Understanding Dental Inflammation

Dental inflammation can affect your overall health. When you cut yourself and a scab forms, that’s an example of the inflammatory process at work. While your body is usually very adept at healing itself, there are unfortunately many situations where the natural inflammatory response actually makes a problem worse!

Inflammation in the mouth can begin a frustrating cycle that can’t be resolved without the help of a skilled dentist. Inflammatory processes in the mouth lead to:

  • Tooth decay
  • Cavities
  • Gum disease
  • Tooth and bone loss

As an experienced dentist, I want to educate you on the inflammatory process and how it can affect your life and dental health.

Bacteria & Dental Inflammation

There will always be bacteria in your mouth. Eliminating all of it is neither desirable nor possible. Instead, what we want to do is help you maximize the healthy “good” bacteria in your mouth and minimize the decay-causing “bad” bacteria.

When the bad bacteria thrive, the result is damage to the tissue in your mouth. Your body responds with an inflammatory response, which is the beginning of the vicious cycle of tooth decay and gum disease. You can manage the bacteria in your mouth by:

  • Eating a healthy balanced diet rich in leafy greens and low in sugary and acidic foods
  • Brushing and flossing regularly at home
  • Visiting the dentist for checkups and cleanings to remove built up tartar and plaque

DID YOU KNOW

Just as barnacles will grow on a ship traveling through the water, dental tartar is unavoidable no matter how well or how often you brush and floss. To prevent infection, decay, and disease, you must see a dentist you trust to have tartar removed.

Symptoms of Dental Inflammation

Stained, Discolored, or Chipped Teeth

Bleeding, Red, Receding or Swollen Gums

Chronic Bad Breath (Halitosis)

Pain in Your Teeth or Gums

The Consequences of Untreated Gum Inflammation

When dental inflammation is left untreated, your body loses its ability to heal itself naturally. Over time, as gum inflammation caused by bacteria in the mouth continues, you’ll experience:

  • Tooth Decay & Cavities – Over 95% of adults suffer from tooth decay at some point in their lives, but it’s avoidable with diet and proper dental care.
  • Gum Disease – The mouth is the gateway to the body. Modern research shows that untreated gum disease increases risks of heart disease and diabetes.
  • Tooth Loss – Tooth loss leads to bone loss. You won’t be able to chew normally and your face will take on a sunken appearance.

The best way to achieve a natural, beautiful, healthy smile is through proactive and preventive dental care at Green Dentistry.

The Green Dentistry Difference

At Green Dentistry, we strive to build life-long relationships with our patients to help them feel secure about their smiles today and for many years to come. We want our patients to feel confident in the work we do together to give them not only beautiful smiles but also functionality and oral health to last a lifetime. We are also proud to give back — to people who are in need and to the environment that surrounds us. We are excited to make you the newest member of our holistic dental care family.

Your Comfort Matters to Us

Our Union Square dentist in San Francisco ensures our office is a place where you can relax and put your health and wellness first, allowing yourself recovery and restoration. We provide a number of spa-like services to our patients in order to relieve discomfort and improve relaxation, such as:

  • Aromatherapy
  • Neck wraps and heated blankets
  • Healing with essential oils and crystals
  • Noise-cancelling headphones

New Patient? We’ll Plant a Tree In Your Honor

We believe in “green dentistry with a green thumb.” Let’s work together to help improve the environment and fight climate change.

Every year, your tree will:

  • Produce 260 lbs of fresh oxygen
  • Remove 25+ lbs of carbon from the atmosphere
  • Provide shade and habitat for birds, squirrels, and other animals

Help us make a difference!

The best dental care in the San Francisco Bay Area!

We look forward to welcoming you and helping you on your journey to an amazing smile and life-long health!

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Call (415) 433-0119

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Dr. Nammy Patel and her team at Green Dentistry in Downtown San Francisco, California, provide quality dentistry with a holistic approach. They offer their patients exceptional care and service in cosmetic dentistry, Invisalign treatment, laser dentistry, sleep apnea treatment, general holistic dentistry and so much more. They even offer sedation dentistry to their patients. They serve patients throughout the Bay Area. SF Green Dentist is in walking distance from Downtown, the Financial District and zip codes 94108, 94109, 94103, 94104 and 94133.