H Charles Jelinek Jr DDS - Summer 2020

Don’t Put Off Dental Care Any Longer! It’s Time to Return to the Dentist Imagine a pothole on the road. It starts as one dent in the asphalt, and with every bump, freezing winter, or freak accident, it slowly starts to expand and deepen. The city promises they will fix it next year, when they have more time and money. There are more pressing matters, they claim. So, the pothole stays, and it grows and grows and grows… until something serious happens. Maybe it’s an accident that leaves people gravely injured. Maybe the hole causes a tanker to spill toxic materials into the earth. Regardless, the problem is now much bigger than it would have been had the city fixed the pothole almost immediately. You can think of your mouth the same way. As the COVID-19 pandemic made landfall in the U.S., many businesses shut their doors and people hunkered down in their homes for an unprecedented safer-at-home lifestyle. We let soccer practices, dental appointments, music lessons, and many other appoints go to limit the spread of a disease we knew very little about. While necessary at the time, the result of this lockdown has left many patients questioning whether they should go back to the dentist or not. A Washington Post article from early July 2020 asked experts to name the top medical tasks Americans should resume. These included cancer screenings, blood tests, emergency room visits, physical therapy, and — you may have guessed it — dentist appointments. In the article, endodontist Chad Gehani, who is also the president of the American Dental Association, reminded readers that dental issues don’t often have obvious symptoms. Without regular appointments, these issues can fester and cause painful and costly damage. As Gehani further explained, those in the middle of treatments as the pandemic hit may also face problems without getting proper care as soon as possible. For example, those who are in the middle of crown treatment or teeth-straightening regimens run the risk of teeth shifting out of proper alignment. Gehani was quoted saying, “Generally, with any dental procedure, if you start and don’t finish, it will create more of a problem. The longer time you wait, the more complexity you can generate in the mouth.”

Tongue Talks

GET TO KNOW YOUR TONGUE ’ S HEALTH AND HOW YOU CAN KEEP IT STRONG

You may not always think about it, but your tongue does a lot for you. Speaking is possible thanks to the flexibility of your tongue, summers would be infinitely less fun without licking ice cream cones, and you have your tongue to thank for tasting your favorite foods. Given the tongue’s proximity to the teeth, you have ample opportunity twice each day to give it the love it deserves, yet many people don’t even think about cleaning this powerful little body part. Just like your teeth and gums, bacteria and plaque can build up on your tongue. This can lead to infections, inflammation, bad breath, and even fungus growth. Unfortunately, cleaning your tongue isn’t as simple as washing down your dinner with some water. Similarly to your teeth, bacteria and germs can hide long the little grooves of your tongue’s papillae — thin spots on your tongue commonly referred to as “taste buds.” To combat this, Dr. Jelinek recommends cleaning your tongue at least once each day with your toothbrush. Tongue scraping with a small device can also be beneficial, but you must be consistent in order for this action to be effective. One of the most common conditions that can come from not cleaning your tongue frequently is bad breath. This occurs when the bacteria are not quickly removed from your tongue’s surface. As Dr. Jelinek explains, most chronic bad breath diagnoses have a lot to do with the tongue. In addition to common conditions, the tongue can also show signs of a more serious problem. A really red tongue could be a sign of a vitamin B deficiency. This powerful nutrient is used by your body to keep your nerves and cells happy and healthy. The tongue can also become discolored or patchy when you have strep throat or scarlet fever, bacterial overgrowth, or a reaction to tobacco-overuse. (Those who are longtime smokers or tobacco users may find their tongue has a yellowish tint.) Meanwhile, a healthy tongue is much simpler to spot. The tongue should be pink in color with small bumps (the papillae). You can keep your tongue this way by regularly cleaning it each day with a toothbrush or using a scraper.

If it’s been a while since we’ve seen you, don’t risk putting off dental care any longer. Call 703-584-5996 to schedule your appointment today.

If you notice a defect on your tongue, or if you would like help choosing the right tongue scraper, call our office to schedule your next appointment!

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