Smiling Your Way To Better Health?

A new study says you may help reduce stress and save heart muscle by smiling! Visit the site to read all about it: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248433.php

Watch Your Mouth...Because Spit Happens!

Benzocaine, Oh Baby! Proceed With Caution.

New FDA report: Babies should not be given Orajel. Benzocaine is a local anesthetic found if many popular over the counter products. Read the entire article at the highlighted link.

Watch Your Mouth...Because Spit Happens!

If You Have More Tatoos Than Teeth...You Might Be A Redneck.

This title could also be Dollars and Dentists! Comedian Jeff Foxworthy made a career with his trademark line...If you -fill in the blank - then you might be a redneck. I have nothing against tattoos and this blog is not about tattoos. It's about your priorities.

Here's a dentist's typical emergency toothache patient: Doc, I've been up all night, this thing has hurt off and on for several months but last night it just didn't let up, can you please make it stop hurting? So we present the options to provide relief: 1. Root Canal Treatment or 2. Extraction.
This Q & A dialogue follows: 
Patient question: Can't you just put a filling in it?
Dentist: NO, a sensitive tooth may be calmed with a filling but an infected tooth is sick beyond what a filling will resolve.
Patient: What do you think is best?
Dentist: It's always best to save a tooth.
Patient: How much will it cost?
Dentist: It always costs more to save a tooth than to remove it and generally a Root Canal Treatment and Crown costs 10 times what having the tooth removed will cost. 

This is when the entertainment starts.
Patient: I can't afford that kind of money! Are you serious? That much for just one tooth?

Dentist: Yep.

Now here's the fun part, the patient begins to tell us that their trip to Mexico for spring break zapped their savings. Or...My sister just got married in Hawaii and we just couldn't miss the opportunity to tie a family vacation into the trip, Or...We just bought a new SUV and didn't realize how much the license plates were going to be. Get the idea?

            Halloween                        Hollywood               

If you choose a Halloween smile over a Hollywood smile, please don't blame your dentist!

Watch Your Mouth...Because Spit Happens!

Chew On This!

There are things people do that are well recognized as undesirable then there are habits that are relatively inconsequential...nail biting, hair twirling or even ice crunching for instance. It's done without thought or consideration and that's why by definition it becomes habitual.

Severe Grinding

Dentists have long advised patients of the damage to teeth from habitual grinding. The literature is replete with mouths that have been literally destroyed

Factory Original

by this unwitting whittling. The only fix when this habit occurs over a long period of years is to rebuild the teeth to factory original condition at great time and expense.

Another oral habit, not frequently discussed but pervasive, is cheek and or tongue chewing. Dentists know this habit as Pathomimia Mucosae Oris

Cheek Chewing

and the consequences can be serious in nature with the range of nipping running from the subtle to the absurd. Biopsy is indicated to rule out a potentially serious malady (the big casino).

Tongue Cancer

Psychologists tell us it takes three weeks to create or break a habit.

Watch your mouth...Because Spit Happens!

Oral Health Problems to Report to Your Dentist!

Call your dentist if you develop any of the following signs and symptoms that may suggest oral health problems.

• Red, tender or swollen gums
• Gums that are pulling away from your teeth
• Gums that bleed when you're regularly brushing and flossing
• Pus around your teeth and gums when you press on the gums

                                               

• A bad taste in your mouth
• Loose teeth
• Changes in the way your top and bottom teeth touch
• Changes in the feel of your dentures
• Sensitivity to hot and cold

A good rule to follow is to give it 48 hours...if things aren't improving, seek the attention of a dentist. Most dental issues will be resolved by the immune response system of your body if you simply give it time. Dentists routinely have patients on their schedule for a sensitive tooth check. When asked how long the tooth has troubled, we often hear something like this: "I took a drink of soda earlier today and it felt really cold." This is not indicative of a problem. Now if the patient's response is: "I took a drink of soda earlier today and it ached for 30 minutes." This tooth is sick and needs treatment asap!

    

                                                    
 The "...it felt cold" is most likely a transient aggravation; is a temporary inconvenience and nearly 100% resolve without treatment. The moral of this dental story is...use common sense about when to call your dentist. But when you're in doubt, always call the dentist, because you don't want to wait until it hurts to seek attention.

Watch Your Mouth...Because Spit Happens!

A Sauce You Can Sink Your Teeth Into!

April 1st, 2012...At great professional risk, the vow of silence among dentists has been broken to reveal the centuries old secret ingredient of a well known condiment. Dr. Aprile Foulle practices dentistry in a Northeastern region of America and she has confirmed what many until now have speculated: the secret ingredient of Tarter Sauce is in fact tooth tartar. Dr. Aprile said "In good conscience I can no longer honor my professional vow of silence.

I feel so ashamed that I and my colleagues have willfully participated in this worldwide cover-up." So deceptive is the industry that makers often use the old english spelling: tartare.

The public story began to unravel in May of 2009, when Egyptian tomb researcher Dr. Heigh Whait Aminit produced a trove of ancient recipes among a number of records from a 'fed' room. Egyptian linguists have long known the translation of fed is tooth.

The sauce recipes referred to an ingredient called fed ex. Translators and scientists soon confirmed: fed ex was in fact tooth excrement! The Ancients theorized the hard crusty deposits that collected on the surfaces of teeth was something the teeth excreted.

The code of silence among dentists has been perpetuated for far too long says Dr. Aprile. "When asked about this, our offices have been told to respond with incredulity. Dentists tell staff to respond with denial, such as: "Are you serious? You've got to be joking? or That's ridiculous, absolutely not!" For years dental offices worldwide surreptitiously shipped the dental-contraband via mail to commercial Sauce makers.

Then, in the 1970's, a large Dental Association approached Fred Smith about his newly proposed shipping method when it was discovered that the fresher the tartar, the better the sauce! So it was that FEDoral EXcess was launched to expedite fresh tooth-to-retail delivery. The continued success of its tartar delivery business allowed FED EX to expand its services beyond their tartar shipping and into mainstream package delivery worldwide.
It is widely accepted that the cream-de-la-cream of tartar is harvested from the molars of the American Appalachian population due to the Iron-rich content of the mountain waters.

Dr. Aprile feels it is time to expose this cash-rich tartar-for-pay scheme. She contends, "My fellow dentists are enjoying underground, tax-free bundles of cash from companies willing to pay royally for fresh tartar."

 Dr. Aprile submitted this case as an example of one that a dentist could expect to receive hundreds of dollars in underground payment.

The Mother Load!

 Say's Dr. Aprile, "This certainly isn't the usual amount of tartar but when a dentist gets their hands on one of these, believe me it's time to back up the truck."

Today, Worldwide Condiments Inc. spokesperson, Sheesa Lyon announced they will no longer accept dentist-direct shipments. Said a tearful Ms. Lyon, "Tarter will only be accepted from FDA inspected vendors". 

Tartar-gate...A shameful period of culinary duplicity. Thank you Dr. Aprile Foulle.

Bon Appetit!

Watch Your Mouth...Because Spit Happens!

The More You Booze...The More You Lose!

Oh for crying out loud...is there nothing left to enjoy anymore? Really, I'm so sick and tired of reading about this that causes that, and that that causes this...I could just poke out my eyes with the business end of a lawn Jart!

Alright, now don't we feel better getting that off our chest? Get it straight...we're talking about drinking to excess, not the occasional or social imbiber. You can enjoy your fav-o-rite adult beverage without getting your panties all in a wad worrying that your gums are going to melt off your jawbone.  The operative word is EXCESS.


Here's the skinny, or you can visit The Report for more details. Alcohol affects the teeth and oral cavity in the following ways:

Gum Disease if untreated can lead to loss of teeth. A University of Buffalo Dental Medicine study found a direct correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and severity of risk for gum disease.

Gum Disease can affect systemic health. Systemic means your general systems; like your heart and pancreas. Yeah, the little buggers living in your gums emit toxins that attack other organs.

Decay? Yep, cavities develop too, due the mixers that contain a high concentration of sugar. See a previous Spit Happens post: Do You Want To Havity A Cavity?

Oral Cancer risk is greater too in excess drinkers as alcohol breaks down chemically into acetaldehyde which can bind to proteins in the mouth setting off a cascade of crap you don't want, believe me. And if you really want to party, mix in tobacco to rev up your tumor potential. See a previous Spit Happens post: Warning...This Product May Be Hazardous To Your Health.  

Geezzz...this post is quickly becoming an advertisement for many of my previous posts no one has read.

Watch Your Mouth...Because Spit Happens!