Five Key Oral Health Talks Men Should Have With Children
June is Men’s Health Month. With Father’s Day around the corner, now is a great time to start passing fatherly wisdom about good oral health habits to the children important in your life. Here are five ways you can start conversations about oral health with children to make a lifelong health impact. 1. The Importance of Dental Care First, lead by example. Men are less likely to seek preventive dental care, and tend to visit a dentist only when an oral health problem arises. This leaves men more susceptible to experiencing more serious oral health issues. Demonstrate that preventive dental care, like brushing twice each day, flossing once daily and regular visits to the dentist, are key to keeping a healthy smile. Skipping dental visits or daily brushing and flossing can cause serious issues and require more extensive and expensive treatment later on. 2. The Risk for Oral Cancer The […]
How to fight bad breath
If you suffer from bad breath, you’re not alone. Medically known as halitosis, bad breath affects 50% of adults at some point in their lives.1 It’s a very common, yet treatable, condition. Common causes: Dental hygiene Brushing twice a day and flossing daily ensure the removal of small food particles that can build up and cause odor-producing bacteria to grow. When those particles are not removed, a colorless, sticky film of bacteria, or plaque, forms to your teeth. And, it’s not just the bacteria on your teeth that cause bad breath. Your tongue can also trap bacteria and create an odor. Gum disease Bad breath can be an indicator of advanced gum disease, which is a buildup of sticky, cavity-causing plaque. Dry mouth Saliva is important, because it naturally cleanses your mouth, removing food particles that cause bad odors. If you don’t produce enough saliva, your mouth isn’t able to […]
A visit to the dentist could save your life
In 2019, it’s estimated that 53,000 people will get oral cancer and 10,860 people will die of these cancers in the United States.1 April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month – a time to focus on how to prevent cancer that can develop in the mouth and back of the throat. TruAssure encourages regular dental visits to help detect symptoms early. Any part of your mouth can be affected by oral cancer. The largest risk factors include: Tobacco – both smoking and smokeless tobacco products can cause cancers anywhere in the mouth or throat2 Alcohol – drinking and smoking together raises the risk of oral cancer even more than drinking or smoking alone3 Sun exposure – excessive and unprotected exposure to the sun is linked with cancer in the lip area4 Human papillomavirus (HPV) – it’s estimated that HPV causes 70 percent of oropharyngeal cancers, or cancers affecting the back of […]
Oral Cancer: Symptoms, Risk Factors and Reducing Your Risk
What is oral cancer? Oral cancer refers to cancer that starts in the mouth and generally, includes oropharyngeal cancer, which is cancer that starts in the throat just behind the mouth. The overall lifetime risk of developing oral cancer is approximately 1 in 60 for men and 141 for women.1 The prognosis for these cancers is good if caught early. If cancer has spread before diagnosis, the survival rate significantly decreases. Dentists play an important role in this early detection as they are the first line of defense in noticing and spotting changes in your mouth that could potentially indicate disease. Although a majority of people who develop oral cancer are over 60 years of age, people under the age of 40 have also been diagnosed in recent years making it clear that regular mouth exams are key no matter age.2 Symptoms The signs and symptoms of oral cancer may […]
