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You’ve got periodontal surgery at our Livingston office coming up on your calendar and you’re prepared. The freezer is stocked with frozen yogurt, the fridge is filled with pudding and applesauce, the cupboard has boxes of gelatin dessert just waiting to be mixed and chilled.

Good for you! Eating a soft, smooth diet is the best way to treat delicate tissue after surgery. Now, let’s look at a few ways to make that diet not only soothing, but healing.

• Protein

Proteins are essential for all of our vital bodily functions. The protein in our diet is broken down into amino acids, which then combine with other amino acids to create the new protein building blocks our cells need to replace and repair damaged tissue. These proteins provide structure for cells in the skin, bone, and blood vessels as they recover. When you are healing, your body requires more protein than usual to help the process along.

Of course, right after periodontal surgery, you won’t be eating your regular protein sources of meats, seafood, beans, and nuts. But dairy foods such as yogurt and milk products are also rich in protein—and delicious in milkshakes and smoothies. You can also add a protein supplement if you will be eating soft foods for a while. Just remember, no straws!

• Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps stimulate cell reproduction and the immune system, both important factors for quicker, safer healing. It also helps our bodies form and maintain bone tissue, mucous membranes, and soft tissue, all of which are involved in bone and gum recovery after surgery.

If you are wondering where to get more vitamin A, think green and orange. Spinach, kale, leaf lettuce and other leafy greens, mild peppers, carrots, cantaloupe, mango—all these foods keep you supplied with vitamin A. How to get those solid foods into your soft diet? Think smoothies. Adding some fresh ingredients to your blender will give you this important vitamin in an easy-to-drink form.

• Vitamin C

Vitamin C is vital for wound healing because it is essential in forming the protein collagen. Collagen provides both structure and support to our tissues, especially important as tissues heal.  

We usually associate vitamin C with citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes. But if you’re avoiding acidic foods because they might irritate delicate tissue, you can also find plenty of vitamin C in green vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale, or in fruits like strawberries, mangos, and papayas. Here’s where that blender comes in handy again!

• Zinc

Zinc has been found to improve healing by promoting membrane repair, blood clotting, and skin cell recovery, and by helping to boost immunity. Too little zinc in the diet has been associated with slower wound healing, especially in the skin—and because our bodies don’t store zinc, it should be part of everyone’s regular diet.

Foods high in zinc include red meat and seafood, but since steak is off the menu for a while, where can you find another good source of zinc? Dairy products, again! Let your milkshake do double duty.

Of course, there is no one magic diet that brings instant recovery. But if you follow Dr. Rothstein and our team’s advice, eat foods designed to soothe rather than irritate your recuperating tissue, and take advantage of the nutrients that encourage healing, you will be doing all you can to make your recovery speedy and healthy. Good for you!

The electronic toothbrush has undergone several technological advances since the 1960s. Everything from design and bristle motions to rotation, oscillation, and sonic vibration has led to dramatic changes in this necessary tool over time.

Rotation oscillation happens when the head of the toothbrush rotates from one direction to the other. The benefit of powered toothbrushes is that they can produce 50,000 strokes per minute, compared to 300 strokes with a manual toothbrush.

When you’re thinking about brush head size, smaller brush heads are best for hard-to-reach areas and small mouths. Brush heads should be replaced every three to six months as needed. A good way to save money is to designate a brush head for each family member which can be taken on and off a shared base motor.

Having a base motor or rechargeable toothbrush can deliver enough power on a full charge for a week of brushing, which makes it convenient for travel or when life gets busy. Some toothbrushes include audible signals that let you know when to switch the area of your mouth you’re brushing or when a full two minutes has gone by.

Do you have sensitive teeth? Studies have indicated that people tend to apply more pressure on their teeth when they use a manual toothbrush. This makes an electric toothbrush a preferable option if you’re having issues with sensitive teeth or gums.

There are even electric models with pressure sensors that will stop the brush from spinning when you press too hard against your teeth!

Everyone can benefit from having an electric toothbrush. A large handle size can be taken into consideration if a member of the household is young, or has a physical disability or arthritis. They’re even recommended for children in order to maintain good oral hygiene from a young age.

Biofilm is a term used for plaque or debris that builds up in your mouth. If not properly addressed, this can cause serious bacterial infections to your gums and teeth. If you want to remove biofilm in the most efficient way, an automatic toothbrush is the way to go.

When you're ready to make your decision, make sure to consult with Dr. Rothstein at our Livingston office to decide which electric toothbrush is right for you!

Nobody likes a dry mouth. It is an uncomfortable and sometimes oddly unexplainable sensation that most people like to avoid. It is not a condition that automatically sends you into a panic about your health, however, a dry mouth can be a bother and something you certainly want to change if possible. So, if you find yourself in the unpleasant position of having a dry mouth, here is what you can do.

Chew Sugar-free Gum: Chewing sugar-free gum will stimulate saliva in your mouth. The chewing motion of your jaw and teeth should take care of at least some of your dry mouth problem.

Suck on Sugar-free Candy: Similarly to chewing sugar free gum, if you suck on sugar free candy it should create more saliva in your mouth and moisturize it in the process.

Cut out the Caffeine:Caffeine can contribute to a dry mouth so by limiting, or eliminating your intake all together, you may find that your dry mouth is no more.

Stop Using Tobacco Products: Tobacco is another cause of dry mouth. Whether it is smokeless tobacco products or cigarettes, if you stop using them your dry mouth will likely improve. And not to forget, these products are exceedingly bad for your oral health to begin with, so you will be doing your mouth a favor even more so.

Drink Lots of Water: It may seem obvious, but drinking lots of water will likely improve your dry mouth. This is because dry mouth is usually a sign of dehydration, so plenty of fluids will surely help.

Dry mouth can be unpleasant, but it is often easily solved by either drinking more water, or trying one of the previously mentioned techniques. If the problem still persists you can always visit our Livingston office to see Dr. Rothstein. More often than not, doing one of the above will leave your mouth more moisturized than it was previously, and hopefully it will be long-lasting as well.

Dental implants are a marvel! They look just like your natural teeth, and, even better, they function just like your natural teeth. So, when you’re planning on a dental implant after an extraction, you want to make sure that your implant has the best chance of success—and we do, too. That’s why we might recommend a socket preservation procedure, where socket grafting takes place immediately after your extraction.

What is a socket graft, and what does it “preserve”? Let’s take a closer look.

Socket Preservation—A Logical Choice After Extraction

You’ve decided on a dental implant for some excellent reasons.

• A missing tooth can change the appearance of your smile.
• Your remaining teeth might shift to fill the empty space, causing alignment and bite problems.
• A lost tooth affects the amount, shape, and health of the bone surrounding your teeth.

No one wants to lose a tooth. Sometimes, though, due to injury or decay, an extraction is the only choice for your oral health. After your tooth is extracted, if the socket bone holding the tooth is perfectly healthy and the extraction is a simple one, we might be able to place an implant post in the socket right away.

But often, bone needs time to heal before placing an implant post, and you risk losing the bone size and density you need to make a future implant possible. How can you lose bone? That’s an unfortunate consequence of losing teeth. Teeth are important not just because they let us eat comfortably—they also help maintain bone health.

Without the stimulation of biting and chewing, the bone beneath the teeth begins a process called resorption. As older cells are absorbed back into the body, new bone cells aren’t produced as quickly to replace them. The alveolar bone, the thick ridge of the jaw which holds our sockets, shrinks in size. As the bone gets smaller, gum tissue shrinks around it, causing a sunken spot where your tooth used to be.

For a dental implant to anchor successfully in the jawbone, you need healthy bone that is high enough, wide enough, and dense enough to hold the implant post securely as it fuses with the bone.

A socket graft at the time of extraction provides two important benefits: grafting material fills the empty socket immediately, preserving the bone and gum area around it, and the graft material acts as scaffolding for new bone growth, creating a firm, dense foundation for your implant.

Grafting materials are gradually and safely absorbed as your new, healthy bone tissue replaces them. The result, after several months of healing, is an alveolar ridge with normal height and width and with the density needed to anchor an implant successfully.

The Grafting Procedure

Grafting material comes in different forms, including allografts (made from donor bone), synthetic grafts (made from synthetic materials which function like bone tissue), and autografts (bone taken from your own body). Growth factors may also be included in the grafting material to encourage new cell growth. Dr. Rothstein will recommend the type of graft which will work best for you.

A socket preservation procedure will frequently involve the following steps:

• Local anesthesia to numb the area before your extraction. You might choose sedation options as well, which we’re happy to discuss with you in advance.
• Careful cleaning of the site after the tooth is extracted.
• Filling the empty socket with bone grafting material.
• Placing a barrier or membrane over the graft to protect it as it heals.
• Suturing the surrounding gum tissue.

Aftercare Treatment

Aftercare treatment for a socket graft is a lot like the treatment for a tooth extraction. You’ll need to be careful around the graft area for several days as it heals, and we’ll give you specific instructions for your recovery. Normally, these may include:

• Don’t disturb or touch the area. Even pulling on lips or mouth to look at the site can put stress on your sutures.
• Immediately after the procedure, we can give you suggestions for reducing swelling and managing any pain you might be feeling.
• We’ll let you know when and how to rinse your mouth clean and when you can return to brushing. And no spitting!
• Eat carefully. We might recommend a liquid diet for a few days before transitioning to bland and cool soft foods. We’ll let you know the best diet for the period after your surgery. Don’t use a straw for your liquid diet, because suction can interfere with the wound.
• Treat yourself carefully for a few days by avoiding strenuous activities, including workouts.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking interferes with the healing process, and the suction involved does your graft no favors either.
• Visit our Livingston office for follow up appointments as recommended. We’ll monitor your healing, and give you a timeline for your future implant.

Preserving your socket now instead of repairing it later has many advantages. Immediate placement of a graft protects bone size and density, eliminates the need for a potential bone grafting procedure in the future, and makes it possible for you to enjoy the natural look and feel of a dental implant as soon as possible.

Bone grafting is essential for many periodontal restorations, and we are specialists in this procedure. If you have an extraction scheduled, let’s discuss why socket preservation might be your best path to an efficient, timely, and successful dental implant.