Posts Categorized: General Health

All About Dental Cleanings

preparing for a dental visit

Brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and flossing once a day are certainly important steps to keeping your smile beautiful, but it’s also important to schedule professional dental cleanings and checkups every six months. Our Lake Forest dentist Dr. James Fondriest wants you to know the benefits of regular dental preventative care examinations and how… Read more »

Strong Enamel – The Secret of Healthy Teeth

There is no secret, one time trick to keep your teeth healthy for life. A healthy mouth requires a lifetime commitment of routine care to protect your teeth and gums. What many people don’t realize, however, is that teeth also have their own protection. A protective layer that keeps the vulnerable inner tooth from being… Read more »

Bad Breath and Dental Bridges

bad breath and dental bridges

Cleaning dental bridges can be cumbersome. The spaces between the pontics (or false teeth) and the gum line tend to be areas where bacteria and particles of food can gather. Because of such, a specialized flossing technique for removal is required. If those spaces are not cleaned properly, patients can experience severe bad breath or… Read more »

Dental Emergency Recommendations

Dealing with a dental emergency

The good news about modern preventive dental care is that you can largely avoid the most common and destructive dental health issues, like cavities and gum disease. However, even the most advanced dental care can’t always help you prevent an emergency situation. If your tooth is significantly damaged, compromised, or knocked out of its socket,… Read more »

Canker sores | What are they and what can I do about them?

Treat canker sores at home

Does pain from canker sores in your mouth keep you from smiling? Even if you have worked hard to maintain a healthy and beautiful smile through regular dental care and professional teeth whitening, the discomfort can take away your desire to show off your pearly whites. Many children and adults struggle with canker sores. While… Read more »

Diagnosing the tongue: A Window To Your Health?

Feeling lethargic? Under the weather? Stick out your tongue. Your tongue is one of the most under-appreciated and overlooked organs in your body. A tongue is truly a fascinating thing. Not only does it consist of eight muscles that run in all directions so your tongue can move in the many unique ways it does,… Read more »

Gum Disease in Women

female hormones and gum disease

Women tend to be caretakers. They take care of their children, their husbands, their parents, stray animals, even their children’s friends. If there is someone to take care of, they often do it. Research shows that women also take better care of their teeth than men. Women have less gum disease than men. This can… Read more »

Father’s Day: Love Dad, Love His Gums

It has been estimated that 64 million Americans-almost half of the adults in the Unites States-are suffering from periodontal disease. Periodontal disease, or gum disease, is on the rise due to our aging population. It occurs more in mid to later life because it takes time to develop.  An interesting fact, according to one Ontario… Read more »

Allergy medications affect dental health

Allergy medications affect dental health

Allergy medications will affect dental health. Aeroallergens exist indoors and outdoors, and spring is ripe with pollen and allergy inducing fungi. Airborne spores and other fungi may originate in fields, forests, agricultural crops, flowers, or grass. Because they are light, sticky, and plentiful, they are easily transferred into homes, offices, and cars. Impossible to get… Read more »

Dental Reactions to Overwhelming Stress

You might recognize a headache, tense back muscles, and an upset stomach as telltale symptoms of stress and anxiety, but can you recognize how the condition affects your dental health? Stress is considered one common cause of tooth grinding. One of the most common indications of prolonged tension is bruxism, or habitual teeth-grinding, which can… Read more »

Allergies to Dental Medications

Allergies to different types of medicine is quite common amongst the medical field. To teach his patients about the differing types of dental allergies, Dr. James Fondriest  shares the following information. Commonly Seen Allergies to Dental Medications Penicillin. Some form of penicillin appears in a number of antibiotic medications and allergic reactions range from very… Read more »

Repair a chipped tooth

A number of factors can cause a tooth to chip. For example, eating something too hard or suffering with dental trauma can lead to a damaged tooth. Regardless of the cause, though, a dentist can typically repair the tooth. To help his patients understand how a chipped tooth is treated, Dr. James Fondriest shares this… Read more »

Teeth Grinding | How to manage it

Teeth grinding can cause headaches

Unconscious teeth grinding or rubbing the teeth together is very common. It is thought that about 50% of  us grind to some degree. Though commonly referred to as a habit, the truth is that sleep bruxism is a chronic condition, and patients who experience it often can’t stop even if they wanted to. The good… Read more »

Caring for your tongue – How it affects your dental health

Caring for your tongue

When discussing dental care, most people focus on their teeth. While bright, healthy teeth are vital for good dental health, don’t overlook the tongue. Caring for the tongue is important. In addition to being one of the strongest and fastest healing muscles in the human body, the tongue helps maintain good oral hygiene. In today’s… Read more »

Protect Your Heart with better Dental Health

Did you know that dental health and heart health are related? This February medical professionals across the country are observing American Heart Month. The goal is the raise awareness about heart disease prevention. In America, one out of every three deaths is a result of heart disease and stroke. Many people don’t realize that a few… Read more »

The Psychology of Smiling

An emerging field of study known as “positive psychology” or “happiness research” offers new insight into human emotions – more specifically, the act of smiling. Many people hide their smiles because they don’t like their appearance. As a cosmetic dentist, Dr. Fondriest builds beautiful smiles that convey a positive image. Do you know what’s in… Read more »

Gum disease and arthritis | What Do My Knees Have to Do with My Teeth?

Your dental health can have wide-ranging consequences for your overall health. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, researchers from the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have connected rheumatoid arthritis to periodontitis. The link between gum disease and arthritis comes from the bacteria released into the blood stream. Every time… Read more »

Americans Score Low for Dental Health Knowledge

According to the American Dental Association, the United States needs some education on the facts about oral health. The association’s new Web site, mouthHealthy.org, features the results of a national survey that recently gave the average American a “D” on the fundamentals of oral health. The survey offered a range of true or false questions… Read more »

Oral Cancer Rates are Rising

In 2012, an estimated 40,000 Americans were diagnosed with oral cancer. Approximately 8,000 people will die this year from cancer of the tongue, mouth, and throat, according to a report published by the American Cancer Society. While doctors aren’t certain why one person will get mouth cancer and another won’t, there are several risk factors… Read more »

Fuel Your Oral Health

Olympic champion Michael Phelps eats between six and ten pounds of food each day to fuel his body for grueling training sessions. His 10,000 to 12,000 calorie diet includes pancakes, eggs, French toast, cheese, pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. While it’s almost certain you don’t need to eat like a 2012 Olympian, there are several foods… Read more »

Sports Drinks and enamel erosion | Protect your teeth from acidic drinks

Sports Drinks and Enamel Erosion Sports drinks are not as healthy as you might think. In fact, sports drinks have a deadly combination of sugar and acidity that can wreak havoc on your tooth enamel. Weakened enamel creates an environment for cavities, tooth sensitivity, and staining. If you are an athlete this news may be… Read more »

Dark chocolate and cavities

Dark chocolate and cavities

Does dark chocolate cause cavities? The consensus up until now has been that chocolate is bad for your teeth. It is high in sugar and sugar causes cavities, right? Wrong. Sugar helps cause cavities but it is not solely responsible. A number of factors come together to create tooth decay including sugar and pathogenic oral bacteria. Pathogenic… Read more »

Gum Disease Myths Dispelled

Gum disease is common. Recent findings show up to 80% of the population in the United States has gum disease. Despite the fact that gum disease is very common, many patients lack awareness and information on the disease. Early stages of gum disease (gingivitis) are reversible with regular dental cleanings and thorough oral hygiene. If… Read more »

Sports Drinks Are Dangerous

Did you know that sports drinks are dangerous? Dr. James Fondriest encourages his patients to live an active lifestyle with plenty of cardiovascular exercise. Many of us are concerned about staying hydrated throughout the day and sports drinks are a common choice for maintaining a healthy level of hydration. Although beneficial ingredients in sports drinks like… Read more »

Connection between diabetes and gum disease

As scientists and researchers discover more about the connection between oral health and overall vitality, we would like to provide our patients insight into how diabetes and gum disease are connected. Dr. James Fondriest strives to continually educate his patients, especially patients with certain conditions and special needs. Below are some commonly asked questions about… Read more »

Oral Cancer Exam at the Dentist

oral cancer exam at the dentist

An oral cancer exam at the dentist can help detect precancerous or cancerous lesions at an early stage. The earlier oral cancer is identified, the earlier it can be properly treated. Cancer kills over two million people annually. Of these two million people, approximately 7,900 people will die from oral cancer. The death rate is… Read more »