Referring your family and friends to us is one of the biggest compliments that we can receive! 🙏🏻We appreciate you trusting us with your loved one’s dental care. We would like to show you our appreciation by hosting a YETI COOLER and 2 YETI TUMBLERS!! 🎉
Here’s how to win:
Refer all your family and friends to us.
Tell them to give us your name at their first appointment.
We will enter your name into the drawing.
The new patient must be seen during the contest time.
The contest runs from August 1st-September 27th.
If our office has gone above and beyond and treated you like the royalty 👑 that you are, then spread the word! It would be our pleasure to take care of your family and friends! 👨👩👧👦
Have you ever eaten onions or garlic and found yourself reaching for a piece of gum? Bad breath can be embarrassing, and it is something that we have all experienced from time to time. There are so many products on the shelves geared towards bad breath such as mouthwash, gum and mints. These products work great temporarily but they don’t always address the cause of the problem. Did you know there are more things that cause bad breath besides eating certain foods?
Dry mouth can also be the culprit! Saliva helps cleanse your mouth by removing particles that cause odors. When your saliva production is decreased it can contribute to bad breath. A dry mouth naturally occurs during sleep which is why you wake up with “morning breath!” Chronic dry mouth can be caused by several different diseases.
Certain medications can also cause bad breath. Some drugs can produce odors as they breakdown and release chemicals in the breath. Examples include nitrates used to treat angina, some chemotherapy chemicals, and some tranquilizers, such as phenothiazines. Certain vitamins can also cause you to have bad breath, especially in large amounts.
In addition to staining teeth and being bad for overall health, tobacco can add to the bad breath problem. Tobacco reduces your ability to taste foods and irritates gum tissues. Tobacco users are more likely to suffer from gum disease and are at greater risk for developing oral cancer.
Surgical wounds after oral surgery, such as tooth removal, can contribute to bad breath. It can also be a result of tooth decay, gum disease, mouth sores and can occasionally be from small stones that form in the tonsils which are covered with bacteria that produce odor. Infections or chronic inflammation in the nose, sinuses or throat can also cause bad breath.
Staying up to date on your professional cleanings and exams can be a huge help in fighting bad breath! Make sure you are flossing daily to get rid of all food particles that can be stuck between your teeth. We also have tongue scrubbers that scrape debris and cells off and help keep your breath smelling fresh! If you are due for your cleaning, then give us a call! We would LOVE to see you!
When we were kids saliva was appreciated for its awesome use in grossing out all the other kids! Spit came in handy for spitting contests, drooling or storing up for a later undefined use! 😉 By now, most of us have outgrown using spit for entertainment and although it’s not something that is brought up in everyday conversation, saliva plays a REALLY important part in the overall health of your mouth. The smell of yummy food can make your salivary glands go into overdrive. Which is a GOOD thing! Saliva mixes in with our food to help even the driest snack slide down with ease. It also helps to wash away food from our teeth which makes it harder for bad breath to stick around. Check out a few more AMAZING things about saliva:
You could potentially produce enough saliva to fill two bathtubs a year. Each person produces their own unique amount. On average, most people produce around 0.7 litres of saliva per day. Can you believe that!?
Your saliva helps wounds in the mouth heal faster than wounds anywhere else in the body. It helps to create a humid environment in your mouth which helps out the cells that you need to heal wounds. Saliva also contains proteins your body uses to heal too!
When you are nervous, saliva production is reduced. It’s extremely common for your mouth to become dry if you’re feeling anxious. Saliva flow is controlled by the nervous system so it can be reduced as part of the “fight or flight” response.
Your saliva is rich with a substance called opiorphin. This is a natural pain killer six times more powerful than morphine. It works by protecting chemicals called enkephalins. They basically keep pain signals from reaching the brain.
It makes your food taste better! If you’ve ever enjoyed a yummy piece of cake, then you can thank your saliva for the yummy flavor. Saliva acts like a solvent for your taste buds. It’s also the first step in the digestion process. After you take that first bite, it starts breaking down the food and that releases the flavors!
Dry Mouth
Have you ever experienced dry mouth from medications or an illness? This can cause your tongue and gums to feel very uncomfortable. Dry mouth can also lead to tooth decay and gum disease. So what can you do if you have dry mouth? You can drink water, chew sugar less gum or suck on sugar free hard candy to help stimulate your salivary glands. If you can find a product containing Xlyitol, even better. Xlyitol helps prevent bacteria from making cavities! There are also dental products to help combat unpleasant dry mouth. If you’re having problems with dry mouth or trouble swallowing then give Dr. Wells a call and let’s talk about some options that can help!
Even though you aren’t having spitting contests or making spitballs, saliva is important to your overall health.
***Disclaimer: The information provided is not to be used as an excuse to start making spitballs!
