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Dental News and Advice from Erlanger Kentucky

Darlene Henry DMD and her team are dedicated to helping each patient achieve the beautiful, confident smile that lasts a lifetime. We often write useful and practical content to help our patients in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region have happy, healthy smiles. Please email us any feedback or questions at [email protected]

Erlanger Dentist Shares Why Babies’ Smiles Make Mothers Happy

As a mother, nothing can light up your life the way your child does. A simple smile can fill your heart with ecstasy. But did you know that recent research has yielded scientific proof of this phenomenon. Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, discusses this research as well as your baby’s oral health to help you protect the smile you love so much.

A Mother’s Response to Her Child’s Smile

In a recent experiment, researchers showed mothers pictures of babies experiencing a wide range of emotions. Among these images were pictures of their own babies’. The results were quite interesting, although perhaps not unexpected. By measuring each of the women’s brain activity in response to these images, researchers found that those portions of the brain associated with euphoria were triggered significantly when the women were shown pictures of their own children smiling. When their children were crying or sad, however, the activity in these areas of the brain was almost nonexistent. To read more about the experiment, click on the following link: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smiles-and-mother-baby-bond.

Caring for Your Baby’s Smile

Oral care is very important in children. Although baby teeth are not permanent, a good oral health regimen, including regular brushing and flossing and consistent dental visits with your Erlanger children’s dentist, Dr. Henry, are vital. Tooth decay in baby teeth can lead to infections capable of spreading throughout the body. If a child loses a baby tooth too early, he or she may also have orthodontic problems in the future. Thus, it is important to make caring for your baby’s teeth and gums a priority. Schedule your baby’s first dental visit around his or her first birthday. Also, be sure clean your child’s gums with gauze or a washcloth before and during teething.

Schedule a Visit with Your Erlanger Children’s Dentist

Children should also attend dental visits once every six months. Professional cleanings can remove plaque and tartar from areas they miss and reinforce good oral hygiene habits. To schedule an appointment with your Erlanger children’s dentist, call our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Erlanger Children’s Dentist: Free Brushing Chart for Children

Often, it can be a struggle to get children to brush their teeth. Sometimes, they just don’t want to do it. Other times, they speed through and miss large areas in their mouths. Unfortunately, even though baby teeth aren’t permanent, neglecting to brush can still lead to serious problems. Infections in the mouth can spread throughout the body, causing health concerns, and if baby teeth fall out prematurely, orthodontic problems arise. To help you as you encourage your child to brush more often, try incorporating a customized tooth-brushing chart. Your Erlanger children’s dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, shares a few tips for encouraging children to brush their teeth regularly and thoroughly.

Tooth Brushing 101: Class Is Now in Session

When teaching children to brush their teeth, be sure to stand behind them as they face the mirror. This position gives you a good vantage point from which to view their work. Teach them to brush in small circles, while angling the bristles of the brush down at a 45-degree angle toward their gums. Have them work on one or two teeth at a time and divide the brushing into three phases. Start with the outer surface of the teeth; then move to the inner surface; and finish with the biting, or top, surface.

Get Your Child’s Free Brushing Chart

A brushing chart is a fun way to remind kids to brush twice a day. The chart is broken into days and night and covers four weeks. Challenge your child to complete the chart, and offer a prize for successful completion. To get a copy of your child’s brushing chart, use the following link: http://www.loveyourteeth.net/. You will be prompted to enter your child’s name so that the chart can be customized. Then, print out the chart, and challenge your little one to the contest.

Schedule a Visit with Your Erlanger Children’s Dentist

In addition to proper homecare, your children should also attend dental visits once every six months. Professional cleanings can remove plaque and tartar from areas they miss and reinforce good oral hygiene habits. To schedule an appointment with your Erlanger children’s dentist, call our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Erlanger Dentist: What Flossing Can Do for You

Remember the way it feels to get corn stuck between your teeth? It isn’t very pleasant. Luckily, we have dental floss for just such a problem. But dental floss can do far more than remove pesky food from between your teeth. It’s an excellent tool for cleaning the areas of your mouth that are more difficult to access. Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, elaborates on the vital role flossing plays in the health of your mouth.

What Flossing Does for Your Mouth

Flossing cleanses areas of the mouth, where the toothbrush is ineffective. These areas are between each of your teeth. When most people think about the parts of a tooth that need cleaning, they probably think of the top, front, and back of the tooth. The surfaces between teeth tend to slip through the cracks. However, there is a whole surface hidden there, and that’s where flossing comes in. It cleans where brushing can’t.

Colgate has a great advertising campaign right now that tries to make flossing more memorable. Follow this link to check it out: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/colgate_total_dental_floss_photoshop_disasters_2. It’s a great ad because it draws our attention to the disparity between the things we see that are stuck between our teeth and the things we don’t see like disembodied hands or the hidden surfaces of our teeth.

Tips for Flossing Effectively

Flossing is an easy process once you get the hang of it. Dr. Henry recommends flossing once a day. Try the following tips to floss more effectively:

  • Use about 18 inches of floss.
  • Leave 2-4 inches between your hands.
  • Be sure to hold the floss tight between your index fingers and thumbs.
  • As you floss, continue to use clean sections of the floss.
  • Be gentle. Slide the floss between your teeth and up and down along the side of each tooth.
  • When you are finished, rinse your mouth with water or mouth wash.

Visit Your Erlanger Dentist

Have you visited Dr. Henry in the past six months? Regular six-month checkups and cleanings are a good practice for maintaining a healthy mouth. Call our 41018 dentist office at (859) 344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

OTC Sleep Aids: A Problematic Solution for Occasional Insomnia

Americans leads incredibly busy lives. Between the demands of work, family, and leisure activities, it seems we never get any down time. Unfortunately, this on-the-go lifestyle can have a significantly negative impact on your ability to get a good night’s sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 48% of American adults report having occasional insomnia and many of them turn to over-the-counter sleep aids as a way to get the sleep they need. While OTC sleep aids can help you fall asleep, they can also cause problems. Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, discusses the impact OTC sleep aids can have on oral health and offers some solutions to help you rest.

About OTC Sleep Aids

Most conventional over-the-counter sleep aids contain an antihistamine as the primary ingredient. Normally used to combat allergies and colds, the most common side effects of antihistamines include feelings of relaxation and sleepiness. While an antihistamine-containing sleep aid can certainly help you achieve a good night’s sleep on occasion, they also have several unwanted side effects, including:

  • Feeling groggy or sleepy the day after usage.
  • Most people build up a tolerance to these sleep aids very quickly, so they have to take a higher, potentially unsafe dosage.
  • OTC sleep aids counteract badly with alcohol and some prescription medications.

OTC Sleep Aids and Dry Mouth

One undesired side effect of sleep aids that contain antihistamines is their drying effect on the mouth. In addition to an unpleasant, cotton-mouthed feeling, dry mouth can lead to significant oral health problems. Saliva serves several key purposes in the mouth, including washing away dead cells, bacteria, and particles of food. If healthy saliva levels drop, all of these materials begin to build up on the tongue, at the gum line, and between teeth. This can result in bad breath and an increased risk of gum disease and tooth decay.

A Surprising Cause of Insomnia (and How Your Dentist Can Help!)

Many people who suffer from insomnia or who report feeling chronically tired or sleepy during the day can blame obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, for their problem. When a person sleeps, the muscles in their airway relax. In a person with OSA, the airway relaxes so much that it interferes with their ability to breath. The airway closes and the person’s brain, sensing that the body isn’t receiving enough oxygen, forces the person to wake up. These episodes of wakefulness can occur hundreds of time a night, resulting in poor sleep quality. Many OSA sufferers take OTC sleep aids in an attempt to get better sleep but they do nothing to address the root of the problem. Your dentist can prescribe a custom-fitted mouthpiece that pushes your jaw forward and reduces the level of airway obstruction. Once the underlying problem of sleep apnea is addressed, most patients no longer need to rely on sleep aids to get the sleep they need.

Schedule an Appointment for a Better Night’s Sleep

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Darlene Henry, call our Kentucky dental office at (859) 344 – 8500. We gladly serve patients from Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, Taylor Mill, and surrounding communities.

Erlanger Dentist Explains TMD and Earaches

Experiencing jaw pain is not uncommon. In fact, if your jaws ache occasionally or feel fatigued, you may have no need to worry. But when your jaw pain coincides with other maladies, you should see your dentist. Your pain could stem from a problem with your temporomandibular joints. Typically, a TMJ disorder (TMD) causes localized pain affecting your head, neck, and ears. Relieving the pain can be simple and non-invasive, if treated early enough. You can avoid complications from TMD, like worn and broken teeth, by seeking council from a dental professional. In this article, Erlanger cosmetic dentist Dr. Darlene Henry explains the connection between TMD and earaches.

Earaches from TMJ Disorder

The temporomandibular joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull are sensitive. A thin disc rests between the jaw and temporal bones to smooth common motions associated with chewing, talking, and yawning. When your jaw sustains injury from physical trauma or excessive stress from clenching or teeth grinding (bruxism), the TMJs can become unbalanced, and you can experience pain in various places. An unbalanced joint irritates nerves that cause earaches and ear ringing, which TMD treatment may remedy.

TMD Treatment

Usually, preventing teeth grinding can lessen pain from TMD dramatically. To achieve this, Dr. Henry can prescribe a custom-fitted oral appliance for you to wear at night. We also offer Botox treatments to relax jaw muscles and stop bruxism. The effects of Botox last for approximately three months, so you may need additional treatments if bruxism continues to cause pain. Teeth grinding wears down teeth and could break them, which can be the source of earaches or radiant pain. Dr. Henry offers color-matched restorations that strengthen teeth to relieve pain.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Erlanger Dentist

Visit our 41018 dentist office to talk with Dr. Henry about the right TMD treatment for you. We make going to the dentist a relaxing, welcoming experience. If your pain is caused by malocclusion or crooked teeth, she can suggest a respected orthodontist to help directly treat your condition. Call (859) 344-8500 to schedule an appointment. We welcome patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Phobia Affects Children, Says Erlanger Dentist

If you suffer from a fear of going to the dentist, you’re not alone. Almost 30-40 million American adults fear or feel anxious about a dental appointment. A recent study indicates that a fear of visiting the dentist can start in childhood and that parents can influence kids’ impressions of oral care. Avoiding regular dental appointments puts you at a heightened risk for oral and general health issues. In this article, Erlanger cosmetic dentist Dr. Darlene Henry explores the effects of fearing dental appointments.

Parental Fear of Dentists

Research indicates that when only one family member feels anxiety or fear toward visiting a dentist office, the entire family also feels some degree of apprehension. Typically, fathers transmit dental fear to children, either directly or via mothers. Even when mothers lower anxiety, fathers influence a mother’s actions through their actions at a dentist office. A palpable dental fear displayed by parents spreads to children, who carry a fear of going to the dentist with them through their lives. Fearing the dentist leads to infrequent dental checkups, which can cause oral problems to go unnoticed.

Effects of Dental Phobia

By not visiting your dentist regularly, you invite a host of dental problems, such as tooth decay and gum disease. In as little as 26 hours, food particles and plaque that stick between teeth harden into tartar, or dental calculus. Brushing and flossing cannot remove tartar, so seeing your dentist for a six-month checkup serves a necessary purpose. Plaque and tartar host acid-producing bacteria that de-mineralize tooth enamel, causing cavities. These same bacteria infect gums and can reach tooth roots, destroying
the connective tissue that holds your teeth in place. In advanced stages of gum disease, tartar forms beneath the gum line, where bacteria breed and cause gums to swell, bleed, and lose grip on teeth.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Erlanger Dentist

Visit Dr. Henry and show your kids they have nothing to fear at our 41018 dentist office. Simple keeping up with six-month checkups can keep teeth free of tartar and harmful bacteria. Call (859) 344-8500 to schedule an appointment. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Renew Your Confidence with Your Erlanger Dentist

How often do you smile? Studies show that smiling, even insincerely, boosts a person’s mood.Crooked teeth or tooth stains may keep you from showing off your smile. Stifling a smile can send the wrong message, and people may interpret a straight face to represent sadness or aggression. Don’t let dissatisfaction with your smile keep you from properly expressing yourself when cosmetic dentistry can improve the appearance of teeth and boost your confidence. In this article, Erlanger cosmetic dentist Dr. Darlene Henry explains the benefits of cosmetic dentistry.

How to Restore Your Smile

Dr. Henry can offer various treatment plans to correct crooked, stained, or chipped teeth.

  • Porcelain veneers will make your teeth appear straighter, while simultaneously whitening your smile. Dr. Henry places thin shells of handcrafted porcelain over surfaces of front teeth.
  • Veneers can withstand the pressures of biting and chewing, and resist stains.
  • Tooth contouring can reshape teeth to smooth rough or sharp edges for a a softer-looking smile.
  • We also offer take-home, professional teeth whitening trays to brighten your smile.
  • Color-matched bonding material can fill cracks or chips, close gaps, or be applied as a veneer to brighten permanently stained teeth.

Health Benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry

You may want to show off your straighter, whiter teeth, but cosmetic dentistry offers more reasons to smile. Cosmetic dentistry not only improves the look of your mouth, but can also restore the way it functions. Restoring damaged teeth and replacing one or more missing teeth also lowers your risk of gum disease, which research links to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, if you suffer with TMD-induced headaches, realigning your bite may also relieve your pain.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Erlanger Dentist

Talk with Dr. Henry to explore options for your cosmetic dentistry procedure. We offer a variety of teeth whitening treatments and porcelain veneers to straighten front teeth and make you smile more. Call our 41018 dentist office at (859) 344-8500 to make an appointment. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Erlanger Dentist Explains Cold and Canker Sores

Maintaining good oral health requires that we pay attention to our entire mouth. Unsightly and sometimes painful cold and canker sores may not directly affect our teeth, but they could pose problems to our health. Do you know the difference between a cold sore and a canker sore? Understanding these lesions can help you refine treatment when either appears. In this article, Erlanger dentist Dr. Darlene Henry explains the differences between cold sores and canker sores.

Cold Sores

The herpes simplex 1 virus, which most cold sore sufferers contract as children, causes eruptions outside of the mouth around the lips. Nerve ganglions serve as the home for the virus. Nerves irritate the virus when illness or stress occurs, but the virus does not damage nerves.  Trauma to the nerve area also encourages the virus to deliver its signature red eruptions around lips. You may recognize cold sores as small, fluid-containing lesions. A long-lasting cold sore eventually cracks and leaks fluid that hardens. Since doctors have yet to find a cure for the cold sore virus, the best treatment options are preventive. To avoid cold sore development, begin treating areas that itch, burn, or feel numb before a cold sore appears. Talk to Dr. Henry about drugs that help suppress herpes simplex 1 to minimize appearances of cold sores.

Canker Sores

Unlike cold sorescanker sores appear inside of the mouth on the tongue, the inner lips, inside of cheeks, or on the mouth floor. Although doctors know that infections do not lead to canker sores, the exact cause of canker sores remains unknown. However, canker sores can lead to infection. Sometimes, larger, ulcerous sores do not heal, inviting more bacteria. Treatment for canker sores, like gels and nascent oxygen, only reduce pain, since most sores heal naturally. Meet with Dr. Henry when canker sores are persistent or ulcerous. Mouth ulcers may signal health problems like Crohn’s disease or oral cancer.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Erlanger Dentist

See Dr. Henry at our 41018 dentist office to discuss treatment options for your cold or canker sores. Dr. Henry may provide a referral for an oral pathologist to assist in maintaining good oral health. Call (859) 344-8500 to schedule an appointment. We welcome patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Put Down the Candy Cane and Step Away from the Cheese Tray!

Many of us celebrate the holiday season by attending parties and celebrations at the office, with friends, and in our homes with family. One of the most essential parts of these wintertime celebrations includes the many wonderful holiday treats that we only seem to eat during this time of year. Unfortunately, most of these holiday goodies can give us bad breath. Anyone hoping to get a kiss under the mistletoe this year had better follow the advice of their Erlanger family dentist for avoiding these commonplace bad breath culprits.

Candy is Dandy for Causing Bad Breath

From candy canes to hot cocoa swimming with marshmallows to Grandma’s famous Christmas fudge, sugary goodies pervade the snack table at nearly every holiday gathering. Unfortunately, those sweet treats don’t just widen your waistband. They also ruin your breath. Particles of sugar left in your mouth become food for bacteria. These bacteria digest the sugar and produce a foul-smelling, acidic by-product that eats away at your tooth enamel and gives you dragon breath.

  • Our Advice: Indulge in a single serving of your favorite holiday goodie and be sure to either brush your teeth or chew a piece of sugarless gum afterward.

Liquor is Quicker for Developing Halitosis

A glass of wine with dinner, a glass of champagne with dessert, and a few cocktails or beers while socializing. All that alcohol can add up to a wild night and mouthful of stink. Not only do most alcoholic drinks contain sugar that feed oral bacteria, but alcohol also causes dry mouth, a condition characterized by reduced saliva production. Without normal levels of saliva washing away bacteria and dead cells, you experience a buildup of these odor-causing elements.

  • Our Advice: If you choose to drink at a celebration, enjoy at least one glass of water after every alcoholic beverage. It will help stave off dry mouth and bad breath and can reduce the severity of a hangover.

Bad Breath: There’s an App(etizer) for That

Party appetizers are the perfect storm of bad breath-causing ingredients. Nearly all of them contain some combination of cheese or other dairy, salt, garlic, onion, or meat and while they may taste glorious, they’ll leave your breath smelling foul. Some foods, like garlic and onions, contain volatile sulfur compounds that cause bad odors to linger in the mouth. High protein foods such as dairy and meat attract bacteria that produce nasty-smelling by-products.

  • Our Advice: Enjoy a bit of that gourmet cheese ball or hot crab dip, but follow up your noshing with a few carrot and celery sticks from the veggie tray. Munching on raw vegetables has an abrasive effect that cleans the teeth, plus it encourages salivation which cleans the mouth naturally.

Schedule an Appointment for Fresh Holiday Breath

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Darlene Henry, call our Erlanger dental office at (859) 344 – 8500. We gladly serve patients from Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, Taylor Mill, the 41018 zip code, and surrounding communities.

Side Effects from Bisphosphonate Drugs Discussed by Kentucky Dentist

Many people, especially women, are concerned with bone loss as they age. Over the years, general physicians have often prescribed a certain class of drugs called bisphosphonates to combat bone density conditions like osteoporosis. Intravenous bisphosphonates are sometimes used with certain types of cancer. In high potency forms, bisphosphonates have stopped cancer cells from growing in some patients. Unfortunately, powerful and affective drugs often come with side effects. Dr. Darlene Henry, your Kentucky dentist,  will talk about a condition that can defeats the very purpose of bone building medications called Bisphosphonate Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BRONJ).

Bisphosphonate Drugs Explained

Bisphosphonate drugs adhere to the surfaces of bones directly beneath the osteoclasts (bone cells). These drugs bind with the osteoclasts and halt the process of bone degeneration. Bone density is then markedly improved, which eliminates the high risk for bone fractures that are often a concern as we age. The benefits seen from bisphosphonates have been seen for several years after the drug has last been taken. Cancer patients or women with osteoporosis can have weakened bones and diminished bone density. Bisphosphonate treatments allow people to go about life without worrying about easily fractured bones.

BRONJ Explained

Bisphosphonate Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BRONJ) is basically the death of a portion of someone’s jawbone. Symptoms such as localized pain, swelling of gum tissueloose teeth, and the most obvious – exposed bone – are signs that you should get to the dentist immediately, especially if you have been administered bisphosphonate drugs. BRONJ isn’t a common occurrence, but it does happen. Medical intervention is imperative when signs are seen.

As with everything related to your dental health, prevention is ideal. If you are beginning bisphosphonate therapy, visit your dentist for a thorough checkup before you start using the drugs. Discuss your treatment plan with your dentist. You will need to provide the dosage information you’re your dentist may be curious to hear more about your reasons for taking the drugs. A likely recommendation from your dental team will be extra diligent oral hygiene and more frequent visits to the dentist to check in. Communication with your dentist might possibly allow you to enjoy the benefits of bisphosphonate drugs while saving yourself from having to deal with BRONJ.

Feel free to call our Kentucky dental office at (859) 344 – 8500 if you have questions about how any medications might be affecting your oral health. We gladly serve patients from Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, Taylor Mill, and surrounding communities.

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