Posts Tagged ‘tooth decay’

Facing Chemotherapy?

Posted on: March 19th, 2013 by Nicholas Geller, DDS No Comments

Cancer Awareness RibbonTell Your Dentist

Anyone facing cancer therapy already knows—chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer is a serious response to a serious condition.

What they may not know is that a dental appointment scheduled at least two weeks before treatment begins can reduce the risk of complication and help preserve salivary glands.

The reason is this: with radiation treatment and chemotherapy, changes in saliva occur that can encourage decay and dry mouth, diminish taste, and thicken soft tissues—to name
a few.

All these side effects may be overcome if gums are healthy, restorations are intact, and oral hygiene habits are impeccable.

So, if someone you know is scheduled for cancer therapy, share this information with them. A pre-treatment dental appointment made now will go a long way toward improving their recovery potential once therapy is complete.

Fluoride & Your Health

Posted on: November 27th, 2012 by Nicholas Geller, DDS No Comments

What is fluoride, and why is it good for my teeth?

Fluoride is a compound of the element fluorine, which is found universally throughout nature in water, soil, air, and in most foods. Fluoride is absorbed easily into tooth enamel, especially in the growing teeth of children. Once teeth are developed, fluoride makes the entire tooth structure more resistant to decay and promotes remineralization, which aids in repairing early decay before the damage is even visible.

“Systemic” fluoride is ingested when added to public and private water supplies, soft drinks and teas, and is available in dietary supplement form. It is absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, and is distributed throughout the entire body. Most fluoride is deposited in bones and hard tissues like teeth.

What’s a “topical” fluoride, and when should I use it?

“Topical” fluoride is found in products applied directly to the teeth, including toothpastes and mouth rinses. Dentists recommend brushing with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day or after every meal, combined with a regimen of flossing and regular dental checkups.

Professionally-administered topical fluorides such as gels or varnishes are applied and left on for about four minutes, usually during a cleaning treatment. For patients with a high risk of dental caries, we may prescribe a special gel for daily home use, to be applied with or without a mouth tray for up to six weeks.

Why is most of the water we drink fluoridated?

Fluoridated water protects against cavities and root caries–a progressive erosion of adult root surfaces caused by gum recession–and helps remineralize early carious lesions. Thanks to these preventive benefits, mass water fluoridation is considered the most efficient and cost-effective dental caries prevention measure available.

What about those “theories?”

After countless studies, tests, and scientific reviews conducted since the 1930s, fluoride used in normal amounts has not been proven to be hazardous to human health.

Can I get too much fluoride?

In general, the use of fluoride is considered safe unless it’s misused or overconcentrated.

Drinking excessively fluoridated water can cause dental fluorosis, a harmless cosmetic discoloring or mottling of the enamel, visible by chalky white specks and lines or pitted and brown stained enamel on developing teeth.

Avoid swallowing toothpaste, mouth rinses or other topical supplements, and take care to only use proper dosage.

If you are concerned about the fluoride levels in your drinking water, call the local public water department. If the source is a private well, request a fluoride content analysis taken via a water sample through your local or county health department.

Diabetes and Your Mouth

Posted on: November 13th, 2012 by Nicholas Geller, DDS No Comments

We could be first to know. Don’t let us be the last.

Diabetes affects the blood chemistry and metabolism of its victims, threatening them with multiple serious disorders. But early detection can ward off the dangers, and we dentists are often the first to notice clues.

Diabetics are more likely than others to develop tooth decay, periodontal (gum) disease, fungal infections, dry mouth, impaired taste, inflammatory skin disease, delayed healing and infections. Many diabetics have to come in for dental checkups more often than everyone else.

How You Can Aid in Prevention

Schedule dental appointments for mid-mornings. If a local anesthetic is needed, ask how long your mouth will feel numb. We may use a shorter-acting anesthetic so you won’t need to postpone a meal.

Don’t chew anything while your mouth is still numb to avoid injury. If necessary, switch to liquids temporarily. We may prescribe an antibiotic to help prevent infection after a procedure. If healing or glucose level problems arise after your appointment, call us or your diabetes healthcare team immediately.

Tell us…

  • If you have diabetes
  • If it’s under control
  • If your medical history has changed in other ways
  • The names of all your prescription and over-the-counter medications

Soft Drinks Pack a Hard Punch

Posted on: November 6th, 2012 by Nicholas Geller, DDS 1 Comment

Soft drinks are bad for your teeth in more ways than one. There’s sugar, and then there’s acidity.

The sugar provides necessary food for the bad bacteria in your mouth. If you’re drinking the national average of two cans of soft drinks a day, you’re giving aid and sustenance to the enemy. Bacteria eat what you eat, and sugar sends them into overdrive.

But sugar isn’t the worst culprit. Fizz is.

The bubble in carbonated beverages comes from carbonic acid. That acid eats through dental enamel, eroding your teeth.

And that acid is just as harmful in diet sodas as in regular. Sugary but non-bubbly Kool-Aid is far better for your teeth than, say, Diet Coke. The exception is root beer, which has far fewer of the tooth-harming acids than other soft drink flavors.

Don’t let the name sport drinks fool you into thinking these drinks promote health. Ironically, because of their acid-buffering ability, they are worse for your teeth than other popular beverages.

Bottom line: Drink Responsibly. Limit consumption of soft drinks. When possible, use a straw positioned to direct liquid away from teeth. Rinse mouth with water after enjoying a soda—or, better yet, drink water.

Tooth Decay: A Preventable Disease

Posted on: August 14th, 2012 by Nicholas Geller, DDS No Comments

What is tooth decay, and what causes it?

Tooth decay is the disease known as caries or cavities. It is not life threatening and is although it is highly preventable, it will affect most people to some degree during their lifetime.

Tooth decay occurs when your teeth are frequently exposed to foods containing carbohydrates (starches and sugars) like soda pop, candy, ice cream, milk, cakes, and even fruits, vegetables and juices. Natural bacteria live in your mouth and forms plaque. The plaque interacts with deposits left on your teeth from sugary and starchy foods to produce acids. These acids damage tooth enamel over time by dissolving the mineral structure of teeth, producing tooth decay and weakening the teeth.

How are cavities prevented?

The acids formed by plaque can be counteracted by simple saliva in your mouth, which acts as a buffer. Dentists often recommend chewing sugarless gum to stimulate your flow of saliva. However, even though it is the body’s natural defense against cavities, saliva alone is not enough to combat tooth decay.

The best way to prevent caries is to brush and floss regularly. To rebuild the early damage caused by plaque bacteria, we use fluoride, a natural substance which helps to remineralize the tooth structure. Fluoride is added to toothpaste to fight cavities and clean teeth. The most common source of fluoride is in the water we drink. Fluoride is added to most community water supplies and to many bottled and canned beverages.

If you are at medium to high risk for cavities, a special high concentration fluoride gels, mouth rinses, or dietary fluoride supplements may be recommended. Professional strength anti-cavity varnish, or sealants–thin, plastic coatings that provide an extra barrier against food and debris can also be used.

Who is at risk for cavities?

Because we all carry bacteria in our mouths, everyone is at risk for cavities. Those with a diet high in carbohydrates and sugary foods and those who live in communities without fluoridated water are likely candidates for cavities. And because the area around a restored portion of a tooth is a good breeding ground for bacteria, those with a lot of fillings have a higher chance of developing tooth decay.

Children and senior citizens are the two groups at highest risk for cavities.

What can I do to help protect my teeth?

The best way to combat cavities is to follow three simple steps:

  1. Cut down on sweets and between-meal snacks. Remember, it’s these sugary and starchy treats that put your teeth at extra risk.
  2. Brush after every meal and floss daily. Cavities most often begin in hard-to-clean areas between teeth and in the fissures and pits–the edges in the tooth crown and gaps between teeth. Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and brush inside, outside and between your teeth and on the top of your tongue. Be sure the bristles are firm, not bent, and replace the toothbrush after a few weeks to safeguard against reinfecting your mouth with old bacteria than can collect on the brush. Only buy toothpastes and rinses that contain fluoride (antiseptic rinses also help remove plaque) and that bear the American Dental Association seal of acceptance logo on the package. Children under six should only use a small pea-sized dab of toothpaste on the brush and should spit out as much as possible because a child’s developing teeth are sensitive to higher fluoride levels. Finally, because cavities are a transmittable disease, toothbrushes should never be shared, especially with your children.
  3. See your dentist at least every six months for checkups and professional cleanings. If you get a painful toothache, if your teeth are very sensitive to hot or cold foods, or if you notice signs of decay like white spots, tooth discolorations or cavities, make an appointment right away. The longer you wait to treat infected teeth the more intensive and lengthy the treatment will be. Left neglected, cavities can lead to root canal infection, permanent deterioration of decayed tooth substance, and even loss of the tooth itself.

Are Sports Drinks Hard on Your Teeth?

Posted on: December 6th, 2011 by Nicholas Geller, DDS No Comments

The finding that the effects of Gatorade on teeth are worse than Coke and Red Bull doesn’t mean that Gatorade and other sports drinks are necessarily harder on your teeth than are Coke and other soft drinks. But it may be a surprise that they aren’t any better.

I don’t think everybody realizes how erosive these things are, especially Gatorade and Red Bull.  People need to be aware that all sorts of beverages can be causing dental erosion.  More and more dentists now think sugary drinks are the major culprit in tooth decay, says Brian Burt, PhD, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

“There is pretty good evidence now that this is not just sports drinks, but soft drinks and juices in general,” said Burt.  “They have become the main source of sugars in the diet. It comes down to the more sugar in the drink, the more risk of [cavities] to the person drinking it.”

Effects Of Gatorade On Teeth

The University of Iowa researchers covered extracted teeth with nail polish. They left bare two patches on each tooth, one on the enamel and one on the root. Then they dunked the teeth in test tubes filled with regular Coke, Diet Coke, Gatorade, Red Bull, or 100 percent apple juice.

Every five hours, the researchers refreshed the beverages. After 25 hours, they examined the teeth with a microscope. All of the beverages eroded the bare spots on the teeth. But different beverages had significantly different effects.  On the enamel, Gatorade was significantly more corrosive than Red Bull and Coke. Red Bull and Coke, in turn, were significantly more corrosive than Diet Coke and apple juice.

On the roots of the teeth, Gatorade was more corrosive than Red Bull. Coke, apple juice, and Diet Coke followed in that order.  The difference in the effect isn’t simply due to their sugar content. Gatorade is 6 percent carbohydrates, mostly sugars. Coke is about 10% sugar. Both are acidic beverages.

University of Michigan pediatric dental researcher Michael Ignelzi, DDS, PhD, has recently reviewed new research on the effects of beverages on children’s teeth. But he says there’s no evidence showing that sports drinks are any worse than other soft drinks .  “I know of no data that sports drinks are more harmful than other drinks,” said Ignelzi.

Tooth Erosion

Sports Drinks and Cavities

Because of their acidity and sugar content, researchers have studied the role of sports drinks in the development of cavities. Most of the studies, however, exonerate the sports drinks.

Craig Horswill, PhD, senior research fellow at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, in 2005 reported a study of saliva flow in endurance athletes who drank Gatorade, diluted orange juice, a homemade sports drink, or water. The study showed that if the sports drinks had any effect, it was to decrease dehydration and increase saliva flow, which reduces cavity formation.

More to the point, a 2002 Ohio State University study of 304 athletes found no link between sports-drink use and dental erosion. The study was sponsored by Quaker Oats, which makes Gatorade.  “Dental erosion among users of sports drinks in the Ohio State study was the same as it was in nonusers,” said Hoswill. “And they averaged 10 years of sports drink use.”  Ignelzi says that what matters most isn’t which beverage people drink. It’s how and when they drink it.

“A lot of things can cause cavities, including sugared drinks. It is the way they are taken that is most important,” he says. “The frequency of exposure is key. If you sip a Pepsi all day, that is very harmful. But if you are taking any sweet or carb — cheese puffs, bread, raisins — if you take it during meals, it is a good thing. Because the saliva stimulated by your chewing buffers the acid. But if you are constantly snacking on sweets or sipping a sweet beverage, your teeth are exposed to acid all day long.”

Source: Web Dental

 

A Post-Halloween Dental Hygiene Guide

Posted on: November 1st, 2011 by Nicholas Geller, DDS No Comments

The month of October – and especially Halloween – provides ample opportunity for youngsters and those young at heart to indulge in all kinds of sugary snacks and treats. Plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that accumulates on the teeth, thrives on sugars found in candy, sweets and everyday foods. It is a major contributor to tooth decay.

Fortunately, dentists have several recommendations for children and adults during the Halloween season to help prevent the dental “tricks” otherwise known as toothaches and tooth decay that result from eating too many sugary treats.

First, before Halloween, it’s a good idea to visit your child’s dentist to have sealants applied to the grooves of the teeth. These very thin composite coatings are brushed onto the chewing surfaces of the permanent molars (which appear between ages six to 12) to protect the teeth from the effects of cavity-causing food particles.

Second, remember that there isn’t a good time – day or night – to eat candy or sweets. Therefore, be sure that eating candy, especially sticky candy, is followed immediately by tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste.

If you or your children chew gum, brands sweetened with xylitol – such as Orbit or Trident – are better choices. Xylitol is a naturally produced, low-calorie sweetener that has been clinically proven to reduce cavities and help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Dentists also recommend avoiding sticky candy, such as taffy, gummy bears and caramel, which can adhere to teeth. The stickiness makes it harder for saliva to wash away sugar, thereby leading to tooth decay.

Finally, remember that maintaining a proper diet is essential for good oral health. When and how often you consume sugary, sweet foods and beverages affects both your general health and the health of your teeth and gums. Talk to your dentist for more information about the effects of diet and nutrition on oral health.

Source: Consumer Guide to Dentistry

Toothache Causes and Solutions

Posted on: September 27th, 2011 by Nicholas Geller, DDS No Comments

Treatment for toothaches varies significantly depending on the severity of the pain and its cause. The following list is of options is designed to provide you with some information about how your dentist may treat your toothache:

Gum Recession: Gum recession can be reversed through a gum graft procedure whereby the gums are rejuvenated and maintained at their healthiest level. There are three approaches to the gum graft procedure:

  • The first approach involves removing tissue from the palate and grafting it to the root area.
  • The second approach involves an allograft (synthetic gum tissue) that is placed over a root.
  • The third approach is called a sliding graft whereby gum tissue is moved from adjacent areas over the root.

Tooth Sensitivity: Professional grade desensitizers are applied at the dental office, and require a reapplication every so often. Desensitizers can also be used during times of sensitivity at home. Finally, over-the-counter desensitizers such as those offered in select toothpastes may also provide relief.

Enamel Loss: An acidic diet, brushing too hard or natural wear and tear can result in enamel loss. When enamel is lost, the dentin (inner surface of the tooth) is exposed, causing sensitivity or pain. Desensitizers can help.

Wear and Tear: Enamel loss, uneven teeth, tiny chips and cracks can cause sensitivity or pain, and is usually indicative of tooth destruction. Uneven surfaces of the teeth may be filled with composite materials. Many cases involving wear and tear require tooth restoration with a crown or veneer.

Tooth Decay: Tooth decay is caused by an improper diet and poor dental hygiene. Depending on the amount of tooth decay you have, treatment may require a composite or amalgam filling, or, when accompanied by nerve damage or exposure of the root pulp, a root canal. When multiple tooth surfaces are affected, (making a dental filling an impractical solution) a dental crown or veneer is indicated.

Infection or Abscessed Tooth: An infection or abscess is the result of tooth decay or trauma. The treatment plan for an infection or abscess often begins with antibiotics and pain treatment, with a follow-up visit for root canal treatment. For the final restoration, the weakened tooth can be strengthened with a crown or veneer.

Crack or Fracture in Tooth: Cracks or fractures in teeth can occur from teeth grinding, trauma to the tooth or simply years of wear and tear. Usually, a cracked tooth is treated with a protective covering such as a dental crown or veneer.

Teeth Grinding: Teeth grinding can result in tooth fractures, unevenness and even a shift in the bite. Mouth guards used during sleep can help protect teeth from self-imposed injury caused by teeth grinding.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth: Impacted wisdom teeth are back molars that fail to surface. Impacted wisdom teeth can crowd and shift other teeth. Oftentimes, oral surgery is required to remove impacted wisdom teeth and relieve pain.

First Aid Relief for Toothache

Until you are able to reach the dental office, there are a few ways to find relief from dental pain.

Your dentist may advise you to take ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin to dull the pain. Over-the-counter medications containing benzocaine may reduce pain in the affected tooth, or surrounding gum area. However, aspirin applied directly to the tooth is not recommended, because it can burn the gums or cheek.

To reduce discomfort from swelling, you may be advised to swish warm saltwater in your mouth periodically throughout the day, and apply an ice pack to the swollen area.

Source: Consumer Guide to Dentistry