Zumbro Family Dental Blog

If you do a good job of keeping your teeth clean at home, you might think that a dental checkup is unnecessary. After all, why should you go to the dentist if your teeth are already clean? The truth is that these appointments are for more than just cleaning your teeth. They provide your dentist with an opportunity to detect the presence of other issues in your mouth before they become dangerous. One of these is oral cancer, and there are about 50,000 new cases of it annually. Read on to find out how your dentist plays a role in stopping oral cancer before it becomes serious.

During this uncertain time, you’re probably staying home at all cost to avoid contact with the coronavirus. You may be taking certain precautions to stay healthy, but there are some additional steps you can take to protect your teeth. The last thing you need right now is a dental emergency, which is why your dentist wants to give you an easy way to minimize your risk of harming your smile! Keep reading to learn about the foods you should avoid during quarantine for a safe set of teeth.

Straightening your teeth has never been known to be comfortable or convenient, which is what gave bloggers and social media influencers the idea to save money and simply give themselves orthodontic treatments. Even though forging an appliance out of paperclips, super glue, and other household items may be the cheaper treatment, it can cause huge problems for your smile down the road. Read on to learn six reasons why it’s smarter to leave your orthodontic treatment to your dentist instead of attempting to do it yourself.

You visit your dentist at least twice a year for a checkup and cleaning; surely that’s enough to help your smile last, right? Wrong. As important as these visits are, they won’t be enough to keep your teeth and gums healthy if you’re not taking care of your mouth in the meantime. If you don’t want to become one of the thousands of Americans who suffer from gum disease and lost teeth, take control of your oral health today with these 3 clean teeth habits.

Whether it’s a blow to the mouth that knocked out a tooth or sudden persistent oral pain, a dental emergency can happen at any time. You can take simple steps to try and prevent these problems, of course (such as brushing every day or wearing a mouthguard), but when the worst does happen, it’s important not to panic; you need to focus on keeping your smile as safe and comfortable as possible until you can see your dentist. Keep reading to learn how to recognize dental emergencies – and more importantly, how you can treat them before your appointment!  

When you think about keeping your heart healthy, do you think about flossing? Probably not, but a growing body of research implies that we should. Numerous studies confirm that your oral health influences your general wellbeing, as well as vice versa. Recently, experts have begun to examine the relationship between the gums and the heart, and you may find yourself flossing more often after learning the results. Here’s what you need to know about the connection between gum disease and heart health.

When was the last time you flossed? If it was more than even 24 hours ago, that’s far too long. When you go without flossing for just a single day, bacteria in your mouth begin to accumulate between your teeth and along your gumline, which can result in health problems like gum disease. In order to keep these problems at bay, it’s important to floss every day. A dentist is here to talk more about flossing and how important it is.

According to surveys conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every two adults in the United States suffers from gum disease. Without the proper treatment and dental hygiene regimen, this condition can cause permanent damage to your mouth and embarrassing symptoms like chronic bad breath. Many people aren’t aware that this disease is highly preventable, and as long as you take measures to protect your mouth, you will be safe from it. Read on for five tips from your dentist to protect yourself from gum disease.

There’s nothing quite as uniquely irritating as having a bit of food stuck in your teeth. Sometimes, you simply can’t dislodge that stubborn popcorn shell or tiny bit of steak without some help. It’s a wonderful feeling once you finally use a toothpick or floss to get rid of it! Floss can be a great tool for removing bits of stuck food between your teeth, but do you use it regularly? Most of us have heard that it’s a key part of keeping good oral health. But if you brush twice a day and regularly see your preventive dentist for checkups, is flossing really helping you to fight plaque? Let’s break down how flossing works and discover why it’s so important.

No one wants to have missing teeth. The loss of self-esteem and shame in your own appearance can have you avoiding friends and family and struggling to leave your house. In the past, a full or partial denture or a fixed bridge was the only way to repair and rebuild a smile, but now, thanks to advancements in dentistry, dental implants have become one of the most superior and revolutionary forms of tooth replacement. Hear from an implant dentist who shares what makes these restorations so beneficial to patients with missing teeth.