Are You Flossing Correctly?

A lot of times we are presented with the question, “Do I really need to floss, or is brushing enough?” Dr. Jim Williams in Douglasville wants you to know that flossing isn’t just a suggestion; it’s an essential part of a healthy oral-wellness routine.

Proper flossing can help reduce the risk of gum disease and cavities, and is an important step toward having an overall healthy mouth. In fact, The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends flossing at least once a day in order to achieve optimal oral health.

Daily flossing removes plaque and bacteria from between the teeth — where a toothbrush can’t reach. If you’re just starting to adopt a good flossing habit, you may experience minor discomfort. It’s important that you don’t stop. If the discomfort doesn’t go away after a week or two of daily flossing, be sure to visit our Douglasville dental office as soon as possible.

Flossing Tips for Healthy Gums

• Floss before brushing your teeth

• Glide the floss in between each tooth using a sawing motion

• Angle the floss in a “c” shape around the tooth and slightly below the gumline

• Repeat on the opposite tooth

• Unravel the floss from your fingers, supplying fresh floss for each set of teeth

• Finish up with a proper brushing

Even if you do floss habitually and correctly, it’s still very important to maintain regular visits with your dentist in Douglasville. If you’re in need of a professional cleaning or check up, or if you just want to show off your healthy gums, call us to schedule an appointment today.

Tips for Proper Brushing

Brushing your teeth is something we all learn to do at an early age, and is even considered fun in the beginning. However, over the years, we become so used to brushing our teeth that we have a tendency to not really pay attention to how well we’re doing it. This could lead to a less than optimal clean and put you at risk for dental problems. At the Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams,we want everyone to know that it’s not only important to brush your teeth, but to also make sure that you’re doing it properly.

Although we’re always happy to hear that our patients are brushing their teeth twice a day, we also want them to know that an incorrect technique can leave teeth exposed to harmful plaque and tartar. Proper brushing helps you successfully remove these oral health dangers along with other harmful bacteria, and helps protect against cavities, gum disease and bad breath.

We recommend brushing at least twice day, in the morning and before bed, and also following our proper brushing techniques, which include:

• Aiming your bristles at a 45-degree angle to reach under the gum line

• Using soft, circular strokes instead of horizontal ones to avoid abrasions

• Cleaning your entire mouth including front, back and chewing surface of each tooth and your tongue

• Making sure that each brushing session lasts for at least two minutes

No matter how perfect your technique may be, it’s still very important that you visit your Douglasville dentist for routine checkups and professional cleanings. If you’re due for a checkup or cleaning, give Dr. Jim Williams a call to schedule your appointment today.

Choosing the Right Toothpaste for Your Douglasville Smile

Choosing a toothpaste for you and your family isn’t as easy as it used to be. With so many options to pick from, how do you know if you’re using the right toothpaste? From fluoride to tartar control, whitening to easing tooth sensitivity, the multitude of options is confusing. But don’t worry, the Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams wants to go back to the basics and explain what you should look for.

When choosing a toothpaste for you and your family, you should first narrow your search by looking for products with the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of approval. The ADA seal means that the product is safe and it does what it claims it will do. ADA approved toothpastes have undergone clinical studies by the association and the claims, whether it’s cavity fighting or tartar control, are backed by scientific findings.

Besides looking for the ADA’s approval, the most important component of a toothpaste is the ingredient fluoride. Fluoride has been proven to protect tooth enamel from decay and is crucial to maintain a healthy gums and teeth. In fact, according to the Academy of General Dentistry, brushing with a fluoride toothpaste twice daily can reduce tooth decay by as much as 40%.

In addition to fluoride as a key ingredient to the best toothpastes, flavor is also important. While there are no real clinical benefits to certain flavors over others, it is important to like the flavor of your chosen toothpaste to encourage brushing twice a day.

Whether you choose a cavity fighting, tartar controlling spearmint toothpaste or opt for one that helps with sensitivity, using the right toothpaste is only part of maintaining a healthy mouth.

While using a fluoride infused toothpaste twice a day is a great at-home routine, it’s also very important to keep up with regularly scheduled professional cleanings and checkups. The Douglasville dental office of Dr. Jim Williams can help get your smile back to health and keep it that way. If you’re due for a checkup or dental cleaning, give us a call today to schedule your appointment.

Choosing the Right Toothbrush in Douglasville

Walking down the toothbrush aisle at the local supermarket can be an overwhelming experience –  especially if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for. When choosing the right toothbrush for your smile, there are a few important characteristics to take into consideration other than simply your favorite color or the one that’s on sale. At the dental office of Dr. Jim Williams, we want to go back to the basics and discuss a few of the things you should look for when buying your next toothbrush.

Size and Shape

The size and shape of your toothbrush is a good starting point when choosing the ideal toothbrush for you. The head of the toothbrush should easily fit into your mouth without any strain or discomfort. The toothbrush should also fit comfortably in your hand and should feel as natural as holding a fork.

Bristles

The bristles of your toothbrush are also important and should be taken into consideration. While many people tend to think that harder bristles will be better for cleaning teeth, it is, in fact, the opposite. Hard bristles can irritate the gums and even damage teeth. Our dental office in Douglasville prefers and recommends soft-bristle toothbrushes.

Manual or Powered?

According to the American Dental Association, both manual and powered toothbrushes are effective and thorough at cleaning your teeth. However, some individuals have difficulty using a manual toothbrush to successfully reach all areas of the mouth and find that powered toothbrushes are easier and more comfortable.
Whether you decide on manual or powered, it’s ultimately more important to make sure that your toothbrush is easy to use and that you’re comfortable with it. Dr. Jim Williams also recommends that you brush your teeth twice a day and to visit our Douglasville dental office regularly for professional cleanings and exams.

Protecting Your Teeth with Sports Mouth Guards in Douglasville

Most of us aren’t surprised to see ice hockey players with missing teeth. But you don’t need to be an ice hockey player to be susceptible to sports
related dental injuries. In fact, some of the most common dental injuries are the result of contact sports like basketball, soccer or lacrosse. However, with sports mouth guards made in our Douglasville dental office, your chances of getting a dental injury during a sporting event is greatly decreased.

Using a sports mouth guard while playing any contact sport reduces the risk of injuries to your lips, tongue, gums, jaw, and of course, your teeth, and protects your mouth from some of the most common dental injuries.

Sports mouth guards not only protect the inside of your mouth, they can also help protect you against concussions and jaw fractures. However, not every mouth guard can protect you equally.

There are three basic types of sports mouth guards:

• Stock mouth guards often fit loosely over the upper teeth, aren’t individually shaped, can interfere with breathing and speech, and tend to move around a lot and therefore don’t fully protect your teeth.

• Self-adapted mouth guards (often referred to as boil and bite) can be individually shaped during a heating-biting process but are still prone to move around in the mouth, are easily bitten through and can’t protect as well as a custom-made mouthguard.

• Custom-made sports mouth guards from your Douglasville dentist are constructed to fit your mouth like a glove. They last longer, are more comfortable and provide the ultimate level of protection.

Both the American Dental Association and the Academy for Sports Dentistry recommend a properly fitted custom-made mouth guard to reduce the risk of sports related dental injuries, and your Douglasville dentist can properly fit you for one.

If you’re joining a recreation league, your kids are trying their hand at basketball, or if you’ve been playing forever, the dental office of Dr. Jim Williams can help protect your mouth, and your smile. Contact us today to learn more about sports mouth guards in Douglasville.

Preventing Gum Disease in Douglasville

In our previous two blogs we’ve covered what periodontal disease is, how to recognize it, and how it can affect the rest of your body. All of us here at Jim G. Williams, DMD not only want you to be aware of the basics of periodontal disease and the dangers that it can cause to your overall health, we also think it’s important that you’re aware of how you can prevent gum disease in the first place.

Brush well and brush often!

Brushing your teeth at least twice a day, and, ideally, after every meal, is the easiest way to prevent gum disease. By using a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, brush your teeth for 2-3 minutes. Make sure to clean all sides of your teeth as well as your tongue to remove as much plaque as possible. If your gums hurt when you brush, it may be a sign of a more serious problem and it’s important to see your dentist in Douglasville as soon as possible.

Floss, floss, floss!

Flossing once a day will help remove any food particles and clean the spaces between your teeth that your toothbrush may miss. This is an important habit to to get into as cleaning in these hard-to-reach places can more effectively remove plaque and bacteria.

See your dentist regularly!

Because gum disease sometimes doesn’t have any symptoms in the early stages, maintaining your dental appointments is a very important step in prevention. Regular visits to your dentist at least twice a year ensures that your gums are healthy and that no problems are going unnoticed.

If you’re concerned about the health of your gums, or if you’re due for a checkup and cleaning, call our Douglasville dental office at 855-410-2757 to schedule your appointment today. We will perform a thorough cleaning and examine your gums for any problem areas. If we do find active gum disease, don’t worry! Although gum disease is scary, it is often easily treated. And if caught early, treatment is even easier. Don’t wait for gum disease to cause bigger problems. Schedule your appointment  today!

What Are Your Gums Saying About Your Health, Douglasville?

In our last blog, we discussed what periodontal (gum) disease is, some of the signs and symptoms that may indicate the disease, and how important it is to come see us at our Douglasville dental office as soon as possible if you’re experiencing any of those symptoms. Today we’re going to tell you why a quick diagnosis and early treatment of periodontal disease is so important.

Your gums are the window to your overall health. They not only let us know if there is an issue in your mouth, they can also indicate other problems within your body. And when they’re infected, they can make you more susceptible to serious health issues and diseases.

In fact, people with gum disease are more prone to strokes, heart attacks, heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes, among other severe health concerns.

How can a disease in your mouth cause problems in the rest of your body?

There are four main ways that periodontal disease can lead to other serious health concerns.

1. Bloodstream – Chewing food injects infectious bacteria into your bloodstream, which is then carried throughout your body.

2. Breathing – Periodontal bacteria can be breathed into the lungs and increase the chance of lung disease.

3. Transmission – Periodontal infection can be transferred directly from spouse to spouse and parent to child through a simple kiss.

4. Immune System – Gum disease can lower your immune system, making you less effective at fighting off infections.

While we know that gum disease can lead to serious medical problems and diseases, at Jim G. Williams, DMD, we also know that early diagnosis and proactive treatment can keep gum disease from causing any of these major health concerns. That’s why keeping up with your regularly scheduled visits is so important.
If you’re due for an exam, call our Douglasville dental office today at 855-410-2757 to schedule your appointment. We look forward to seeing you!

Who Cares About Gum Disease in Douglasville?

At Jim G. Williams, DMD, LLC in Douglasville, we do! In fact, we’re going to devote the next few blogs to gum disease. We want all our patients to be aware of the signs of gum disease, and how important it is to prevent it, or treat it at the first signs.

Periodontal Disease

“Periodontal disease” is the technical name for gum disease, an infection of those tissues that support and surround your teeth. Gingivitis is early-stage gum disease and periodontitis is a more advanced and serious infection. Periodontitis can lead to loose, or even lost teeth.

Signs of gum disease include:

• Gums that bleed during and after tooth brushing

• Red, swollen or tender gums

• Persistent bad breath or bad taste in the mouth

• Receding gums

• Formation of deep pockets between teeth and gums

• Loose or shifting teeth

If you notice any of these symptoms, call us ASAP! At Jim G. Williams, DMD, LLC, we will determine if you have periodontal disease and recommend treatment options for you. Our first priority is to save your natural teeth. Restorative dentistry can work wonders, but there’s nothing like smiling with your own teeth.
If you’re due for a regular visit, or have any concerns about your dental health, give us a call at our Douglasville dental office.

Basics of Root Canals in Douglasville

Sure you’ve heard of root canals. But do you know what they are, and why we perform them at Jim G. Williams, DMD in Douglasville? You may be surprised by some facts about root canal treatment!

Why would I need root canal treatment?

Root canal therapy involves treating the tooth’s pulp and root canals when the tissue, or pulp, becomes diseased or infected. This pulp contains the blood vessels and nerves the tooth needs to function and thrive. Any damage or disease in this area can cause an infection and needs to be treated.

How is root canal therapy performed?

We first clean the root canals by removing any disease and cleaning out bacteria, debris, or anything else that could cause infection.

Once the root canals are cleaned and free of bacteria, we fill the canals with a sealant. This is so no bacteria can get in and create more infection or problems. A root canal will help save your natural tooth. That’s always the best solution, when possible.

In many cases after root canal treatment, the tooth will be weakened and need to be restored. option we most recommend is to protect and strengthen the tooth through teh placement of a porcelain crown

If you’re experiencing recurring discomfort and inflammation, please contact our Douglasville dental office at 855-410-2757 to see us as soon as possible. In some cases, you may not feel any symptoms, but a general exam and x-rays might show us a problem before it becomes painful. So remember to keep up with regular checkups too!

Broken Baby Tooth in Douglasville? Yes, It Matters!

Those first baby teeth are an important milestone in your child’s development. They’re important to help her start to talk and chew food, and be a placeholder for her permanent teeth. Losing baby teeth is a natural process, but accidents will happen, especially as your baby becomes a toddler.

Despite your best efforts, baby teeth can crack or chip, or even be knocked out in a fall or accident. Don’t ignore it, even though it will be replaced by a permanent tooth. If it’s badly cracked, chipped, or lost completely, get to the dentist right away. You might want to use some ice covered with a cloth to prevent swelling.

If your child damages or loses a permanent tooth, find the tooth or fragments if you can and bring them with you to your dentist in Douglasville. If you can’t get to a dentist right away, put the tooth in milk until you can. If the tooth is intact, you could try rinsing it gently (don’t scrub) and try to place the tooth back in the socket until you can get to the dentist.

Don’t panic! A baby tooth will soon be replaced with a permanent tooth and damage to a permanent tooth can be repaired with a crown or dental bonding and look as good as new!

Your family keeps you busy, but don’t neglect your own dental care! Call us at our dental office in Douglasville at 855-410-2757 for all your dental care needs. We want to help keep everyone in your family healthy and well!