Dental care

Read more about the article Avoid Wrong Brushing Techniques

Avoid Wrong Brushing Techniques

Are you regularly visiting your dentist for dental treatment? Then you should be taking care of your oral health more efficiently. Brushing and flossing your teeth is the easiest thing that you can do to make sure that your teeth, gums, and mouth are in good condition. If you do this daily task effectively you can protect your teeth from decay or a cavity and save yourself from expensive and invasive dental treatments and procedures.

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Read more about the article Does Tea, Coffee, And Wine Stain Your Teeth?

Does Tea, Coffee, And Wine Stain Your Teeth?

Mornings are pretty tough. For the smooth transition from being in a deep slumber to be fully awake, we count on our freshly brewed cup of tea or coffee. However, the daily morning beverage drinking ritual can eventually cause the wear and tear of your natural white teeth. Even the wine that you drink is not an ideal drink if you wish to flash your bright pearly whites. Wine is acidic and has plenty of tannins which stick to your teeth swiftly and leaves stains on it.

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Read more about the article Reducing The Risk of Tooth Loss

Reducing The Risk of Tooth Loss

Tooth loss can be a common problem. When you lose one or more teeth, it may bring your confidence down and may make you feel insecure. Missing teeth also affect your oral health. There can be various reasons for the loss of teeth, it can be due to any accident or injury, periodontal disease, or extensive decay. There are professional dental treatments that you can undergo to fix your missing tooth problem, but there are a few steps that you can follow yourself to reduce the risk of tooth loss.

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Read more about the article How to Find The Right Dentist For Your Family?

How to Find The Right Dentist For Your Family?

Trying to find the right dentist for you and your family is never an easy task; it becomes an overwhelming process to find the right kind of dentist for maintaining your oral health. It makes more sense and important to partner with a dentist who sticks with you and your family for the long-term, to ensure lifelong dental care. You can make the best decision for yourself based on the needs of your own and your family when you are looking out for the dentist that is suitable for your dental needs.

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Read more about the article Remedies for Teeth Sensitivity

Remedies for Teeth Sensitivity

Teeth sensitivity is a tingly feeling or a flash pinch of pain affecting either all teeth or one or more teeth. The pain associated with tooth sensitivity may occur constantly or intermittently. Intermittent tooth sensitivity can occur while ingesting hot or cold food or beverages, or when cold air hits the teeth.

Remedies

  • Desensitizing toothpaste – There are several brands of toothpaste for sensitive teeth available. Your dentist may recommend one or you may have to try different brands until you find the product that works for you. Be sure to use fluoridated toothpaste for sensitive teeth, not whitening toothpaste. Try spreading a thin layer of the desensitizing toothpaste on the exposed tooth roots before bed.
  • Use a soft-bristled toothbrush
  • Avoid highly acidic foods
  • Use a fluoridated mouthwash
  • Avoid teeth grinding

The Dental Visit

It is always best to see a dentist about sensitive teeth to determine the true nature of the sensitivity. During the consultation, your general dentist will ask you questions about the nature of sensitivity. Xrays and tests may be performed

Once it is determined that the cause does not require dental restorative treatment, your general dentist may apply an in-office desensitizer, which acts as protective coating designed to thwart any hypersensitivity.

The following are some dental procedures that may reduce tooth sensitivity:

  • Bonding, dental crowns or inlays – These may fix a tooth flaw or decay that is causing sensitivity.
  • Fluoride gel or varnish
  • Surgical gum graft – This will protect the root and reduce sensitivity if the gum tissue has eroded from the root.
  • Root canal Treatment – This is a last-resort treatment for severe tooth sensitivity that has not been helped by other methods.

So if you’ve been suffering with painful sensitivity that keeps you from eating the foods you love, make an appointment with your general dentist.

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Read more about the article Beyond Teeth: What’s Inside Your Mouth?

Beyond Teeth: What’s Inside Your Mouth?

The mouth, or oral cavity, is made up of numerous components that work together so that you can breathe, speak, eat and digest food. Following are the parts of your mouth:

  • Upper and lower lips and cheeks – Lips let air into your mouth for breathing and, together with cheeks, help you speak. They also keep food and saliva in your mouth while chewing.
  • Hard palate – Located at the front of the roof of the mouth
  • Soft palate – In the back of the roof of the mouth
  • Gums and Tongue
  • The uvula – The soft tissues that hangs from the soft palate
  • Tonsils – The balls of tissue on each side of the throat
  • Retromolar trigone – The connective tissues that join the upper and lower jaws
  • Underside of the tongue and the floor of the mouth
  • Oral mucosa – The mucus lining that coats and protects the inside of the mouth
  • Salivary glands – Organs that produce an enzyme that helps break down food and protects the mouth
  • Frenulum linguae – The flap that connects the tongue and the floor of the mouth
  • Teeth – The different kinds of teeth are incisors, canines, molars, premolars and wisdom teeth.

Keeping your mouth healthy

The moment you know your mouth well enough you will be in a better position to understand the way it works and take better care of it. The oral cavity needs special care and attention.

An oral hygiene routine that keeps all parts of the mouth healthy consists in brushing your teeth twice a day, using fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between your teeth with dental floss. To keep those taste buds sharp, brush your tongue regularly as well.

It’s important to schedule regular dental appointments and professional cleanings, which remove the tartar and plaque your toothbrush can’t reach.

Although having a pretty smile is important to a lot of people, a healthy mouth is much more important. Keeping all the parts of your mouth in good working order won’t just ensure good dental health, but a healthy body too.

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Read more about the article Relationship between Oral Health and General Health

Relationship between Oral Health and General Health

Oral health is essential to general health and well-being at every stage of life. Oral conditions have an impact on overall health and disease. Bacteria from the mouth can cause infection in other parts of the body when the immune system has been compromised by disease or medical treatments.

Diabetes
Researchers have found a link a between type 2 diabetes and periodontitis, or gum disease. One reason could be that when infections in your mouth get bad enough, they can lead to low-grade inflammation throughout your body, which in turn lowers your sugar-processing abilities.

Ref: American Diabetes Association, Diabetic Forecast Mar 2016

Heart Disease
As with diabetes, the connection between poor oral health and cardiovascular conditions has been recognized – the two are often found together. Small amounts of bacteria enter your bloodstream while you’re chewing. “Bad” bacteria from an infected mouth may lodge itself inside blood vessels, ultimately causing dangerous blockages.

Ref: American Heart Association: “Dental Health and Heart Health”.

Pregnancy complications
For many pregnant women, gum infections stem from the fluctuating hormone levels that come with pregnancy. Scientists believe that gum disease or inflammation in the mouth possibly triggers an increase in a chemical compound called prostaglandin, which induces early labour. Research has also found a relationship between periodontal disease and low birth weight.

Ref: Saini R, Saini S, Saini S. Periodontitis: A Risk for delivery of premature labor and low birth weight infants; J Nat Sci Biol Med 2010 July-Dec;1(1):40-42.

Pneumonia
A study of elderly participants found that the number who developed pneumonia was higher in patients with periodontal infection than in those free from it. Even in a healthy mouth there are lots of bacteria, but bacteria in a not-healthy mouth can get aspirated into the lungs, causing pneumonia or aggravating COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. An improvement in oral health can lead to a reduction in respiratory infection.

Ref: J Can Den Assoc 2002; 68(6):340-5

Osteoporosis
Researchers have suggested that a link between osteoporosis and bone loss in the jaw. Studies suggest that osteoporosis may lead to tooth loss because the density of the bone that supports the teeth may be decreased, which means the teeth no longer have a solid foundation. Ref: Dentistryiq.com
Therefore, oral health can no longer be ignored in designing overall national health strategies. It is essential to protect natural teeth from decay and periodontal disease, and focus on early detection and prevention of these conditions.

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Read more about the article Coffee and Doughnuts: Worst Breakfast for Your Teeth

Coffee and Doughnuts: Worst Breakfast for Your Teeth

A cup of cappuccino or latte and a doughnut unfortunately has become a quick breakfast for people on the go. However, they don’t think about the serious adverse effects of sugar and caffeine on teeth.

Effects of doughnuts on teeth:

Doughnuts are packed with loads of sugar – five times as much as a plain oatmeal cookie!  In fact, they are worse than many other snacks in the market. Sugar plays a harmful role in tooth decay. The bacteria that form together to become plaque use sugar as a form of energy. They multiply faster and the plaque grows in size and thickness. Some of the bacteria turn the sugar into a kind of glue that they use to stick themselves to the tooth surface. This makes it harder for the bacteria to get washed away with your saliva. Bacteria also create acids that destroy the tooth enamel.  Cavities are a bacterial infection created by acids that cause your teeth to experience a hole in them. Without treatment, cavities can progress past the enamel and into the deeper layers of the tooth, causing pain and possible tooth loss.

Effects of sugar on teeth:

Coffee is the only thing that can get some people going in the morning. Here are the side effects of drinking coffee:

Like other acidic drinks, coffee can be very rough on the teeth depending on the amount you drink. The tannic acid in coffee settles into the grooves of your tooth enamel and can deeply stain teeth. Many people who have been drinking coffee for years develop a yellowish stain on teeth that can be hard to get rid of without whitening treatment.

To prevent staining, take a few sips of water after drinking coffee, and swish them around your mouth to wash off the tannic acid. Wait for approximately 20-30 minutes to brush.

See your general dentist regularly to have tips and advice about how to protect your teeth from sugar and caffeine.

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Read more about the article Is Your Toothbrush Making You Sick?

Is Your Toothbrush Making You Sick?

It is possible to become sick by using a germy toothbrush. According to researchers at the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry, there can be as many as 1.2 million bacteria on a single toothbrush. They have found the flu virus, staph bacteria, E. coli, yeast fungus and strep virus hanging out on used toothbrushes. Toothbrushes have the ability to be infected by a wide range of microorganisms, including viruses which can cause the common cold to even herpes. Pneumonia-causing bacteria also are found on a toothbrush. The germ problem lies in how and where we store our toothbrushes. Bathrooms are the perfect place for bacteria to grow — they are moist and steamy. In addition, most toothbrushes sit next to the toilet.

However, with the help of our immune system and everyday good hygiene habits, it is unlikely that your toothbrush will make you sick. But, there is still a chance for these bacteria to break through our defences.

To avoid a germy toothbrush, put these helpful tips into practice:

  • Wash your hands before and after brushing.
  • Change your toothbrush every three months or whenever you have the flu or a cold. You should also change when the bristles become worn.
  • Alternate between two brushes to make sure you use a completely dry brush.
  • Store your brush away from the toilet, and close the lid before flushing.
  • Do not share brushes and avoid storing toothbrushes together. Even storing your toothbrush too close to someone else’s is unwise because bacteria can jump from one brush to another.
  • Rinse your toothbrush thoroughly after every brush with hot water.  Small amounts of food can remain in the bristles, and if they’re not removed, they can spoil and cause gastrointestinal problems. For a more effective rinse, submerge your brush in hydrogen peroxide or alcohol-based mouthwash.
  • Let your brush air-dry before putting a cap on the head or storing it away.
  • Use a different tube of toothpaste if you or someone else in your family is sick.
  • If you have severe oral or systemic diseases and those undergoing cancer chemotherapy, cardiac surgery, or organ transplantation should change toothbrushes more frequently.
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Read more about the article About Mouth Guards

About Mouth Guards

blog3 Mouth guards cover your gums and teeth to help keep your mouth and teeth from harm. Mouth guards should be used to keep you safe when you play contact or highly physical sports. They also help to reduce the effects of teeth clenching or grinding. In all cases, the goal of mouth guard use is to help you keep your teeth from being chipped or broken, prevent nerve damage, and avoid tooth loss. Also, mouth guards are used for some tooth whitening procedures. A sports mouth guard can prevent serious injuries such as concussions, cerebral haemorrhages, incidents of unconsciousness, jaw fractures, and neck injuries by helping to avoid situations where the lower jaw gets jammed into the upper jaw. Mouth guards are effective in moving soft issue in the oral cavity away from the teeth, preventing laceration and bruising of the lips and cheeks, especially for those who wear orthodontic appliances. Types of Mouth Guards
  • Stock mouth guards – Low cost stock mouth guards can be found at most department stores and sporting goods stores. This type is ready to use, but they do have a few down sides. Most dentists do not advise their use. The drawbacks include trouble related to proper fit as well as the ability to speak and breathe comfortably. This type offers the least defence for your mouth and teeth.
  • Boil and Bite Mouth Guards: This type is made from a kind of plastic that can be reshaped when heated. Boil and bite mouth guards can often be found at sporting goods stores, and they may fit better than stock mouth guards.
  • Custom-fitted Mouth Guards: This type is made in a dental office or lab for the person who will wear it. It offers the comfort and protection. Custom-fitted guards are also the most costly type due to the use of special materials and the time and work needed.
Mouth Guards for Braces Wearers Injury to the mouth can damage invisalign or other fixed appliances. Because of this, it is especially important for those who wear braces to use protective mouth guards during sports. Your dentist or orthodontist can provide you with a custom-fitted mouth guard that will meet your needs. Care for your mouth guard Clean the mouth guard by washing it with soap and warm (not hot) water. Before storing, soak the mouth guard in mouthwash. Keep it in a well-ventilated plastic storage box when not in use. Make sure the box has several holes so the mouth-guard will dry. Heat is bad for mouth guards, so do not leave it in direct sunlight or in a closed automobile. Don’t bend the mouth guard when storing. One should not handle or wear someone else’s mouth guard. Contact us if there are any problems with the mouth guard. Feel free to contact our office to learn more about mouth guards and to schedule an appointment with our general dentist.
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