People who skip making dental hygiene appointments  usually have two reasons: anxiety or finances. Neither of these should be a reason for avoiding cleanings and checkups. Over the long run, patients who maintain regularly scheduled care typically have lower dental care expenses because problems are discovered when they are small and easily (more cheaply) resolved. For those patients who dislike the dental hygiene experience we suggest using nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for a pleasant visit.

Your regular dental hygiene visit can do more for your health than keep your gums in shape. Non-dental related health issues can also be spotted during your checkup. Here are 4 of the most common:

1. Heart disease – Women who get dental care may reduce their risk of heart disease by 1/3 according to researchers at Berkely. While gum disease doesn’t seem to cause heart disease their is a link that science is still figuring out.
2. Oral cancer – Each visit to the dental hygienist includes a visual and manual screening for oral cancer and any discolored, swollen or ulcerated area will be brought to your attention. DNA testing for HPV infection which increases your risk of oral cancer is also available.
3. Nutritional deficiencies – Your gums and tongue can tell a lot about your nutritional status. For example a pale tongue can indicate an iron deficiency.
4. Diabetes – The health of your gums and teeth may suggest diabetes. The link between oral health and diabetes goes both ways – diabetes increases the risk you will have gum disease and having gum disease makes it harder to control your diabetes. Diabetic patients usually need dental cleanings more often than every six months.

Please contact Dr. Bernard Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD at 301-530-3600 today to schedule your dental hygiene visit. The health of your smile, and your overall health are important!

In contrast, those twins who got more than nine hours of sleep per night seemed to suppress the genetic influences. “Let’s say you have identical twins, with the same BMI-related genes. One twin is a short sleeper and the other is a normal sleeper. The short-sleeping twin is going to be turning on the genes related to BMI — it’s a permissive environment. The longer-sleeping twin is not creating that permissive environment” said Dr. Nathaniel Watson.

This study suggests that losing weight through diet and exercise may be more effective when getting more sleep to help shut down the genes that drive body weight.

This study looked at sleep duration, not quality of sleep or sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea as impacting weight. We do know that people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea may also experience weight gain.

Left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea is linked to more than increased weight. Sleep apnea puts excessive stain on the cardiovascular system and is linked to heart attack, stroke and diabetes. If you suffer from sleep apnea but cannot tolerate sleeping with your CPAP then treatment with an oral appliance could be perfect for you.

Please contact Dr. Bernard L. Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD at 301-530-3600 today to find out if you are a candidate for oral appliance therapy.

Until you get that appointment scheduled here are a few tips you can try to make your smile as white and healthy as possible at home:

1. Snack on crunchy fruits and vegetables. The fibrous foods will serve as a mild abrasive to gently scrub away food particles and the nutrients are essential for healthy teeth and gums.
2. Rinse with water. Every time you drink tea, coffee, wine or any other dark colored or sugary liquid you should rinse your mouth with water immediately. Don’t brush immediately though – many of these substances contain acids that briefly soften tooth enamel. Waiting to brush will help protect your teeth against damage.
3. Chew sugarless gum. Gums that contain Xylitol can reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in your mouth and the chewing action stimulates saliva flow which helps remineralize and strengthen teeth.
4. Ladies, try wearing lipstick with a bluish cast. The blue toned reds around your mouth will make your teeth appear whiter.
5. Brush before exercising! When you run you typically dry out your mouth because of heavy breathing. A quick brushing can remove plaque on the teeth before it has a chance to dry out and calcify.

Please contact Dr. Bernard Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD today at 301-530-3600 to schedule your appointment for a brighter, whiter smile.

First we need to know a little bit about dental plaque — no, it’s not the fancy pieces of paper your dentist hangs on his or her wall. Dental plaque is a biofilm. This is a sticky, colorless film that forms on our teeth and is made up of bacteria, sugars, food debris and saliva. You know that fuzzy feeling you get when you haven’t brushed your teeth in a few hours that is the biofilm on your teeth. Dental plaque starts out soft but if it is not removed on a regular basis (brushing and flossing) it hardens into tartar.

Dental plaque causes so many problems because of all of those bacteria. The bacteria feed on sugars and food debris and secrete acids which destroy tooth enamel. You can starve dental plaque by avoiding sugary, sticky foods. A diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is the best way to ensure a healthy smile. Crisp vegetables such as carrots and celery have the added bonus of scrubbing your teeth as you chew.

Removing dental plaque by brushing and flossing is vital. If you are unsure about how effective your brushing technique really is in your fight against plaque you can purchase colored plaque disclosing tablets at your local pharmacy. These are especially effective for children — they get to see just what they have missed and can try to brush it away.

Visiting your dental hygienist every six months (more often if you are at risk for gum disease) is needed to remove the tartar that has built up. Don’t feel bad, it is almost impossible to remove every speck of dental plaque before it can harden into tartar. Schedule your dental hygiene appointment by contacting Dr. Bernard Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD at 301-530-3600 today.

The affect that  Spousal Arousal Syndrome has on your health can be significant. Bed partners lose an average of two hours of sleep per night because of the snoring partner and, what little sleep they do get is of poor quality.  Lack of sleep causes weight gain, irritability, increased blood pressure, memory problems and daytime sleepiness. Poor job performance and an increased risk of accident due to tiredness are also common.

Other than sleeping in separate bedrooms, what can you do? The first thing you need to do is convince your spouse that their snoring is really THAT bad. A tape recorder or video camera may come in handy for this. Second, you need to make an appointment to have your spouse screened for a sleep breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea. Loud snoring, gasping or choking during sleep are all signs.

Obstructive sleep apnea has very serious health consequences including increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Fortunately, diagnosing and treating sleep apnea can allow you both a full night of sleep and improved overall health.  The first line of treatment for this disorder is called CPAP but about half of patients cannot tolerate sleeping with the machine. A highly effective and much simpler treatment is an oral appliance created by a sleep medicine dentist like Dr. Bernard Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD.  An oral appliance looks similar to an orthodontic retainer or mouthguard and is worn during sleep — when properly adjusted the device stops the snoring and keeps the airway open all night. Both partners wake up feeling energized and refreshed! How long has it been since that happened?

Please contact Dr. Bernard Greenbaum at 301-530-3600 to schedule your dental sleep medicine consultation. You both deserve a good night’s sleep!

This week there was a study of 22,000 Taiwanese adults, all older than age 50, which showed that those who had a professional tooth “scaling” in the past year were less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke over the next seven years. The researchers also weighed other risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. It turned out that a deep dental cleaning was linked to a 31% reduction in the risk of future heart attack and 15% reduction in risk of stroke.

So what does all this really mean? It means that they are going to have to do more studies! Here’s what we know for sure:  We do know that oral bacteria has been found in diseased heart valves. We do know that the inflammation caused by gum disease can have a negative effect on other parts of the body but we don’t know what the cause and effect really is.

People who take care of their oral health also tend to take better care of themselves overall and this is a factor that some studies take into account and others do not. Better oral health reduces the risk of chronic conditions linked to inflammation like diabetes and high blood pressure which can contribute to heart disease. The human body is a very complex system and it is going to take a long time to figure out all the links.

Protecting your heart health means doing things that will also protect your oral health. Stick to a healthy diet, exercise regularly and get your teeth cleaned on a regular basis – don’t forget to floss!

To schedule your next dental hygiene visit please contact Dr. Bernard Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD today at 301-530-3600.

Don’t Panic! Your mouth is filled with tons of bacteria to begin with. Some are good and some are bad. The trick is to keep the bacteria under control to avoid tooth decay, bad breath  and gum disease.

Your toothbrush is full of bacteria but most of the time they aren’t the kind that can make you sick. You should use some common sense about taking care of your toothbrush however.

Don’t brush where you flush – bathrooms can be small and water sprays when you flush. Keep your toothbrush in a closed cabinet.

Rinse your toothbrush after using. Just give it a wash with running water and shake dry.

Keep it dry by not using toothbrush covers or anything that would allow moisture to remain on the bristles. Wet bristles will encourage bacterial growth.

Stand it up – Keep the brush standing in a holder (bristles up). This keeps the bristles from coming into contact with contaminants that might be on the counter.

No sharing – I don’t care how close you feel to another person, don’t share your toothbrush. If you have a guest that has forgotten their toothbrush they can use the old “toothpaste on the finger” trick to massage paste onto their teeth. That will hold them for a short while until they can get to the store.

You don’t really need a toothbrush sanitizer unless you have a severely compromised immune system. Most of us seem to get along fine without them. Toothbrushes should be replaced every three months. Replace it more often if you have been sick or if the bristles become frayed.

To schedule your dental hygiene appointment please call Bethesda cosmetic dentist Dr. Bernard Greenbaum at 301-530-3600 today. Keep brushing and keep smiling!

The study of more than 4000 elderly adults in Japan showed that those who did not visit the dentist regularly or had lost several teeth and did not use dentures had a much higher risk for dementia than those who had good dental health.

Dr. Yukio Hirata said “The number of dementia patients is increasing, but there are no effective treatment and prevention methods. Therefore, finding risk factors contributes to solving the problem from the viewpoint of prevention.” Dr. Hirata also reported that some earlier studies had suggested that gum disease and its complications, including tooth loss,  might be a risk factor for dementia. Tooth loss has a profound effect on diet and nutrition as well as overall quality of life.

You can avoid potential tooth loss by brushing and flossing every day and visiting your dentist every six months (or more often if you have gum disease or risk factors for gum disease). Sometimes tooth loss may be unavoidable and in those cases replacing the missing tooth with a dental implant is a wonderful choice. Dental implants act like a natural tooth and, unlike dental bridges, do not require special care for cleaning and flossing.

To find out if a dental implant is right for you please contact Bethesda cosmetic dentist Dr. Bernard Greenbaum at 301-530-3600 today.

Early detection of oral cancer usually means a high survival rate. Treating early stage cancers is effective and much easier on the patient. A routine oral cancer screening is part of your regular check-up. DNA testing for oral cancer can help assess your risk and give you peace of mind.

Look for these early warning signs:

• A mouth sore that doesn’t heal after 2 weeks
• Red or white discolored patches on the soft tissues of the mouth
• Sore throat or hoarseness that doesn’t go away

More advanced cancers can have these symptoms:

• A feeling that something is “stuck” in the throat
• Difficulty swallowing
• Numbness in the mouth or difficulty moving your tongue

Risk factors for oral cancer include smoking and drinking alcohol. A few years ago the average oral cancer patient was a middle aged or older man who smoked and drank for many years. Today we are seeing a spike in the number of oral cancers in young adults primarily due to HPV infection.

If you can’t remember the last time you had a dental check-up or if your last check-up was more than one year ago contact Dr. Bernard L. Greenbaum in Bethesda, MD at 301-530-3600 today to schedule your appointment.

Certain health conditions and medications can make you more susceptible to gum disease. Patients with diabetes or Sjogren’s Syndrome fall into this category, even pregnancy increases your risk. If you are taking any type of medication that causes “dry mouth” your risk is also increased because of reduced saliva flow. Even oral contraceptives and other hormone therapies can increase your risk.

Most importantly keep an eye out for these signs of gum disease:

• Bleeding gums when you brush or floss
• Gums that are sore, swollen or tender to the touch
• Gums that seem to be receding from the teeth
• Bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth

You can maintain a healthy smile for life by visiting your dental hygienist regularly and having any existing gum disease treated. Please contact the Bethesda, MD office of Dr. Bernard Greenbaum at 301-530-3600 to schedule your dental hygiene visit today.