Carl L. Mossberg D.D.S.

We welcome any person, patient or not, to come to the office and have your blood pressure read. It is one of the most important information for you to know about your health. See you soon!

The Holoween Flag is out!!! And a new Esthetic look is in vouge!!!

This time of the year there is a demand for a new "Look"!

Friends from a past era visit the office. Quite a car. 1916 Dodge

For my students at USC School of Dentistry here is the URL for the Full Denture Set up Manual. http://www.usc.edu//dental/s/Basic_Denture_Manual_2007.pdf

One of the topics I would like to discuss is what is referred to as dry mouth syndrome, also known as Xerostomia. The most common causes are: medications that reduce the saliva flow and aging. People past the age of 60 usually have a slight reduction of salivary flow. After these there is a whole plethora of medical conditions and medications that cause the flow of saliva to slow down. My concern about this is the effect it has on dental health. The reduced salivary flow c...auses a reduction of the buffering of the acids that the bacterial put out in the mouth which in turn raises the number of cavities. The most susceptible areas are the roots of the teeth. It has a lower dissolution acid factor. Less acid causes more problems here than on the enamel surface. On the soft tissues in the mouth such as the gums and the mucosa, the reduction in saliva will cause irritation and inflammation. Here are some simple things that can be done about this. There are mints and gum containing Xyletol. Xyletol is a very good decay preventing product and sucking or chewing stimulates saliva flow. Brushing your teeth three times per day with a tooth paste containing backing soda (Arm and Hammer) and spitting out the excess and not rinsing also helps buffer the effect of the acid from the bacteria. An alternate approach is to put regulare tooth paste on the brush and dab it in a small bowl of baking soda. Of course meticulous oral hygiene, by good brushing habits and flossing help tremendously. You can’t get cavities unless you have bacteria that have attached themselves to the teeth. There are also mint sprays and gels with glycerin that can be applied to the mouth during the day. If you have more questions feel free to call me at the office or write on my Facebook wall. See more