June 2020 – OFSI

Wisdom Teeth Surgery: The Do’s & Don’ts

Venture Creative on June 26, 2020

Most people will have to have their wisdom teeth removed to avoid oral complications they can create, usually facing removal surgery around the age of 16-25.

It may be a frightening experience to face dental surgery–perhaps the first surgical procedure you have had to face. Here at St. George, wisdom teeth removal is what we do so you can be assured, your health and safety, your healing time, and comfort are a top priority.

With some preparation, good dental care, and planning, you can make it as painless an experience as possible. It is crucial to follow your dental surgeon’s advice and recommendations as this is a surgical procedure, and the better you heal, the less physical pain you will have to endure.

Here are some do’s and don’ts that will help you to prepare for and heal from your wisdom teeth removal:

Do

Use proper brushing and flossing techniques to keep your existing teeth healthy.–When Should You Have Your Wisdom Teeth Removed?
Have regular dental care so that removal of your wisdom teeth, if needed, can be planned for in advance–before there are problems.
Having your wisdom teeth removed at an earlier age prevents full development of the roots of the wisdom teeth. This will allow for easier removal and quicker healing time following your surgery.
Secure adequate financing or payment structure to cover the costs of your surgery.
Discuss pain management with your dental surgeon.
Follow all post-surgical care directives from your dental surgeon.
Use an ice pack to curb swelling.
Use pain medications AS DIRECTED.
Use moist heat on your face for a sore jaw at least 36 hours after your surgery.– WebMD
Eat soft foods or liquid meals.
Drink plenty of fluids.
Be gentle with chewing, swishing, or rinsing your mouth.
Start brushing your teeth the second day. Don’t brush any blood clots.–WebMD
Call your doctor if you have a fever, or if your pain or swelling doesn’t improve.–WebMD
Gently open and close your mouth to exercise your jaw and increase mobility.
Get plenty of rest while your body is healing.

Don’t

Smoke following your surgery. It can cause healing issues at the wound sites and cause you greater pain.
Overuse pain medications or take them in a manner that conflicts with your dental surgeon’s recommendations.
Don’t drink through a straw following your surgery. This may loosen the blood clots and cause extra bleeding and longer healing time.
Eat hard, crunchy, or sticky foods that may irritate or injure your healing surgical sites.
Exercise for the few days after your surgery so that you will not loosen the blood clots via the extra blood flow.
Eat hot foods or drink–this may loosen the blood clotting.

When the time comes to have your wisdom teeth removed, call us at the Oral and Facial Surgery Institute Oral Surgeon St. George Utah to make an appointment for an evaluation. We look forward to serving your oral surgical needs.

Exploring the Benefits of Teeth-In-A-Day

Venture Creative on June 19, 2020

Are you happy with your current smile? Have you tried dentures, or are you looking for a better alternative to standard dentures? Due to genetics, disease, or trauma to the teeth, you may need a full cosmetic overhaul of your smile–but dentures? Even the thought of dentures can be overwhelming and disappointing. But there are other options available to you, even if you have been turned away for dental implants.

Dentures can be uncomfortable, ill-fitting, and bothersome, but our state-of-the-art oral surgical procedure, All-on-4 treatment, replaces those dentures with 4 perfectly fitted dental implants. This full dental restoration will restore your smile and renew your quality of life by taking the worry and discomfort out of chewing, talking, and smiling.

All-in-4 is a better alternative to dentures

All-on-4 has a myriad of welcome benefits over other dental restoration services. With our dental restoration services and our other dental services, we are here to answer any questions or concerns you may have about a procedure.

No more adhesive! No more taking out your dentures to clean or soak them! No more embarrassing slippage of your dentures while you are talking.

You won’t have to worry anymore about food that slips beneath your dentures, causing discomfort and unpleasant odor.

Sleeping in dentures can cause health problems.

All-in-4 can replace yesterday’s dentures with the confident smiles of tomorrow.

Here are some of the great benefits you can expect with this one-day dental transformation:

All-in-4 is done in one day. Walk out with the winning smile you have always wanted.
Offering full-arch restoration and only 4 dental implants are used, which means less healing time for you.
With All-in-4 cosmetic dentistry services, you will have a lower need for bone graft surgery.
All-in-4 feels like your natural teeth, making it far more comfortable than dentures.
All-in-4 looks like your natural teeth. Cosmetically speaking, they are far superior to the often oddly-colored dentures. You can find some before and after pictures and the beautiful smiles of our satisfied clients here.
They won’t wear out like dentures can after 5-10 years. One procedure and you are on your way with a worry-free smile.
No-worry perfect fit.
Better for younger people who do not want the stigma of dentures, but still need cosmetic repair.
Advanced, state-of-the-art dental care and technology.
No more dentures!

All-in-4 Helps people who have been turned away

All-in-4 is perfect for those who have been turned away for other dental implant surgeries. Sometimes bone loss can make dental implant procedures more difficult for those patients. All-in-4 can be the answer for those patients. Not only is it easier to do with less bone, but it can also ensure greater stability for existing bone.

This procedure can also remove the worry over the further deterioration of your gum line due to the pressure of dentures and restore your smile. This will work even if you have already suffered bone loss or been turned away.

Consider All-in-4 for your winning smile–today! Give us a call or set up an appointment online. We look forward to serving you.

The Connection Between Diet and Oral Health

Venture Creative on June 12, 2020

How often do you think about your oral health? Usually just when brushing and flossing your teeth. But your diet can have a huge effect on how healthy your teeth, tongue, and gums are.

Eating healthy is usually marketed to people as a way of maintaining healthy body weight and getting all your essential vitamins and minerals. But healthy foods are also good for your oral health!

The most common oral health issue seen is cavities, which are parts of the teeth that have rotted away from improper care.

Taking care of your teeth with proper brushing and flossing can avoid cavities, but your diet can also help prevent them!

Foods That Support Oral Health

Your teeth are primarily calcium, so eating foods with high calcium contents, like dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt can help increase the amount of calcium in your body and strengthen your teeth.

In addition to foods high in calcium, eating food with high amounts of phosphorus can be beneficial too. Nuts, meat, spinach, and other leafy greens, (which are high in calcium, for those who cannot consume dairy,) are very good for teeth.

Crunchy Fruits and Veggies

Eating crunchy fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, or cucumbers are great for your oral health too!

When eating crunchy fruits or vegetables, your mouth produces more saliva which helps to wash away food particles stuck in your teeth or rest in your mouth cause odor or build-up of bacteria.

Water

Water helps dilute the left-over sugars in your mouth that are consumed by the bacteria in your mouth and turned into acid and damage your teeth and cause bad breath.

Drinking water works but eating crunchy fruits and veggies will also help!

Avoiding Sugary and Acidic Foods

Foods high in acid or sugar can cause damage to your teeth in the form of cavities, canker sores, or wear down the enamel on your teeth, causing tooth sensitivity.

Highly acidic foods include citrus, (oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit,) and tomatoes.

Sugars and carbohydrates are in most common foods, and thus can be harder to avoid. Carbs are broken down into sugars by the enzymes in your saliva, which then acts just like normal sugars when they interact with the bacteria in your mouth, turning acidic.

Desserts are foods that are very high in sugars, and so are sodas, and premade drinks among others. Foods with large amounts of carbs are bread, pizza, chips, pretzels, and so on.

Drinks

Drinking water is fantastic for your body’s health and your oral health. However, sugary drinks like sodas and pre-made iced teas, lemonades, and fruit punches often have lots of added sugar that can cause acidity in your mouth.

Sodas can also be highly acidic, so they are better to avoid in general.

The optimal drink for your oral health is water with fluoride, since it helps to strengthen your teeth, just as the fluoride in your toothpaste or mouthwash does.

If you often put lots of sugar into your coffee, consider lessening the amount and switching to tea instead of highly acidic coffee.