Karl A. Smith, DDS, MS
Dr. Karl Smith has been in dental practice for over twenty-seven years. His specialties are periodontics, dental anesthesia and implants. People come from near and far to experience the comfort and professionalism of his office and patient-oriented staff. <a href="http://www.drkarlsmith.com" title="http://www.drkarlsmith.com" target="_blank">http://www.drkarlsmith.com</a>
Articles by this Author
Ask a Periodontist: About Periodontal Disease
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
Periodontal disease is the dental term used to technically refer to an inflammatory disease caused by bacterial infection within the gums of the mouth – which dentists call the periodontal part of the mouth The word “periodontal” actually means “around the tooth
Ask a Periodontist: Cosmetic Periodontics
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
Dentists generally refer to anything that has to do with the gums by using the word “periodontic” and so the care of gums by a dentist is referred to by the technical term periodontics Cosmetic is a word we all know, and it has to do with how something looks
Ask a Periodontist: Dental Problems Associated With Oral (Tongue and Lip) Piercings
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
Oral piercings of the tongue and lip in order to wear jewelry have become quite popular during the past 10 or 15 years, but wearing of tongue studs or lip rings and other ornaments attached to the mouth area can pose dental problems Knowing what kinds of problems to anticipate and how to avoid the various types of dental trouble associated with tongue piercings and other kinds of oral piercings can help you maintain better health or make more informed decisions before choosing a particular type of piercing or jewelry
Ask a Periodontist: Some Important Factors That Affect Your Gums
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
The gums are not only essential to a pleasing and attractive smile but they also contribute mightily to our dental health – which is, of course, a huge component of our overall health and well being So it is important for each of us to take good care of our gums, and in order to effectively do that we first need to know what kinds of things can affect our gums or influence their health
Ask a Periodontist: Why Do My Gums Bleed When I Brush My Teeth?
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
When you floss or brush vigorously and your gums hurt or bleed, that is a sign that they are open to potential infection One of the reasons the gums or periodontal region bleeds is because it is already suffering from minor inflammation or low grade swelling
Ask a Periodontist: Why You Might Need Gum Surgery
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
Gum surgery sometimes becomes necessary, in spite of your best attempts to take good care of your teeth and gums and keep those important twice-a-year dental appointments But the good news is that there are many modern and sophisticated advances in terms of dental medicine and surgical procedures, so that if you do have to go to the dentist and have some type of gum surgery performed, it will probably be much less bothersome than you might have expected or anticipated
Ask a Periodontist: What Are Dental Implants?
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
A dental implant is a tool used by dentists when they need to replicate or replace part of the broken tooth, and have to do so by some manmade or synthetic means These days most dental implants are used to give a tooth a new root after the natural tooth root has been broken, diseased, or otherwise damaged co much that it no longer works as a base and anchor for the tooth
Ask a Periodontist: How Does Your Dentist Treat an Abscessed Tooth
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
An abscessed tooth is a tooth that has an infection within it that has gone beyond the tough outer layers of the tooth and gotten into the softer and more sensitive pulp of the tooth An abscess typically occurs down where the root of the tooth meets the gum and the jaw, at the place where the points of the tooth are anchored below the gums at the jawbone
Ask a Periodontist: Oral Hygiene and Your Gums
- By N/A
- Published 12/7/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
Many of us do not automatically think about taking care of our gums – the pink fleshy part of the mouth that surrounds the base of the teeth – when we consider dental or oral hygiene We focus on the teeth, concentrating on keeping them brushed and clean
Say Goodbye to Loose or Slipping Dentures
- By N/A
- Published 07/5/2011
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
No matter how well we take care of our teeth, sometimes tooth loss is just a part of life In fact, studies show that by the age of seventy-four, nearly twenty-six percent of adults have lost all of their permanent teeth

