Flossing

Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS of Bayberry Dental Care encourages patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, and the staff here likes to see patients set themselves up for a lifetime of good oral health.  Regular flossing is essential to maintaining oral health and you should floss once a day, either before or after brushing. Remember these tips to help you floss effectively:

• A strand of dental floss about 18 inches long allows you to wrap the ends of the floss around a finger on each hand. This gives you excellent control over the portion of floss you are using.


• The proper technique to flossing is sliding the floss between the teeth and rubbing the floss back and forth up until you reach your gums.


• Pushing at your gums too hard with floss can damage your gum line and isn’t necessary to floss properly. Think of a small swooping motion as you rub the floss up to one gum, then down and back up towards the other.


• As you move on to the next tooth, adjust the floss to expose an unused portion. Repeat this rubbing motion between each tooth and dispose of the floss once you are finished.

To learn more about oral hygiene and the services we provide, visit www.bayberrydentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS in our Tinley Park, IL office, call Bayberry Dental Care at 708-802-8300.

Have You Had A Cleaning This Year?

Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS and the staff of Bayberry Dental Care encourage all our patients to maintain a great oral health routine at home, but it is still important to come into the office for regular professional cleanings.  During the holidays, we want everyone looking forward to the New Year and maintaining great oral hygiene!  However much you brush and floss, some harmful bacteria grow in your mouth that cause gum disease and can only be removed by a dental professional. 

It’s important to see a professional regularly not just to clean your teeth, but also to locate and monitor areas in the mouth that may need special attention, and a dentist can tell you if you may be missing a spot or skipping an important step in your regular oral care routine.  During a teeth cleaning, a hygienist thoroughly clean the area above and below the gum line with scaling tools to rid them of plaque and tartar. After the surfaces of the teeth are cleaned, the hygienist flosses between every one of your teeth and may apply fluoride if recommended by the dentist. Come see us for a cleaning to make a great impression during the holidays, and start the year off with your best smile!

To learn more about dental health and all the services provided at the practice, visit www.bayberrydentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS in our Tinley Park, IL office, call Bayberry Dental Care at 708-802-8300.

Lip Care in Cold Weather

To take good care of your teeth, you also have to take care of your lips. This time of year, we know everybody in Chicagoland is trying to protect themselves from frigid, dry weather. We want patients at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park to keep their lips from chapping so that they’ll be less vulnerable to dry mouth and teeth misalignments.

Cold air cannot hold much moisture. But liquids on the lips will still evaporate, taking protective oils on the lips with them. For this reason, it is best to avoid taking long, hot showers or baths. But an even worse alternative is sucking on the lips or folding them under the teeth. Children often do this in cold weather and it causes their mouths to become inflamed and painful. Too much of it could also contribute to an open bite and could causes abrasions inside the mouth if the patient is wearing braces.

Lip balm is a reliable way of sealing in moisture, although patients will need to pay attention to which product they use. Some people are allergic to certain fragrances or the chemical menthol. Should they notice their lips becoming inflamed, they should switch to a fragrance-free product immediately. Another strategy is to increase the amount of moisture in the air through the use of humidifiers. Placing humidifiers in the bedroom, in an office, or anywhere else you spend a lot of time makes dry mouth and chapping less likely.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Diabetes and Gum Disease

If you suffer from diabetes, you are especially vulnerable to gum disease. We treat all our patients with compassion at Bayberry Dental Care, and we want them to understand how their oral health ties into their overall health. In the cases of people with diabetes, we are committed to providing the support they need to keep their gums strong and free of pain, and we want them to know more about why working with us is so important.

Studies consistently show that people with uncontrolled blood sugar have elevated levels of gingivitis symptoms such as bleeding gums, redness, and soreness. The exact connection is not completely understood, but we do know that people with diabetes have a more difficult time fighting infections in general. Inflammation is the immune system’s initial response to an infection or injury. It helps to isolate pathogens, but prolonged inflammation can ultimately damage tissues. If gingivitis progresses into periodontal disease, the gums and jaw bone tissue will recede, leaving teeth loose and sensitive.

At regular dental examinations, we provide thorough cleanings that will help stop gingivitis from developing. We also provide scaling and root cleaning to remove decay from the gum pockets that patients can’t reach on their own. Despite their elevated risk, it is possible for people with diabetes to maintain good oral hygiene. Best of all, there is evidence that other diabetes-related inflammation tends to improve as patients’ oral health improves.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Scaling and Root Planing for Gum Disease

The word periodontitis literally means “inflammation around the tooth.” Periodontitis and all periodontal diseases are bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold the teeth in the mouth. To take steps toward preventing and treating periodontal disease, Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS of Bayberry Dental Care may recommend a scaling and root planing procedure to eliminate bacteria under the gum line.

Root planing and scaling is one of the most effective ways to treat gum disease before it becomes severe. When plaque and tartar sit on the teeth they provide an environment that allows bacteria to thrive and multiply. These bacteria can lead to bad breath and cause the gums to bleed and become inflamed. Dental scaling occurs with manual hand instruments, ultrasonic instruments or both. Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS, will begin the procedure with a thorough examination of your mouth. Next, a combination of scaling devices will be used to eliminate the plaque bacteria. The objective is to clean between the gums and the teeth down to the roots.

If you have signs and symptoms of periodontal disease, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.bayberrydentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS in our Tinley Park, IL office, call Bayberry Dental Care at 708-802-8300.

Oral Hygiene Tips for the Holidays

We wish all our patients at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park a Happy Thanksgiving! At this time of year, there are many sweets and feasts to look forward to. But that doesn’t mean tooth decay takes a break, so to help our patients have a good holiday season, we wanted to provide some tips on oral hygiene.

As we discussed in our post about baby bottle tooth decay, sugary residue poses more of a threat to teeth than the sugar content of any specific food. A lot of the sugary drinks that are popular this time of year—pumpkin spice lattes, eggnog, hot chocolate, apple cider, and alcoholic beverages, are drunk slowly, allowing residue to cling to the teeth for a long time. People also consume more hard candies, which tend to dry the mouth out in addition to sticking to teeth and to eat sticky toffees. But even complex starches, such as those found in winter squash, can fuel tooth decay if debris gets caught in hard-to-reach spaces.

The best way to maintain oral hygiene is regular brushing and flossing, but this may not always be easy during family or social gatherings. Another strategy is to chew sugar-free gum, which will dislodge food particles and stimulate saliva production. You may also try keeping bottles of fluoridated water on hand. Taking swigs from them in between consuming other drinks will wash away sugar and strengthen your enamel.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

You may think it’s a good idea to put a child to sleep with a bottle, but there are consequences that come along with it that you may not be aware of. Baby bottle tooth decay is caused by the frequent and long-term exposure of a child’s teeth and gums to liquids containing sugars. These beverages include milk, formula, and fruit juice and if they aren’t properly brushed away, your child’s teeth may suffer. Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS suggests bringing your child in for an oral exam before the age of one. If you haven’t scheduled an appointment, it’s time to do so!

The first step in preventing baby bottle decay is never allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle that contains liquid other than water. Next, be sure to clean and massage your infant’s gums once a day to help establish healthy teeth. Treatment for baby bottle tooth decay is similar to that of adult tooth decay. Don’t assume that just because your child’s baby teeth will fall out that it’s ok to neglect them.  

If you have questions or concerns regarding pediatric dentistry, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.bayberrydentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS in our Tinley Park, IL office, call Bayberry Dental Care at 708-802-8300.