If you think back to perhaps fourth grade science, you may remember learning about the tongue map. The tongue map described which areas of the tongue tasted different flavors — bitter on the back, sour and salty on the sides, and sweet on the front. At my dental office in Modesto, we’d like to correct this early-taught lesson of mouth anatomy (sorry, fourth grade teachers!).

Where Are You, Bud?

Taste buds are often mistaken for another crucial piece of tongue anatomy — the papillae. When you stick out your tongue (go ahead, stick it out), you’ll see a bunch of tiny bumps on all areas of the tongue. These are not your taste buds, these are your papillae. Papillae come in several forms and actually house your taste buds which are much smaller. So if you have papillae all over your tongue, does that mean your taste buds are all over your tongue and you taste every flavor everywhere? Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Where’s Your Flavor?

Papillae comes in four main forms — the filiform, the fungiform, the foliate, and the circumvallate. Let’s start with the least exciting one, the filiform.

• Filiform – The filiform papillae are found in the middle of the tongue and almost look like fur. Don’t worry, it’s not really fur and you’re not turning into a werewolf, it’s just the shape of this papillae. This is the least exciting papillae because it doesn’t contain any taste buds. This means you don’t taste tastes in the middle of your tongue.
• Fungiform – These papillae are found on the sides and front of the tongue and look like tiny dots. These are a bit more exciting but only slightly. Each fungiform papillae contains about 3-5 taste buds so you can technically experience taste in this area of the tongue, but there’s a better place.
• Foliate & Circumvallate – Most of your taste buds are found in these two papillae. In fact, each one usually has more than 100 taste buds! Both of these types of papillae are found at the back of the mouth. The circumvallate are on the top of the tongue in the way, way back and basically form a line from one side of the tongue to the other. The foliate papillae are also way in the back on either side of the tongue and look more like ridges than small bumps.

So you can see, using the tongue map is a great way to roughly explain how taste buds work, but we wanted to make sure all of the patients at my Modesto dental office knew the real source of the blissful taste of their favorite foods. So take a bite, let it linger on the back of your tongue, and enjoy!

Accepting patients from Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding communities.

Let us indulge our obsession with oral health by talking to you about Oral Cancer, its risk factors, and sharing good information with you. At my Modesto dental office, we screen every adult for it at every visit.

Oral Cancer Facts

• 8,000 people in the United States die from oral cancer every year.
• If caught early, the oral cancer survival rate is between 85-90%.
• Oral Cancer risk factors are higher among these groups: People over age 45, Those who smoke or use alcohol, People with consistently high exposure to UV rays, Those who have been diagnosed with HPV, and People with poor nutrition.

How Can I Prevent it?

1. Don’t start smoking or drinking. If you do smoke, quit. If you drink, drink less.
2. Get at least five servings each day of fruits and vegetables.
3. If you have HPV, get checked for oral cancer regularly.
4. If you are 45 or older, get checked for oral cancer regularly.
5. If you spend a lot of time working or playing outdoors, wear at least SPF 15 on your lips, and reapply sunscreen to your face and neck (and your whole body) frequently.

Early Detection is Key

Even people with none of the above risk factors sometimes get oral cancer. So even if you have no risk factors, make sure you get checked every year. That’s why we invite you to make an appointment with us at my Modesto dental office in honor of Cancer Awareness Month.

Please keep your regularly scheduled appointments at my dental office in Modesto. The more you see us, the better chance we have to catch any serious concerns promptly.

If you’re due for a visit, give us a call. We’d love to see you and promise to care for you in a welcoming, non-judgemental atmosphere.

Accepting patients from Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding areas.

Here in America, we know all about the small-winged fluttering fairy that compensates kids with a few bucks (an average of $3.70!) in exchange for a freshly lost tooth. What we don’t know is whether the Tooth Fairy is like Santa Claus and visits all children throughout the world who have lost a tooth in one night. At our pediatric dental office in Erdenheim, we wanted to get the scoop on the business of collecting lost teeth.

England, Canada, and Australia

In England, Canada, and Australia, the Tooth Fairy follows the same tradition as in the United States. She takes her tiny body, wiggles it under the pillow, retrieves the tooth, and replaces it with some cash or a small gift. In other locations around the world, fairies are hard to come by, so she hires small animals to help her.

Mice, Birds, and Lizards! Oh My!

French children’s lost teeth still rest under the pillows of sleepy heads, but instead of the Tooth Fairy, a small silent mouse named La Petite Souris collects them and leaves money or candies behind. Similarly in Spain, La Petite Souris’ mouse cousin, Ratoncito Peréz, takes lost teeth and replaces them with tiny treasures. Ratoncito then travels to Argentina where children leave lost teeth in glasses of water. Because of the long trip, Ratoncito is mighty thirsty, so he drinks all the water, takes the teeth, and leaves behind his remaining stash of treasure. Other members of this magical mouse family collect teeth from children in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, South Africa, and Greece.

Besides mice, birds also help the Tooth Fairy collect teeth, particularly in Brazil and India. Brazilian kids traditionally toss their lost teeth outside and leave them for birds to collect. The trick here? Birds will only retrieve teeth and leave a treasure if they’re clean teeth, so hopefully kids in Brazil are brushing and flossing! In India, lost teeth are tossed on the roof with hopes a sparrow will provide new ones.

Many sections of Africa have their children throw teeth from the upper jaw on the roof and bury ones from the bottom jaw on the ground. If a lizard finds any discarded lost tooth, legend has it a new one will not grow.

With the many traditions throughout the world regarding the Tooth Fairy, we’ve determined that she runs a pretty great business. If your little one is wiggling and jiggling a loose tooth, prepare them for a visit from the Tooth Fairy, and to our Erdenheim pediatric dental office. Losing baby teeth is natural, but we want to work with your children to make sure their adult teeth last a lifetime, because we all know the tooth fairy doesn’t visit adults. She can’t afford the going price of a permanent tooth.

Welcoming patients from Erdenheim, Flourtown, Chestnut Hill, and nearby neighborhoods.

You walk in the door, you inhale deeply, and you immediately know you’re in a dental office. Your nose tickles with the scent of incredible cleanliness, and may trigger a sense of fear or aversion for visiting the dentist. At my dental office in Modesto, we think explaining what exactly causes that dental office smell may help relieve a bit of that discomfort (at least we hope!).

Infection Control Products

All dental practices should practice strict sanitation and infection control procedures (we sure do!). Just like a hospital or physician’s office, your Modesto dentist also needs to ensure extreme cleanliness throughout the practice. The items used to keep tools sterilized, hands covered and clean, and chairs free of germs all have super-clean aromas. Gloves, antibacterial soaps, disinfectant wipes, extreme heat sanitation ovens, and the product used to sanitize tools that can’t be cleaned through heat all help contribute to the dental office smell.

Procedures

Certain dental treatments can result is something commonly known as tooth dust. When getting a filling, a root canal, or crown, tooth dust is often released into the air. At a dental practice, where these procedures are quite common, the smell from a lot of tooth dust can linger around and contribute to that dental office scent. Dentists and their assistants can minimize the amount of tooth dust during a procedure by using a lot of water and a high-suction vacuum.

Dental Materials

Many of the materials used in dentistry have smells all their own. One specific, common material that’s used for constructing dentures and temporary crowns is acrylic, and it has a strong stench that also contributes to the smell of the dental office. Another high-smelling dental material is clove oil, which is typically used in dental fillings.

Now that you know some of the reasons behind the unique dental office smell, all of us at my Modesto dental office hope it makes visiting a dentist a bit more comforting. If we can help ease your concerns, please give us call. We’re here to help you get healthy while keeping you comfortable and relaxed.

Welcoming patients from Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding areas.

Smoking is one of the most addictive habits out there. It’s also one of the worst things for your health. When you think of smoking, do you think of lung cancer? Perhaps emphysema? Or maybe it’s heart disease. While all of these are very real possibilities, at my Modesto dental office, we’d like to talk about the oral health risks associated with smoking.

Gum Disease

One of the strongest correlations between smoking and oral health is the increased risk for gum disease. According to research from the Centers for Disease Control, smokers are seven times more likely develop gum disease than non-smokers. Additionally, 75% of all adult gum disease diagnoses are associated with smoking. Caused by bacteria, gum disease is a serious infection that invades the pockets that holds teeth in place leading to pain, bleeding while brushing or flossing, and eventually tooth loss.

Tooth Loss

In direct correlation with the onset of gum disease, tooth loss is another major health concern ultimately caused by smoking. The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) estimates for every 10 years of active smoking, males will lose 2.9 teeth and females 1.5. Tooth loss can create it’s own host of problems including deterioration of jaw bone, lack of proper nutrition due to inability to chew, plus self-confidence issues.

Oral Cancer

When you take a drag of a cigarette, the smoke immediately touches your lips, then your mouth, and eventually travels through your throat and into the lungs. There are 4,000 known chemicals in each cigarette. 43 are known to cause cancer. With the high level of cancer-causing ingredients along with the close interaction between the smoke and the mouth, some of the following stats shouldn’t be surprising.

• 90% of those with oral cancer have used tobacco
• Smokers are six time more likely to develop some type of oral cancer
• Smoke from tobacco products can cause cancer in the mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus

If you’re a smoker, let us know. We won’t judge you but it does make it really important for you to keep up with regularly scheduled appointments at my dental office in Modesto. At every visit, we’ll work closely with you to ensure there are no dangerous diseases lurking in your mouth.

Accepting patients from Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and nearby neighborhoods.

We always encourage you to keep up with regularly scheduled appointments at my dental office in Modesto. But do you know why it’s so important? In this blog, we cover some of the top reasons seeing us at least twice a year is so crucial to your oral health.

1.  Cavities. Regular cleanings and appointments are key to preventing serious problems that may be lurking. Plaque, that gross white stuff that you can sometimes see on your teeth, is the top cause of decay and, therefore, cavities. If left alone, the plaque eats away at enamel and forms cavities. Professional cleanings are really important to remove plaque buildup and protect smiles.

2.  Keep Your Teeth. Not only can regular visits keep you healthy, they’re also really important if you want to keep your teeth. At your appointments, we look for gum disease, which is one of the major reasons adults lose their teeth. If left untreated, gum disease can weaken the bone that holds teeth in place. This can eventually cause teeth to fall out or loosen. If we catch gum disease early, it decreases the chance of this happening.

3.  Save Your Money. Regular visits help catch any potential problems before they turn into big, expensive issues. Taking advantage of preventive care appointments can help keep cash in your wallet by helping avoid big ticket procedures.

4.  Kissably Fresh Breath. While your at-home routine does help to keep bad breath germs away, professional cleanings get deep into the pockets and remove germs and bacteria below the gum line.

5.  Overall Health. There is a strong connection between your oral health and your overall health. A healthy mouth typically means a healthier body, and there’s no better way to ensure you’re in tip-top shape than with regular cleanings. Regular cleanings may help lower risk for heart disease and stroke, and we can detect many other whole-body problems early at regular dental appointments.

If you’re due for a checkup or cleaning, call my Modesto dental office. We’ll get you scheduled for an exam and cleaning, and check your entire mouth for any problems or potential ones. As always, we’ll also recommend that you return to see us in about six months.

Welcoming patients from Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding areas.

During the month of February, we celebrate American Heart Month and work to raise awareness of the best ways to keep your heart healthy. For all of us here at my dental office in Modesto, there’s never been a better time to talk about the link between your oral health and heart health.

The mouth is the window to whole body health. Your mouth can provide early warning signs to a variety of other whole-body problems, one of which is heart disease. Additionally, numerous studies have shown a strong link between gum disease and increased risk for heart disease.

 Are You at Risk?

According to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), those who have gum disease are at increased risk for a heart attack. Many of the culprits that often contribute to heart disease are the same leading causes of gum disease, such as smoking, smokeless tobacco, and poor nutrition. 

Already have a history of heart problems? Your dentist in Modesto should be a crucial part of your health care team. With an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of any tooth or gum infections, we can help improve not only your oral health, but your overall health as well. Research from the AGD shows the earlier any oral infections are caught and treated the better, diagnosis and treatment could even lead to a decrease in the need of blood pressure medications. 

Signs & Symptoms

Without regular dental checkups and cleanings, gum disease often goes undiagnosed and can put you at greater risk for heart disease. Some signs of gum disease include:

• Swollen, red, or tender gums
• Bleeding while brushing or flossing
• Consistently bad breath
• Chronic bad taste in the mouth
• Loose teeth
• Gums that appear to be pulling away from the teeth

 If you have any of the symptoms above, please call us right away.

 This February, put your heart first and work to keep yourself at a low risk for heart or gum disease. Quit smoking, improve your diet, and always remember to maintain regular appointments with my Modesto dental office. 

Welcoming patients from Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding areas.

When dealing with a pestering cough, all you want to do is make it stop. So if you’re like most people, you turn to a common, over-the-counter cough syrup. While this remedy can make a cold easier to bear, there is a link between this soothing fix and cavities.

At my dental office in Modesto, we always put the health of our patients first, which is why we get a little nervous during cold and flu season. While there are many things you can do to help keep germs away, sometimes catching the dreaded sore throat, stuffy nose, or constant cough is inevitable. When this happens, we want you to be cautious of how you ease the symptoms.

Many cough medicines and cough drops contain ingredients that can be detrimental to the health of your smile. The most common over-the-counter medications include smile-damaging components like sugars, alcohol, and citric acids – all of which can cause some serious problems.

Alcohol, Sugar, and Acid

A healthy, normal mouth is full of saliva all day, everyday. Saliva helps rinse away dangerous acids and sugars. When alcohol is introduced to the mouth, saliva production decreases and becomes less effective. In a dry mouth, the sugars and acids that are found in many cough medicines are left in the mouth and on the teeth, and the chance of decay increases.

What To Do if You Get Sick

There a few ways that you can still find relief for your cough in the medication you’re used to and lower your risk for tooth decay.

• Take medicine with food. Saliva production increases while eating so it can help remove dangerous sugars and acids in the medicine.
• Avoid cough medicine right before bed. Not only does saliva production decrease during sleep, if you take medication after your nightly brushing routine, the sugars and acids will be on your teeth all night long.
• Try a pill form of the medicine instead of a liquid. A pill reduces the amount of damaging ingredients that come in contact with teeth.

Everyone at my Modesto dental office is hoping for a healthy cold and flu season for all of our patients. If you do happen to catch a bug, try the tips above in order to keep your teeth healthy while you’re nursing yourself back to health.

Accepting patients in Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding areas.

The type of dentistry we practice at my dental office in Modesto, that ensures comfort, oral health, and overall wellbeing, wasn’t always the norm. If we go back a few years, a mere 9,000, we find some extraordinarily crazy beliefs, wild practices, and a dental philosophy that’s much different from today’s standard.

Ancient forms of dental care didn’t revolve around prevention, and treatment actually only occurred after a problem already developed. In years past, dentists and doctors didn’t know how to properly treat tooth pain, and they didn’t know what exactly caused a toothache.

There’s a Worm in Your Tooth

In 5000 BC, the Sumerians accredited tooth pain to the legendary tooth worm, a myth that was widely accepted until the 1700s. The story of the tooth worm was that tiny worms bored into the tooth and destroyed it from the inside out, causing a lot of pain. To treat it, some practitioners would either extract the tooth or mistake the actual tooth root as a worm and pull it out. Talk about painful.

It’s All Greek to Me

In ancient Greece, throughout 500-300 BC, Hippocrates and Aristotle began to study teeth. The famous, intelligent duo not only studied how teeth grew in, but also how to treat decay and gum disease, and how to extract teeth using forceps. What’s perhaps even more interesting is that 1,000 years later, during the Middle Ages, those actually performing the extractions were not dentists, but barbers.

A Dentist is Born

It wasn’t until between 1650 and 1800 that modern dentistry practices, treatments, and knowledge came into play. Credited as “The Father of Modern Dentistry,” 17th century French physician Pierre Fauchard not only spearheaded the development of many of the procedures we use today, he also developed the process for dental fillings and determined the connection between sugar and tooth decay. Because of his discoveries, the first dental college opened in Baltimore in 1840 and dentistry became a recognized profession.

Dentistry has surely changed throughout the years, thankfully for the better — and less painful, primitive, and worm-infested. Yet without the innovations and dedication of those who came before us, the treatments offered at my Modesto dental office wouldn’t be available. Additionally, thanks to the advancements in dental technology and continuing education, we’re able to provide our patients with the services they deserve, and do it comfortably.

Welcoming patients from Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding areas.

It never fails. You’re at an important business dinner with your boss; you’re meeting a blind date for a first-time brunch; you’re at your significant other’s parents’ house for Sunday family dinner and a piece of spinach quiche gets wedged between your two front teeth. Embarrassing dental moments like those can be awkward, especially if they happen around people you’re trying to impress. At my dental office in Modesto, we have a few tips and tricks to easily resolve any dental faux pas with ease.

If you do get a piece of food stuck in your teeth, there are several ways that you can remove it. Some of the techniques can be done at the table and are subtle enough to not draw unwanted attention. For example, swishing some water around in your mouth can be successful in loosening your lingering piece of lunch. If water doesn’t work, a piece of sugarless gum can help unstick the wedged food particle. However, there are times when the food is really stuck in there and water swishing and gum chewing won’t budge it.

When this happens, you’ll have to take the next steps and excuse yourself from the table and visit the restroom. If you have some floss, which we always recommend carrying, it’s the best at removing anything that’s stuck between your teeth. If no floss is available, a corner of a folded paper towel could work, too. It’s important never to use something that could cause damage like hairpins, tweezers, keys, or pens.

Other times, it’s not a lingering piece of food that causes awkward moments, but the lingering stench of your garlic pasta entree. If post-dinner bad breath is common for you, make it a point to buy some sugarless gum before you arrive at the meal and chew it when you’re finished eating. However, if you don’t have any gum, there are other tricks you can use to squash bad breath.

Water can help wash bad breath culprits from the tongue, and if you need to take it a step further, a spoon or tongue scraper can be used (It’s best to not use either at the table – head to the restroom instead). If your bad breath is more of an everyday occurrence and not just a sporadic, post-meal problem, it may be a sign of something more serious and we recommend a visit your dentist in Modesto.

Nobody enjoys awkward moments at events that are already stressful, but with a little planning ahead (buy that gum, pack that floss), and with the knowledge of helpful tips and tricks for fixing embarrassing moments with poise, you’re ready to handle any embarrassing smile moment.

Serving patients in Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, and surrounding communities.