Aug 1, 2023
Don’t you just love that fresh feeling after you’ve brushed your teeth? August 6th is National Fresh Breath Day and a great time to celebrate the ways that a clean and healthy mouth will give you that fresh breath feeling. However, if you’re experiencing an unpleasant taste in your mouth or worried you have bad breath, you could have an underlying oral health issue. Bad breath, also known as halitosis, can be embarrassing and sometimes cause anxiety. There’s no need to suffer! Below are three causes of bad breath and our recommendations for keeping your breath fresh and your mouth happy this National Fresh Breath Day…and every day!
- Tobacco Products
If you’re still searching for reasons to quit smoking, add bad breath to the list. Beyond the myriad health risks linked to tobacco use, smokers and oral tobacco users are more likely to have gum disease. Gum disease is a leading cause of bad breath, and is linked with other health conditions as well. If you’re looking for resources or help quitting tobacco…please let us know. We are here to help!
- Dry Mouth
Ever wake up with the dreaded “morning breath?” This is often due to dry mouth, which naturally occurs for many people while sleeping. Saliva is so important for your oral health; it helps clean away cavity-causing bacteria as well as odor-causing bacteria. If you have a dry mouth beyond just the morning time, it could be linked with certain medications you are taking or a condition known as xerostomia. Drinking extra water can help flush your mouth of the bad bacteria and keep it fresh. Be sure to also let Dr. Brunacini and Dr. Kargiorgos and your hygienist know about your medications and any health concerns you may have, such as dry mouth. We can work with you so your home oral care routine supports your needs.
- Poor Oral Hygiene
If you’re not brushing and flossing then food, plaque, and bacteria are left to their own devices to wreak havoc on the health of your teeth and gums, AND cause bad breath. Develop a home care routine of brushing twice a day and flossing once a day to take care of your whole mouth and prevent that stinky breath. If bad breath is a concern throughout the day, try brushing after every meal and consider tongue scraping as well. This will help remove extra food particles and bacteria and will help you feel extra fresh! Our team of amazing hygienists are always happy to share tips and techniques for brushing and flossing, so please ask how we can help you stick with an oral hygiene routine that works for you!
This National Fresh Breath Day, give your teeth and gums some extra love so your mouth feels extra healthy and fresh! If you still have concerns about persistent bad breath, talk to us and your doctor. Bad breath can also be linked to other health concerns. Please call us at 207.781.5900 with any questions, concerns, or to schedule your next appointment.
Feb 7, 2022
Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Falmouth Dental Arts! “Tooth” be told, we love our patients and are committed to providing a patient-centered approach to your complete and compassionate care. Your comfort level is paramount to us and that’s why we strive to be on the cutting edge of dentistry, offering the latest in dental technology. Thanks to your valuable feedback, we will continue to offer the best services and amenities to make you feel as comfortable as possible with your dental care experience. Over the years we have heard from you, our patients, about some of the things you appreciate most about Falmouth Dental Arts. Read on for some of our favorite patient “love letters” below.
Tami G.
As always, everything exceeded expectations. The people, place, procedure, professionalism, and pleasantries can make a new crown without a frown. FDA patient for over 20 years.
Timothy L.
Great staff, very knowledgeable, a wonderful experience and I learn something new every time I go in!
Julia L.
Always friendly, always caring. The dentists and hygienists listen to you and make you feel heard. I’m one of those fearful of dentistry types and I’d go nowhere else.
Cheryl H.
Absolutely superb care! Dr. Karagiorgos is highly skilled, compassionate, and a true dental health care partner. All the staff I’ve encountered are friendly, professional, and kind, and I’ve known some of them for decades. My daughter, a patient since she was a very young child, entrusts my grandson’s dental care to Dr. K and his staff. Falmouth Dental Arts is a truly exceptional practice.
J. Kernis
Thanks to my friends who recommended Falmouth Dental Arts. I am new to Maine and am pleased with my first visit to their practice. The hygienist was thorough and gentle. I appreciated that Dr. Brunacini, while also thorough in the dental exam, was practical and modest in his treatment recommendation. The office was simple, clean, comfortable, quiet, and all personnel were pleasant. I am delighted to find a dental practice that feels friendly, extremely competent, knowledgeable, and dedicated to helping me maintain my dental health without pushing me into expensive treatment plans.
Thank you, patients, we feel the love! We are so grateful for our wonderful family of patients and want to provide you with the best oral care possible! To show you how much we care on Valentine’s Day (and every day), we pledge to continue to:
- Design a dental plan with you that fits your needs and budget.
- Make sure that you feel comfortable physically and emotionally while you are in our care.
- Offer a range of treatments to help you attain your dental health goals.
- Provide the least invasive products and procedures.
- Build a partnership with you as we plan for your care.
Keep spreading the love to your teeth and gums by keeping up with your daily oral health routine and hygiene appointments! If you need to schedule an appointment, or have some feedback to share with us, please give us a call at 207.781.5900.
Oct 19, 2021
Are you excited for Halloween? We are, too! From the amazing costumes to the spooky decorations – it’s one seriously fun holiday! In the spirit of the season, we thought we’d share some silly Halloween jokes with you this year…because we love to see you smile!
What kind of toothpaste do vampires buy?
Ultra-Bite
What did the ghost say when he found out he had cavities?
Boo Hoo!
Why did the vampire need mouthwash?
Because he had bat breath
What do you call a bear without teeth?
A gummy bear
What does a vampire fear most?
Tooth decay
We hope these jokes gave you a good MWAA-HAA-HA! Please feel free to share some of your favorite Halloween jokes with us on Facebook! All jokes aside, Halloween can be a scary time for your teeth…all those sticky, sugary treats can really wreak havoc on your chompers. Be sure to keep up with your oral health care routine – brushing twice a day and flossing once a day – especially after you eat your trick-or-treating candy! If you’re due for a check up appointment with Dr. Brunacini or Dr. Karagiorgos, or if you have questions about how to maintain a healthy and beautiful smile this holiday season, please call our office today at 207.781.5900. Our team of dental professionals is happy to help you achieve your oral health care goals!
Oct 15, 2021
October is National Dental Hygiene Month and we are lucky to have such an incredible team of hygienists to honor at FDA! Ashley, Diann, Kelly, Jean, Erin, Alex, and Leigha make up the core of our practice, providing our family of patients with knowledgeable and compassionate dental care. They are the expert eyes that Dr. Brunacini and Dr. Karagiorgos rely on for comprehensive patient updates at every check-up appointment. The resilience and care that our hygienists demonstrate day-in-day-out is truly extraordinary. We are so grateful for their hard work and commitment to patient comfort and care! This month is also about promoting healthy mouths across the county, because that is what hygienists are all about! Our team of hygienists are who you see at every cleaning and check up appointment and work closely with you to set up the right oral health care routine so your teeth and mouth stay healthy. We know that learning how to prioritize wellness and self-care can be challenging, so we asked the hygienists for their top oral health care tips!
Leigha
“Flossing is one of the most important things you can do for your oral health. Best practice is to make sure the floss reaches under the gumline.”
Erin
“Xylitol products like Spry or Oxyfresh are helpful tools for decay prevention.”
Ashley
“If you don’t use an electric toothbrush, invest in one. They truly provide a superior clean and help keep the gums healthier.”
Alex
“Don’t forget to clean your tongue with a tongue scraper or brush.”
Jean
“Cleaning between teeth can be tricky, even for the best flossers. Teeth are not a flat surface and sometimes you need a little help to clean the concavities and convexities. ‘Go Betweens’ are tiny pipe-cleaner-type brushes that fit between the teeth and pick up material that floss might miss.”
Kelly
“My all time favorite tip for flossing is ‘keep it easy and simple.’ Keep a bag of ‘Plackers’ in the car and every time you drive, grab one and floss away!”
Diann
“Your oral cavity is a pathway to better health! Both a healthy diet and how you care for your teeth and gums are important. Ancient Chinese medicine held this same advice. Two minutes of proper brushing and interproximal cleaning (i.e. flossing) two times daily will help prevent numerous problems of inflammation throughout your body.”
Thank you, ladies!
Be sure to say thank you to your hygienist at your next appointment – or give them a shout out on our Facebook page! If you have any questions about their tips or want to go over your oral health care routine, give us a call – 207.781.5900. We are here to be your partner in excellent oral health care.
Sep 28, 2021
You brush, you floss, you’ve started scraping your tongue, and you come in for regular check ups. Perhaps you’ve been wondering why you need to get dental x-rays on top of your excellent oral care routine. Are dental x-rays really necessary for your oral health? The answer is yes: dental x-rays are a useful diagnostic tool for Dr. Brunacini and Dr. Karagiorgos and help them detect damage and disease not visible during a general exam. This month we spoke with Dr. Karagiorgos about why dental x-rays are an important part of your oral health care.
Dental X-rays provide dentists the opportunity to identify any potential problems in the mouth. What exactly are you looking for when you review X-rays?
Dr. Karagiorgos: X-rays are a very important diagnostic tool that allow dentists to see more of people’s teeth than what we can see in the mouth with just magnifying lenses and a headlight. With x-rays we can see things like tooth decay between adjacent teeth, we can see if there are any potential problems under the gums, in the bone or in the roots of the teeth.
Are there any types of x-rays that hurt or require special preparation or protection?
Dr. Karagiorgos: Dental x-rays themselves don’t hurt per se. There are conditions in some patients that can make it a little more difficult for those patients to take x-rays. For example, patients with a limited ability to open their mouth, patients that have a very strong gag reflex or some that have larger bony protrusions in their mouths. X-rays have evolved and improved quite a bit over the years. At Falmouth Dental Arts, we have state-of-the-art digital x-ray sensors that allow us to take and immediately see diagnostic images in high resolution, using far less radiation than the previous generation film x-rays.
What are the most serious diseases or conditions that you can prevent thanks to taking regular X-rays?
Dr. Karagiorgos: X-rays can help us routinely detect things like dental decay and tooth infections. X-rays can also help us diagnose very serious general health problems. We can see pathology in the bone like invasive cysts or cancerous tumors. Panoramic films and 3D cone beam x-rays that rotate around the head are commonly used to evaluate the jaw joints or to see wisdom teeth coming in. These x-rays with expanded fields of view can also help us see things like restricted airways, salivary blockages or even calcifications in the circulatory system of the neck which can put patients at increased risk of stroke.
What has been the most surprising thing that you have seen on Dental X-rays?
Dr. Karagiorgos: I just got back from a dental convention where a dentist presented the latest imaging technology. He presented us a slide showing x-rays taken on a 6 year old boy. His images showed what looked like a round metal object in the boy’s left sinus. The x-ray image was of such great quality that we were able to make out George Washington’s bust! It turns out that without anyone’s knowledge, the boy had lodged a quarter so deep into his nose that it ended up in the boy’s maxillary sinus. That was pretty surprising to see, but even more surprising was the very next slide.
It was an x-ray of the sinus of the boy’s 8-year-old brother. Apparently, the brother had a lego brick in the exact same location!
Are there any medical conditions or situations where you advise patients to not undergo x-rays?
Dr. Karagiorgos: Typically, no. Dental X-rays are of lower doses of radiation. They are considered generally safe. That said, we specifically try to limit x-ray exposure to expectant women. We are always weighing the risks and benefits of every treatment, and this includes taking x-rays.
As dentists, we practice the ALARA principle with radiation. ALARA stands for “as low as reasonably achievable”. This principle means that even if it is a small dose of radiation, if there is no direct benefit, you should try to avoid it.
Thank you, Dr. Karagiorgos!
When was the last time you had x-rays of your teeth taken? We recommend routine Bitewings x-rays for adults every 1-2 years depending on decay history, gum health, and dry mouth. For children and teens we recommend it every year. Major films are recommended every 3-5 years for both adults and children to monitor growth and development as well as periodontal health. Call our office today at 207.781.5900 to make your appointment!
*Image courtesy of www.wikipedia.org
