Category: Caring for your Teeth

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Regular brushing, flossing, and visits to your dentist can go a long way in keeping your teeth and gums healthy and happy. But some of our patients wonder if they just might have bad luck when it comes to their oral health, no matter how often they brush, floss, or come in to see us, they still have issues with dental disease.

According to Dr. S. Michele Robichaux of Nicholls State University in Louisiana, “almost every disease and disorder that affects . . . the mouth has a genetic component.” That’s true for the most common diseases—tooth decay and gum disease—as well as more pernicious conditions such as periodontal disease and dry mouth.

In fact, the Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh found that your genes make up nearly two-thirds of the risk you face from tooth decay. That’s why you still get cavities when you lay off the sweets and brush and floss every day while your spouse slurps soda and chomps gummy candy with no oral health consequences.

Your Genes Affect Your Oral Health in Specific Ways

Your genes may make you generally more susceptible to oral diseases because they determine specific characteristics of your teeth and saliva. Your genes are responsible for how hard or soft your tooth enamel is. If it’s too soft, you’re more likely to experience tooth decay and sensitivity.

The quality and quantity of saliva in your mouth is also determined by your genes. Saliva helps break down acids bacteria create in your mouth. It contains minerals that help repair and strengthen tooth enamel, too. If you suffer from dry mouth or if your saliva does not have an average or high concentration of minerals, you are more susceptible to tooth decay and other oral health diseases.

Genetics Also Contribute to Tastes and Your Mouth’s Microbiome

Tooth enamel and saliva are one thing, but your genes also determine secondary characteristics that contribute to your oral health. A preference for sweets means you’re more likely to expose your teeth to sugar. Your ability to taste a variety of flavors is also linked to tooth decay, though scientists are still trying to determine why. Early research shows that people who can taste a larger variety of flavors are less likely to experience tooth decay.

Your genetic makeup also contributes to the diversity of the bacteria inside your mouth. The bacteria on your teeth are different from those on your tongue or under your gums. Your mouth’s unique microbiome may make it less or more likely that you’ll get cavities or periodontal disease.

If you lucked out with good oral health genes, you still shouldn’t eat or drink sugary, acidic foods with abandon. If you overindulge without regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups, you still increase your chances of getting a cavity. And unfortunately, body chemistry tends to change over your lifetime, so developing good habits now will definitely pay off well into the future! To keep tooth decay in check, schedule your care and check-up today.

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

At Eggert Family Dentistry, we pride ourselves on providing comprehensive care for every dental patient. Often, we find that new patients are pleasantly surprised that we perform regular blood pressure checks and periodic radiographs (x-rays) as part of your routine dental care.

Eggert Family Dentistry is a very progressive, cosmetic and comprehensive family dental clinic. We get to know you, your family, and your concerns. By incorporating blood pressure checks and x-rays into your dental care, we’re able to give you a better picture not only of your oral health but your overall well-being, which can help us predict and prevent future oral or other systemic health issues.

Since your overall health is of utmost importance to us, we also perform head, neck, and oral cancer screenings at every appointment. In addition, if we have concerns, we are trained to discuss conditions such as diabetes, acid reflux, and sleep disordered breathing (including sleep apnea) with patients and make referrals to physicians as needed.

Blood Pressure and Your Oral Health

One in three Americans suffer from high blood pressure, also called hypertension, but not everyone who has high blood pressure knows they are hypertensive. Additionally, more people see their dentists regularly than they do their family physicians (surprising, but true, according to a study in the American Journal of Public Health). That means we have a wonderful opportunity to discover a patient has high blood pressure and recommend they schedule a doctor’s appointment.

But regular blood pressure checks also play a direct role in your oral health as well. People with hypertension are more prone to bleeding during dental procedures, including surgery and even tooth cleanings. Knowing your blood pressure helps us make your dental care safer and healthier for you.

Regular Radiographs Help Us Keep You Healthy As Well

There are many areas in between the teeth and at the root tips that can only be examined with the aid of an x-ray. Without this valuable tool, some oral conditions may go undetected.

We take x rays regularly, but on an interval customized for you, because we want to catch oral health concerns before they become major problems. Often, oral health conditions are asymptomatic—you don’t feel any pain, and there is no evidence of decay or disease inside your mouth until the tooth is nearly un-restorable (or can’t be saved). Taking periodic radiographs helps us catch these conditions and treat them before they become serious.

Dental x-rays come in many forms – cavity-detecting bite wing x-rays, full mouth series of x-rays, panoramic x-rays, and even cone-beam CT x-rays. We base the type of x-rays we recommend for you on a number of risk factors and different well-documented assessments. Of course, it is important that we minimize your exposure to radiation as much as possible, therefore, since we take your overall health so seriously, we use digital sensors in our radiography. These sensors only expose patients to an amazingly low level of radiation – much, much lower than traditional film. Even better, the resulting image we get from the digital sensors we use is fantastically clear and diagnostic! In fact, it makes it easy for patients to see why we recommend the treatment we do, since we can put the image right on the computer screen next to them.

It may seem a little odd at first, but regular blood pressure checks and periodic radiographs are vital components of comprehensive dental care. We take your overall health very seriously at Eggert Family Dentistry, and we’re proud to be part of your healthcare team. Schedule your appointment today.

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Louis Armstrong first recorded “When You’re Smiling” in 1929, nearly a century ago! Even then, he had the idea that smiling can benefit not only you, but the people around you. And now, research shows that “Satchmo” was on to something.

Yes, Your Smile Is Contagious

Smiling is so important to our social interactions that when someone smiles at us, we are physiologically wired to smile back. Returning a smile is something we do unconsciously—it actually takes conscious effort to not smile back at someone.

What’s the effect of all this contagious smiling? Aside from lifting each other’s moods, it helps us look more attractive, makes us generally happier, and even increases our chances of living longer.

When people see you smile, they treat you differently. They perceive you as more sincere, relaxed, and reliable. Flashing someone a smile helps put them—and you—at ease. Smiling helps build social bonds and can even cause smilers’ breathing and heart rates to sync up.

Smiling and Holiday Stress

In the heart of the holiday season, smiling can help us manage stress and feel more connected to our loved ones. Smiling relaxes the muscles in your face and can even calm down your nervous system. So when you’re feeling stressed about the holidays, take a moment to breathe and smile. It will help you feel better, even if you have to “fake it ‘til you make it.”

Smiling is contagious and can help you and the people you’re smiling at feel better. But many of us are reluctant to flash our pearly whites because of pain, misalignment, or the perception that our smiles are ugly. Eggert Family Dentistry is here to keep you smiling and healthy this holiday season. Schedule your appointment today.

Nothing seems to create anxiety in the dentist’s chair like the prospect of a root canal. This routine dental procedure has gotten a bad reputation over the years. But today’s technological innovations and improvements to anesthesia make this dreaded procedure comfortable for most patients. Here are the answers to some of Eggert Family Dentistry’s most-asked root canal questions.

What is a root canal dental procedure?

A root canal dental procedure treats inflammation and infection occurring in the pulp of your tooth. The pulp is the soft interior of your tooth, full of blood vessels and nerves. When the pulp becomes infected, you’ll likely experience pain and tenderness around the affected tooth.

A “root canal” is actually part of your tooth’s anatomy. It contains the pulp that extends down the roots of the tooth. A root canal procedure cleans out the infected tissue and reshapes the interior of the root canal so it can be filled and sealed to prevent further infection. In a later appointment, we’ll place a crown or other restoration over your tooth to better protect it long-term.

Why would I need a root canal procedure?

Root canal procedures treat infection and severe tooth decay. Though some patients do not experience pain when the pulp of a tooth is infected, most of us know when it’s time to call the dentist. Infected teeth are often painful, sensitive to heat and cold, and tender when we chew our food. The surrounding gum area can also be swollen or discolored.

Infections to your tooth’s pulp can be caused by advanced tooth decay, trauma to the tooth, or even a small chip or crack in the tooth’s hard exterior. A root canal will treat the infection, leaving the tooth functional.

What can I expect from my root canal procedure visit?

Before your procedure, we will take x-rays of the affected area to understand the severity of the infection. The day of your procedure, we’ll review the x-rays with you and apply a local anesthetic. Most patients find this anesthetic makes the procedure surprisingly comfortable. Then, we’ll isolate the infected tooth with a protective sheet so saliva does not enter the affected area.

Using tiny instruments, we’ll make an opening through the biting surface of your tooth so we can access the infected pulp. We then clean out the infected tissue and reshape the interior of the tooth. Once the interior is clean and shaped, we fill the root canal with a rubber-like material and apply cement to seal the tooth.

You may experience tenderness in the tooth in the days following the procedure, but over-the-counter or prescription painkillers often alleviate the pain. A subsequent visit will allow us to fit a permanent crown or other restoration. This helps keep the tooth sealed and protects the tooth from splitting.  In the meantime, you can brush and floss as usual, just avoid using the treated tooth to chew until we place the crown.

Still have questions about root canal procedures? The American Association of Endodontists has a great video overview for you to check out.

Need to schedule a root canal procedure? You’re in safe, experienced hands with Dr. Elizabeth and Dr. Jeff. Schedule your root canal procedure appointment with Eggert Family Dentists today.

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

‘Tis the season for giving. Give to the Max Day, Giving Tuesday, and the red kettles of the Salvation Army all ring in the holiday season. Presents arrive in the mail and under the tree. We hope our giving and volunteering benefit others, but did you know there’s scientific evidence that our giving and volunteering help us, too?

Giving Makes Us Feel Good

Over the past decade, scientific studies have found that the act of giving makes us feel better. In 2008, Harvard Business School researchers found that spending money on others makes us happier than spending money on ourselves. Giving decreases our stress and makes us feel closer to the recipients of our giving (and vice versa).

What’s more, the simple act of giving can have ripple effects. Not only does giving make us feel better, it makes our recipients feel better and more inclined to give. Our giving is passed down to others, which increases our feeling of connectedness and even promotes more cooperation.

At Eggert Family Dentistry, we are happy to contribute to the local scholarship funds of four local high schools each year: Mounds View, Irondale, Centennial, and Spring Lake Park (Dr. Elizabeth and Dr. Jeff’s alma mater). Since 2004, we have contributed over $25,000 to deserving students.

Volunteering Has Health Benefits, Too

Other research has looked into the health benefits of volunteering our time. It turns out that volunteering can improve our health, too. Serving others can lower our blood pressure and decrease depression. The social interaction we experience when we volunteer releases dopamine, a chemical in our brain that makes us happier.

One study of the health effects of volunteering found that elderly people who volunteer at two or more organizations were 44 percent less likely to die over a five-year period, despite their age or exercise and other wellness habits. Even the federal government is examining the health benefits of volunteering. You can read its comprehensive report here.

Our team felt really good about volunteering at Feed My Starving Children this year. It is great to know we all can make a difference.

To stay healthy this holiday season, eat moderately, exercise regularly, and make giving and volunteering part of your routine. And don’t forget your regular dental appointments! Schedule your next visit to Eggert Family Dentistry today.

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Tooth decay occurs when acids wear away the outer layer of the tooth and penetrate the soft, inner tissue, causing an infection that requires advanced dental care. But since decay occurs in three stages, it’s possible to reverse the effects of decay if it’s caught early enough. That’s why regular visits to your dentist are so important.

Bacteria Causes Tooth Decay

Before we explain the three stages of tooth decay, let’s take a look at what causes tooth decay in the first place. Your teeth are covered in a hard, protective layer called enamel. They’re also covered in bacteria (gross, but true). The bacteria live in a sticky substance called plaque and eat the sugars in your food. As they digest the sugars, the bacteria create acid. If you don’t brush and floss the plaque away, the acid will stick to and erode the enamel on your teeth.  It is also important to note that if your saliva contains an excessive amount of acid from other sources, such as foods, drinks, or reflux, this makes the cavity-causing bacteria even more active in attacking your teeth.

Tooth Decay Stage 1: Dull Spots on the Tooth

The first sign of tooth decay is a dull spot on your tooth. Often, this dull spot is only visible to your dentist, which is why it’s important to get regular check-ups. The spot may be dull white or brown, or show up as a shadow or weak spot on an x-ray.

At this stage, decay is often reversible with meticulous cleaning techniques such as brushing and flossing. Once the plaque is scrubbed away, the saliva helps to repair the tooth enamel. Adding extra fluoride, like an over the counter fluoride rinse or a prescription fluoride toothpaste also helps with the rebuilding of enamel. If left unattended, decay will continue until it enters the soft layer under the enamel, the dentin.

Tooth Decay Stage 2: Cavity Formation in the Dentin

Once decay erodes the enamel, it enters the softer layer of the tooth called the dentin. It can take a while for decay to reach stage two, but sometimes it occurs quickly. Once it does, the decay has become a cavity and the decay process is no longer reversible. At this stage, you need help from your dentists at Eggert Family Dentistry to place a filling or crown.  If not treated in this stage, a tooth can easily start to ache.

Tooth Decay Stage 3: Pulp Changes

If not treated in the dentin stage or if treated too late in the dentin stage, the decay will reach the very inside of the tooth called the pulp, where the tooth’s blood vessels and nerves are located.  At this point, the bacteria starts forming a tooth abscess. This infection can become very painful, but oddly can sometimes occur with very little or no pain. Regardless, the dentists at Eggert Family Dentistry can help you save your tooth by treating the tooth with a root canal. Root canals, unfortunately, have gotten a bad reputation, but we have seen many patients thankful for the treatment, often reporting “Oh I didn’t know it was so easy!”

Treating a tooth with an abscess is very important.  Without care, the infection can spread to surrounding tissue and eventually to other areas of your body. This type of infection is a serious medical condition and requires immediate treatment.

This may all sound a bit scary, but we are here to help you stay as healthy as possible.  We already talked about taking great care of your teeth at home, but you can also be sure to eat calcium-rich foods to help strengthen your enamel and drink lots of water to wash away sugars and acids. Of course, it also helps to minimize the sugars and acids you ingest.  And, we can’t emphasize enough, regular visits with us at Eggert Family Dentistry will help us stop the bacteria in the earliest stage possible.

To schedule your appointment, email Eggert Family Dentistry or call (651) 482-8412 today.

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Most of us remember getting fluoride treatments as kids, sitting for minutes in the dentist’s chair with large, foam trays in our mouths. Once we reached adulthood, this part of our oral exam disappeared. But today, there’s evidence that many of us would benefit from the fluoride treatments we remember as kids.

What does fluoride do for adult teeth?

Fluoride is a mineral that strengthens teeth against decay and helps them heal from the constant demineralization process occurring in the mouth. It penetrates your teeth and draws phosphate and calcium from your saliva into your teeth. Fluoride also attacks the bacteria in your mouth that produces the acid that leads to tooth decay. Studies show that the miracle mineral can even repair early tooth decay before it becomes a cavity.

Do I need fluoride treatments as an adult?

You might! While we do get fluoride from our fluoride toothpaste and our fluoridated city water, making sure the teeth are exposed to fluoride regularly really does help prevent decay. There are many of us that choose to drink bottled water or have a private well in lieu of city water. In these instances a fluoride treatment is especially important.

Some other reasons to consider asking for a professional fluoride treatment involve your overall health.  Some medical and oral health conditions might lead us to recommend you get regular fluoride treatments; for example, if you take medications that cause dry mouth or have had radiation on your head or neck, fluoride can help prevent the tooth decay your saliva usually takes care of. Fluoride treatments are also recommended for patients with receding gums or braces.

What fluoride treatments might Eggert Family Dentistry recommend?

There are several fluoride treatments we might recommend to our adult patients. Sometimes, we prescribe fluoride gel for at-home use for very high-risk patients. However, most patients find it very convenient to have a fluoride varnish treatment during each cleaning appointment. It is so easy – we just paint the fluoride on your teeth with a small brush. We still do offer the “old school” method of fluoride foam in the trays for those feeling nostalgic.

Ask us today how professional fluoride treatments can benefit you. We are happy to discuss it at your  regular oral health exam. Email Eggert Family Dentistry today or call (651) 482-8412 to schedule an appointment.

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Congratulations! You’re pregnant! Like many moms before you, you likely have a million questions about how to have a safe and healthy pregnancy. Eggert Family Dentistry is here to help you understand how pregnancy might affect your oral health.

Dental Work Is Safe for Pregnant Women and Their Babies

We’ve got some good news for you: dental care is generally safe for pregnant women and their babies. You can continue to have regular cleanings and other routine care while you’re pregnant—just be sure to tell us that you’re expecting.

Many pregnant patients have questions about x-rays. Dental x-rays use very low levels of radiation. If you need an x-ray for emergency dental work, you and your baby are safe. We will take extra precautions to protect you and your baby. We typically choose to hold off on your preventative x-rays until after the baby is born.

Another common concern is local anesthesia. Lidocaine and other local anesthesia are safe for you and your baby. A 2015 study found local anesthesia made no difference in the rates of miscarriage, prematurity, birth defects, or birth weight among expectant mothers. If you need a crown or other procedure completed while you’re pregnant, it’s okay to book the appointment.

Pregnancy’s Effect on Your Oral Health

Dental work may not affect your pregnancy, but your pregnancy will likely affect your oral health. Many mothers-to-be experience increased tooth decay and gingivitis. Hormonal changes are partly to blame, as are changes in eating habits and morning sickness.

Morning sickness exposes your teeth to more acid, which can exacerbate tooth decay. Rinsing your mouth with a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water can help neutralize the acid after you’re ill. We might recommend extra brushing, flossing, and professional cleanings if you’re experiencing a dramatic increase in tooth decay or gingivitis.

Some pregnant women experience tumors in their gum tissues. These noncancerous swellings often appear between your teeth. Most go away shortly after birth, but we can remove them if they cause you discomfort.

Don’t put off routine dental care over fear that a visit to the dentist could harm you or your baby. Dental procedures are generally safe for both of you and can help prevent serious issues down the road. Contact Eggert Family Dentistry today to schedule your next visit. Call (651) 482-8412.