Here at Making You Smile NYC, we are always surprised by patients who don't brush their tongue. When asked why, they simply say “I didn’t know I had to.”
The tongue is home to a lot of bacteria that grow and cause bad breath as well as a bad taste in your mouth. This is due to the fact that your internal body is at 98.7 degrees, the ideal temperature for bacteria growth. Some people even have deep fissures or grooves on their tongue which make it easy for bacteria to hide and thrive. The bad taste occurs when taste buds on the tongue get covered in bacteria. If the bacteria aren't removed, it can alter the perception or taste of food, making it important to make sure you are cleaning your tongue properly.
Just like there is a correct way to brush your teeth or floss your tongue also needs to be cleaned in the right manner. You can brush your tongue with your toothbrush, or with a variety of tongue brushes or tongue scrapers that are sold wherever oral hygiene products are available. Brush the tongue starting from the back as far as you can go without gagging and work your way forward. Once you've brushed your tongue thoroughly make sure to rinse out your mouth well.
Remember that a clean tongue and mouth equals fresh breath and makes food taste better. A clean and healthy mouth is the gateway to a healthy and happy body.
If you live in the New York area and are looking for an experienced dentist to help with bad breath issues, tooth sensitivity, or some other oral hygiene problem please contact our office. We would be happy to schedule you a consultation to see what can be done to give you the smile you've always wanted. Or book an appointment now.
A recent study published by JAMA found a potential link between fluoride in the water
and lower IQ in babies. After multiple scrutinies, the study was published by the respectable journal JAMA and therefore we are going to recommend that all pregnant and lactating women:
To compensate for the lack of fluoride and prevent caries for the mother, we recommend the following:
Remember to have regular checkups and at least one regular dental cleaning during the second trimester if it is not a high risk pregnancy and if it is authorized by your OBGYN.
You can refer to the below article for details.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2748626
Did you know that a poor oral health has a negative effect on the entire body? When you have dental conditions such as gum disease, cavities or dental restorations that are failing, the chances of developing or worsening existing systematic illnesses double.
The same bacteria that cause dental plaque can travel into the bloodstream and trigger clots that increase risk of heart disease. Some of these conditions are: Endocarditis, cardiovascular disease, pregnancy or birth, diabetes, HIV, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, among others.
It is essential that you visit your dentist at least twice a year for checkups and dental cleanings so your overall health could be tuned- up!
Dental visits could detect the early signs and symptoms of systemic diseases. Resolve to practice good oral hygiene every day. You're making an investment in your overall health, not just for now, but for the future, too.
Any parent who has been the focus of a small child's effort to get their attention can relate.
"Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy, Mommy..."
They understand the pressure to give in.
In the same way, our body's immune system is not resistant from caving in under the constant pressures of irritants and toxins introduced into the body. These irritants can come in many forms, but the biggest culprit is tobacco smoking.
In previous blogs, we discussed how cavities form when bacteria in our mouths convert carbohydrates from our diet into corrosive acids.
Bacteria + Carbohydrates from diet and snacking = acids which melt the teeth and cause cavities
It makes sense to address the bacteria in our mouths if we want to develop a plan to reduce future cavities. There are numerous acid-producing bacteria in our mouths; some contribute more than others.
There are two steps to deal with them:
1: Test how many of the key acid-producing bacteria are present in our mouth (bacterial load)
2: Reduce those bacteria using prescription strength antibacterial mouth wash
As you can see in the picture attached to this blog the bacterial test reveals the bacterial load. We use that to decide if you should use the anti-bacterial mouth wash.
Who gets the test: in general the test is recommended anytime we find a high number of cavities within a 3 years period.
At Making You Smile NYC, everyone gets a Caries Risk Assessment to evaluate the risk of future cavities. If your Caries Risk Assessment is high then a bacterial test is recommend. Anti-bacterial mouth wash is then recommended to reduce the high bacterial load and help fight future cavities.
Let us begin by defining nutrition as the process by which living beings use food to get nutrients for energy, growth, development, and maintenance of the body cells. Bad breath or halitosis is an unpleasant odor caused by waste from bacteria inside your mouth, decaying food, other debris and poor oral hygiene.
It is very common that certain foods may result in a temporary bad odor, such as garlic, onions, curry and other spices. Furthermore, the use of tobacco and dry mouth increase the chance of halitosis. The malodor is just as unpleasant to you as the others around you.
For a healthy body and a healthy immune system, it is essential to have all types of antioxidants present. That is why proper diet plays a major role in keeping everything in balance. Practicing good oral hygiene will result in lowering the possibility of bad odor in the mouth. This includes flossing, scraping your tongue to remove the bacterial build-up, food debris, and dead cells from the surface of it, proper brushing techniques and rinsing if applicable.
If you suspect that you may be suffering from bad breath, do not hesitate to ask your dentist, he or she can help determine its source.
For further reading please refer to http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bad-breath/symptoms-causes/dxc-20192379
Many people opt for sugar-free drinks in order to spare their teeth from decay and damage. However, a new study by researchers from Melbourne University found that sugar-free drinks are equally as harmful to teeth.
The researchers, led by professor Eric Reynolds from the Oral Health Cooperative Research Center, investigated how 23 sugar-free drinks affected oral health and found that most caused the tooth's enamel (the outer layer) to soften by a whopping 30 to 50 percent. These drinks included soda, flavored juices and flavored mineral waters.
Just how do they cause this damage?
Plaque on teeth forms from the sugar people eat. Bacteria feed on this plaque and as they do, an acid is produced that destroys teeth and causes decay. In the same way, sugar-free drinks containing acid cause damage to teeth by stripping the enamel.
Continued consumption of these beverages can cause dental erosion to further progress, sometimes to the point of exposing a tooth's inner soft pulp. Reynolds blamed the citric acid or phosphoric acid content of such drinks for the dental erosion.
"Many people believe soft drinks labeled sugar-free are completely safe for teeth, but unfortunately we're finding these aren't much better than the sugar-filled versions because of their potential to cause erosion of dental enamel," said Reynolds.
Reynolds also said one in three children suffer from dental erosion.
"We've seen bad erosion in the teeth of children aged 2 to 3 years old, and signs of erosion in permanent teeth of older children," he noted, adding that if children will keep drinking these beverages, they "are likely to need extensive dental treatment by the time they reach their teens."
Sugar-free candies, particularly orange or lemon flavored ones, likewise contain acids from the flavoring and destroy the teeth in the same way.
Sports drinks are not off the hook, either. After investigating eight sports drinks, the researchers found that six of them "caused significant enamel surface loss and enamel surface softening," according to a briefing paper about the study.
Reynolds recommends a very simple way to avoid dental erosion: "To give your teeth, or your children's teeth, the best chance, water is always a better choice."
The study was published in the Australian Dental Journal.
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Cross-training is all the rage in the fitness world. It makes sense for a healthy, toned body. It also makes sense when it comes to healthy teeth and gums.
It is important to disrupt or remove the sticky bacterial film which forms on our teeth on a daily basis. Just as we use different exercises to tone different parts of the body, we need a multitude of tools to reach all the nooks and crannies found around our teeth and gums.
In my experience, flossing 7 days a week is the most difficult habit to add to your daily routine. If 7 day flossing is too overwhelming, how about committing to 2 or 3 days?
And, on the days when you don’t floss, use one of the other available plaque removal tools like Soft Picks or a Rubber Tip Stimulator by GUM?
Dental floss is the only tool which disrupts the plaque where the teeth touch each other (where cavities start). Soft picks are user friendly, feather-like toothpicks which remove food particles and plaque between teeth. A rubber tip is a metal handle with a rubber point on the end which is used to trace the gumline where plaque accumulates due to the normal anatomy of the tooth which is widest in the middle. This deflects the bristles of your toothbrush and leaves plaque at the gumline where the tooth is more narrow.
Undisturbed plaque cranks out acids and toxins which cause cavities and gum disease.
Why not give oral care cross-training a try? Get in there and shake things up with a few different oral care tools (not all in one day but varying them during the week).
Switch up the routine and you’ll see the results for yourself.
Questions about oral care? Contact us or book an appointment for a check up & cleaning to remove plaque to help prevent cavities.
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Screening for oral cancer is conducted every six months during your teeth cleaning appointment at our office. We look at the lips, cheeks, gums, tongue, under the tongue, and at the back of the mouth for any white or red changes. This routine examination is done regularly and at no charge when paired with your regular dental exam. If something unusual is detected visually, it will prompt further examination.
Early detection and treatment may well be the key to a complete recovery. If you have any questions, please let us know, Dr. Jalbout will provide you with the best possible care.
For further reading, please refer to:
http://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck
Gum disease is the most under-diagnosed disease affecting the teeth. The primary reasons is that like high blood pressure, often there are no symptoms. Gum disease can still be present when pain isn't.
Some of the subtle symptoms of gum disease include bleeding gums when brushing and flossing, loose teeth, and receding gums.
Gum disease can be divided in two categories: the first is inflammation of the gums around the teeth (gingivitis) and the second is a loss of the bone which supports the teeth most often accompanied by inflammation of the gums.
At Making You Smile we are committed to prevention of gum disease through comprehensive dental exam and diagnosis, patient education and thorough treatment and prevention plan.
