Dentist Blog

Having great oral health doesn't just mean keeping your teeth clean and free from disease, as healthy gums are absolutely essential. Unless your gums are healthy they won't be able to do their job of keeping your teeth firmly in place, and you'll be at risk of losing teeth. As any dentist in Fishkill will tell you, gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in the world.

There's nothing complicated about getting and keeping healthy gums, as all it takes is a few minutes a day. All you have to do is ensure you brush your teeth twice a day, spending at least 2 minutes each time, and that you always floss once-a-day.

Researchers recently discovered that there may be a connection between the bacterium present in mouth and development of several, serious, even deadly infections. The bacterium is known as Streptococcus tigurinus. Of course, there is no way to completely destroy the Streptococcus tigurinus in the mouth in its entirety. It is, however, possible to decrease the odds of having this bacterium enter your bloodstream by routine visits with your Fishkill dentist, as well as maintaining good oral hygiene.

The reason that oral health is so important to reducing your risk of being effected by this bacteria is that it is likely effecting people after entering the bloodstream through bleeding gums or ulcers. Once it is in the bloodstream it can lead to meningitis, inflammation of the heart, and inflammation of the spine. As a dentist in Fishkill, I take this news very seriously. These are deadly disease that can kill in just a matter of days and cause severe complications in only a few hours. If keeping my patient's oral health is a way of saving them from this horrible fate, than I must do everything that is within my power to do so.

April is oral cancer awareness month and as a local dentist I want to do all I can to help my patients avoid this dangerous illness. Dental professionals can be your first line of defense against oral cancer. We are trained and qualified to diagnose the early signs of oral cancer and can complete a screening as part of a routine examination. With early detection the survival rate of oral cancer jumps to 80 or 90 percent. So take a moment and improve your oral cancer awareness in Fishkill.

According to the National Cancer Institute there will be over 40,000 newly diagnosed Americans with oral cancer. Because of late diagnosis the 5 year survival rate of these victims will be less than 50 percent. This is why oral cancer awareness in Fishkill is so important. Oral cancer starts small, but if you know what to watch for and regularly visit the local dentist we can work together to identify any suspicious spots early.