Healthy Smiles Family Dental

It’s normal to have a dry mouth before standing up to report during a big meeting, or when you’re about to get down on one knee to propose. It becomes an issue when it’s happening all the time. If your mouth constantly feels dry, you’re always thirsty, or you can’t even eat or speak, contact Healthy Smiles Family Dental. Drs. Na Xu and Mark Thomas can help. You may be suffering from a condition known as Dry Mouth or Xerostomia.   It may seem strange, but your mouth needs saliva. It’s crucial for eating and speaking. Your saliva also keeps your mouth clean and free of bacteria. When left untreated, dry mouth lowers your quality of life while heightening your risk of dental problems. Your first appointment is meant to detect the cause of your dryness. Let the staff know of any medications that you take. There are over 500 medications known to cause dryness. Even allergy medication can be responsible. Certain autoimmune disorders, like Sjögren's syndrome, also put you at risk. This di...

Asthma is a condition with implications for many bodily systems, including dental health. Patients at Salem’s Healthy Smiles Family Dental know that we cooperate with their other care providers to ensure that all their unique needs are being met. If they suffer from asthma, they may need to make some additional lifestyle and hygiene changes to protect themselves from tooth decay. Saliva plays an important role in combatting bacteria that create cavities. It washes away food particles, depriving bacteria of nutrients, and neutralizes the acid produced by their metabolizing process. But people with asthma commonly suffer from dry mouth (also called xerostomia). They may breathe through their mouths because their upper airways are inflamed, or xerostomia may be a side effect of their medication, but they’ll need to drink more liquids, use humidifiers to maintain a less dry environment, and possibly use throat moisturizers. Patients should consult with their asthma specialist before making...

Cold weather means bad news for peoples’ lips. We at Salem’s Healthy Smiles Dental want our patients to know how to maintain good oral health, so we thought it would be a good idea to go over some ways of preventing the soft tissues of the mouth from chapping, particularly for our patients who will be experiencing drier weather. Lip balm is certainly helpful for sealing in moisture. But users should be aware that products with fragrances or that contain menthol can be an irritant. Licking the lips will prove counterproductive because as saliva evaporates, it will take more moisture with it. Long, hot showers will also make the chapping problem worse. Another bad way of dealing with chapped lips is to tuck them under the teeth, which will further bruise them and could cause them to swell. Few people would hold their lips under their teeth long enough to develop an open bite, but it could become a habit and interfere with orthodontic therapy. For better results, try using humidifiers to ...