Dental Hygiene Clinic in Salida, Colorado

Dental hygienists are the defenders of the gum and the bone! While the dentist takes care of the structure of the teeth themselves, the hygienist is in charge of keeping the foundation healthy through prevention of gum disease. Gum disease is linked to heart disease, so we should think about dental hygiene as a full-body treatment.

Oral hygiene is all the things you do to maintain healthy gums, teeth, and bone levels in your face and jaw. To maintain healthy gums and teeth, you learn home practices, like brushing your teeth and flossing. Oral hygiene includes different adjuncts like an electric toothbrush, a water flosser (aka water pik), a rubber tip stimulator, proxy brushes, mouth rinses, oil pulling, and tongue scraping.

• Brushing and flossing are by far the most effective things you can do to cleanse your mouth. Nothing replaces these.

• Tongue scraping is super important because there are bacteria that stay on the tongue, and it's a commonly missed area. You can get a similar effect with brushing the tongue, but scraping is great. Getting the tongue cleaned off is highly effective for reduction of bacteria.

• Regular visits to your dental hygienist, combined with a strong home practice for taking care of your oral hygiene, is the best way to give yourself the highest potential for great dental and oral health. At Peak to Peak, we recommend that you make an appointment at least twice a year (every 6 months). Some people are more susceptible to a build-up of oral bacteria due to variations in diet, lifestyle, genetics, and our microbiome. These folks may need to come in every 3-4 months for a cleaning. In addition to this, we recommend at least an annual visit to a dentist (DDS or DMD).

• Oil pulling (swishing oil in the mouth for a few minutes and spitting it out) is a practice that is known to be beneficial in some natural healing traditions. It's certainly not harmful, but should not be considered to be a replacement for flossing and brushing.

It's always better to maintain good dental health and stay ahead as opposed to playing catch-up with periodontal disease!

Our body is made up of multiple systems: our digestive system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, etc. The mouth is the entrance to the body. What you put in your mouth and how well you take care of your mouth can affect other areas of the body in entirety. Harmful bacteria can accumulate in the mouth and can eventually get into the bloodstream, becoming a systemic and serious contributor to major health problems.

Having a healthy mouth means healthy saliva and strong teeth. Digestion begins in the mouth. Being able to chew your food thoroughly aids with digestion, which leads to better absorption of nutrients. Research is increasingly showing how important the health of the oral microbiome (the ecosystem of microorganisms like bacteria) is to brain health, heart health, and intestinal/digestive health.

Poor dental hygiene can lead to...

• Gum disease

• Loss of teeth

• Poor overall health

• Heart disease

• Constant infection in the gums that the body must battle, burdening the immune system

Usually, there is not a direct correlation between sinus trouble and dental/oral hygiene, even though the sinuses are close to the mouth. You might feel like you have a toothache, and it could be sinus congestion or infection, not affecting your teeth. In this case, we would do an exam with an X-ray to see if there is any indication of a tooth abscess. Most X-rays reveal the sinus membrane. If this membrane is lying close to the roots of the upper teeth, the pressure of inflamed sinuses can make it feel like a toothache. But this doesn't have anything to do with dental hygiene per se.

Straightening of teeth can make dental hygiene easier, because the straighter your teeth are, the easier they are to clean. Invisalign trays should be cleaned with soap and water, and you should continue your full oral hygiene routine, including brushing and flossing.

When you have braces, it's sometimes better to schedule more frequent visits to the hygienist because it is harder to make sure your teeth are getting fully clean with your home practices. Cleaning by your hygienist can help to prevent decalcification of your teeth. Decalcification (white, chalky spots of weakened enamel on your teeth) can develop if plaque is not adequately or frequently removed from your teeth. Decalcification can be fixed with fillings, or silver diamine flouride (SDF), but SDF turns the teeth black.

Smiling is huge. When you feel good about smiling, and you're taking care of your teeth, your body, and yourself, it helps with mental stability and confidence. At Peak to Peak Dental Hygiene, we want to help you keep you smiling all life long!

It's very important to maintain good oral health during pregnancy because of bacteria. Periodontal disease, which is caused by harmful bacteria in the mouth, is linked to low birth weight and premature deliveries. Some women can develop gingivitis (inflammation in the gums) due to hormones during pregnancy, not necessarily due to a build-up of plaque. If you are experiencing bleeding of your gums during pregnancy, more frequent cleaning (every 3-4 months) is recommended.