Why Is Dry Mouth Dangerous For Staten Island Dental Patients?
Hello, welcome to the Staten Island Dental Care blog. Today we are going to talk about Dry Mouth, an unpleasant condition that can actually endanger the oral health of Staten Island Dental Care dentistry patients.
Reduction of saliva flow resulting in a dry mouth is a more common problem among older adults, however, people of all ages in the Staten Island area may experience the symptoms of dry mouth at one time or another. These symptoms include a dry, red tongue, difficulty swallowing, and persistent sore throat.
Sometimes dry mouth in Staten Island family dentistry patients is caused by a disease or infection, but a more frequent cause of dry mouth for our patients is prescription medications.
Decongestants, blood pressure medications, antidepressants, and painkillers (all used extensively in Staten Island) are just some of the drugs that list ‘dry mouth’ as a common side effect.
It is common for allergy-prone Staten Island Dental Care general dentistry patients to complain of dry mouth when they start taking antihistamines during the hay fever season.
Aside from being an uncomfortable nuisance, untreated dry mouth can cause tooth damage for Staten Island dental patients. Adequate saliva is necessary to keep the mouth lubricated, wash the food from teeth, and neutralize the acidic environment caused by plaque. Extensive tooth decay can occur in the absence of saliva for Staten Island dental patients with chronic dry mouth.
If you are unsure of the cause of your dry mouth, or if you are looking for dry mouth treatments, call Staten Island Dental Care to schedule an appointment with dentist Dr. Frederick Hecht.
When you visit Staten Island Dental Care in Staten Island, please be sure to bring a list of medications you are taking so Dr. Hecht can give you an accurate diagnosis.
Dr. Frederick Hecht
Staten Island Dental Care
1520 Richmond Ave
Staten Island, New York
(347) 695-4370
http://www.afraidofthedentist.com/pages/about.htm
Fighting Gum Disease With Tooth Brushing Basics In Staten Island
Why should everyone in Staten Island brush at least twice a day? Let’s take a look at why this is so important.
Brushing and flossing is the best way to prevent periodontal disease.
Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and carefully flossing removes the food from our teeth and inhibits the build up of plaque. If we let food stay on our teeth, the starches in the food will mix with the plaque. This nasty mixture forms an acid which immediately starts drilling into the enamel to form cavities. Brushing can’t get all the spaces between your teeth, so you’ve got to floss also.
Brushing and flossing keeps gums and bone healthy.
If you let gum disease go untreated, you can lose teeth that are cavity-free!
The progression of gum disease (gingivitis) goes like this:
- Plaque build-up irritates gums.
- Irritated gums pull away from teeth.
- Bacteria multiplies in the spaces between the gum and tooth.
- The bone holding the tooth is eaten by the bacteria.
- Say goodbye to the tooth.
The good news is that gingivitis can be reversed if detected early by your dentist.
Call Staten Island Dental Care at (347) 695-4370 to schedule a gum disease evaluation at our office in Staten Island. We specialize in General and Restorative Dentistry.
Cavity Fighting Chewing Gum For Our Staten Island Patients?
I’m Dr. Frederick Hecht DMD of Staten Island Dental Care in Staten Island. My Staten Island dentistry clients often ask me if chewing xylitol gum is an effective substitute for tooth brushing and regular Staten Island dental exams.
Before I answer that question, let me tell you a little bit about xylitol:
Xylitol is a natural sweetener that was first discovered in birch tree bark but is also found in many fruits and vegetables. Unlike most other sweeteners (natural or synthetic), xylitol is actually good for your teeth. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated that xylitol prevents the growth of the bacteria that initiates decay. It also reduces plaque and strengthens tooth enamel.
Xylitol has other benefits, as well. Because it is low on the glycemic index, many of my Staten Island diabetic patients enjoy it as a healthy alternative to sugar. If my Bayonne cosmetic dentistry patients complain about frequent dry mouth, I recommend Xylitol gum or mints to stimulate saliva production without promoting tooth decay.
Now, back to the golden question. Is xylitol gum just as effective as brushing your teeth and seeing your Staten Island family dentist regularly? Absolutely not! If you cannot brush your teeth after a meal, chewing xylitol gum for five or ten minutes is probably a good idea. However, you should still brush your teeth thoroughly (with a soft brush) after meals and get twice-yearly exams and oral dentistry deep cleanings at your Staten Island dentistry clinic.
At Staten Island Dental Care, our goal is to keep your smile healthy and beautiful for life by preventing dental problems before they start. If you postpone Staten Island dental visits until you feel pain, you risk losing teeth and most certainly will require more extensive treatment than if the problem was caught earlier. Is it time for a dental exam? Call us at (347) 695-4370 to book an appointment. Our comfortable is waiting to take care of all your dental needs. We also provide cosmetic dentistry and sedation dentistry services.
Soft, Medium, or Buzz Lightyear?
At Staten Island Dental Care, Dr. Frederick Hecht is often asked how to choose the most basic tool of dental hygiene, the toothbrush. Picking a toothbrush in Staten Island can be as difficult as choosing a paint color, and there seems to be just as many choices.
If you have visited the dental section of your local Brooklyn grocery store or Staten Island Walmart lately, you know what I am talking about. There are brushes with bristles of varying lengths, brushes that massage your gums, and brushes that change color when they are used up.
Some toothbrush manufacturers claim their brushes freshen your breath or remove stains from your teeth. How do you choose which brush will be best for your dental hygiene?
One key factor is the firmness of the bristles. Hard bristles may be more effective for cleaning burnt steak off a grill or hard water deposits off a shower floor. However, this does not hold true for your teeth. Medium and firm brushes can damage your gums. Soft and extra-soft bristles are plenty stiff enough to clean plague, food particles, and surface stains from your teeth. Soft bristles also offer more flexibility for hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.
After having restorative dentistry work or oral surgery in Staten Island, especially anything involving soft tissue grafts, make sure you use an extra-soft brush and be careful!
When buying a toothbrush for a child in Manhattan, make sure the brush feels comfortable in their hand. If the size and angle feels awkward, the child will be less likely to use it long enough to clean all areas of the mouth. Children do not necessarily need a child-sized tooth brush. Some Staten Island kids can manage an adult size brush better than a short, narrow child size brush. If you are unsure, ask your Staten Island dentist at Staten Island Dental Care.
What about the electric types and water-shooters? Some Staten Island folks like the feeling of vibrating bristles or a mini-squirt gun blasting away at the plaque. Staten Island people with arthritis or other movement-inhibiting conditions can benefit from powered brushes which take some strain off hands and arm muscles.
Is your toothbrush doing the job? Schedule an exam with your Staten Island dentist at Staten Island Dental Care.
At Staten Island Dental Care, our comfortable dental hygienists instruct our Staten Island pediatric clients and Staten Island adult patients on proper brushing, flossing, and dental hygiene. If you haven’t experienced a dental deep cleaning at Staten Island Dental Care, you don’t know how clean your teeth and gums can feel.
Schedule a thorough dental cleaning today by calling Staten Island Dental Care at (347) 695-4370. An outstanding feature of Staten Island Dental Care is excellent clinical treatment and personalized attention. We offer restorative dentistry and a full spectrum of restorative dental procedures.
Healthy Teeth and Your Staten Island Diet
Maintaining healthy teeth is an important concern for our local Staten Island residents. As your Dentist, it’s my job to help you understand how to care for your teeth and to keep them healthy. Everyone in Staten Island knows that maintaining healthy teeth requires regular daily brushing and flossing. Regular visits to your local Staten Island dental practice is also necessary to keep watch for cavities and to help you maintain proper dental hygiene. We often forget that maintaining a healthy diet can also be beneficial for the health of your teeth.
A diet that includes foods that help your muscles and bones, will also help you develop healthy gums and healthy teeth. Examples of local Staten Island foods to include in your diet include foods rich in vitamin B such as breads and cereals. Foods rich in vitamin C, usually fruits and vegetables, help improve the health of your gums. Zinc and magnesium are also good for the health of your teeth and are found in foods like lean beef, fish, and poultry.
All foods increase the production of saliva. Saliva is important to healthy teeth because it helps to maintain the pH balance in your mouth. Maintaining this balance helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. Foods high in fiber also encourage saliva production as does the chewing of sugar-free gum. Gum, however, can damage unhealthy teeth or pull out dental fillings, so always use caution when deciding whether to chew gum and which brand to chew.
Just as certain diet choices in the Staten Island area can be beneficial to the health of your teeth, others can be detrimental. Foods and drinks that are high in sugars are more likely to form the acids that attack your teeth and result in decay. And while table sugar is often associated with the formation of cavities, other sugars such as glucose, fructose, and maltose are also causes, and are often found in juices and sodas. Limiting the consumption of sugars to mealtimes lessens the amount of time your healthy teeth are exposed.
Making good diet choices and limiting between meal sugar consumption can improve the health of your teeth and gums.
If you would like to learn how to better care for your healthy teeth in the Staten Island area, contact Staten Island Dental Care at (347) 695-4370. We would love to hear from you.
-Dr. Fredrick S. Hecht
Periodontal Disease in New York
Periodontal disease in New York is more common than you might think, and can be cured with varying degrees of treatment depending on the severity.
What is periodontal disease? According to this article on Wikipedia, periodontal disease is ‘the name of a collection of inflammatory diseases affecting the tissues that surround and support the teeth.’
Periodontal disease, more commonly called ‘gum disease‘, is an inflammation or infection of the gums. Periodontal disease can be very painful in some extreme conditions, and can limit your ability to eat normally. In some cases, periodontal disease can affect your smile, and can create cosmetic concerns.
If left untreated, periodontal disease can cause irreversible damage. When caught early and treated, periodontal disease can be little more than an inconvenience. However the best policy is to practice good dental hygiene to keep periodontal disease at bay.
One of the best ways to avoid periodontal disease is to get a regular dental check up at your local Staten Island dentist.
Give us a call at (347) 695-4370 to schedule your next dental checkup; we look forward to seeing you.
Dental Check Up
When is the last time you had a dental checkup? Most people in the Staten Island area between the ages of 18 and 85 need a dental checkup every six months. If you live in Staten Island and are at higher risk for oral diseases, you should have your teeth checked every four months, or at least three times a year.
Come into our office, located at 1520 Richmond Avenue in Staten Island, or give us a call to make a dental appointment. You can visit our website at http://www.AfraidOfTheDentist.com for more information.
Most people in our Staten Island community are in a medium to low risk category. However if you use tobacco or alcohol, eat a lot of sugar in your diet (including lots of soda), or have poor oral hygiene habits, you are likely in a higher risk category and should have your teeth checked right away.
I look at a lot of factors to determine your personal dental hygiene, and your dental outlook for your future. I want you to have the healthiest smile possible so that you can enjoy your teeth for many years without significant problems. If you live in the Staten Island area and are ready to have your teeth checked, please give Staten Island Dental Care a call.
Our comfortable staff will be ready to get you started with a dental checkup.
Talk to you soon.
Local Dentistry
Fred Hecht DMD specializes in local dentistry to provide that special dental care
to our Staten Island, NY dental patients.
Our most popular local dentistry procedure is cosmetic dentistry, however we also perform sedation dentistry.
You can contact Fred Hecht DMD about cosmetic dentistry or sedation dentistry, or any other local dentistry service by calling us at (718) 761-5757.
If you live in the 10314 zip code area, and are looking for a ‘home town dentist’ who provides dentistry to the Staten Island, NY area, click on any of the links on this page, give us a call at (718) 761-5757, or stop by and visit. You can find us at 1520 Richmond Ave., in Staten Island, NY.
We’re your lifelong dental health partner
Choosing A Dentist In Staten Island
The American Dental Association offers some welcome advice for choosing a dentist 
in Staten Island. We have already talked about how word of mouth is an important factor in how many people find a dentist. Here are some things you should look for in an Staten Island dentist:
Location is always a factor when choosing a dentist. If you live in the Staten Island, New York area, there are many options. While location plays an important role in convenience, many people are willing to drive a little farther for a better experience with their New York dentist.
Relationship is a strong factor. Your Staten Island dentist should be approachable, and should make you feel comfortable when you are in the dentist chair. After all, your dentist will be working very close with you to help you achieve a high level of oral hygiene; you most certainly will want to have a good, professional, comfortable relationship with your Staten Island dentist and the dental office staff.
Specialty is another important factor in choosing a dentist in Staten Island. Some dentists specialize in cosmetic dentistry. Others specialize in corrective dentistry such as braces. Depending on your need, you may select a local Staten Island dentist who can solve your immediate concern. Bare in mind, however, that it is good to have a general dentist who can maintain your dental history and work with you to through the years.
If you are looking for a dentist in Staten Island, please come by and speak with me. I can address your interest in any of these critical areas, and will be happy to introduce you to Fred Hecht DDS.
I look forward to meeting you.
-Dr. Fred Hecht, DDS
(718) 761-5757
Staten Island, New York Residents Visit the Dentist
Whether you have lived in New York for a long time, or just moving in
to the Staten Island area; taking care of your teeth eventually involves a visit to the dentist. We are Fred Hecht DDS located at 1520 Richmond Ave., in Staten Island, New York and our specialty is restorative dentistry.
You can reach Fred Hecht DDS by calling (718) 761-5757.
Going to the dentist for the first time in Staten Island, or if you have not been for while, can be an unsettling experience for both kids and adults. The very idea of a ‘dentist’ seems to hold negative connotation for many people. If you are an adult who is moving to the Staten Island area, or your child is preparing to visit the dentist for the first time, here are a few tips that may help ease you into regular dental checkups and put you on the path toward increased oral health and wellness.
Choose an Staten Island dentist who is appropriate for your needs. When you meet your new dentist for the first time, make an effort to ask questions about the care you will receive. Ask questions that are relevant to your situation including questions about experience, age range of patients, and recommended procedures for any conditions you may have. Get to know your New York dentist so you feel comfortable with the care you will receive.
Introduce yourself to your Staten Island dentist and get to know the office staff. Visiting the dentist will seem less of a chore when you feel you have trusted friends who are there to help.
Be prepared to provide your dentist with information. Whether you are experiencing specific pain at that moment, or anticipating a problem, be sure to discuss everything with your dentist. Many patients become intimidated in the office environment and avoid expressing pain or discussing issues. As your dentist, I need to know everything you are experiencing and will be better prepared to help as you ask questions and express your concerns.
I understand that everyone is unique; what works for one person may not work for another. You know what works best for you, and the best way to have a good experience with a Staten Island dentist is to communicate. Let me know what you are experiencing so that I can make adjustments and help you feel more comfortable and secure.
At Fred Hecht DDS our leading edge treatment in a warm and friendly atmosphere staff will work to make your dental experience a pleasant one. We know it can be frightening to visit the dentist for the first time, or after a long while. We’ll do what we can to make you feel comfortable, secure, and among caring friends.
If you are in Staten Island, New York and are ready to visit the dentist again, give us a call at (718) 761-5757, or stop by to meet us; we’re excited to meet you.
-We’re your lifelong dental health partner
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