A blog for dentists, dental personnel and patients to share dental experiences, news and views. Celebration, Elation, Aggravation or Frustration: Let It Out!
Content is included for informational purposes only. Consult with your doctor for more information.
UCLA's School of Dentistry recently published a news release regarding the development of a mouthwash with the incredible potential of eradicating cavities and tooth decay.
While this is an encouraging announcement, the hard work is still yet to be done.Years of research must be conducted to determine if unintended consequences result from altering the sensitive oral bacterial balance. In other words, how do we destroy the bad bugs without also eliminating the good bugs? The answer lies in the concept of targeted antimicrobial therapy.
This is exciting stuff but until the clinical trials are complete ~ which may be tens of years, everyone must rely upon the old fashioned toothbrush and floss for plaque removal to control decay and cavities. The closest thing to a smart-bomb available today is Fluoride. Since being introduced in the 1950's Fluoride has enjoyed a relative honeymoon with the public. Recently however published articles have challenged the advisability of this additive resulting in a revision of the American Dental Association's Fluoride supplement recommendations. This was BIG news to dentists because we were under the impression that all the research was complete and confirmed; only to now hear the words: Upon further review...
Partially exposed teenage wisdom teeth can be the first sign of a developing complication. Very few people have room for their wisdom teeth to grow into a position that allows for thorough maintenance. Without the ability to clean 360 degrees around the tooth, decay and or gum problems will eventually develop.
Why me?
It often takes years for the irritation created by chronically dirty wisdom teeth to develop inflammation; add a few more years and the chronic inflammation turns into infection. If you've ever experienced a full-blown dental related abscess you'll not likely want another!
It can take several pain filled days for an abscess to resolve and sometimes the infection requires hospitalization with intravenous administration of antibiotics to control and stabilize the patient before the offending tooth can be completed.
The simple solution is to have your wisdom teeth removed before these serious complications have time to form. For you folks who are more than a bit squeamish about such operations, many dentists offer sedatives to relax you or general anesthetics that will render you into a state of mind that you won't know about what day it is, let alone the dental surgery that is to be performed...better living through chemistry is today's lesson!
Every dentist who has practiced for more than a few days has heard the question inthis post's title! I can attest to the frustration patients feel when I have to tell them the bad news as I've had the experience of witnessing adults cry at the tooth report given. The answer to the question is simply; complex. Let me emphasize that dental decay doesn't recognize: gender, race, height, weight, hair color, religious affiliation, or wealth. Some intelligent, wealthy people suffer dental decay and some poor and underprivileged folks enjoy decay-free teeth. Go figure.
Here are the Big Five contributors to your dental woes, in no particular order:
Genetics...Your family history is an indication of your teeth's susceptibility to decay.
Oral Hygiene...Daily brushing and flossing to thoroughly remove bacteria is necessary.
Diet...Food and drinks (see my post Do You Want To Havity A Cavity?) that promote tooth decay must be avoided.
Medication...Many medicines cause a reduction of the volume and quality of saliva. Saliva 'washes' your teeth to reduce the bacterial accumulation. There are over 400 medications that contribute to 'dry mouth' and I'll bet if you read the insert for your prescriptions you're taking one or more of them.
Stress...People under chronic stress produce less saliva.
The thoroughness of your Brushing and Flossing needs to be discussed. Time after time, dentists tell you to Brush and Floss daily...blah, blah, blah. Sound familiar? WEll...I'm here to tell you most of you simply make a weak effort at getting the job done. To remove bacteria, you've got to get-after-it, man. The how-to video talks about being kind and gentle to your gums when brushing, but
NOT THIS!
with today's soft tooth brushes, you can literally scrub your gums, teeth and tongue with the brush and it won't hurt them. *(If you've been diagnosed with OCD, disregard the previous advice!) About the only way you're going to goof is if you accidentally pick-up the steel-wire grill brush.
And when flossing...the floss must pass up and down vigorously between the contact, down to and under the gum until it is squeaky clean.
On Halloween, the goal of 36.3 million trick-or-treaters is the acquisition of some of the $19 billion worth of candy produced by nearly 1800 American makers. Americans consume about 25 pounds of candy each annually.* Additional information is available on the Spit Happens blog title Do You Want To Havity A Cavity? Won't you consider other Treats rather than Sweets this year?
Watch Your Mouth...Because Spit Happens! *Inside Dentistry
I recently saw a print Ad in USA Today with this Post's title listed at the bottom of it. At first blush I thought it was a Camel cigarette Ad and I was surprised because print Ads have been banned for years. Upon further review...I discovered it was for a new to me product called SNUS. As a non-user myself, tobacco in its various formulations was an unexplored world. The significance of the advertisement was that New York City recently banned smoking and the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, who owns the Camel trademark, has their brand of this tobacco alternative available to those in need of a nicotine fix.
SNUS: Sounds Like Noose
As communities across the USA ban public smoking, heat is on the tobacco industry to offer their 'clients' these alternative products. There is also a significant impact on the economy as tobacco farmers rely on income from sales and states enjoy the tax revenue.
So...What is with the WARNING? Well, to enhance the flavor of their products, manufactures add sweeteners and that sugar content supplies energy for the pesky bacteria throughout your mouth. The more food for the bacteria, the more active the bacteria become and it is the bacteria's acidic waste byproduct that decays teeth and attacks gums. Got it? Think of SNUS, Dip and Snuff as that material you put into your mouth which in time creates a toxic waste site.
Edited 8.23.12: Scientists ID Cancer-Causing Agent in Smokeless Tobacco:
Teeth free of decay, dings or drilling are...virgin. Most people have 32 permanent teeth, including their Wisdom ones. I'm going to discuss Wisdom teeth in another post but the point is this: You're given these perfect pristine pearls that are 'Like avirgin...(until) touched for the very first time' (with apologies to Madonna). The anatomy and function of a smile is nothing short of a natural wonder and the resultant expression is generally considered very sexy!
Hey btw, you know that old wives tale about it taking far more facial muscles to create a frown than a smile? Well maybe, maybe not...see what Snopes (click on link) has to say about it. Smiling is the universal language of happiness so spread the joy of flashing a healthy white-hot smile. I've posted previously about teeth whitening so search this blog for the most up to date hype on the topic.
What makes those 32 virgins so hot? There are volumes of books and papers published by Psychologists on human attraction. What I am discussing here is how the arrangement and characteristics of the teeth make them appealing. First, size matters! Does your tooth size match your facial form? Usually though not always, but dentists can fix that. Second, do you have summer teeth?: "Som 'er here, som'er not". People with missing teeth are treated as second class citizens and pardon the expression, frowned-upon... hey, I'm just say'in. Thirdly, how are your teeth arranged? Like folks with missing teeth; overlapped, spaced & crowded tooth smile-styles just don't raise the Smok'in-hot-o-meter! Finally, if your virgin teeth have been violated ~ your dentist can recreate the image of Mother Nature's perfection.
Here's what I'm talk'in 'bout:
So here's the 32 White-Hot Smile recipe: Take one large helping of preventive care needed to preserve the natural wonder of the virgin tooth, add the appropriate supplement of a dentist's crafting to enhance color and match your teeth's size & shape to your facial form then mix the recipe following an Orthodontist's directions till done, and presto, you'll have a white-hot smile. It's that simple.
