Have You Had A Cleaning This Year?

At Riverwalk Dental we encourage all our patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, but it is still important to come into the office for regular professional cleanings.  During the holidays, we want everyone looking forward to the New Year and maintaining great oral hygiene!  However much you brush and floss, some harmful bacteria grow in your mouth that cause gum disease and can only be removed by a dental professional. 

It’s important to see a professional regularly not just to clean your teeth, but also to locate and monitor areas in the mouth that may need special attention, and a dentist can tell you if you may be missing a spot or skipping an important step in your regular oral care routine.  During a teeth cleaning, a hygienist thoroughly clean the area above and below the gum line with scaling tools to rid them of plaque and tartar. After the surfaces of the teeth are cleaned, the hygienist flosses between every one of your teeth and may apply fluoride if recommended by the dentist. Come see us for a cleaning to make a great impression during the holidays, and start the year off with your best smile!

To learn more about the services we offer, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, call 403-456-4994.

Drinking Water for Oral Health

Drinking water is important for your health at all ages.  At Riverwalk Dental, we see that plenty of adult patients that are guilty of not drinking enough water, so we know it can be tough to monitor if kids are getting enough too.  We want to encourage you and the kids in your family to stay hydrated and healthy!

We all know kids love drinking juice and soda, but we forget that these beverages leave unwanted sugar behind on the teeth.  The type of bacteria that causes cavities feeds on sugar, and produces acid that wears away enamel. Enamel is not replaceable, so it’s important to take care of it even from a young age.  When kids drink juice or soda, it is helpful just to drink some water afterwards to dilute acids and wash away food particles and residue. You and your children should be drinking at least eight 8oz glasses of water each day.  Drinking tap water with fluoride is important to help prevent cavities.  If you’re worried that your children may not be drinking enough water, come see us to discuss tips that might help them drink more!

We love to see good oral hygiene habits formed early, and make lifetime patients out of kids from our community!  To learn more about the services we offer, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, call 403-456-4994.

Prevent Embarrassing Bad Breath

Bad breath that results from consuming potent foods like onions or garlic isn’t harmful to our health. However, when it becomes persistent due to lack of oral hygiene, then our doctors of Riverwalk Dental have a bone to pick with patients. Medically deemed, halitosis, bad breath can be an acute or chronic condition. There are many risk factors, such as tobacco products, dry mouth, or poor oral health.  

If you don’t brush and floss your teeth daily, food particles can remain in your mouth, promoting bacterial growth between teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue. This causes bad breath. Bad breath odors vary, depending on the source or the underlying cause. Persistent bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth may be a warning sign of gum disease. If you have bad breath, review your oral hygiene habits. If your bad breath persists after making changes, visit us as soon as possible.

If you have questions or concerns about oral health or bad breath prevention, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Water Flossing

What is water flossing? Water flossing is another way to clean teeth, and this method involves using a hand-held device. Water flossing can be ideal for people who have trouble flossing by hand and our doctors at Riverwalk Dental want patients to know that if they are going to invest in a water flosser it should have the ADA Seal of Acceptance.

Water flossers have been tested to be safe and effective for removing plaque, and are helpful if you’ve had dental work performed on the teeth, such as bridges, dentures, or braces. Depending on which flossing technique you decide to use, keep in mind that cleaning between your teeth should never be painful. Talk to our doctors and discuss which dental cleaner is best for you and remember that whichever floss you decide to use is better than not flossing at all.

If you have questions or concerns about oral care, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Risks Associated with Tooth Tartar

Maintaining good oral care habits is important for keeping teeth clean, plaque-free, and tartar-free. Even if you take excellent care of your teeth, food particles mix with saliva in the mouth to form dental plaque, a soft sticky gunk that coats your teeth and gets under the gum line. If plaque isn’t eliminated on a daily basis, it will turn into tartar which only our professionals at Riverwalk Dental are able to remove.

Tartar gives plaque more room to grow and a much stickier surface to adhere, which can lead to more serious conditions such as cavities and gum disease. Not only can tartar threaten the health of your teeth and gums, it can also leave your smile looking dull and lackluster. The most common sign of tartar is a yellow or brown color to teeth and gums. Proper brushing, especially with American Dental Association (ADA) approved tartar control toothpaste, and flossing is necessary to reduce plaque and tartar buildup.  

If you have questions or concerns regarding TMJ/TMD, please give us a call. Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6^th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit riverwalkdental.ca.

Oral Care for Elder Patients

Good dental hygiene and oral care habits are important at any age. But as we all grow older, certain health concerns earn our full attention, especially the importance of oral health for senior patients. Whether you have all of your original teeth, some of them, or a full set of dentures, our staff at Riverwalk Dental can help you keep your mouth healthy.

If you’re a senior headed for a checkup, one of our doctors will conduct a thorough history and dental exam. During the oral exam, he or she will check the following: your face and neck, your bite, your jaw, your lymph nodes and salivary glands, your inner cheeks as well as the inside of your oral cavity. It is important for us to check for signs of infection and oral cancer so that if something is wrong, we can catch it at the earliest stage when it is the easiest to treat. If you wear dentures or other appliances, we will also ask about when you wear them as well as if you are experiencing any problem areas in the mouth.

If you have questions or concerns about dental services, please give us a call. Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6^th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit riverwalkdental.ca.

Dangers of Dental Plaque

If you run your tongue over your teeth right now and feel a sticky substance, this biofilm is called dental plaque. Plaque doesn’t bring positivity to the mouth, instead, it brings consequences. If you allow plaque to build-up on the teeth and neglect to floss it away on a daily basis, this can activate the immune system chronically, which leads to unnecessary inflammation in the body. To prevent plaque from turning into periodontal disease, visit our doctors at Riverwalk Dental.

Plaque is constantly forming on the teeth, especially after we eat or drink foods with sugars and starches. Plaque is so sticky that it keeps the acids in contact with the teeth, allowing these acids time to attack tooth enamel. If plaque isn’t brushed and flossed away, it will cause inflammation around the gums, which will cause them to bleed and become sensitive. The best thing you can do to prevent plaque from harming the teeth and gums is to brush for two minutes twice a day and floss at least once a day while maintaining yearly dental appointments.

If you have questions or concerns about oral care or dental health, please give us a call. Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6^th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit riverwalkdental.ca.

Toothbrush Abrasion

Too much of anything can be bad for you and the same goes for brushing your teeth.  If you notice that your gums are sensitive to touch, but your oral care routine is up to par, you may be brushing your teeth too hard. Vigorous brushing can wear down tooth enamel and cause damage to the gums, exposing the sensitive root area. Our doctors at Riverwalk Dental are here to encourage you to take your time while brushing and do the job at a slower pace.

Those at risk for toothbrush abrasion are the ones who diligently brush their teeth. We understand that you may be wondering why you are getting punished for good behavior, but there is a solution to the problem. Changing your brushing habits will benefit your teeth and gums. It helps to use a soft-bristled toothbrush to prevent damage and reduce sensitivity. You should apply just enough pressure to feel the bristles against the gums, but do not squish the bristles into your gums, as this means you’re brushing too hard.

If you have questions or concerns about oral care or dental health, please give us a call. Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6^th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit rverwalkdental.ca.

Keeping Up With Regular Dental Cleanings

The doctors at Riverwalk Dental encourage patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, but it is still important to come into the office for biannual professional cleanings.  Even when you regularly brush and floss, some harmful bacteria grow in your mouth that cause gum disease and can only be removed by a dental professional. At a cleaning, our hygienists use professional tools to remove plaque, tartar, and bacteria build-up from your teeth that is too tough to remove on your own.

The Academy of General Dentistry recommends you have a dentist or hygienist perform a dental cleaning every six months.  It’s important to see a professional regularly to locate and monitor areas in the mouth that may need special attention, and a dentist can tell you if you may be missing a spot or skipping an important step in your regular oral care routine.  During a teeth cleaning, our hygienists thoroughly clean the area above and below the gum line with scaling tools to rid them of plaque and tartar. After the surfaces of the teeth are cleaned, the hygienist flosses between every one of your teeth and may apply fluoride if recommended by the dentist.  If you need your teeth cleaned, don’t wait any longer!

To learn more about dental cleanings and all the services we provide, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, call 403-456-4994.

Dry Mouth Discomfort

Most of us have woken up in the morning with dry mouth at some point or another. The feeling of dehydration and dryness can leave the tongue feeling like sandpaper and our bodies feeling like we need to drink gallons of water. Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, is a condition in which the salivary glands in the mouth don’t produce enough saliva to keep the mouth wet. Fortunately, our doctors at Riverwalk Dental can treat the problem.

Saliva is the mouth’s primary defense against tooth decay, so without it, we are in trouble. Saliva allows us to wash the food away that we consume on a daily basis. If the mouth is lacking saliva, the patient will feel a persistent dry sensation, saliva that feels thick, bad breath, difficulty chewing, and/or a dry or a sore throat. Treatment of dry mouth will depend on the cause.

If you have questions or concerns about dry mouth, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located in Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

How to Handle Halitosis

Bad breath is embarrassing, especially when others take notice. Halitosis is the medical term for chronic, persistent bad breath and at times, may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. To ensure the optimal oral health and keep your mouth as clean as possible, it’s important to visit our doctors at Riverwalk Dental twice a year for oral checkups. If mints and gum are only covering up the problem, but not solving it, give us a call so we can help.

If a daily dental routine of brushing and flossing isn’t reducing the odor in your mouth, you may be a victim of periodontal disease, cavities, and/or dry mouth. If you’re a smoker, tobacco can dry out the mouth leaving you with oral discomfort and bad breath. By drinking plenty of water, and cutting down on caffeine and cigarettes, you’re not only doing your breath a favor, but you’re making a wise decision for your oral health and periodontal health as well. Treatment for halitosis will depend on the cause.

If you have questions or concerns about dental health, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located in Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Dental Sealants

Dental sealants act as a barrier to prevent cavities caused by sugar, plaque, or lack of proper oral hygiene. Because of the likelihood of developing decay in the depressions of grooves of the premolars and molars, children and teenagers are prime candidates for dental sealants. Here at Riverwalk Dental, our doctors offer this as a service to protect teeth from decay.

Dental sealant is a thin, plastic coating painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth – usually the back teeth (premolars and molars) to prevent tooth decay. Thorough brushing and flossing help remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of the teeth, but toothbrush bristles cannot reach all the way into the grooves to extract food and plaque. Sealants protect these vulnerable areas by “sealing out” plaque and food. Because Children have newly erupted, permanent teeth, they receive the greatest benefit from sealants.

If you have questions or concerns about dental sealants, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Bad Breath in Children

At Riverwalk Dental in Calgary, we treat whole families and are proud to be able to help children suffering from a number of oral health problems. One of those problems is bad breath, which indicates that children have a bigger problem and would benefit from a dentist’s examination.

As is the case with adults, the most common reason for bad breath in children is poor hygiene. Children need to diligently brush their tongues, as well as their teeth, or else odor-causing bacteria will eat food particles caught in their papillae and multiply. Bacteria can also grow out of control on children’s tonsils, where bacteria are able to feed on nasal drip. Children suffer from frequent sinus infections, which provide bacteria on the tonsils with plenty of food, and they may also have undiagnosed allergies.

Undiagnosed diabetes is another potential cause of bad breath, but a more common reason is dry mouth. Dry mouth is one of the most common medication side-effects, and it’s no mere inconvenience. The loss of saliva eliminates on of the body’s most important ways of keeping the mouth clean and patients need to either have the medication changed or compensate with throat moisturizers. Children who breathe through their mouths are also at risk for developing bad breath as a result of dry mouth.

Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6^th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit RiverwalkDental.Ca.

 

Cleaning a Fixed Bridge

When Riverwalk Dental patients undergo tooth restorations, they can be assured of receiving instructions on how to maintain their oral hygiene with their new teeth. Patients who get bridges have to learn a few new tricks, but they mostly just need to know how to floss when there’s a gap under a tooth instead of to either side.

There are some floss manufacturers who make specialty floss with stiffened ends which can be pushed through the gap separating the bridge from the gum line. However, it is more common for patients to use normal floss with a threader, which is a piece of soft plastic shaped like a sewing needle. With a threader, patients can draw floss through the bridge gap and loop it around, in the same way patients with braces slip floss past their orthodontic wires. If a patient’s bridge is supported by implants, they may have a larger gap for food debris can get lodged in, but such debris can be dislodged with another tool orthodontic patients are familiar with: the proxy brush. Also known as Christmas tree brushes because of their conical shape, proxy brushes can be mounted on normal-sized toothbrush handles and used in combination with flossing to keep bridges free of plaque.

Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6^th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit RiverwalkDental.Ca.

 

Gingivitis Prevention

While brushing your teeth, are you spotting blood in the sink? If so, this is the first sign of gingivitis and it’s time to visit our doctors at Riverwalk Dental. Gingivitis develops when the gums are inflamed and if left untreated, this condition can lead to a more serious form of gum disease called periodontitis. Both gingivitis and periodontitis can increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other medical conditions. This is why prevention is your best option.

After consuming carbohydrates, if you don’t brush your teeth, plaque will begin to form. If left untreated, this plaque will turn into tartar which only a dental hygienist is able to remove.  The most common cause of gingivitis is poor oral hygiene, which is why it’s important to schedule professional dental cleanings twice a year. Though gingivitis is reversible, we encourage you to brush at least twice a day, floss at least once a day and use a mouthwash daily to kill bacteria.

If you have questions or concerns about gum disease, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.