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.
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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Over the past decades, we have gotten accustomed to a standard one-hour visit to the dentist. X-rays are taken, an exam is done by the dentist and teeth are cleaned by the hygienist. A routine dental visit may be appropriate for established patients, but today, a full dental exam consists of a lot more.
Has the world of dentistry really changed that much? Yes!
The past ten years have seen many positive changes in the world of dentistry thanks to breakthroughs in research, modern technology and more efficient practices. This could effectively change the future of dental disease for patients.
Let’s go over the components of a comprehensive exam and understand the different aspects:
X-rays of the entire mouth:
X-rays can identify many aspects of oral disease, including cavities between the teeth, bone loss or periodontal disease, infections, bone lesions, unusual dental growth and unerupted teeth
Diagnostic Imaging of entire mouth:
Pictures allow for the magnifications of dental conditions and the evaluation of existing restoration and potential new cavities under filling
Caries risk assessment:
This is the evaluation of snacking habits, oral hygiene habits and the existence of current cavities among other items to make an assessment of the likely hood of future cavities.
Gums risk assessment:
This is the measurement of the gums in millimeters, and evaluation of the color, aspect, and bleeding propensity of the gums to form an assessment for future gum problems.
Oral cancer screening and head & neck examination:
This is the examination of the cheeks and gum to identify early lesions that may need follow up to detect and prevent oral cancer.
Comprehensive oral evaluation:
This is the evaluation of all the above information to put together a plan to fix current issue and most importantly, to put together a customized prevention plan. This ensures that caries, gum disease and oral cancer are prevented in the future. This may include antibacterial mouth rinse, fluoride applications, diet/snacking recommendation and advice of a healthy balanced diet where fruits and vegetable are represented. Also this may include and awareness of risk factors for oral cancer such as smoking and frequent alcohol intake.
Oral hygiene instructions
Dental cleaning
Same day treatment plan and cost estimate (except in large cases requiring another appointment at no charge)
In total, we spend 1 h 40 minutes on your appointment. (50 minutes with the doctor and 50 minutes with the hygienist)
At Making You Smile we believe in prevention and we will spend a lot of time with every new and existing patients to customize a prevention plan to fit their oral health needs.
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.
Many of our patients buy expensive over-the-counter fluoride mouthwash. We applaud them for their healthy habits, but we have a tip that will leave their wallet and teeth feeling happy!
Changing up the brushing routine
Most of us brush our teeth and rinse our mouths out with water, but what if we left the faucets off? Over the counter fluoride toothpaste much more fluoride than its mouthwash counterpart.
So what's the deal?
Here is a tip that can save you time and money:
After brushing your teeth for 2 minutes spit out the excess tooth paste and DO NOT rinse with water, drink or eat for an hour. This way you will maximize on the fluoride in the toothpaste and save you time and money on using a fluoride mouthwash.
You'll get the most of your fluoride toothpaste, and the earth will thank you for leaving the faucet off and saving water!
We do note however, that children should rinse after brushing until the age of 16.
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/colgates-super-bowl-ad-is-a-haunting-reminder-of-w/
The mouth can tell us a lot. It is a reflection of our overall health, whether we are sick or healthy.
Our mouths act as both an entry point and defense force against diseases. Many medical conditions manifest themselves in the mouth. Some health conditions can worsen our existing oral health issues.
Good oral heath ensures your ability to eat, speak and interact with the world without worrying about pain, or discomfort or embarrassment. Good oral health also contributes to your overall physical and mental well-being and therefore shouldn't be overlooked. Its goal is to maintain the health of the mouth and its different structures over the years through healthy practices, prevention, and treatment of disease.
There are 4 different areas that concern the health of the mouth:
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