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Are you looking for a little something extra to fill those stockings this holiday season? Try adding some teeth-friendly items this season. Chocolates and other candies often find a place in stockings and with all the added sweets, an increase in dental decay can be an issue. One item you may want to consider adding is some gum containing the natural sweetner, Xylitol. Studies have shown that chewing sugarfree gum stimulates production of saliva, and can help rid the mouth of extra food particles. Another fun idea, is to get an assortment of flavors and brands of toothpaste. This allows them the freedom to try other flavors and possibly encourage them to brush better and more frequently. A toothbrush or two in the stocking is always a good idea, they come in many shapes and sizes and should be changed out every 3 months. These extra brushes may be helpful in getting those toothbrushes rotated out, since many people overlook this detail. Other dental ideas to add to those stockings include floss, floss picks, and travel sized items, such as mouthwash.
PRGF, or Plasma Rich in Growth Factors is a relatively new process that is making the healing process after implants many times faster. In the past it would take patients a good length of time to heal from any type of implant procedure. This has been a draw back to many patients wanting to schedule dental implants, fearing that they will be unable to eat or maintain their schedule with minimal interruption.
This process works by obtaining a sample of the patient’s blood prior to the procedure. The sample is then placed in a centrifuge device that isolates a type of protein. These proteins are ones that our bodies naturally use in healing from injuries. This protein rich plasma is then applied to the treatment area to allow the patient to heal faster and naturally.
Many people have already experienced the benefits of PRGF, if you have been debating dental implants this may help you finalize that decision. Talk with your dental care provider to see if they are using this in there office with their patients.
We recently ran a special for laser teeth whitening. Many of our patients where wondering if this procedure was right for them. Laser whitening has become increasingly more popular, and more economical over the years in dental offices. With this procedure we can accomplish up to 10 shades whiter in 1 to 2 hours. Something that is not achievable with whitening toothpaste or consumer purchased kits.
We can accomplish these results by removing the deep stains in the lower layer, or dentine of the teeth. We apply a peroxide gel to the teeth. The gel is then activated by a particular light frequency emitted by the whitening laser. This activation causes oxygen to be released, which opens the dentine tubes and bleaches the dentine, thus removing the stains and whitening the teeth. The laser whitening treatment is followed up with home whitening trays to help maintain the level of whitening you achieve.
Teeth are stained and discolored from activities such as smoking, eating curry, red sauces, drinking coffee, tea, red wine, or soda. Limiting these substances or substituting alternate items can help reduce the amount of staining our teeth obtain.
Xerostomia (/ˌzɪərɵˈstoʊmiə/) is the medical term for the subjective complaint of dry mouth due to a lack of saliva. Xerostomia is sometimes called pasties, cottonmouth, drooth, or dough-mouth. Several diseases, treatments, and medications can cause xerostomia. It can also be exacerbated by smoking or drinking alcohol.
Patients with a self-reported xerostomia were 3 times more likely to drink water to swallow food than were patients without xerostomia. Xerostomia has been associated with a significant increase in the odds of having dry lips, throat, dry eyes, skin and nose. Older individuals also were more likely to report a dry mouth increase with advancement in age. Xerostomia was also more prevalent in patients taking one or more drugs, and increased with the increasing number of medications. Patients with removable dentures reported 5 times higher instances of xerostomia. As dental professionals we should be prepared to help diagnose, manage, and treat these oral complications.
Did you know that you can pass along harmful bacteria from your mouth to your child or baby’s mouth? This harmful bacteria can put your child at an increased risk for cavities. This transfer is most likely to happen during a child’s first two and one-half years of life. This bacteria is passed when items contaminated with saliva go into a child’s mouth. This occurs with common parental behaviors such as sharing utensils or straws with your child or using your mouth to clean off a pacifier. Daycare can also play a role in passing bacteria, with your child as well. Babies are born without any harmful bacteria in their mouths. Once this bacteria colonizes in the mouth, there will be a increased risk for cavities in baby and permanent teeth.
As caregivers or parents we can help by keeping our own mouths healthy, and cut back or eliminate the behaviors that introduce saliva transfer. Also, mothers and expecting moms are advised to chew gum sweetened primarily with Xylitol. A recent study found that children of mothers who chew xylitol gum starting in the sixth month of pregnancy, where significantly less likely to have this harmful decay-causing bacteria in their saliva.
Micro-nutrients including antioxidants, hormones, and metals are all essential for the body to facilitate important reactions in and between cells. Over the years there has been numerous testing on the effectiveness of taking supplements. However, studying the effects of vitamins and supplements in the real world is challenging, since people eat foods with multiple nutrients that can interact with supplements and skew results easily. The effectiveness of many dietary supplements remain untested, since makers aren’t required to do testing before selling a product. However, there are makers that voluntarily test their supplements for quality and purity standards. It’s important that you do research prior to purchasing your supplements, to ensure that you are taking a quality supplement. All these factors have contributed to a consistent failure to show supplement benefits. However, it has been shown that an over abundance of vitamins can cause problems as well. A balanced diet is still considered the best way overall to get the micro-nutrients that you need.
Most likely your dentist has spoken with you about removing those old amalgam(metal) fillings and replacing them with a new tooth colored composite or porcelain filling. They might have went into great length explaining that those amalgam fillings can swell and shrink with temperature fluctuations causing them to crack and loosen. Cosmetic work such as crowns and bridges, along with composite fillings and porcelain veneers are among some of the dental work that needs to be replaced eventually. Much like your natural teeth, over time the work wears and will need to be replaced. Although dental materials have significantly increased in durability, few people have dental work that will withstand a lifetime of wear.
Some reasons for replacing your old dental work would be that they have become loose or have started to discolor. Possibly, you where never one hundered percent satisfied with the look or feel. If there has been trauma or wear that has caused it to fit improperly. In many cases postponing these corrections for a long period of time may pose a greater problem and expense for you. For example, you have a crown and it has become loose over time. This has allowed food and bacteria to be trapped under the crown and caused further decay and issues for that tooth and your health. Whatever the reason for the replacement, moving forward in a timely manner will allow for you to revitalize the way you look and feel.
As we head into the time of year that sports and sporting events take an upturn, we need to be mindful of our teeth. If you or your family are active in sports then you need to be proactive in prevention of injuries to the teeth and mouth. This is done by having yourself or a family member fitted for a mouthguard. Mouthguards can be easily custom made by a dental office to fit the upper teeth. Also, sporting good stores carry a wide range of both stock and boil and bite mouthguards that you fit at home. Both options offer greater protection then nothing worn at all, however, custom fabricated mouthguards have been shown to be more effective, since they are more comfortable and fit more accurately then the store bought versions. This is often a benefit that will help promote you and your loved ones continuous wear and continuous protection.
If you or your family member is currently in orthodontic treatment then you will need a mouthguard that is not fitted. The orthodontic tooth movement will cause a fitted mouthguard to not fit properly, and thus reduce protection.
Additionally, their are other mouthguards that are made for the grinding and wear of tooth enamel, as well as to help with snoring at night. These types of mouthguards are made of different materials and are not suitable for wear during sports activities.
Research is being done to identify whether people are diabetic or prediabetic by looking at their teeth. Why are they doing this type of research? An estimated 25% of diabetics go undiagnosed which increases their risk for complications. The research done revealed some common characteristics in those patients that had abnormal test results. These include….
It is helpful to understand that routine dental checkups can help identify diabetic or prediabetic individuals, so that we may refer them to a physician for more in-depth testing and care. A doctor can determine if you have prediabetes with the the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test or the oral glucose tolerance test. Simple changes in diet and exercise can help keep people that are prediabetic from developing type 2 diabetes.
For more information on diabetes visit the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org.