Canker sores are small ulcers in the mouth. They can make eating, drinking, and even speaking uncomfortable. They can also make oral hygiene practices like brushing your teeth and gargling with mouthwash painful.

Causes of Canker Sores

The exact cause of canker sores is unknown. Simple canker sores can be triggered or worsened by highly acidic foods and beverages, dental devices like braces, and anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. Complex canker sores may be caused by a vitamin deficiency, or gastrointestinal diseases.

Symptoms of Canker Sores

Canker sores are identifiable by their round shape, gray or white color, and red border. Often painful, these open sores in your mouth may also cause:

• Swollen lymph nodes
• Physical exhaustion
• Fever

Reasons to Contact Your Dentist for a Canker Sore

Most canker sores will heal within a few weeks. You will want to contact your dentist if your sores are:

• Unusually large
• Spreading
• Extremely painful
• Interfering with eating and drinking
• Accompanied by a fever

The dentists at Colonial Dental Group can prescribe special mouthwash in these cases that will help heal the sores.

If you live in or around Chicago, Illinois, and are experiencing difficulties with canker sores, please contact the experienced dentists at the Colonial Dental Group today for a thorough examination and review of your treatment options.

Nobody wants bad breath. It's embarrassing, and can lead others to believe you have poor oral hygiene or overall health. Ever year, Americans spend millions of dollars on things like mouthwash and gum to cover up bad breath; but what causes bad breath in the first place, and what can really be done to cure it?

Causes of Bad Breath

The most common causes of bad breath are the things we put into out mouth. Food, beverages, and tobacco products all impact our breath. Other causes of bad breath include:

• Improper oral hygiene like failure to brush and floss regularly
• Gum disease
• Dry mouth
• Sinus infections
• Diseases, including lung disorders, cancer, and kidney failure
• Extreme dieting or starvation

Treatment for Bad Breath

The best treatment for bad breath is proper oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing after every meal, or at least twice a day, will help ensure your breath stays it's freshest. Other steps to eliminate bad breath include:

• Regular dental visits for thorough cleanings, for identification of potential problems, and treatment for gum disease, and dry mouth
• Not using tobacco products
• Drinking water throughout the day to keep your mouth moist

Professional strength mouthwashes and treatments are available for severe cases of dry mouth and gum disease. The dentists at Colonial Dental Group will be able to work closely with you to find a solution that best fits your needs.

If you suffer from bad breath in or around Chicago, Illinois, please contact us for an initial consultation. The professional dentists at Colonial Dental Group can instruct you in proper oral hygiene and help eliminate the problem of bad breath forever.

A beautiful, healthy smile begins at home. Proper oral hygiene not only helps keep your smile its brightest, it also helps keep it at its most functional. Maintaining your natural teeth requires substantially less time and effort than costly surgical procedures necessary when your teeth are no longer healthy. But what is the best way to ensure your teeth remain healthy?

Proper Tooth Brushing

Everyone knows how to brush their teeth, right? Not necessarily so. Several factors go in to proper brushing.

• Use a fluoride toothpaste
• Use a toothbrush that has soft, or extra soft bristles
• Brush lightly to ensure you don’t remove enamel
• Brush at least twice a day
• Brush for at least two minutes at a time
• Change your tooth brush regularly

Following these rules will help ensure your teeth are their whitest and most healthy in between regular dental visits.

Proper Flossing

In addition to brushing, flossing twice a day is important to remove plaque and food from in between your teeth - places your tooth brush cannot reach. Flossing properly takes only a few minutes and will lead to overall improved oral health.

• Give yourself enough floss (12 to 18 inches) to ensure a tight grip on both ends
• Slide the floss in between each tooth, making sure to floss your back teeth as well as your front
• You can floss before or after brushing your teeth
• Flossing before bed is more important than flossing during the day

Plaque and food built up in between teeth can only be removed with proper flossing.

Regular Dental Visits

In addition to brushing and flossing daily, regular checkups and professional cleanings at Colonial Dental Group will help keep your teeth their healthiest. During these visits your teeth will be thoroughly cleaned, and you will be examined to check for cavities, gum disease, and any other potential problems. It is important to have a dentist check your teeth at least twice a year to catch any potential problems before they get too big.

If you live in or around Chicago, Illinois, please contact the trained dentists at Colonial Dental Group to schedule your check up today. You use your teeth every day, they deserve the best care possible.

General dentistry is a broad term referring to all aspects of dentistry that focus on hygienic and functional treatments, rather than cosmetic services. You may associate general dentistry with annual trips to the dentist as a child for tooth cleanings, x-rays, oral exams, and free tooth brushes, but the scope of general dentistry far exceeds those things; encompassing every aspect of preventative and restorative oral hygiene.

Common General Dental Procedures

Common procedures in general dentistry include nonsurgical visits like:

• Regular checkups and cleanings
• X-rays
• Snoring treatments
• Dentures
• Pediatric dentistry

Other general dental procedures that are a little more involved include:

• Fillings
• Resurfacing
• Root canals
• Dental implants
• Dental crowns

When choosing a dentist, it is important to search for someone who has been extensively trained and has sufficient experience to provide all services for you and your family. Equally important is finding someone who has received additional training in the art and science of cosmetic dentistry, ensuring cross-over procedures like dental bonding and dental crowns are both structurally sound, and aesthetically pleasing. The dentists at Colonial Dental Group have the training and experience in both disciplines you and your family deserve.

If you live in or around Chicago, Illinois, and are looking for a friendly, professional family dentist to service all of your family's dental needs, please contact Chicago's general dental professionals at Colonial Dental Group for an initial consultation.