them.
This includes mental health problems such as depression. Recent studies suggest that depression conclude depression is closely related to poor oral health.
When someone is depressed, they lose interest in everyday activities, and in many cases, the person stops taking care of themselves, including neglecting his or her oral health in general. Not brushing your teeth twice daily and flossing at least once per day can be extremely detrimental to your mouth and set the stage for serious dental conditions in the future.
When you struggle with depression or other emotional condition your teeth will also suffer. Some signs of depression that will show in your teeth are:
General dental neglect. If you stop brushing and flossing your teeth regularly, you may have more cavities than usual, and your gums may be tender or swollen without the stimulation from brushing.
Periodontal disease. There is a close connection between depression and periodontal disease. Depression can affect your oral health through the salivary glands. When the production of saliva is restricted, you can have dry mouth which results in a higher risk for tooth decay.
Oral pain. Many people who have recurrent pain from conditions such as temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) also suffer from depression. There is a clear connection between pain and depression, according to scientific studies.
Keeping your regular checkups will let us identify any potential problems that may develop in the future. If you struggle with depression, your teeth may show it at different levels.
For more information about the effects of depression on your smile, call Dr. Sciabica in Issaquah, WA at 425-392-3900 or visit www.issaquahdentists.com.
Dr. Frank S. Sciabica proudly serves patients from Issaquah and all surrounding areas.
