Dangers of Habitual Snoring

Occasional snoring isn’t serious, but when a person is constantly getting kicked in the middle of the night for disrupting their partner's sleep, then it becomes a problem. Habitual snorers not only disrupt the sleep of their partner, they risk developing cardiovascular disease, falling asleep at the wheel due to constant fatigue, and increase their chances of developing sleep apnea. If you don’t feel like you are getting the quality of sleep that you deserve, schedule a consultation with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS.

Sleep apnea creates several problems, including interruptions of breathing during the night. When the airway is physically obstructed, this can cause a delay in breathing during sleep or it can make a person stop breathing altogether. Sleep apnea additionally puts a strain on the heart because the lack of sleep can result in higher blood pressure and a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. If you experience drowsiness during the day, it may be time to discuss your treatment options.

If you have questions or concerns regarding sleep apnea, please give us a call. To learn more about the services provided at the practice, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

Use Your Benefits Before Year End

It’s almost time to ring in the New Year, which means it is time to use your remaining dental insurance benefits. Dr. Eric Meyer of Fullerton Dental wants each of his patients to understand that doing so, could actually save patients hundreds of dollars. While some dental insurance plans run on a fiscal year, many others run on a traditional calendar year. Once you confirm which category you fall under, call us so you can begin 2018 with a healthy smile.

If you’ve been putting off needed dental work, now is the time to schedule your appointment. If you opt to receive dental procedures now and have benefits left, they will be covered and you will not have to add the costs to next year’s maximum benefit amount. Since insurance benefits for dental rarely roll over, we encourage you to use them or lose them. Remember, your dental insurance is in place to maintain your good oral health, so be sure to take full advantage of it!

If you have questions or concerns regarding insurance, payment, or scheduling, please give us a call. To learn more about the services provided at the practice, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

Foods for Optimal Oral Health

Prevention is important when it comes to protecting tooth enamel, periodontal health, and the overall health of your mouth. If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “You are what you eat” that is partially true, because what you eat reflects your oral health status. If you have a diet that is heavy in sugar and carbohydrates, Dr. Eric M Meyer DDS, hopes that your oral hygiene routine is up to par. If it’s not, then it’s time to put these foods on your plate.

Regular brushing and flossing help eliminate sugars that are in the foods and beverages that we eat. A healthy diet consists of eating foods from each of the five food groups. Also known as “functional foods” fruits and vegetables that have high water content keep the mouth clean and promote oral health. Dairy products such as cheese, sugar-free yogurt, and milk increase saliva production which help fight decay. Additionally, foods containing calcium such as almonds and leafy greens keep tooth enamel strong and healthy.

If you have questions or concerns regarding dental health, please give us a call. To learn more about the services provided at the practice, visit www.fullertondental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Eric M Meyer, DDS, in Fullerton CA, call 714-879-7943.

Proper Use of Mouthguards

An athlete’s mouth can take quite a battering during a match. When properly used, a mouthguard can make save someone’s teeth from traumatic injury, but many athletes opt not to use one. Their reasons for doing so are usually based on misconceptions which, at Dr. Eric Meyer’s Fullerton dental office, we want to correct.

A common complaint about mouthguards is that they are excessively large, covering interior parts of the mouth that don’t need protection at the cost of gagging and difficulty speaking and breathing. This can happen if a mouthguard is not fitted properly, but a custom-fitted mouthguard would not cause these problems. Boil-and-bite mouthguards available at sports stores and through online vendors work alright, but the best option is a mouthguard made from a scan or impression of the athlete’s teeth.

Some people also avoid mouthguards because they consider them unhygienic. This depends on how often a mouthguard is cleaned. Ideally, it would be brushed after every use (with a different toothbrush than the wearer uses on their teeth). Like retainers and dentures, mouthguards should only be rinsed with cool or room-temperature water, for fear of warping them, and should be replaced by a professional if they lose their shape. Unlike dentures, mouthguards should be allowed to dry when not in use.

Eric M. Meyer, DDS, operates at 2720 North Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, California, 92835. To schedule an appointment, call 714-879-7943 or visit FullertonDental.com and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Tooth Decay in Seniors

At Dr. Eric Meyer’s Fullerton dental office, we provide preventive care to ensure seniors have healthy, comfortable, good-looking teeth. Many people are aware that children are at risk for tooth decay and cavity formation, but they may not be aware that the risk returns late in life. There are a number of reasons for this which seniors and those caring for them need to look out for.

Declining dexterity and motor control can make oral hygiene difficult. Declining vision may also make it more difficult to target problem oral areas, but seniors are also likelier to simply forget to keep up their brushing. They may also have changed their diets to include softer foods with higher sugar contents that are likelier to get stuck between their teeth and feed more bacteria. Seniors also often make fewer trips to the dentist due to loss of employment benefits and are on medications that compromise their oral health, such as those which cause dry mouth.

On top of these complications, most seniors did not have access to fluoridated water growing up, making them more vulnerable to any adverse change in oral health. According to the most recent information from the Centers for Disease Control, one in five had untreated tooth decay. However, with fluoridated toothpaste and other products we can recommend for help with motor control problems and dry mouth, seniors can regain and even improve their oral health.

Eric M. Meyer, DDS, operates at 2720 North Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, California, 92835. To schedule an appointment, call 714-879-7943 or visit FullertonDental.com and fill out a contact sheet.