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Oral Bacteria and Mouth Health | Fayetteville, GA

We brush and floss our teeth to keep the buildup of harmful bacteria and the sugars they feed on at bay. Helpful and harmful oral bacteria coexist, and certain behaviors can advance one or the other. In general, a good oral care routine and healthy eating will keep the harmful bacteria at bay without any serious issues. 

Helpful Bacteria

Streptococcus Salivarius helps suppress oral pathogens like Streptococcus Pyogenes and Streptococcus Pneumonia that cause infections and autoimmune disorders. It also provides immune support to help reduce symptoms of oral and respiratory viral infections while crowding out other potentially harmful oral pathogens.

lactobacilli bacteria can fight several kinds of harmful bacteria and may help restore a healthy balance in your mouth. This bacteria can be found in some types of chewing gum and people with gingivitis may be asked to use it every day by their dentist.

Streptococcus Salivarius helps suppress oral pathogens like Streptococcus Pyogenes and Streptococcus Pneumonia that cause infections and autoimmune disorders. It also provides immune support to help reduce symptoms of oral and respiratory viral infections while crowding out other potentially harmful oral pathogens.

Harmful Bacteria

Streptococcus mutans is specifically found on tooth surfaces and difficult-to-clean areas like pits and fissures on the teeth. It feeds on the sugars and starches you eat, leading to the formation of cavities. This bacteria is the main cause of tooth decay in humans because it produces enamel-eroding acids and thrives in a low pH.

Periodontitis is a serious inflammatory disease that affects the tissues and the alveolar bone that support the teeth. While this disease is caused by several types of bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis is strongly linked to it.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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Three Ways to Make Flossing A Routine | Fayetteville, GA

Routine flossing helps to ensure that the granules of residual food left after meals are removed to prevent cavities. When traces of food remain tucked away between our teeth, it becomes a source of food for corrosive sugars to feed on; over time, this becomes the source of pockets in the teeth for bacteria to settle and the problem to compound.

Here are three ways you can make the habit of flossing a routine addition to your care routine.

1. Set a reminder

If it’s not currently part of your routine, or you have so much going on it’s hard to remember, setting a reminder on your phone or a notecard by your sink may help you begin to incorporate this practice until its second nature. If the technique of flossing is something you struggle with, employ this practice as a means to check-in with helpful guides that walk you through the proper steps until you get the hang of it.

2. Find floss you enjoy

The tried-and-true thin waxed threads may irritate your gums, so trying a plush thread may alleviate your disregard. Waxed, non-waxed, plush, disposable picks, threaders and water flossers are all available options. If one type of floss doesn’t make you want to floss, it’s less likely you will do it. It’s important to find a way to floss that suits your tastes. If the notion of putting thread between your teeth is off-putting, a water flosser that shoots a stream of high pressure water may do the trick.

3. Reward yourself

It takes about 21 days to form a habit, so whatever you do to encourage yourself to keep practicing for at least that long, will go a long way towards a lifetime of proper oral care. Marking off days on a calendar, watching an episode of your favorite show or brewing a cup of your favorite tea are all great ways to reward yourself for remembering to floss. As you go along, allow yourself a special treat once a week, every two weeks or once a month to reinforce the good hygiene habit you are forming.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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Oral Care Accessories for Daily Care | Fayetteville, GA

Today, oral care has advanced beyond the tried-and-true toothbrush, paste, and floss routine. There are a number of gadgets on the market specifically designed to fill whatever gaps you feel are present as you strive to enhance your smile. These means essentially fall into two categories; hygienic and aesthetic. Of course, a well-rounded oral care routine is the first step towards attaining the smile you want, but if your oral care routine is set, and you still aren’t seeing the results you want, aesthetic additions may do the trick.

Here are a few ways you can upgrade your existing tools or add to your care collection:

Hygienic

Electric Toothbrushes: Do you even complete your two-minute scrub and think “my teeth don’t feel very clean”? It may be because the traditional toothbrush just isn’t cutting it anymore. Electric toothbrushes have gained popularity because they are designed to provide brush strokes that work to give you a better clean in the same amount of time. It can go a long way to providing the basic care your teeth need.

Flossers: There are so many ways to floss available for your choosing. Traditional waxed or unwaxed threads are no longer the only options. Water flossers and plush threads are great alternatives (if not better alternatives) to the floss we commonly associate with.

Tongue Scraper: While there is no definitive rule that these need to be employed in your care routine, the benefit of incorporating one is the added removal of potentially harmful bacteria. Tongue scraping removes the same bacteria that feed on the sugars left between the teeth after a meal from the surface of the tongue, improving overall hygiene.

Aesthetic

At-Home Aligners: At-home aligners are an easy, effective means of straightening out your teeth for an enhanced aesthetic. While they aren’t meant for everyone, and you should speak with your dentist prior to incorporating at-home aligners into your oral care practices, they can gently move your teeth into their proper position and enhance your smile.

Whitening Trays: These work similarly to the teeth aligners mentioned above. Instead of working to straighten your teeth, however, you simply mold the trey to your teeth, brush on the included whitening solution to the inside of the tray and allow it to rest on your teeth for the prescribed amount of time. Kits are easily accessible and when done properly can make your smile up to a few shades whiter.

UV Light: This is another means of enhancing the color and brightness of your teeth. Typically, when you employ a UV light, you first brush on the whitening solution and allow the light to rest on that set of teeth for a number of minutes. The solution and light combination works to enhance your smile and can potentially do so up to a few shades whiter.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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Your Tongue and Oral Health | Fayetteville, GA

Have you ever looked at your tongue and thought “that doesn’t look right…”? The retention of our oral health can feel like a game of cat and mouse as we navigate the intersection of the latest technology and what our particular oral care needs are. If you have never analyzed your tongue or had a dentist mention anything about it, it’s likely not to share anything in particular about your oral health. Yet, it’s important to recognize that it could, and monitoring it isn’t a bad idea.


A Short History

In Ayurvedic medicine, the health of the tongue is an indicator of whole-body health. The practice of tongue scraping has been performed for centuries in cultures around the world but is considered an ancient Ayurvedic practice. Today, with modern advances in medicine, we now understand what these indications mean.

Indication of Health

Different indicators are known to share different aspects of your health. White patches mean there may be an overgrowth of candida, a yeast that is treatable with an anti-fungal rinse or pill. If your tongue is black and hairy-looking, it may indicate diabetes, yeast infection, poor oral hygiene, or the result of cancer therapies. Red and white spots mark areas where your taste buds have naturally worn, but this is common. Redness on the other hand can mean a deficiency In folic acid, B12, or iron as well as potentially indicating fever or strep throat. A webbed or striped look can mean you have oral lichen planus, caused by your immune system attacking your cells. Bumps along the tongue indicate canker sores and herpes commonly known as cold sores.

If you are worried about the health indications your tongue may express, consult your dentist to better understand what may be going on, and find solutions for our oral healthcare.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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Flossing is Important for Oral Hygiene | Fayetteville, GA

Flossing is a very important step for any oral care routine, and it’s usually one of the first questions posed during a visit. Routine flossing helps to ensure that the granules of residual food left after meals are removed to prevent cavities. When traces of food remain tucked away between our teeth, it becomes a source of food for corrosive sugars to feed on; over time, this becomes the source of pockets in the teeth for bacteria to settle and the problem to compound. Here are three ways you can make a habit of flossing a routine addition to your care routine.

  1. Find floss you enjoy

Waxed, non-waxed, plush, disposable picks, threaders, and water flossers are all available options. If one type of floss doesn’t make you want to floss, it’s less likely you will do it. It’s important to find a way to floss that suits your tastes. The tried-and-true thin waxed threads may irritate your gums, so trying a plush thread may alleviate your disregard. If the notion of putting thread between your teeth is off-putting, a water flosser that shoots a stream of high-pressure water may do the trick.

2. Set a reminder

If it’s not currently part of your routine, or you have so much going on it’s hard to remember, setting a reminder on your phone or a notecard by your sink may help you begin to incorporate this practice until its second nature. If the technique of flossing is something you struggle with, employ this practice as a means to check in with helpful guides that walk you through the proper steps until you get the hang of it.

3. Reward yourself

Marking off days on a calendar, watching an episode of your favorite show, or brewing a cup of your favorite tea are all great ways to reward yourself for remembering to floss. As you go along, allow yourself a special treat once a week, every two weeks, or once a month to reinforce the good hygiene habit you are forming. It takes about 21 days to form a habit, so whatever you do to encourage yourself to keep practicing for at least that long, will go a long way toward a lifetime of proper oral care.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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Fluoride: Friend or Foe? | Fayetteville, GA

Proponents of fluoride tout its ability to aid in the fight against cavities and tooth decay. Opponents say fluoride is a harmful neurotoxin that has been pumped into our community’s water without express permission by the people. Fluoride is and has always been, a controversial mineral. Its place in dentistry is long-withstanding, so we feel it’s important to have a deeper understanding of fluoride.

While trace amounts of fluoride have been added to public water for decades, it has yet to cause widespread neurological issues. According to smiledentalcenterct.com, “research has shown that by adding fluoride to public water supplies, tooth decay-related conditions decline by 25 percent among adults and children.” The addition of fluoride is meant to be a public health benefit, rather than a source of controversy.

As with anything, there is such thing as too much fluoride; two dental visits a year and drinking community water, however, isn’t likely to cause harm. Too much fluoride can cause dental fluorosis that changes the color of tooth enamel and is likely to impact children ages eight and younger as their teeth grow in. As a result, it is not recommended to give children fluoride toothpaste- especially as they develop the motor skills to properly brush and not swallow the paste.

A dentist may dissuade a patient from using fluoride toothpaste if they experience an allergic reaction, or if the individual feels strongly about the amount of fluoride in their daily lives. Fluoride-free formulas offer the same cleaning power and is recommended over not using toothpaste; the difference is that on average, fluoride formulas reduce the number of cavities and occurrence of tooth decay one may experience over their lifetime.

In general, trace amounts of fluoride in drinking water works to improve the oral health of our communities and the use of fluoride toothpaste is safe for adults. The decision to use fluoride toothpaste lies with the individual, but he or she may need to take extra steps such as mouthwash and flossing to ensure they receive the cavity-fighting benefits normally provided by fluoride formulas.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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Oral Infections | Fayetteville, GA

We all know that brushing our teeth for two minutes, twice a day along with regular dental visits contribute to positive oral health. You may not know the infections that can occur as a result of not practicing consistent oral hygiene routines. Here are some of the most common oral infections that may result from poor oral hygiene.

Gingivitis– Simply put, Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums. It is the precursor to Periodontitis, the escalation of Gingivitis should it go untreated. Gingivitis is the result of plaque buildup that spreads from the gums to the ligaments that support the teeth.

Periodontal Disease– When left untreated, Gingivitis may spread below the gum line, affecting the supportive tissues and bone of our teeth. This progression is known as Periodontal Disease which deteriorates these supports leading to the potential loss of teeth and may even spread to the lungs causing pneumonia.

Canker Sores– These are cuts that develop on the gums and other mouth tissues and are common in children and teens. Vigorous brushing, cheek bites and sports injuries – as well as hormones and immune problems may lead to canker sores.

Oral Herpes– According to centerforbeautifulsmiles.com, “50-80 percent of American adults” carry the Herpes Simlex Virus. This can lead to “blisters and ulcers on the gums and tongue, flu-like symptoms, or no symptoms at all.” While there are things individuals can do to keep the virus dormant, an outbreak may last ten days to two weeks.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease– Toddlers and school aged children are the most susceptible to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. The virus Coxsackie A16 is spread by direct contact with saliva and mucus; children are particularly unconscious of their direct exposure to these fluids. Children may experience fever, sore throat, and the development of painful blisters on their body but should only last a few days.

Herpangina– Similar to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, Herpangina typically affects children and presents itself with fever symptoms and difficulty swallowing. Yet, unlike Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, it forms blisters on the back of the mouth that once ruptured, become ulcers. Symptoms typically only last a few days.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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Q and A: Mouthwash for Oral Hygiene | Fayetteville, GA

For many, mouthwash is an unnecessary extra step and added cost to their oral care routine. Mouthwash isn’t exactly the first thing a dentist will mention when reviewing your regimen, but it shouldn’t be overlooked. Mouthwash, after proper brushing and flossing, can provide peace of mind to individuals who struggle to keep cavities at bay, despite their best efforts.

What does mouthwash do?

Mouthwash is advertised to kill bacteria and give you fresh breath, but that isn’t the whole story. Mouthwash reduces the bacteria in your mouth and reduce the amount of plaque it forms. Regular use helps prevent periodontal disease, and those with fluoride work to reduce cavities when used as directed.

What ingredients in mouthwash make it effective?

The bacteria-fighting active ingredient(s) in mouthwash are what make it an effective addition to your routine. Ingredients such as cetylpyridinium chloride, zinc gluconate, or quaternary ammonium are commonly found in washes. Just one of these will provide the bacteria fighting benefits that enhance your routine.

Are natural mouthwashes effective?

Some people advocate for fluoride, and others want little to do with it. Many brands make natural alternatives, utilizing essential oils or harvested ingredients like garlic as an astringent. Whatever the formula, natural mouthwashes have been shown to be effective at preventing gum disease without adding to the rise of antibacterial- resistant bacteria.

Is mouthwash safe for children?

Children under the age of 6 should not be utilizing mouthwash, as they are likely to consume it. Once your child has developed the muscle reflexes necessary to swish and spit the wash, with adult supervision, they can begin to incorporate it into their care routine.

While mouthwash isn’t going to make-or-break your oral hygiene, it is a great way to round out your routine. Mouthwash may bring you peace of mind between visits or be an effective way to keep bacteria at bay for cavity-prone teeth.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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What You Should Know About Cavities | Fayetteville, GA

Cavities are part of health and hygiene discussions from the moment we begin brushing- or throw a fit about it. Cavities are preventable and treatable; it’s important to be aware of what causes cavities and how dentists treat them.

How Do Cavities Happen?


Acidic Foods– Citric acid contained in lemons, limes and oranges also pops up as an ingredient in processed foods. Citric acid and others weaken teeth and put enamel in danger of erosion which in turn creates crevices for bacteria to stick and become a cavity. It would be difficult to avoid citric acid, so the best thing you can do is consume water throughout the day and keep the intake of acidic foods to a minimum.

Sugar– While sugar doesn’t cause cavities, like citric acid, it contributes to the likelihood you may develop one. Sugar is a harmful bacteria’s favorite food, so the longer sugar lingers on your teeth, the more likely that bacteria will begin to eat it. This weakens your enamel and creates opportunities for that harmful bacteria to hang around and cause a cavity.

Believe it or not, children are not more prone to develop cavities than adults, but there are factors that may put children and elderly individuals at more risk for tooth decay. Children tend to crave and eat sugary foods while doing a poor job brushing their teeth. The elderly tend to take medication that reduces the amount of saliva they produce thus reducing the neutralization properties of saliva. Drinking water throughout the day and regular dental visits can help both children and their grandparents to reduce the chances harmful bacteria may cause a cavity.

How Are Cavities Treated?

If you wake up to a toothache or notice black spots on a tooth, you may have a cavity. Cavities are a common occurrence and dentists have several means of treating them. Treatment options vary depending on how advanced the tooth decay has become.

Simple Decay- Fluoride treatments and fillings are viable treatment options if the cavity is in its early stages. Your dentist will apply a solution to the decaying tooth to kill harmful bacteria and place a filling where the cavity was to seal the area to prevent further decay. This is a fairly simple and painless method for cavity removal, as well as the most common treatment option.

Serious Decay- If the cavity has progressed beyond the ability for a fluoride treatment to remove the bacteria, crowns, root canals and tooth extraction are a dentist’s next line of defense. Crowns are custom coverings for decaying teeth; typically made from porcelain, they work to strengthen your effected tooth once the bacteria has been removed. If the decay reaches the inner tooth, or pulp, your dentist will remove the pulp, medicate it to clear any infection and add a filling. Tooth extraction is a last resort option when the decayed tooth is beyond restoration. Your dentist may recommend a bridge or implant for the gap.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.

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How to Care for Baby Teeth | Fayetteville, GA

Our babies and children may never acknowledge the benefits caring for their teeth at that age has on their adult teeth later. Yet, their health will always be better off for early interventions in proper oral hygiene. “Baby teeth” are the precursor for adult teeth, they are the placeholder and it’s important they be maintained for gum health and reduction of harmful bacteria.

Oral hygiene for our children begins the day their first tooth breaks through the gum. With a damp, soft cloth, lightly wipe your babies gums after feeding. Once more prominent, you may begin using a soft toothbrush and non-fluoride toothpaste twice a day until preschool age. At that age, the amount of toothpaste the can be safely used increases to the size of a pea.

When your child is at that age and able to brush on his or her own, it’s important to keep an eye on them. Many children find the process of brushing teeth to be boring or unimportant, but this is an important age to develop good habits. Singing toothbrushes and flavored toothpaste help encourage kids to find the process more enjoyable and help them guide them towards brushing their teeth for two minutes. Another great way to encourage your child is to brush with them and show them how to get to their molars, back of their teeth and along the front.

Tooth health matters from the day they appear, so parents who take their children’s oral hygiene seriously and encourage good habits aid the child’s adult teeth later- even if they don’t know it yet.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the beautiful smiles Dr. Sukari McMiller has created visit us online today at www.dreamworksdentalcare.com.

Dr. Sukari McMiller proudly serves patients from Fayetteville and all surrounding areas.