Did you know a healthy mouth can make your heart happy? It’s true. Studies show people with periodontal disease often have heart disease, though it’s unknown whether one causes the other. Whatever the connection, knowing about gum disease can help keep you protected. In its early stages, called gingivitis, gum disease can cause bleeding, redness, […]

Top Gums: Feel the Need. The Need to Prevent Gum Disease
You may not know it, but you’re in constant combat with the bacteria in your mouth that cause gum disease. Here’s what you need to know to win the battle and ensure top gums. Gum disease can take two forms: gingivitis and a more advanced form, periodontitis. Both diseases come with a myriad of nasty […]

Five Reasons to Floss Your Teeth Daily
If you’re like most people I talk to, your flossing regimen consists of flossing the night before and the day of your dentist appointment. Your palms might even get a bit sweaty and you might try to avert your eyes when the dentist asks how often you floss. Since you’re a thorough brusher, you say, […]

Show Your Teeth Some Love
Cardiovascular disease, the leading killer of men and women in the United States, contributes to 2,400 deaths each day. Periodontal disease, a chronic inflammatory disease that destroys bone and gum tissues that support the teeth affects nearly 75 percent of Americans and is the major cause of adult tooth loss. While the two diseases may […]

Prostate Health May Be Linked to Periodontal Health
Researchers continue to uncover evidence linking oral health and overall health and the latest example examines the possible relationship between periodontitis and prostatitis. What is periodontitis? Periodontitis is a common but serious gum infection that destroys the soft tissue and bone that support your teeth and is often the result of poor oral hygiene. Symptoms […]

Smoking with Diabetes May Increase Oral Health Risk
Did you know that smokers may be at an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes? While more research needs to be done to establish an association, there’s a reason to believe that a family history of diabetes combined with a smoking habit can lead to this disease. It may be best to consider kicking smoking […]

Follow the Path to a Healthy Smile in 2014
If you are like 40% of Americans, chances are you have a list of New Year’s resolutions you intend to adhere to in 2014. It may be to lose weight or to spend more time with family and friends, but have you considered resolving to care for your smile? After all, eHarmony recently conducted a […]

2 P’s to Avoid: Periodontal Disease and Pre-Diabetes
Many people have the misconception that taking care of your oral health only affects your teeth. Unfortunately, our bodies work as a system, and poor oral health inevitably leads to poor overall health. Pre-diabetes is only one of the many systemic connections between mouth and body. Denmark researchers found that people who had gum disease […]

Healthy Aging Month: Poor Oral Hygiene May Increase Stroke Risk
September is Healthy Aging Month, so it’s the perfect time to take charge of your health. While you may know that a healthy mouth leads to a healthy body, the depth to which the mouth-body connection dives is deeper than we could have imagined. People might want to consider seeing a professional if they are […]

Bacteria on Blast: What’s Really Lurking in your Mouth?
Don’t look now, but you have a mouthful of bacteria — 600 species of bacteria to be exact! Yes, it sounds awful, especially for those sensitive to the idea of germs, but don’t panic. Most of the bacteria are harmless and some are even helpful. One of the more destructive bacterial species — streptococcus mutans in particular […]