Keep You and Yours Safe

We know that smoking can have a negative impact on our mouths, both with the dryness and callousness it causes, and with it's lowering of our defenses.  These effects from smoking can have an impact on our families and friends if we are not careful to smoke away from non-smokers, like children.  Our mouths are one of the locations where cancer can be devastating both in the look of our face, and in the proximity to our brains and nerve centers.  The best solution would be to quit smoking.  The next best is to keep our loved ones safe by not smoking around them.  If you are interested in quitting smoking, there are many aids at your disposal.  Discuss these with your physician or dentist.

Dry Mouth

Ever notice that when you get tired, your eyes get dry or your mouth gets dry?  Well, for most of us, this is our body shutting off the water for the night.  This has implications for your mouth and your overall health because your natural oral protector, your saliva, is reduced while you sleep.  If you haven't cleaned your teeth well before bed, then the bacteria still in your mouth can have a party all night long!  They build up tartar, which are essentially large colonies of attached bacteria to your teeth.  This situation can lead to gum disease and more cavities.
Another possible contributing factor to dry mouth during the day is that of dehydration.  Many of us don't drink enough water, which may cause a lowering of our immune defenses.  Even though it may mean more trips to the bathroom, we need to drink water in order to maintain our health, including our saliva.  Cheers!