Sleep apnea is a common and serious sleeping disorder that happens when your regular breathing is interrupted during sleep. Snoring is common among patients with sleep apnea but not all snorers have sleep apnea.

Sjögren’s (pronounced SHOW-grins) syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own moisture-producing glands, the tear-secreting and salivary glands as well as other organs.

Nearly 20 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases affect people in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With these highly preventable diseases often come symptoms that affect your entire body – including your mouth. Not all people who are infected will go on to have symptoms. If a person with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) develops symptoms, they are then considered to have a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

A tongue scraper is a tool used to help clean your tongue. Tongue scrapers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and work by starting at the back of the tongue and pulling the scraper forward. Some people choose to clean their tongue by using their toothbrush as well.

Inflammation is central to periodontal disease, triggered by the body’s response to periodontal pathogens in the biofilm. When the inflammatory response to bacterial infection becomes chronic, it causes damage to the supporting structures of the teeth (the root cementum, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone), causing the well-known process of bone loss and eventually even tooth loss.

Pregnancy gingivitis refers to the specific condition where inflammation of the gingiva is clearly tied to a woman’s pregnancy. As is the case for “classic” gingivitis, increased bleeding is one of the main symptoms of this condition. Pregnancy gingivitis often first occurs late in the first trimester, and peaks in the eighth month, dissipating shortly after delivery.