What is Tobacco?
Whether its snuff or chewing tobacco, the normal way to use it is to let it sit in your mouth and suck on the tobacco juices, spitting often to get rid of the saliva that builds up. This sucking and chewing allows nicotine, to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the tissues in your mouth.

Smokeless tobacco has been around for centuries. In fact, Native people of North and South America chewed tobacco. This bad habit was a trademark of American baseball players and viewed as safe to use.
By the 1950s, chewing tobacco had fallen out of favor in most of America, so by that time not too many baseball players were spitting big brown gobs all over the infield. Instead of chewing their tobacco, most people were smoking it. Today, professional athletes do not use tobacco and instead chew gum.

How Tobacco Harms You

Most people who stop smoking will turn to using tobacco thinking it will do them no harm. The truth is using tobacco can harm your mouth, including your teeth and gums, in many ways. There is no safe form of tobacco—using it produces many problems and risk factors, from tooth discoloration and gum disease to throat, lung, and oral cancer, and even death. Any form of tobacco, whether you smoke it or chew it will have negative effects on your overall health.

Every year, 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer, which accounts for roughly 7,500 deaths each year. Wayzata Dental & Smile Spa, a Minnetonka family dentistry, offers an oral cancer screening. Make an appointment with us today.

Even though they are a few short years away from being an adult, Teens still lack the knowledge and discipline to understand what is hazardous to their bodies. Because oral hazards for Teens usually don’t take on the threat of an emergency — such as choking or poisoning — they’re more likely to occur under a parent’s radar. Nevertheless, they still cause serious damage.

Here are some potentially dangerous things Teens may participate in:

• Chewing on Nonedible Things:
  Teenagers and children are known for nervous habits like gnawing on pen caps, pencils, biting fingernails and anything else they have in their fingers. Most people do this because of boredom, anxiety or stress. This habit can result in infection and broken teeth and gums. Give your Teen sugar-free gum to chew.
• Unprotected Oral Sex:
  To avoid the risk of pregnancy, Teens may decide to participate in oral sex. This may lead to many issues including developing Herpes and STDs or Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Another health risk of unprotected oral sex is HPV, the Human Papillomavirus. HPV from oral sex has the potential to cause oral cancer.
• Abuse of Drugs:
  Drinking alcohol is popular with teens but there is another substance that is also on their “A” list — drugs. Among the drugs your Teen may use include prescription medications and easy-to-get illegal drugs like marijuana, ecstasy and meth. Any drug ingested orally can cause oral decay as well possible death from a reaction or overdose. One drug, in particular, will destroy a white smile — meth. This drug literally rots a person’s teeth.
• Sweets and Sodas:
  Teen indulges in candy and soda which will ultimately cause tooth decay. Teens, like young children, need to be reminded to brush their teeth, use dental floss, visit the dentist for dental check-ups and make wiser food (snack) choices.
• Piercings, Smoking and Tobacco:
  Although all popular among Teens, they need to understand the risk to their oral health when deciding to smoke, chew or get piercings in the mouth. Among the problems include cancer, infections and allergic reactions. Aside from this, smoking and tobacco can lead to chronic illnesses and Lung Cancer.

If you have questions about your Teens dental health, consult a family dentist, like Wayzata Dental & SmileSpa. Our office, a Minnetonka family dentistry, is specially designed for youth – with an interactive dental office waiting room including an Xbox. You can even see our office design online and make an appointment via our website.

Doctors are finding out that bacteria that cause gum disease can lead to heart problems. It seems odd that these areas are connected but studies are showing harder evidence that it’s true. In fact, studies have found that people, with the highest level of bacteria that causes gum disease, also had the worst hardened arteries. Dental health is not just about showing a pretty smile. It is now about heart health.

Talk with your doctor or dentist about this. The important this is getting a regular dental checkup, especially from a doctor that specializes in prevention and preservation. With proper treatment, gum disease can be treated right away. If your dentist finds an infection, he will treat it with a deep cleaning and followed by antibiotics. It’s nothing to pass by and forget.

Keep on working out and running as well as eating a proper diet. All those things matter when trying to be healthy. But, don’t forget your teeth. Take action now by keeping them healthy and keeping your dental cleaning appointments!

Visit a family dentistry that cares about your overall health. Wayzata Dental and SmileSpa is a Plymouth Dentistry that focuses on prevention and can work with you to get your teeth . . . and you . . . in better health.

What causes oral cancer?
There actually are a number of factors that may contribute to the development of oral cancer. However, the most common are the use of tobacco and alcohol. Other ways you can develop oral cancer is poor oral hygiene, irritation caused by ill-fitting dentures and rough surfaces on teeth, poor nutrition, some chronic infections and combinations of all these factors.

Smokers increase their chances of death from oral cancer than for nonsmokers. Research has also found that pipes and cigars irritate the mouth and can lead to lip cancer. People over the age of 40, heavy drinkers, smokers and tobacco are at the highest risk for oral cancer.

Family dentists and oral surgeons recommend that people who are in a high risk category should perform oral examinations using a bright light and a mirror:

How to check for oral cancer:
• look and feel inside the lips and the front of gums
• feel the roof of your mouth
• pull out your tongue and look at all of its surfaces
• pull the cheek out to see its inside surface as well as the back of the gums
• feel for lumps or enlarged lymph nodes in both sides of the neck

What are the signs of oral cancer?:
• white or red patches
• a sore that fails to heal and bleeds easily
• chronic sore throat or hoarseness
• difficulty in chewing or swallowing
• a mass or lump in the neck

Your mouth is sometimes one of the first places to show signs of illness. Don’t ignore signs. If you have questions or concerns about oral cancer, seek the help and advice from a family dentist such as Wayzata Dental and SmileSpa. We offer oral cancer screenings to immediately detect any possible problem.

Hormonal changes as well as a change in the diet and sleeping habits of a new mom make caring for teeth a step that takes a back seat. Often exhausted from tending to a new baby’s needs, a new mother will forgo her own physical and oral hygiene from being just too tired and a time-starved day. This, of course, is a domino effect. Bad hygiene results in bad dental health.

Here are some important facts about dental health after having a baby.

• Hormones: Hormonal changes exaggerate the way gum tissues react to plaque. Vigilant brushing, flossing and regular dental check-ups are essential.
• Sleep:Deprived new moms require at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep to fight off infections of all kinds including oral infections. Sleep also helps to regenerate cells.
• Nutrition: Smiles require good nutrition. New moms need to make sure to eat properly and getting proper vitamins – including A, C and calcium for healthy gums and teeth.

Good oral health, before, during and after pregnancy, is crucial in maintaining an overall healthy life. Having a new baby is exciting, but new mothers need to remember that their babies want to have a health mommy. This means taking care of your teeth and gums.

Contact Wayzata Dental and SmileSpa. We can help you get those gums back into shape, so you can give your new baby a happy, healthy smile for years to come.

Recent studies have found that the bacteria that cause gum disease can lead or worsen atherosclerosis, which is arterial disease that leads to heart attacks and strokes. Studies also have found that people, with the highest level of bacteria that causes gum disease, also had the worst atherosclerosis. Every day, more and more cases come up testifying to the fact that dental health is vital to your overall health.

For some, it’s hard to accept the idea that if you don’t take care of your teeth, you may end-up having heart disease. It may sound like a marketing ploy for the dental community to drum up business. But research is showing that this is indeed true.

But how?

Here’s a fictional scenario of “Joe.”

Joe is a busy fellow. He works all day and then has activities in the evening. He forgets to brush his teeth and avoids the dentist. He knows he has an infection brewing in his mouth but believes he has no time to make a dental visit. He endures the pain, which comes and goes, by taking over-the counter pain medication. Within time, the bacteria continue to grow in his mouth which triggers an inflammatory response that promotes a gradual thickening of his artery walls throughout the body. Without realizing this, Joe begins a path toward arterial disease – later ending his life with a heart attack.

Joe and many others can avoid this problem by getting a regular dental checkup, especially from a doctor that specializes in dental prevention and preservation. With proper treatment, gum disease can be identified and treated right away. If Joe would have realized this, his infection could have been found immediately and treated with a deep cleaning and antibiotics.

So go ahead and go for that run or stay at the gym for a bit longer. Just don’t forget to come home and give your heart a break by flossing, brushing your teeth and most importantly, visiting your family dentist.

Bad Breath – always a poor way to meet people, and if it’s a date, it could be your last with that person. Bad breath is not always an indication of poor dental practices, however, it does indicate you don’t always look after other areas. Bad breath can be caused by foods we eat. Most commonly, it’s caused by an excess of bacteria. Good oral hygiene will reduce this bacteria and reduce the strength of any bad breath.

Yellow Teeth – yellow teeth can be caused by many different factors. This includes illness and medications taken because of illness. The most common cause of yellow teeth is tobacco followed by poor dental practices. Brushing twice a day will help to prevent yellow staining, even in light smokers. You can buy special toothpastes that can sometimes reduce that yellow staining.

Decayed Teeth – one of the worst sites to see is a smile that displays rotten teeth. Seeing black holes in teeth, half broken teeth, or even black dead teeth is always a clear sign that you don’t look after your teeth. It also indicates you don’t visit your dentist.

Food on Teeth – sometimes you don’t know whether to laugh, say nothing, or point this out to friends. Food often gets caught in and around teeth, however, a quick rinse with water after eating often removes any food particles. Seeing food stuck on teeth two hours after eating can be a little too much – and it does indicate you don’t do the basics when it comes to oral hygiene. Those food particles quickly start to break down adding to bad breath and tooth decay.

Do you show the world you practice poor oral hygiene habits? Brush, rinse, floss and see your dentist – it couldn’t be any easier, yet so many of us don’t bother. Do You?

Bad breath – it can kill the most magical of moments, and the problem is, no matter what home remedies you use, the chances are it will be back in an hour – but will (s)he?

You can avoid the most obvious causes of bad breath, namely onions, garlic, alcohol, tobacco, and bacteria poo. What’s that last, you say? Bacteria poo. I can’t put it any plainer. Bad breath is predominantly caused by the excretions produced by bacteria living in your mouth, often at the back of your tongue.

What is important is to reduce the amount of bacteria excretions in your mouth. The best way of achieving this is by changing your mouth’s acidity levels. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is a good start. Make sure you swish it around your teeth while you’re at it. Brushing regularly will also help to change your mouth’s acidity levels – and here’s an important tip: Don’t rinse after brushing; leave that toothpaste coating on your teeth.

Chewing on mint or parsley throughout the day can also help to alter the acidity levels in your mouth. After a meal, chewing on a small piece of cheese can also help – the cheese coating can also be good for your teeth. Finally, some sugar-free gums are also good for bad breath. While they may be flavored with peppermint, chewing gum’s biggest benefit is that it keeps the saliva flowing in the mouth, the body’s own natural mouthwash.

Don’t kill that next romantic moment, especially if you have worked hard to get there. Keep your mouth smelling as fresh as possible by following a few simple oral hygiene steps.

Dentures can be cleaned in a number of ways. You can use a soaking solution, and there are plenty of products on the supermarket shelves to cater for this method. You can also brush, and again, there are toothpastes that are made for dentures. You should also remember to rinse your mouth (with your dentures out) and to give your gums a light brushing with a soft toothbrush. This will ensure that food particles are not left on the gums.

Those with partial dentures face a little extra work. Your need to brush your own teeth with a good quality toothbrush and toothpaste while also maintaining your dentures. While you may have many of your teeth missing, it is also very important to visit your dentist on a regular basis – at least every six months. Your dentist can then clean those teeth properly while checking them for any signs of decay. Your dentist can even examine your dentures to ensure they are still fitting well.

Just because you wear dentures, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to maintain a good oral hygiene routine. For some people, this routine is highly important if they want to keep their own teeth. Visit your dentist for advice on the best way to maintain your oral hygiene while wearing dentures.

A regular dental check-up and cleaning of your teeth can help to prevent many of those problems from occurring. During a check-up, your dentist will examine each tooth for any evidence of decay, and if any is found, arrange to have that decay removed and the tooth filled, if appropriate. Your dentist will also examine your gums to determine if there is any gum disease present.

Part of this examination is a thorough professional cleaning of your teeth. Cleaning your teeth using professional equipment serves several purposes. First, by removing any buildup of tartar, your dentist can determine if there are any problems developing, especially at the gum line. Cleaning, of course, also helps to prevent problems occurring into the future.

If you have a history of tobacco use, your dentist may also perform an oral cancer screening. While this won’t definitively discover cancerous areas, it will discover areas that should be further investigated for cancer.

A simple six month dental check-up is an important part of your overall health maintenance. Your mouth is where food passes through to your digestive system – poor dental health can result in large numbers of bacteria traveling with that food into your gut causing any number of problems. If you haven’t had a dental check-up in the last six months, perhaps it’s time you organized one.