Cosmetic Dentistry

4 Ways to Maintain Your Dental Health Through the Holidays

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The holidays are a fun time, but they aren’t always good for your dental health. Sugary desserts and holiday candies can take their toll. It’s important to take care of your teeth! Your dentist in Jay, FL can help you maintain healthy teeth and gums. Below, we’ve provided some tips for maintaining good dental health through the holidays.

1. Maintain Your Oral Hygiene Routine

The holidays are a hectic time, for sure! It’s still important to maintain your oral hygiene routine, even when staying up late at parties or visiting family across the country. Brush your teeth twice daily.

Use a timer to ensure that you’re brushing your teeth for the full length of time that you should be taking. It’s easy to cut your toothbrushing short when you’re in a hurry to get to bed or to get busy with the next holiday event. Give yourself a full two minutes to clean your pearly whites.

2. Moderate Your Sugar Intake

Christmas desserts are well-known to be sugary. Eating the desserts available at holiday events can be bad for your teeth. Moderating your sugar intake at other times, when you aren’t going to holiday events, can help offset some of the effects of these high-sugar foods. Eat food like nuts and boiled eggs at other times to help keep your teeth healthy.

3. Avoid Sticky Candies

Sticky holiday candies like caramel are bad for your teeth and hard to clean off. Avoid sticky candies whenever possible.

4. See the Dentist

See your dentist during the holiday season or just before. Call Jim D. Lassiter to make your next dental appointment in Jay, FL.

When to Visit Your Dentist More Frequently

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We take your oral health seriously at Jim D. Lassiter DMD. Consistent, quality care is essential for attractive, healthy and functioning teeth. For most people, this entails visiting the dentist once every six months. But this rule of thumb isn’t appropriate for everyone. Sometimes people should visit once every three months, or even more frequent. Your dentist in Jay, FL will let you know if more frequent visits are recommended, but in general, here are some situations in which you’ll want to see your dentist more often.

Ongoing Dental Concerns

If you have an ongoing dental issue that requires continued treatments, you would need to see the dentist more frequently. It’s essential to get required treatments on the recommended timeline to help ensure a positive outcome.

Underlying Health Conditions

Certain health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, can have a significant impact on your oral health. These conditions increase the risk for serious things like gum disease, tooth loss and other complications. If you have a chronic illness that affects your dental health, your dentist may recommend more frequent visits to provide preventive care and closely monitor your condition. This is why you should always let your dentist know if you’re battling any health condition, even if it doesn’t immediately seem related to your oral health.

Addictions or Overuse of Substances

Those with a drinking problem, or those who are chronic smokers or users of tobacco have a heightened risk of oral decay and disease. It’s important to be honest with your dentist so that you can be screened for oral cancer and have more frequent dental exams in Jay, FL, so that any problems can be quickly diagnosed and treated.

Contact Jim D. Lassiter DMD today to book your next dental appointment. We look forward to helping you achieve and maintain optimal oral health!

Halitosis and the Root Causes: A Closer Look

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While people seek a general dentist in Jay, FL for many oral health issues, problems with halitosis (bad breath) are a common concern. While many people have suspicions about what is causing bad breath, many are also surprised to learn the root causes from their dentist. It can be far more complex than poor oral hygiene or irregular visits for teeth cleaning. Find out more about the common underlying causes of halitosis below.

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth is one of the most common causes of bad breath, and it can be related to everything from the foods you eat to your water intake habits or medications. If the dentist pinpoints dry mouth as a reason for your experience with halitosis, try to up your water intake, check the side effects of medications, and consider how much sodium you are consuming.

Smoking

Smoking in itself can change the smell of your breath, and tobacco smoke does not have a pleasant odor. However, smokers are also more likely to experience dry mouth, gum disease, and even heightened bacteria levels in their mouths due to elevated temperatures.

Throat Conditions

Certain throat conditions can contribute to halitosis or even be the primary cause. For example, individuals who have ongoing issues with tonsillitis or tonsil stones often struggle with bad breath due to trapped bacteria and inflammation in the throat.

Discuss Halitosis with a Dentist in Jay, FL

If you’ve been noticing more issues with bad breath than usual, a visit to a dentist in Jay may be warranted. The dentist can help you make sure your oral hygiene habits are on-point but also offer guidance about other issues to blame. Reach out to the office of Jim D. Lassiter DMD to schedule an appointment.

Jim D. Lassister DMD – What to Expect When You Need Periodontal Therapy

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Periodontitis, which is a form of gum disease, causes severe gum inflammation. Some of the most obvious symptoms of gum disease include red and swollen gums that may or may not bleed. If you have gum disease and do not treat it, you may eventually need one or more teeth extracted.

Periodontitis tends to be more common among people over age 30, and it gets steadily worse over time without proper attention to oral hygiene. Approximately 47 percent of adults over age 30 have some form of gum disease, and that number increases to 70 percent for senior adults. Periodontal therapy in Jay, FL, is critical to reverse the progression of gum disease.

Causes and Symptoms of Periodontitis

The primary cause of gum disease is poor oral hygiene. If you do not brush and floss your teeth as often as you should, bacteria stick to plaque and tartar already present on the surface of your teeth. When bacteria builds up too much, it becomes lodged in between your teeth and gum line, which is difficult to reach with a toothbrush or dental floss.

The signs of gum disease are not always obvious. We encourage you to schedule an exam with Dr. Jim Lassiter if you notice one or more of the symptoms listed below.

  • Bleeding gums
  • Discolored gums
  • Gum tenderness
  • Loose teeth
  • Pain when chewing food
  • Persistent bad breath
  • Pus along your gum line
  • Red and/or swollen gums
  • Teeth do not fit together properly

The most typical form of periodontal therapy in Jay FL is root planing and scaling, which are forms of dental deep cleaning. It is only when gum disease becomes quite advanced that Dr. Anderson may recommend surgery. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions about this common oral health condition.

Jim D. Lassister DMD: Signs You Have a Cavity, and What to Do About It

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A cavity can be a source of pain and discomfort. If left untreated, cavities can also turn into severe decay and dental infections. Your dentist in Jay, FL can help. AtJim D. Lassister DMD, we provide cavity fillings to patients to protect their teeth and keep them in good condition.

What Is a Cavity?

A cavity is a damaged area in the tooth caused by tooth decay. Cavities happen due to a combination of bacteria and poor oral hygiene. Eating sugary foods and drinking sugary beverages can contribute to the development of cavities, particularly if you’re not cleaning your teeth properly at night.

How Can You Tell You Have a Cavity?

Some cavities show no noticeable symptoms, while others do. Here’s what to watch for:

  • Toothache and tooth sensitivity
  • Visible holes in the teeth
  • Black or brown spots on the tooth
  • Pain when eating or biting down
  • Pain when drinking sugary drinks
  • Visible holes or pits in the tooth enamel

What Can You Do About A Cavity?

If you have a cavity, see the dentist as soon as possible. If the cavity gets worse, the area of decay could spread to the interior of the tooth. If the pulp inside the tooth gets infected, you may need a root canal.

Jim D. Lassister, DMD, provides cavity fillings in Jay, FL. We diagnose and treat cavities regularly to help our patients maintain healthy teeth and gums. If you’re experiencing the symptoms of a cavity, call today to make an appointment

Where Care and Compassion Meet Dental Expertise

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Dr. Jim Lassiter of Lassiter Smiles goes a giant step beyond competence in dental procedures to serve his clients with care and compassion, often willingly taking a patient with an emergency need on short notice. Dr. Spencer Taylor now works alongside Dr. Lassiter in the technology-rich Jay, Florida, dental clinic.

Service Above All

It is this attitude of service from Dr. Lassiter and his team that distinguishes the practice and continues to attract new clients. Because Lassiter Smiles prioritizes regular examinations and preventive care, family members are more likely to retain their natural teeth throughout their lifetimes. Regular examinations and dental cleanings, filling cavities as necessary, and recommending ways to keep gums healthy form the basis of care.

However, if restorative or cosmetic procedures are warranted to improve oral health or improve a smile, a patient can be assured that the team at Lassiter Smiles will recommend the most appropriate options, including straightening, whitening, crowns, or implants. Today’s computer technology today has even made the possibility of same-day crown replacement a reality, eliminating the need for a temporary crown and a return visit to the dental chair.

In addition, Dr. Lassiter routinely screens for potential gum disease and oral cancer.

Call Now for an Appointment

If you’re new to the Jay, FL, area, you can rest assured that you and your family will receive the best possible and most comprehensive care available. Contact us now to schedule an appointment. If you’re an established patient of Lassiter Smiles, we’ll look forward to seeing you at your next scheduled checkup.

Whatever your dental needs might be, we invite you to schedule a consultation so that we may discuss your options for healthy teeth, a bright smile, and lasting oral health.

Remember, we are here to serve your entire family’s dental needs, now and in the future.

Jim D. Lassister DMD

How Long Can I Go With a Toothache?

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It’s never a convenient time to get a toothache. They often seem to come on quite suddenly and at the worst times, like during an important meeting or on weekends and holidays. Although toothaches are quite common, you shouldn’t just accept them as a fact of life. Toothaches usually indicate that there’s an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. It’s important to contact yourdentist in Jay, FL, as soon as possible whenever you have tooth pain so treatment can commence quickly.

What Causes a Toothache?

Often, a toothache is caused when the pulp of the tooth becomes inflamed. The pulp is inside the tooth and contains sensitive nerve endings. When these nerve endings are inflamed, the resulting pain can be excruciating. The inflammation itself can be brought on for a variety of reasons, which your dentist will figure out when you visit. One of the most common causes is tooth fracture, but other causes include cavities, gum disease, or damaged filling.

Can I Ignore a Toothache?

Ignoring a toothache isn’t about being strong. You should always seek dental treatment as soon as possible in order to preserve your teeth. Whatever the cause, it isn’t going to go away on its own; it needs medical intervention. As far as how long can you go with a toothache, it shouldn’t be long. Ideally, you should visit your dentist the same week as the pain starts, or sooner if possible.

Dental Crown Solution

In the case of a damaged tooth, the dentist may be able to install a dental crown. After diagnosing, cleaning and disinfecting the tooth, adental crown in Jay, FL can be applied to the tooth. This will preserve the function and integrity of the tooth and prevent further pain and damage.

If you have a toothache, contact our office to book an appointment as soon as possible. Asame day crown in Jay, FLmay be all you need to save your natural tooth and relieve you of the pain of toothache.