My Blog
Posts for: August, 2015
Many recent high school graduates will soon begin their first year in college, and for many it will be their first time living away from home. But with the excitement of new freedom, there’s also the opportunity to make poor choices that could impact long-term health, especially teeth and gums.
Here, then, are 5 tips for keeping your teeth and gums healthy during the college years.
Watch what you eat and drink. At any stage of life, a nutritious, balanced diet low in sugar and high in fiber is vital to a healthy mouth. Snack moderately on fresh fruit, nuts or dairy foods, not sugary, processed products. Be sure also to drink plenty of water for hydration, not sodas or sports drinks whose high acid content can soften enamel and open the door to tooth decay.
Don’t abuse alcohol or use tobacco. Consuming too much alcohol can do more than leave you momentarily impaired — it can cause dry mouth, which contributes to tooth decay and increases your risk of oral cancer. Any form of tobacco can raise your risk for disease, especially oral cancer; high levels of nicotine may also inhibit your gum’s ability to fight infection, which increases your risk of periodontal (gum) disease.
Avoid oral piercings. Those tiny pieces of hardware attached to lips, tongue, gums or even through teeth may be all the rage, but they’re a recipe for immediate and future mouth problems. Oral piercings can lead to chipped teeth, gum recession and a higher chance of dental disease.
Practice safe sex. Certain sexual behaviors can raise your risk of contracting human papilloma virus (HPV16) that in turn increases your risk of oral cancer. You can also develop genital herpes in the mouth, which although manageable won’t go away.
Keep up your oral hygiene care. Taking care of your teeth and gums is a permanent, daily concern. Whatever your college schedule, be sure you’re brushing once or twice a day and flossing once. And don’t forget to visit us at least twice a year for a thorough cleaning (to get plaque you can’t reach with daily hygiene) and a checkup to keep dental disease under control.
If you would like more information on oral health care for young adults, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.
Dentures are a popular solution for patients who have missing teeth. Though they have cosmetic benefits, dentures are also necessary for good oral function, including eating and pronouncing your words clearly. Dr. James Hutson offers a variety of denture solutions at his cosmetic dentistry in Marietta, GA. Learn about the different types of dentures available so that you and Dr. Hutson can decide which 
solution is right for you.
Full Conventional Dentures
Patients who have lost all of their natural teeth, usually due to dental disease or aging, are candidates for full conventional dentures. These are dentures that are created to fit over the entire gumline to act as replacement teeth. A dental lab technician uses impressions from your mouth to form a base for the dentures that will fit your mouth comfortably. They may have to be sent back for a few adjustments before your appliance is ready for wearing. You can remove them when needed for cleaning.
Partial Dentures
Partials are dentures that are designed to replace just a few teeth instead of an entire row. They are placed over the gumline or connected by metal clasps to your remaining teeth. When you go to Dr. Hutson’s Marietta GA cosmetic dentistry for partials, you will have a thorough dental examination to ensure the ongoing health of your teeth so that they can continue to support the denture appliance.
Implant Supported Dentures
Patients who have a row of missing teeth may also be eligible for implant supported dentures. Two or more dental implants are surgically inserted into healthy bone, then a custom denture appliance is placed on top. This gives you a more secure and permanent denture that will last you for many years with good care.
Getting Dentures
Talk to Dr. Hutson about the various denture solutions available. He is a member of a number of trusted dental organizations, including the American Dental Association and the Georgia Dental Association, who is committed to providing his patients with reliable dental care. Call his Marietta GA cosmetic dentistry office at (770) 424-7525 today for an appointment.
Magician Michel Grandinetti can levitate a 500-pound motorcycle, melt into a 7-foot-tall wall of solid steel, and make borrowed rings vanish and reappear baked inside bread. Yet the master illusionist admits to being in awe of the magic that dentists perform when it comes to transforming smiles. In fact, he told an interviewer that it’s “way more important magic than walking through a steel wall because you’re affecting people’s health… people’s confidence, and you’re really allowing people to… feel good about themselves.”
Michael speaks from experience. As a teenager, his own smile was enhanced through orthodontic treatment. Considering the career path he chose for himself — performing for multitudes both live and on TV — he calls wearing an orthodontic device (braces) to align his crooked teeth “life-changing.” He relies on his welcoming, slightly mischievous smile to welcome audiences and make the initial human connection.
A beautiful smile is definitely an asset regardless of whether you’re performing for thousands, passing another individual on a sidewalk or even, research suggests, interviewing for a job. Like Michael, however, some of us need a little help creating ours. If something about your teeth or gums is making you self-conscious and preventing you from smiling as broadly as you could be, we have plenty of solutions up our sleeve. Some of the most popular include:
- Tooth Whitening. Professional whitening in the dental office achieves faster results than doing it yourself at home, but either approach can noticeably brighten your smile.
- Bonding. A tooth-colored composite resin can be bonded to a tooth to replace missing tooth structure, such a chip.
- Veneers. This is a hard, thin shell of tooth-colored material bonded to the front surface of a tooth to change its color, shape, size and/or length; mask dental imperfections like stains, cracks, or chips, and compensating for excessive gum tissue.
- Crowns. Sometimes too much of a tooth is lost due to decay or trauma to support a veneer. Instead, capping it with a natural-looking porcelain crown can achieve the same types of improvements. A crown covers the entire tooth replacing more of its natural structure than a veneer does.
If you would like more information about ways in which you can transform your smile, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about the techniques mentioned above by reading the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Teeth Whitening,” “Repairing Chipped Teeth,” and “Porcelain Crowns & Veneers.”
Dentist - Marietta
707 Whitlock Ave. SW,
Suite B22 Marietta, GA 30064
(770) 424-7525
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