HELP! I burned the roof of my mouth eating pizza! What should I do?

If you burned the roof of your mouth eating something hot, like pizza, first try cooling your mouth down with a cold drink or a popsicle. Ice cream or yogurt can also do the trick. It’s best to stop eating the pizza until it cools, to prevent damaging your mouth further.

Once the pain has subsided, you can gargle salt water to clean and disinfect the area. Medical professionals recommend using a mixture of ½ teaspoon of salt and 8 ounces of water.

If you’re in a lot of pain, you can take an ibuprofen or try a topical numbing spray. However, if you think the burn is serious, contact your doctor right away. Most burns are first-degree burns, but second- and third-degree burns can cause long-lasting nerve damage to your palate. Symptoms of these types of burns include severe pain, blistering, swelling, redness, or white patches.

It can take up to a week for the skin in your mouth to heal. While your mouth is healing, avoid food with sharp edges like chips, which can aggravate the roof of your mouth. Spicy foods, citrus, mint, and alcohol can also irritate the burn. Additionally, if your mouth doesn’t heal within a few days to a week, follow up with your doctor.

We know that flossing can be a task that’s easy to forget...

We know that flossing can be a task that’s easy to forget, but by flossing daily, you can actually help to prevent gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath!

Brushing your teeth can’t remove plaque from your teeth and gums the way that floss can, which is why we encourage our patients to make flossing a daily ritual. 

Floss comes in all kinds of flavors and sizes, and you can do it just about anywhere. Whether it’s, at your desk, or in the comfort of your own home, you can take your floss with you wherever you go!

Sleeping Poorly? You May Have Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a problem that affects more than 18 million US adults. There are potentially serious consequences of untreated sleep apnea, so it is important to talk to your doctor about the diagnosis and a solution of the sleep disorder.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of your airway when you’re asleep. This prevents constant streams of air from getting into your lungs, which leads to oxygen deprivation, and can cause you to wake up. This can occur as rarely as a few times every couple of nights to a dozen times in a single hour.

People can develop sleep apnea for several reasons. For instance, some people acquire this sleep disorder if they are overweight because excess fat around the neck or chest area contributes to airway blockage. However, you don’t need to be overweight to have sleep apnea; some people have a naturally narrow airway that increases their risk. If you have an allergy or another condition that contributes to airway congestion, you may have an increased risk of developing this sleep disorder.

Common Signs of Sleep Apnea

•      Snoring caused by partial airway.

•      Pauses in breathing.

•      Daytime fatigue like falling asleep during the day, feeling tired all the time, or having a hard time concentrating.

•      Often waking up with a headache or high blood pressure, as both conditions can be the result of low blood-oxygen levels.

What are the Risks of Sleep Apnea?

One of the most common issues with sleep apnea is the way it affects your quality of life. This restless disorder leads to daytime sleepiness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and even mood swings, all of which tend to make life more difficult and less enjoyable. The snoring and sleep disturbances may also affect your partner, who might find it difficult to get to obtain quality rest.

Sleep apnea has some potentially serious long-term consequences, too, as the lack of sleep and oxygen can put strain on the cardiovascular system. If you have an untreated rest disorder, you face an increased risk of reflux disease, diabetes, stroke, and heart problems.

In addition, because people with sleep apnea tend to be tired during the day, there’s a higher risk of workplace accidents, traffic accidents, and other potentially dangerous situations.

While sleep apnea does have serious consequences if untreated, there are effective treatments that prevent apnea and normalize your sleep—so if you suspect you have a rest disorder, it’s important to see your doctor for advice.

Wisdom Wednesday

This week, we’d like to share with you a few words of wisdom to help you prepare for the removal of your wisdom teeth. 

While wisdom teeth do not always cause obvious pain and discomfort, it is important to remove them in order to avoid these issues (and others) in the future. 

If you were to forgo removing your wisdom teeth, your teeth could become impacted or stuck, which can be damaging to the surrounding teeth. 

We’re happy to provide you with a complete breakdown of the procedure so that you’re comfortable and ready to part with your molars. Have any questions? Feel free to ask!

Why Dental Implants are the Best Way to Replace Missing Teeth

Many people with missing teeth have an urge to hide their smile as it does not meet their aesthetic standards. While they may want to restore their dental appearance, the variety of teeth replacement options available can be overwhelming. It can be hard to know which restorative method is best for you and how it will help you achieve optimal oral health and dental function.

Dental implants are one of the best replacement methods available. While traditional prosthetics do well to rejuvenate the visual aspects of teeth, implant-supported restorations comprehensively restore a tooth from root to crown. This makes dental implants the ideal solution for missing teeth. A few more benefits of implant treatment are shown in the following:

Stable

One of the main disadvantages of traditional teeth replacement methods such as conventional dentures and bridges, is their susceptibility to move. Dental implants eliminate the risk of your prosthetic shifting because the restorations gain stability directly from the jawbone. Dentures that receive support from suction or dental adhesives can keep you from enjoying a conversation or eating with confidence in fear of the appliance dislodging. Implant-supported replacements allow you chew, speak, and smile with a renewed sense of self.

Preserves

Dental implants are surgically placed into the jaw to provide a stable foundation for your restoration. Not only does the implant post keep the prosthetic sturdy, it also stops the resorption process. This is when the adjacent bone is used to fill the gap left by the lost tooth. Resorption can cause a person to appear prematurely aged. An implant-supported restoration not on maintains the aesthetic of your smile, but it also preserves healthy jawbone density as well.

Another advantage of dental implants is that they help maintain straight teeth. The empty space left by a lost tooth can lead to neighboring teeth shifting into the gap. This causes misalignment and crowding which often requires orthodontic intervention to correct. The replacement tooth or teeth fill the void, keeping surrounding teeth in place and stopping malocclusion from occurring.

The dental team at the office of Richard J. Stuart, DDS, is dedicated to improving your oral health and dental function. Dr. Richard J. Stuart sets patients on the path to rejuvenated facial aesthetic by providing high-quality restorative care. Our Indianapolis staff makes every effort to help you achieve the beautiful, healthy smile you deserve.

Five Foods that Help Stop Bad Breath

There are certainly plenty of foods that cause bad breath, but did you know that these five foods can help fight it? 

Cheese and yogurt - Cheese can help neutralize acids and unsweetened yogurt can reduce hydrogen sulfide, both of which can cause bad breath. 

Sugarless gum and candy - Both increase saliva which helps to reduce odor. 

Tea - The polyphenols in green and black teas prevent the growth of bacteria. 

Water - A dry mouth can be rather odorous, but as long as you stay hydrated, you won't have to worry about it. 

Crunchy foods - Foods such as apples and carrots act as teeth scrubbers, helping to remove any leftover food particles.

How You Can Eat and Drink Your Way to Better Dental Health

We all know that brushing and flossing helps maintain our teeth, but did you know that these foods and beverages can also help with dental health? 

Cheese - Cheese can reduce levels of acid in our mouths. 

Tea - Polyphenols, which are found in black and green teas, slow the growth of bacteria that causes gum disease and cavities. 

Milk - Milk lowers the level of acid in the mouth. 

Raisins - Raisins contain phytochemicals, which may kill cavity-causing plaque bacteria.

Cranberries - Just like tea, cranberries have polyphenols, which may prevent plaque from sticking to teeth. 

Gum - As long as it's sugarless, gum creates more saliva, which clears away bacteria.