Cavities All Of A Sudden?

SOMEONE CAN GO THEIR WHOLE LIFE without having a cavity, and seemingly out of nowhere find themselves at the dentist for a filling or two. How does this happen?

Here are some reasons your dental status might be in sudden flux:

Changes In Your Daily Routine

The stress of changes in your daily routine, like starting a new job, starting school, or starting a new habit, can adversely affect your health—oral health included. It may even be the reason for the sudden appearance of a cavity.

Stress affects us all differently, but a common side effect is experiencing a dry mouth. When your mouth is dry, there is an absence of saliva, which helps neutralize the acids in your mouth that cause tooth decay and cavities. If you're experiencing some of these changes or exercising more than usual, make sure you’re getting enough water to drink throughout the day to prevent a dry mouth.

A New Diet

Another reason for unforeseen cavities may be a change in diet. Are you consuming more acidic foods or drinks? Some common culprits are citrus fruits, tomato sauce, and sports drinks. What about more frequent consumption of sugar or soda? The amount of sugar you eat matters less to dental health as the time of exposure does. Sipping on soda all day can be worse than eating a large chocolate bar all at once.

Illness

If you have a sore throat or the flu, sucking on cough drops all day long can easily cause cavities. Chemotherapy is also a common offender and in many cases results in dry mouth, making one more prone to cavities.

Changes In Dental Habits

Are you brushing and flossing your teeth regularly and with the proper technique? This one goes without saying. Make sure your home hygiene routine is up to par.

Avoid overbrushing as it can damage your teeth and may result in cavities. If you brush more vigorously than necessary, you risk cutting away the protective enamel of the tooth, making it more vulnerable to decay.

Gum recession is also a result of overly aggressive brushing. Receding gums expose the root of the tooth that is usually below the gumline. The root does not have the enamel covering like the rest of your tooth, which protects it from cavities.

Additionally, if you’ve recently gotten braces, you may have noticed that it’s harder to floss and brush than it used to be. Talk to us about how you can improve your technique so that braces don’t interfere with your dental hygiene.

We’re Here To Help

Getting to the root of the problem is the most important thing when it comes to your dental health. We’re here to work with you in treating and preventing tooth decay, so that you can have a healthy life and a cavity-free smile!

Thank you for being our valued patient and friend!


*Image by Flickr user Jeff Djevdet used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

What Causes Bad Breath?

LET’S JUST SAY IT… bad breath is unpleasant. And yet we’ve all suffered from it. Sometimes, however, it’s worse than others. You may wonder, what causes bad breath? And perhaps more importantly, what is the best way to prevent it?

Bad breath, or halitosis, can be caused by a number of things. Here are some reasons your breath may not be as fresh as you’d like:

Good Oral Hygiene Makes All The Difference

If you don’t brush and floss everyday, food stays in your mouth and collects bacteria. This bacteria causes bad breath. On top of that, food that remains in your mouth and in between your teeth will begin to rot and smell bad.

Brush and floss regularly and go to your biannual dental cleanings (or more, as directed). As bacteria that causes bad breath often congregates on the back of your tongue, make the tongue scraper your best friend!

Certain Foods Make Breath Worse Than Others

Watch out for foods such as garlic, onions, cheese, and soda, as they can be a major cause of unpleasant breath. Once food is absorbed into the bloodstream, it’s transferred to the lungs where it is expelled through your breath. Thus, foods with strong tastes or odors, like the ones mentioned above, can stick around longer than you’d like.

Consumption of tobacco products can also cause severe halitosis. If you use tobacco, ask us for assistance in helping you quit.

Bad Breath Can Be Linked To A Medical Disorder

Our oral health is strongly connected to other health conditions. In fact, bad breath could be the first sign of a medical disorder. Severe and persistent halitosis is a major symptom of dental diseases such as gum disease and cavities. Other maladies can negatively affect our breath as well such as diabetes, sinus infections, and liver or kidney ailments.

What’s Up With Morning Breath?

Morning breath seems to be an especially pungent offender. Morning breath gets to be so bad mainly because of dry mouth. During the day, saliva works to wash away food debris and keep bacteria in check.

When we sleep at night, our saliva production goes down, causing our mouths to become more dry and allowing bacteria to proliferate. Many people sleep with their mouths open as well, which can make dry mouth even worse.

Here’s what you can do to make your morning breath a little less offensive:
*Clean your teeth before bed. This is a given! The less food bacteria have to munch on, the less odorous your mouth will be in the morning.
*Keep water by the bed. When you wake up during the night, take a drink of water. Keeping your mouth moist will combat the spread of those smelly bacteria.

We’re Here To Help

For the most part, bad breath is manageable. However, chronic or extreme bad breath is not normal. If you are concerned about halitosis or have any questions, call and make an appointment with us. Our job is to find solutions for a healthier, happier you!

Thank you for being a part of our practice family!

*Image by Flickr user fiverlocker used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

Oral health: Why is it so important?

Oral health is defined as the health of all oral structures and while the usual focus lies on teeth, it is important to not neglect other oral structures such as the lips, tongue, inside lining of the mouth, roof of mouth or palate, soft palate, throat, and tonsils. Periodontal health should also be taken into consideration, as they are the supporting structures of the teeth which is crucial for adequate retention of teeth. All these play an important role in the functioning of the mouth hence need to be maintained at a satisfactory level in order to prevent problems.

The public perception of oral health

Oral health has been an important focus in recent years due to the shift for better smile and healthier lifestyle. Peer pressure force people to maintain their mouths at a socially acceptable standard and depending on the group, these ‘standards’ are very subjective and may have great variations inter-group. Some people may place an important focus on simply being able to function with their mouths while others may have greater emphasis on the appearance and impressions they give of their mouths. Besides social background, other factors such as employment can also influence their perception towards oral health. For example an individual who has never been concerned about the appearance of their smile may start becoming self conscious of their poor oral health if they landed work in public relations or similar jobs that requires professional level of client interactions.

Why is it so important to maintain good oral health? Good oral health is as important as it is in direct relationship with function and the state of its health influences our ability to perform such tasks with our mouths. These include speaking, eating, swallowing, smiling and others. Deterioration of oral health will cause impairment in at least one of those areas. The impact of this, again can be subjective depending on the individual perception towards the importance of affected function.  There is a close link between oral and general health, which cannot be refuted. Sudden oral health deterioration in individuals practicing reasonable oral hygiene can often be the first signs of underlying systemic diseases. Very often, oral changes precede medical diagnosis and the mouth is usually the first to show signs of the disease. This is especially true for conditions that affect the immune system such as diabetes and leukemia. This is because impaired healing is frequently reflected in the mouth where even the tiniest amount of plaque can cause significant gum diseases due to exaggerated inflammatory response. Such oral manifestations are hard to treat and usually behave aggressively until the underlying condition is managed. There have also been numerous evidences suggesting the link between poor periodontal health and cardiovascular diseases where the bacterium involved in periodontal diseases can be found on the plaque lining of affected blood vessels. Recent study has also shown people with poorer oral health tend to have higher mortality rates and greater risks of acquiring cardiovascular diseases than their healthier counterparts who have more teeth.  Oral health being able to influence our daily functioning and general health plays a key factor behind our social health. Most people fail to recognize this important relationship which leads to poor care of oral health. Being able to masticate and swallow properly is a form of basic need which is important to all of us. The ability to speak properly and smile comfortably is a form of interaction that molds our social life. Impairment of this can often lead to isolation and poor self esteem, sometimes causing more significant problems such as depression. Other aspects such as simply being in a pain free state is also crucial as toothaches are often rated highly when it comes to people’s inability to tolerate pain. It often creates more disturbance to daily life and affects people’s ability to work more so than other common sickness such as fever or cold.

Source: intelligentdental.com

SMILE, It's New Years Resolution Time!

It’s that time of year again, time to think about how to improve with a New Year’s Resolution. Statistics say that about half of us will make some sort of resolution- whether it be something popular like losing weight or quitting smoking- but only a few will follow through. If you are thinking of something easier and more attainable, why not pledge to have better oral hygiene? Here are some tips that can lead to a beautiful, healthy smile the whole year through:

Brushing

• Select a toothbrush that is comfortable for you. If you opt for a manual toothbrush, make sure that it is soft bristled so that you don’t damage your teeth or gums.
• Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums and gently brush back and forth, making sure to brush at least two minutes total, at least twice a day. Don’t forget to brush your tongue too.
• Use a fluoride toothpaste that has the ADA seal of approval. The American Dental Association does plenty of research on the best products for your oral health.
• Use a new toothbrush or change your electric brush head every 3 months

Flossing

• Use an 18 inch strand of floss, winding one end around your left middle finger and wrap the other middle finger about 2 inches away. As you use the floss, wind the used floss around your left finger and expose fresh floss from your right side.
• Keep the floss tight and gently go between your teeth, making a “C” shape as you gently glide the floss under your gums.
• Don’t forget to floss behind the last teeth- this disrupts any plaque forming behind them. 

Mouth Rinse

• Again, watch for that ADA seal of approval to make sure your mouth rinse is safe and effective.
• Studies show that rinsing with an appropriate mouth rinse significantly reduces the number of bacteria in your mouth. Rinse for 30 seconds each time you brush.
• Fluoride containing mouth rinses have also shown to be more beneficial than just using fluoride toothpaste alone.

From all of us at My Family Dentist, we want to wish you and your family a Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you in our office in 2012!

FLOSSING BASICS

The American Dental Association advises that flossing your teeth thoroughly be done once or more per day. Overly vigorous or incorrect flossing can result in damage to the gum tissues therefore this article will provide some basics on flossing.

What is flossing?

Dental floss is made of either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic that is indicated for plaque and debris removal in areas where teeth contact with each other. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the gums. An alternative tool to achieve the same effect is the interdental brush, which is more helpful in areas where the gums have receded in between the teeth.  The two frequently used dental flossing methods are the spool method and the circle, or loop, method. Control of the floss and ease of handling can be seen in both methods.  Flossing of teeth is a complex skill, so until children develop adequate dexterity (which is usually around the age of 10 to 12 years), an adult should perform flossing on the child. Younger children whose teeth still exhibit primate spaces (where there is no contact between adjacent teeth) will not require flossing.

The spool method

The spool method is particularly suited for teenagers and adults who have acquired the necessary coordination required to use floss. When using the spool method, a piece of floss approximately 18 inches long is used. The bulk of the floss is lightly wound around the middle finger. Space should be left between wraps to avoid impairing circulation to the fingers. The rest of the floss is similarly wound around the same finger of the opposite hand. This finger can wind, or “take up,” the floss as it becomes soiled or frayed to permit access to an unused portion. The last three fingers are clenched and the hands are moved apart, pulling the floss taut, thus leaving the thumb and index finger of each hand free. The floss is then secured with the index finger and thumb of each hand by grasping a section three quarters to 1 inch long between the hands.

The loop method

The loop method is suited for children as well as adults with less nimble hands or physical limitations caused by conditions such as poor muscular coordination or arthritis. For the loop method, the ends of the 18-inch piece of floss are tied in a knot. All of the fingers, but not the thumbs of the two hands are placed close to one another within the loop. Whether using the spool or the loop method of flossing, the same basic procedures are followed. The thumb and index finger of each hand are used in various combinations to guide the floss between the teeth.  When inserting, floss, it is gently eased between the teeth with a seesaw motion at the contact point. The gentle seesaw motion flattens the floss, making it possible to ease through the contact point and prevent snapping it through, thus avoiding trauma to the gums in between the teeth. Once past the contact point between teeth, the floss is adapted to each approximating surface by creating a C-shape. The floss is then directed downwards towards the gumline and back to the contact area (up-and-down against the side of the tooth) several times or until the tooth surface is clean. The procedure is repeated on the adjacent tooth in the proximal area, using care to prevent damage to the gums in between while readapting to the adjacent tooth. A clean, unused portion should be used for each area between teeth. 

In general, Teeth flossing is best performed by cleaning each tooth in succession, including the back surface of the last tooth in each quadrant. Incorrect flossing can often be detected through observation of the gums and the technique. Signs that suggest incorrect use of dental floss include cuts on the gums, bleeding gums, indentation on the soft tissues of the mouth, and wear on tooth surfaces and gumline. If flossing trauma is evident, further instruction should be given until the individual has become adept. Proper instruction and practice allows most motivated adults to master either the spool or loop method of flossing. In certain circumstances, the use of a floss holder, floss threader, variable-thickness floss, or pre-cut floss strands with a stiff end may be more effective.

It is important to note that a flossing habit has traditionally been difficult for people to embrace. In reality, only a very small proportion of individuals practice daily flossing. Floss may be superior to other interproximal (the area between teeth) cleaning methods, but for those who have not or will not adopt a flossing behavior another interproximal device may be more effective than no interproximal cleaning. A less effective device used on a regular basis is superior to irregular use of a more effective device.
(Source: http://www.intelligentdental.com)