Our Blog

One of the toughest issues when it comes to oral care is keeping your gums healthy. Throughout the years, you may have noticed that your gums can start to recede, moving farther down and revealing more of your teeth. This can be due to genetics or harmful bacteria and plaque that build up and weaken your gums. It can also be a form of gum disease that will result in sore gums, redness, and eventually bleeding.
To help save your gums and keep them healthy, here a few practices that Water Tower Dental recommends:

Brushing and Flossing regularly

Believe it or not, this is the easiest way to help maintain gums. Try brushing after every meal and flossing once a day to help keep your mouth clear of plaque and unwanted food. But also realize that you can brush and floss too much. Your mouth needs time to balance its own natural chemistry, so keep to a good schedule and don’t overdo it. Flossing is not necessary more than once a day. And don’t think you need to brush after every time you eat food. It’s good to brush after larger meals, but small snacks throughout the day can be washed away with a glass of water and your body’s natural saliva distribution.

Use Mouthwash

Along with brushing and flossing, using a strong mouthwash once a day can also help kill unwanted bacteria and keep your mouth feeling fresh. Mouthwash is great for stopping plaque growth in areas where the toothbrush or even floss can’t reach.

Eat Probiotics

We reported before on how probiotics can help your teeth. Eating them a few times a month can actually help maintain your gums too. Probiotics are a collection of good bacteria. When you eat them, you replace areas where bad bacteria can live with bacteria that helps your mouth. Eating probiotics a few times a month will help keep your mouth’s chemistry regulated and healthy.

Keep Juices, Coffee, and Acidic Drinks to Meal Time

When trying to keep your gums at a strong level, you need to avoid some of the more harmful substances to your teeth. Acidic drinks, such as high-sugar juices, soda, and coffee, can ultimately do bad damage to your teeth and gums. However, they are most harmful when they’re consumed alone. This is the best time for the acidic elements to move around your mouth. During a mealtime though, much of your food can soak up the acidic juice and keep it from causing too much harm. Also, when you eat, your mouth naturally salivates, which helps wash away food bits and the juice

Take Vitamin C and D

Both vitamins are great for oral health. Vitamin C contains antioxidants that help replace connective tissues and accelerate bone regeneration. Vitamin D has been known to have anti-inflammatory effects and can help reduce your gums’ chance of developing periodontal disease.

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

And last, a terrific way to help keep your teeth clean and maintain your gums is by consulting and working with your dentist to find practices that will work for you. Also, an oral cleaning from the dentist is an amazing way to start a strong regiment against gum decay and periodontal disease.
If you’re having trouble with receding gums or suspect you have periodontal disease, do not hesitate to call Water Tower Dental. We can help you find the right track to a healthier lifestyle that will repair your gums and make your smile shine. For more questions, contact Water Tower Dental today.
 

There is a lot of stir about the introduction of e-cigarettes and unknown health issues that they may cause. For the mouth, e-cigarettes seem to have some positives and negatives. It is a better option than regular tobacco cigarettes, but worse than not smoking altogether. Here are a few of the effects of e-cigarettes on the mouth.

Unfortunately, research on e-cigarettes is still very minimal. Because they are a new product, research that can space several decades is still unavailable. However, there are several chemicals and clues that help determine what e-cigarettes can do to the teeth.
Just like any cigarette, the main purpose of an e-cigarette is to inhale nicotine. Studies have shown that nicotine can slow down the production of saliva in the mouth. The more nicotine you intake, the less saliva the body is able to produce. Saliva is a main deterrent to harmful bacteria and food particles in the mouth. Low saliva levels can cause quicker tooth decay, sore gums, and eventually a loosening of the teeth. One positive of smoking e-cigarettes verses normal cigarettes is that you can control the amount of nicotine the e-cigarette will release into the body. This will slow down the eventual effect of lowered saliva levels, at least.
Another effect of nicotine in an e-cigarette or a tobacco cigarette is it acts as a vasoconstrictor, which prohibits blood flow to the mouth. This results in a fewer number of white blood cells capable of fending off infections and bacteria that harm your gums. Fewer red blood cells are also sent to your mouth tissues, which lead to faster deterioration of the tissue and your teeth.
Another concern for e-cigarettes is that they contain diethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance. However, at the current point in research, scientists have not determined how much of the substance is needed to be considered harmful to the body, especially seeing e-cigarettes use a very low amount.
There are a few positives to using e-cigarettes, though they do not outweigh the negatives. For example, e-cigarettes use ingredients such as glycerin and propylene glycol. These are two chemicals are used in toothpaste to help prevent water loss in the paste. The chemicals in e-cigarettes can actually create a coating over the teeth’s surface that can prevent teeth from drying up as well as help kill certain bacteria in the mouth.

What E-Cigarettes Won’t Do (Verses Tobacco Cigarettes)

Compared to tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes do have the upper hand. Unlike tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes don’t cause a few of the more unpleasant side effects that are caused by tobacco.
Tobacco cigarettes can cause yellowing of teeth. E-cigarettes, however, do not cause this problem. They do not include the harmful chemicals that cause the discoloring.
When your mouth is sore, either from biting your lip or a serious mouth surgery, smoking tobacco cigarettes causes healing to become a longer, more prolonged process. E-cigarettes do not have the same effect on the healing process, which makes it easier to smoke after a surgery or injury.
Also, e-cigarettes are made from water vapor and nicotine, so the usual after-smell and taste that comes with a tobacco cigarette is completely diminished. E-cigarettes are also sold in flavors such as vanilla and mint, which leave a pleasant after-taste for you and those you are close to.
While we don’t encourage any of our patients or readers to start using e-cigarettes, we do believe it may be a smart way to slowly wean off of and eventually quit smoking. While it is still harmful to your mouth, research so far has shown that it does not seem to be as harmful as tobacco cigarettes. However, as we said before, time will be the true determinant for the e-cigarette.
If you have more questions on e-cigarettes and the effect they have on your teeth and mouth, contact Water Tower Dental today. We would be happy to answer all of your questions.

Invisalign is one of the best dental advancements in the recent decades. By using a silicone-based mold to shape a person’s teeth, the use of traditional metal braces is no longer needed. This helps reduce unsightly and embarrassing moments with wire braces along with painful side effects. The aspects of Invisalign are quite simple, and with just a few visits to your dentist, you can start the process to a straighter smile.

Invisalign uses a series of clear, removable teeth aligners that slowly realign your teeth for a better, healthier smile. Crooked teeth are not only an aesthetic issue. Slanted teeth can promote bacteria buildup as it provides unique pockets within the gums. Straighter teeth help reduce the risk of periodontal disease and gingivitis. So choosing to straighten your teeth is a terrific idea, and with the help of Invisalign you’ll find it to be a simple process.
Invisalign works by first having your dentist take an Itero Digital 3D Scan of your teeth. Along with the scan, your doctor will take a series of photos and radiographs (x-rays). Both the photos and scan are emailed to an Invisalign manufacturing facility to be designed. Your dentist will communicate with an Invisalign technician to create a customized course of action. No two aligners are alike, and your aligners are for you and you alone. Because of this, your dentist will take careful measures to create aligners that will help shape a new smile you will love.
Once the aligners are designed, the Invisalign manufacturer creates a 3D ClinCheck video and sends it to your dentist. At this point, your dentist is able to guide you through the proposed plan for prospective results. Using 3D imaging, you’ll be able to see the aligners being used and how they will move your teeth for their optimal shape. Once all is approved, you are given your first set of aligners.
Invisalign aligners are replaced every two weeks for approximately six months to a year. The aligners are recommended to be worn for 20 to 22 hours a day and should only be removed for eating meals and when drinking any liquid that is not water.
Some patient’s teeth can require additional straightening depending on the severity of their teeth. For some cases, the lower premolars, with a rounded shape, can be difficult for the Invisalign mold to grasp. A bonded attachment made from a composite material can sometimes be required. Other patients may find that many of their teeth require a vertical movement. Invisalign works by applying pressure that moves teeth slowly throughout the six to twelve month period. However, some teeth may require a pulling or pushing technique to properly align. In these cases, different styles of composite attachments called buttons are used to help certain teeth.
As said before, all Invisalign aligners are unique to the patient. With that in mind, some patients might find traditional braces actually more efficient due to their specific issues. When preparing for Invisalign, this is something that both you and your doctor will discuss.
Invisalign is a simple and effective way to change a crooked smile into a straight and healthy one. If you or someone you know is interested in the Invisalign treatment, don’t hesitate to contact Water Tower Dental. We can help you get on the right track to a better smile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0GuXsQEwv0

Losing a tooth either by accident or through declining oral health can be a tough experience. It can affect your confidence and well-being along with your oral health. Dental implants are a great way to keep your smile looking great and prevent further damage to your mouth. Of course, dental implants aren’t as simple as one would hope and there are several aspects to receiving an implant. However, if you practice good oral hygiene and are in the hands of an experienced dentist, you should have no problem rebuilding an excellent smile.

A proper dental implant takes several weeks to resolve. The first step is to remove the infected, rotted tooth or to clean the area where a tooth has been lost. Next, if the gums are healthy, your dentist will surgically place a cylinder post made of titanium into your jawbone. This is known as the anchor and acts as the root of the tooth. It’s especially important, if you do lose a tooth, to try and receive the anchor as soon as possible so the bone can adhere properly to the post. This process is known as osseointegration. If the jawbone does not have a post to adhere to, it can naturally shrink back. Within a year of not having a tooth, a jawbone can shrink by 40% in the area of the missing tooth, and make it harder to place the anchor into the jaw.
It can take two weeks to a month for your jawbone to osseointegrate properly with the anchor. During that time, most patients are given a denture or temporary bridge to replace the missing tooth. Once the anchor is ready, the dentist will add a small connector to the anchor known as an abutment. The abutment connects the anchor to the replacement tooth
Just like a veneer for a chipped tooth, replacement teeth are measured and created to fit precisely in your mouth and to look as natural as possible. They are also color corrected to match the rest of your teeth to give a natural look that no one can tell the difference of.
Unlike replacing a vital organ, there is not much risk with the body “rejecting” the dental implant. As you adhere straight to bone without the need of tissue matching or blood typing, the risk is very minimal when it comes to a dental implant. Success is typically not measured by the implant accepting or rejecting bone, but placed more on the patient’s ability to practice good oral hygiene. Visiting your dentist after the procedure and making sure that gum tissue is healthy is the best way to keep your dental implant in top condition.
There are benefits to replacing a missing tooth as well. Most importantly it helps stop the loss of jawbone in your mouth and can help retain healthy bone structure that’s imperative for overall oral health. Infections in the area of the missing tooth can also occur more frequently than if a dental implant is secured to the area.
Candidates for dental implants are patients with healthy teeth and gums who practice proper oral hygiene. Typically if your teeth and gums are healthy enough to undergo bridgework or tooth extractions, they should be healthy enough to receive an implant. However, each patient's ability to receive implants and the time it will take for the jawbone to adhere to the anchor varies and an experienced dentist should know the exact steps needed to help you receive the best smile possible.
If you have any more questions about dental implants or are considering one for yourself, don’t hesitate to contact Water Tower Dental, Chicago’s highest rated dental office.