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Food products like garlic and onion are known to cause bad breath. But did you know that some foods can actually help your breath smell good? It’s true. Mints aren’t the only solution to a stinky mouth. Here are five foods that can actually make your breath smell great!

Dairy

Dairy isn’t just great for your pearly whites. Dairy products like yogurt and cheese are also pretty good at fighting off bad breath. Cheese neutralizes acids after you’ve eaten, making sure that they don’t give off any sour smells. Probiotic yogurts with live active cultures can reduce sulfite compounds in your mouth that cause bad breath. The vitamin D in these yogurts also reduces smelly mouth bacteria.

Crunchy Apples and Celery

An apple a day keeps the smell away. Crisp and crunchy foods like apples and celery actually clean your teeth, removing soft and sticky food that’s stuck there. These foods can also push plaque away from your teeth when you bite into them. Just because they do some scrubbing doesn’t mean you should skip brushing or flossing. But apples and celery are a great snack between meals to keep your mouth smelling fresh.

Fennel Seeds

Fennel seeds are extremely flavorful and aromatic, so it’s no surprise they can keep bad breath at bay. These seeds work to neutralize bad smells in your mouth. But along with that, they actually have antibacterial properties, giving them the power to fight off bacteria that causes bad breath.

Ginger

If you’ve ever taken a bite out of ginger, you know it packs a punch. Ginger is regularly used to clean your palate. And it also gets rid of bad breath with its powerful flavor. Just make sure you like the flavor of ginger before you bite into it or make a drink with it, because you can’t plug your nose to escape its flavor.

Fruits That Pack a Lot of Vitamin C

Along with keeping your body healthy, vitamin C keeps bad breath away. The bacteria that causes bad breath can’t actually grow very well in environments filled with vitamin C. Fruits that also contain a lot of water, like melons and citrus fruit, can wash rotting food and bacteria away. Try eating strawberries, cantaloupe or oranges next time you notice your breath smelling funky.
We hope you give these foods a try next time you have bad breath. If you can’t seem to get rid of the smell, feel free to contact Water Tower Dental Care. If you have a dental issue causing your bad breath, we’ll get to the bottom of it!

Do you notice that your top teeth bite down on the inside of your bottom teeth? If so, you might have a crossbite. Though crossbites don’t necessary cause direct pain right off the bat, they can lead to serious issues in the future. The only way to treat crossbite back in the day was with braces or expanders. Thankfully, there are less invasive ways to get your crossbite corrected today. We’re going to discuss how Invisalign can help align your crossbite.

What’s Wrong with Having a Crossbite?

Since crossbites don’t cause any immediate pain, you might not even realize you have one. Crossbites occur when your jaw isn’t properly aligned. They can form in one of two ways. First, some of your top teeth may bite down on the inside of your bottom teeth, making your top teeth closer to your tongue than your bottom teeth. A crossbite can also involve your bottom teeth biting down on the inside of your top teeth, meaning your bottom teeth are closer to your cheek than your top teeth.
While this doesn’t necessarily look bad, it’s important to get a crossbite corrected. Why? Because it can lead to serious dental issues over time. Crossbites can result in the following problems:

• Worn down teeth at a faster pace than usual
• Gum disease that can lead to bone loss
• TMJ joint disorder
• Trouble with chewing
• Incorrect jaw development
• An odd-looking smile

Can Invisalign Fix a Crossbite?

Braces and expanders used to tell everyone that you had a dental problem. Thankfully, Invisalign was introduced to save the day. Invisalign can fix most crossbites pretty much invisibly, so that nobody has to know that your teeth are being worked on.
So how does it work? You will receive a customized set of aligners that are molded to fit your teeth exactly. Typically, these invisible aligners are worn with inconspicuous elastic ware to correct crossbites. These elastics are hidden in the back of your mouth so nobody will see them.
Over time, the Invisalign aligners and elastics will work to painlessly shift your jaw into the correct position. You’ll come in to see your dentist about every two months to check your progress. During this time, you just let the aligners and elastic work their magic! We’ll let you know if anything needs to be changed when you visit us.

Benefits of Invisalign

Invisalign has transformed the way crossbites are treated. Here are just a few reasons why Invisalign is a better option than traditional braces or expanders:

• They are virtually invisible thanks to the clear aligners
• They are also virtually painless, providing gentle pressure to move your teeth and jaw into their proper alignment
• You can take out your Invisalign aligners whenever you need to clean your teeth or eat food that typically doesn’t react well with dental devices

Interested in learning more about how Invisalign may be able to cure your crossbite problems? Contact Water Tower Dental Care today! We are Invisalign experts. Just look at our Before and After Invisalign Gallery.
 
 

The food and drink you put into your mouth can make all of the difference when it comes to your dental health. When some people drink water, soda, or other drinks with ice, they may experience tooth pain. Does this mean ice is bad for your teeth? Let’s take a look now.

Is ice good or bad for your teeth?

Since ice is just frozen water, the real question we should be asking is whether or not water is good for your teeth. The answer is yes! Since many American communities add fluoride to their public water, water can actually strengthen your teeth without you doing anything extra! The reason communities started adding more fluoride to water (since water already naturally contains fluoride) was to help reduce tooth decay. Your ice cubes should contain fluoride as well!
Like water, ice can also prevent you from having a dry mouth. What’s the problem with dry mouth? Well, saliva swishes away bacteria and food particles, and strengthens your teeth naturally with calcium, fluoride and phosphate. When you suck on ice or drink water, you keep your mouth moist.

When ice is bad for your teeth

Just because ice can be good for your teeth doesn’t mean it always is. Chewing on ice is a common habit that many people form. It can lead to a variety of serious dental issues, including a broken, cracked or chipped tooth, enamel damage, a sore jaw, and issues with fillings and crowns. These incidents tend to increase during the summer months.
Instead of chewing ice, it’s best that you let ice melt in your mouth or in your drink. If you have an addiction to chewing ice, we recommend that you carry carrots, celery, or apples with you when you’re feeling the urge to chew. Don’t hesitate to speak with us if you’re having trouble kicking your ice addiction.

Why does ice hurt your teeth?

Since we already covered the fact that ice is good for your teeth, why do so many people experience pain when ice comes into contact with their mouth? This issue comes down to a problem with your mouth - not frozen water. You probably notice similar pain or discomfort when you eat anything cold, including ice cream and popsicles. This may be because you have sensitive teeth.
Sensitive teeth are usually nothing to be worried about. In fact, millions of people in the U.S. have sensitive teeth. You can work to make your teeth less sensitive by using toothpaste that is specifically designed for sensitive teeth, avoiding highly acidic foods and drinks, and making sure you’re not brushing your teeth too hard or with bristles that are too strong.
If you experience very sensitive teeth for three days or more, you may have a more serious problem. It’s best to contact your dentist at this point to see if you’re experiencing tooth decay or gum disease. If you’re in Chicago and are experiencing this problem, feel free to contact us today! We can help you figure out why your teeth are so sensitive.

Gum disease is no joke. Not only can it be hard to detect if you don’t know what to look for, but gum disease can also cause serious problems down the road. Don’t think you have it? Well, The New York Times notes that more than 75% of American adults have some form of gum disease. It’s important to know the signs of gum disease so that you can get treated before it causes some serious damage. If you do have signs of gum disease, you might need gum disease treatment therapy.

What is Gum Disease?

Gum disease is also called periodontal disease. There are two forms of gum disease: gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease that isn’t a serious issue. But unfortunately, it can lead to the more serious periodontitis if left untreated. When you have gingivitis, plaque causes your gums to turn red, become swollen and bleed. You may not even notice that you have gingivitis since it can cause little or no discomfort. Thankfully, it is reversible. That’s why it’s important to take care of your teeth daily and see your dentist regularly.
Periodontitis is really bad news. This more serious type of gum disease occurs when plaque grows below your gum line. The toxins from bacteria in your plaque begin to irritate your gums. These toxins cause your mouth to attack itself, leading your gums to work themselves away from teeth. The holes that are left become infected and your gums and bone begin decomposing.
This can eventually lead to tooth loss and serious bone loss. Periodontitis has also been linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, low birth weight and preterm birth babies, pulmonary diseases, obesity, and pancreatic cancer.

Signs You May Need Gum Disease Treatment Therapy

• Gums bleeding while you are eating, brushing or flossing
• Receding gums or gums that are pulling away from your teeth
• Sores growing in your mouth
• Loose teeth
• Teeth that are separating from your gums
• Bad breath that doesn’t go away
• Puss in between your gums and teeth
• Teeth that no longer fit together the same way

[caption id="attachment_2486" align="alignleft" width="300"] Before Gum Disease Treatment Therapy[/caption]	[caption id="attachment_2485" align="alignright" width="300"] After Gum Disease Treatment Therapy[/caption]

How Gum Disease Treatment Therapy Works

If you have gingivitis, you don’t need gum disease treatment therapy. Simply brushing and flossing at home, along with an effective treatment from a dental professional, can reverse gingivitis and keep you from getting periodontitis.
Once you get into the dangerous territory of periodontitis, you may need gum disease treatment therapy. At Water Tower Dental Care, our gum disease specialist treats periodontitis with non-surgical and surgical techniques. We do this to alleviate gum disease and reattach your gum and teeth. We may use both traditional hand instrumentation, ultrasonic scaling and diode lasers. We recommend diode lasers to reduce and eliminate bacteria, prevent the spread of infection and to allow for a more comfortable procedure.
Gum disease treatment therapy helps to stop periodontitis from developing and reverses it. It’s imperative that you get treated as soon as possible before you run into serious tooth and bone issues. Contact us to find out if you have gum disease and how you can stop it. We want to protect your mouth from the perils of plaque.