Advantage Dentistry

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Winter Lip Care

With another Buffalo-area winter upon us, we at Advantage Dentistry in Kenmore wanted to ensure our patients know how to protect their lips. This time of year, lips often get chapped, but damage can be prevented with the right precautions.


Our lips get dry and fragile in the winter because the cold air can’t hold much moisture. Our best bet to protect them outside is to keep our faces tightly covered and face away from the wind. But inside, we can station humidifiers around our homes and workplaces, particularly in rooms where we have to spend a great deal of time. Remember that very hot showers can dry out your skin. Applying lip balm regularly helps, particularly before bed. The only problem with that is that menthol and some other ingredients cause irritation to worsen in some people.


It’s not a good idea to keep the lips wet with saliva. This actually makes them dry out faster since saliva evaporates quickly. Keeping the lips under the teeth should also be avoided because it can cause misalignments. If your lips are dry because you have to breathe through your mouth, you may need help from an ear, nose, and throat specialist.


Scott Seier, DDS, operates Advantage Dentistry at 2887, Elmwood Ave, Kenmore, NY, 14217. To set up an appointment, call 716-877-2275, or visit Advantage Dentistry and fill out a contact form.


 

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Oral Cancer and Alcohol

Screenings for oral cancer are one of the most important parts of regular check-ups, and at Advantage Dentistry in Kenmore, we’re determined to help upkeep every aspect of our patients’ oral health. To that end, we wanted to pass along some recent findings by the American Society of Clinical Oncology linking oral cancer to alcohol.


Tobacco usage and HPV are the best-known and researched causes of oral cancer. We’ve known for a long time that smoking combined with heavy drinking is extremely dangerous, but scientists had difficulty determining the carcinogenic effect of alcohol on its own. After reviewing the available literature, the ASCO concluded that 5% of new cancers globally are caused by alcohol and that oral and oropharyngeal cancers are among the types alcohol causes. It may be that alcohol damages the soft tissue of the mouth and that the more frequently it has to rebuild, the likelier it is that some DNA will be miscopied. But regardless of the exact mechanism, it seems that even light drinking poses a risk, although heavy drinking is worse. The study also found that when people stop drinking, their risk of cancer specifically in the mouth and oropharynx declines to that of people who never drank.


Scott Seier, DDS, operates Advantage Dentistry at 2887, Elmwood Ave, Kenmore, NY, 14217. To set up an appointment, call 716-877-2275, or visit Advantage Dentistry and fill out a contact form.


 

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Oral Surgery Recovery

There are several reasons why a patient may need oral surgery but the most common reasons here at Advantage Dentistry are tooth extraction and/or receiving dental implants. Wisdom teeth are commonly removed because they increase a patient’s risk of infection, while dental implants are an option for patients who are missing teeth. Regardless of why you need an oral surgery procedure, we are here to assist you on your road to recovery.


After the oral surgery procedure is complete, our doctors at Advantage Dentistry will give you a list of foods to eat afterward. You will be consuming a soft diet for a few days to allow the sutures to heal. Swelling is normal after tooth extraction but to keep swelling down to a minimum, use an ice pack to alleviate pain. Bleeding is normal but can be controlled by placing wet gauze on the extraction site. Keep the area as clean as possible but do not resume your oral hygiene routine until instructed to do so.


If you have questions or concerns about oral surgery, please give us a call. To schedule your appointment with Advantage Dentistry in Kenmore, NY, call our office at 716-877-2275 or visit our website www.advantagedentistry.com for more information about the services we provide.