Can’t sleep? Get up for a snack? Here’s some news for you. Saliva flow is greatly reduced at night – and one of saliva’s functions is to wash food off your teeth. So those little cookie crumbs stay in your mouth til morning, causing decay, which, if left untreated, leads to tooth loss. So while you may be brushing diligently twice a day, you could be sabotaging yourself. So after a nighttime snack, rinse at least.
I’ve been wildly impressed with the increase in health of 2 of our patients who have gone gluten free. Neither suffer from bloating, they have increased energy, are thinking more clearly, have brighter looking skin, and they have both lost weight. Both report a major upswing in mood. I read a little about gluten, and it seems the wheat we consume today has been engineered to have 90% more gluten than the wheat our grandparents ate. It appears that the best way to determine if you are gluten intolerant is to remove it from your diet for 2 weeks, then have some and see what your reaction is. Gluten comes from wheat, rye, barley, triticale, and to a lesser extent, oats. I’m giving it a try! Rice and quinoa, here I come!
A new study in USA Today shows that babies are vitamin B deficient. Only 5% to 37% of American babies met the standard for Vitamin D, 400 units a day. This number, set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is thought by some to be something of a guess, so the actual amount babies need could be higher. Babies who are breast-fed are not getting Vitamin D through their mother’s milk, as breast milk is very low in Vitamin D. Few babies go out in the sun without protective clothing and sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. Thus the deficiency. Formula doesn’t provide enough Vitamin D either. To correct this, vitamin D supplements are available in drops for babies, at a relatively low cost. Check with your pediatrician.
Look in the mirror and open wide. See any dark metal fillings? Those are silver amalgam fillings and while they work fine for a while, new materials are available that are much better. One big difference between amalgam fillings and new materials, called composite, is in the way fillings are made. Amalgam fillings stay in place because the tooth is drilled out to form a pear shape, narrow at the top but with a larger area carved out of the tooth below. The filling material, which is soft when placed in the tooth, fills the hole. The filling hardens, then stays in place because of its shape. The problem arises as these fillings age. Like other metals, the filling expands and contracts with heat and cold. So when you eat hot food, the filling expands, then shrinks when you have something cold. Eventually, a tiny gap forms between the filling and the tooth, bacteria enters the gap, and cavities develop. Also, amalgam fillings can cause the tooth to crack from expanding. Last but not least, amalgam fillings contain mercury.
Composite fillings work very differently as they contain adhesives, so they stick seamlessly to the tooth. Drilling is greatly reduced, as only the decay need be removed. They also look better, as they are tooth colored, so they are almost impossible to see. They can contain fluoride, so that decay won’t return.
Hate needles? Pain? The numb feeling after treatment? The scrape of sharp objects against your teeth when having them cleaned? Even the smell of a dental office? Guess what? Dentistry is changing so much so fast that the dental visits we remember from our childhood are long gone, or at least they should be. New technology makes visits much more pleasant. When patients come in for their cleanings, we use micro ultrasonic equipment so the plaque is blasted off with a thin, high powered jet of water – no more scraping. Digital x-rays lessen the amount of radiation patients get, and patients can view them right away. Shots are given using computerized technlogy which makes them nothing like ones from the past. New materials are designed to be pleasant to use – no more bad smells! Visit a dentist – take care of yourself and you will be pleasantly surprised if you haven’t been in a while.
Everyone is worried about their finances and the unknown that the future holds for us. One thing that we do know is that in the future we will be eating, preferably real food (not mush) with our own teeth. And for that to happen, most of us have to see the dentist. So keep up your regular visits to the dentist if at all possible. And take advantage of your dental plan, if you have one, because you never know what your company will be offering down the road as far as benefits go. Remember, in dentistry, problems don’t usually go away on their own, and small problems tend to get bigger – in other words, more expensive.
Plaque in a thin, colorless, sticky bacterial growth, or biofilm. It accumulates at the gum line and between the teeth and gums. The bacteria thrive on food particles, especially sugar. The bacteria grow rapidly, releasing toxins which irritate the gums.
If plaque is not removed daily with brushing and flossing, it hardens into tartar, or calculus, by attracting minerals from saliva. More plaque forms on top of the calculus, and perpetuates the problem. The gums, by now red, swollen and bleeding when brushed, pull away from the root of the tooth. This allows the bacteria to grow down to the root of the tooth. As the problem progresses, the deepening pockets between the tooth and the gum begin to collect food particles. By now, bacteria can grow undisturbed because you can no longer reach this area with a toothbrush.
Eventually, the tissue and the bone holding the tooth in place are destroyed, exposing the roots. The tooth has lost its bone support, becomes loose, and eventually falls out.
Daily brushing and flossing can keep plaque to a minimum. But even the most diligent brusher can miss a few spots, and calculus can build up. Visit your dental office to have the calculus removed by the dental hygienist. If the situation has deteriorated severely, periodontal therapy may be recommended.
So see your dentist! Keep your smile beautiful and functional!
Warning signs include
Red or swollen gums
Receding gums (gums that pull away from the teeth)
Pus between the teeth and gums when the gums are pressed
Persistant bad breath, or a bad taste in the mouth
Loose teeth
A change in the way the teeth fit together when biting
Bleeding when brushing
Oral cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the US, affecting populations in which oral cancer was previously very rare. At risk are young women who are otherwise healthy non-smokers. Researchers believe this increase in related to HPV, so women with HPV are more at risk, as are their partners. Medical doctors don’t check for oral cancer, so make sure you are getting oral cancer screenings at every dental visit!
We have gotten a lot of great feedback from a product we carry for our patients with dry mouth. Dry mouth can be caused by a variety of factors, including pain meds, chemotherapy, or aging. It’s a spray called Rain, and it’s made by Spry. Patients say it gives them welcome relief. Come in to our office in Oakland, CA – we have some on hand.
