Peter A. Pate, DDS Dental Blog

January 18, 2012

How Do I Know If I Have Sleep Apnea?

Did you know that Dr. Peter Pate treats patients with sleep apnea? In addition to general and cosmetic dentistry, he provides treatment for sleepy Atlantans, too!

What is sleep apnea?

Over 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and over 40% of adults snore when they sleep. As we learn more about this sleep disorder, we have discovered that sleep apnea is more common than we thought. While you are sleeping, the soft tissues in your mouth relax. As these tissues relax, they can cause obstruction of your airways. Most patients with sleep apnea are disrupted by breathing cessation during their rest. For a few seconds, or even longer than a minute, you can stop breathing. During the short periods throughout the night that you stop breathing, you awaken from sleep. Some patients also experience choking and gasping during these periods. (more…)

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January 5, 2012

What Do Your Teeth Say About You?

Filed under: Family Dentistry,Fun Dental Facts — Tags: atlanta dentist, atlanta family dentist, atlanta general dentist, buckhead dentist, buckhead family dentist, buckhead general dentist, dental health, dentist atlanta, dentist buckhead, going to the dentist, oral health, preventive dentist atlanta, preventive dentist buckhead, teeth and personality, tooth shape — dr_pate @ 6:42 pm

Your smile says a lot about you. It’s a proven fact that people with attractive, healthy smiles are perceived to be friendly and intelligent and are more likely to be promoted at work, earn more money, and have personal and professional success.

Buckhead dentist Dr. Peter Pate knows the importance of a beautiful and healthy smile. Take a look at the dental characteristics below and see if your dental traits match your personality traits.

The Shape of Your Teeth

Your front two top teeth are called the central incisors and serve as the center of your smile. They also indicate age. Younger people tend to have rectangular-shaped central incisors with rounded corners, while the central incisors of older people often become square with square corners as they shorten with age.

The teeth to the immediate left and right of your central incisors are called lateral incisors, and they indicate gender. Women have lateral incisors that are slightly shorter than the central incisors and rounded at the tips. Men, on the other hand, tend to have lateral incisors that are close to the same length as the central incisors and are more square-shaped. (more…)

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January 2, 2012

Is Your Mouth Ready to Travel?

Filed under: Atlanta Community,Family Dentistry,General Dentistry — Tags: breath strip, childrens dentist, dental appointment, dental checkup, dental cleaning, dental emergency, dental practice, dental travel, dentist, emergency dentist, teeth whitening, travel checklist, travel essentials, travel toiletries, travel toothbrush, vacation checklist — dr_pate @ 6:28 pm

Going on vacation during the winter holiday? When you’re packing, don’t forget your dental travel kit. While you can find ready-made kits online or at your local pharmacy, it’s usually better to make your own, especially if you use a non-standard toothpaste or mouthwash. You should definitely include the following:

Toothbrush:Some travel brushes have hard bristles—make sure you pick one with soft bristles. If you’re traveling with others, be sure to label the toothbrushes, or get different-colored brushes to avoid mix-ups. You can even take your power toothbrush on the road. Sonicare has released the DiamondClean model that conveniently charges from your computer with a USB connection.

Toothpaste: You can find travel-size tubes of most kinds of toothpaste at your grocery store or pharmacy. Ask Dr. Pate for a sample if you don’t see yours at the store.

Mouthwash: Find a travel-size container or fill an empty travel bottle with your favorite mouthwash. If you use a prescription mouthwash, fill and label a small travel container.

Floss: This is the one dental care item most people forget! Try a new variety of floss while you’re on vacation. If you use floss picks, find a small plastic baggie and bring more than you think you’ll need. (more…)

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December 31, 2011

Keep Germs Outside Your Mouth

Filed under: Healthy Living — Tags: atlanta dentist, atlanta family dentist, buckhead dentist, cold and flu, dentist atlanta, dentist buckhead, family dentist atlanta, germs inside your mouth, germs outside your mouth, getting sick, spreading bacteria — dr_pate @ 10:15 pm

Many viruses and illnesses can be spread from person to person. Everyone has different bacteria that could infect others, and every time you touch your mouth, you could be exposing yourself to other people’s bacteria. Dr. Pate can reduce the amount of dangerous bacteria in your mouth to help keep you healthy. How do germs travel from the outside environment to inside your mouth?

People

With just one kiss, you swap more than 500 types of bacteria. Tooth decay, cold sores, and other mouth hazards can be transferred through kissing. In addition, with cold and flu season among us, remember that coughs and sneezes can push bacteria through the air, which you can inhale. Sharing dishes, cups, toothbrushes, and other items that come in contact with your mouth will also spread bacteria.

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December 26, 2011

How to Recycle Your Toothbrush

Filed under: General Dentistry,Just For Fun — Tags: atlanta dentist, buckhead atlanta dentist, buckhead dentist, clean with a toothbrush, dentist atlanta, dentist buckhead, how to use old toothbrush, oral hygiene atlanta, oral hygiene buckhead, replacing my toothbrush, teeth cleaning atlanta, teeth cleaning buckhead, uses for old toothbrush, when to replace toothbrush — dr_pate @ 8:50 am

The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every three to four months, or sooner if you’re sick or the bristles become frayed. So what do you do with the brush when it can no longer clean your teeth? Dr. Pate suggests disinfecting your brush to prevent contaminating other areas, and trying these tips to make your old toothbrushes useful.

Around The House

Toothbrushes are useful cleaning tools because they can get into crevices that your sponge or rag cannot reach. The brush can clean between the bristles of your hairbrush or between the tongs of your forks. In addition, the long handle makes it easy to reach deep down into bottles or glasses. It’s also convenient to scrub grout and grime from the corners of kitchen and bathroom sinks. You’ve probably eaten while watching TV or using the computer, which leaves your buttons dirty and sticky. A clean, dry brush can also help remove dust between keys on your remote control or computer keyboard.

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December 20, 2011

What on Earth is a Tongue Scraper?

Filed under: General Dentistry,Preventive Dentistry — Tags: atlanta dentist, bad breath, brush your tongue, buckhead atlanta dentist, cause of bad breath, clean the tongue, cleaning tongue, dental hygiene, dentist atlanta, halitosis cure, tongue cleaning, tongue scraper, types of tongue scrapers — dr_pate @ 3:58 pm

Though it sounds like a medieval torture tool, a tongue scraper is actually an effective oral hygiene aid. Even in ancient India and China, people cleaned their tongues to remove toxic debris. In the 1900s, people used tongue scrapers fashioned from ivory, silver, or tortoise shell.

Today, tongue scrapers are usually made of plastic, and most have a U-shaped head and a handle. However, some new toothbrushes feature a tongue scraper in the form of indentations on the back of the head, opposite the bristles. Floss or toothbrush bristles can also be used as a tongue scraper. (more…)

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November 30, 2011

Fruit cake: The dreaded holiday dessert

Filed under: Healthy Living — Tags: atlanta dentist, atlanta family dentist, buckhead dentist, buckhead family dentist, dentist atlanta, dentist buckhead, family dentist atlanta, family dentist buckhead, health benefits of fruit, health benefits of nut, healthy holiday foods, holiday fruitcake — dr_pate @ 9:36 pm

You cannot escape a grocery store during the holiday season without seeing fruit cake. This traditional treat is chock full of nuts and sticky dried fruits and seems unappealing to most. Although the taste alone is enough to turn many away, there are actually some other health reasons to re-gift this bready brick this year.

The truth is, fruit cake can secretly destroy your smile. Many people use candied or dried fruit to bake into their loaves. These fruit pieces can be sticky and sugary, causing tooth decay or even pulling out fillings! In addition, some varieties have hard nuts blended in with the cake. When you accidentally bite down on a nut, it could cause a tooth to chip or crack. If you choose to indulge in this devious delectable, make sure the cake is cooked well enough to soften the ingredients, and chew carefully!

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