Posts Tagged ‘tooth decay’
How An Unsuitable Diet Can Ruin Your Child’s Teeth
Posted by: stomper in dental advice on September 21st, 2010
Choosing the correct diet to ensure healthy teeth is not as easy as one might think. Sweets, chocolates and lollipops followed by a fizzy drink is the usual choice for children. Everything that goes into their mouths seems to be full of sugar, which may cause tooth decay.Many parents manage to get their children to eat low sugar snacks instead of high sugar ones and sweets. We may, however, be oblivious of the fact that such low sugar snacks can be as damaging to teeth as the high sugar ones they’ve replaced.
Low sugar snacks may be bad for your child’s teeth
Will their teeth benefit if you manage to get your child to eat low sugar snacks instead of sweets and chocolates? One of the UK’s leading dental insurance companies, Dencover, believes that the answer is a definite “no”.
The enamel of your child’s teeth can be destroyed - unless treated in time - by the acids often found in low sugar snacks. A high proportion of low sugar snacks such as energy bars contain high levels of acid. Even those bars high in fruit content are full of citric and malic acids.
Bacteria already in the mouth or food eaten before can produce the acids that attack the teeth’s enamel. So-called healthy snacks can be quite sticky causing food particles to stick to the teeth. These are often high in carbohydrates that bacteria use to create acids.
Are health-food snacks as bad as sweets for dental health?
Even though the answer is ‘yes’, they are deemed acceptable because they also contain essential nutrients. In order to grow in a healthy way a child needs proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins, none of which can be obtained from the purely energy supplying sugary snack.
Bacteria can feed on the residue left unnoticed between the teeth after healthy protein rich food such as peanut butter has been eaten.
What is the best option?
To prevent your child’s teeth from serious decay you can take several measures. If your child has to eat sweets and chocolates, make sure that the amount and frequency are limited. Eating sugary food in excess will lead to other problems. Whilst a good dental plan may not be able to prevent tooth problems, purchasing one will help you deal with the expenses should they arise.
Ideally your child should avoid sweets and snack bars and eat instead nutritious foods like fruit, nuts and vegetables followed by a mouth rinse with water rather than a soft fizzy drink.
A bottle of water included in your child’s packed lunch will clear away the acids that will have built up around the teeth.
However healthy your child’s teeth may appear to you, you should always make sure that your family dentist carries out regular check-ups. Affordable dental insurance for the whole family is available to buy online or by phone. The costs of visits to the dentist, whether private or NHS, can be completely or partially covered by this.
The Full Story On Bad Breath And How To Fix It!
Posted by: stomper in dental advice on September 11th, 2010
A healthy mouth means fresh breath.
Social embarrassments can come in many shapes and sizes. However, having a terrible bad breath ranks first among the major causes of embarrassments.
This creates a gap between you and your loved ones, causing setbacks in your relationships. Unfortunately, people who have bad breath do not know it until somebody informs them. Bacteria, plain and simple, is the culprit. It is a fact that mouth is loaded with bacteria that when they become uncontrollable, they just produce a very distracting odor.
Bacteria usually thrive on your tongue, plaque, gum disease, dentures, tartar and tooth decay, when they get unmanageable every mouth wash and breath fresheners in the market cannot solve this. They can only camouflage it temporarily – usually for only a few hours.
- Bad breath resulted from gum disease, tooth decay and tartar are treated only by dentist through constant cleaning and check-up.
- Brush your tongue – One-study estimates 50% of oral bacteria can be eliminated by brushing your tongue with a soft brush every day. Some of us call it the “bottom of a cocky cage” syndrome.
- You will have bad breath if have dentures that are not totally clean. See to it that you clean your dentures with Sterodent or any product that produces the same effect.
- If you are a chronic “mouth-breather” also beware! More dry mouth, means more bad breath.
If you are concerned about your own or your partner’s breath we can isolate and fix any oral causes.
I think my child may need braces? when is the right time to consult a dentist?
Many people believe that orthodontic treatment begins when the braces go on the teeth. This is not the case. A lot of kids even at the age of three require orthodontic treatment. At this early stage, orthodontist and dentist are able to diagnose, monitor and treat your child’s condition because children’s bone are soft and flexible, making it easier to fix and shape. If you think the odds of a young child having orthodontic problems are remote, you may wish to consider these facts:
- Only few are gifted with naturally beautiful set of teeth.
- 75% of people have orthodontic problems, which should be treated.
- 25% of these problems are severe.
- Orthodontic problems aren’t just limited to protruding teeth or under bites.
- Often the problems relate to the overall structure of the mouth, face and bite characteristics.
- Most of the time these issues are not manifested in protruding or unevenly spaced teeth.
Therefore if you feel that your child may need orthodontic treatment - Right Now is the time that you should seek a professional opinion.
Tooth Decay - Info For Your Dental Health
Posted by: stomper in dental advice on July 18th, 2010
In order for tooth decay to be developed in a tooth, that tooth must have acid producing bacteria around it, along with food for the bacteria to feed upon. Crucial to avoid it as in advanced condition can lead to extraction of tooth or if one has [dentures or partials] then repair of it as it is still attached tooth which decays.. Fluoride is needed for the production of enamel and hence preservation of the teeth, the lack of fluoride will lead to plaque formation and tooth decay.
When one forgets about his tooth hygiene, he makes it possible to some types of Bacteria to come to life and cause teeth damage. If a person has some sort of a current mouth problem, it is not rare to be transmitted to others through food, water and even kisses.
In the beginning of tooth decay and baby bottle tooth decay the damage of the enamel takes place slowly in the surface layers then it speeds up when it reaches the core.When the damage reaches the core, it attacks nerves and arteries. That’s why the patient starts to report pain.
The rate of damage by tooth decay to the tooth is not constant, it starts in a slow speed reaching the surface layers in a year, then it actually attacks the whole tooth in less than number of months. Sometimes the tooth decay starts as a tiny white dot in the tooth, then it can slowly crawl to cover the whole tooth, this type can usually happen in the early ages of life.
Other types include fissure tooth decay, which moves faster than smooth decay and mainly affects the molars and their chewing function. Regular visits to your dental health specialist is a must to avoid this type of tooth decay, as brushing will always be away from these areas.
The last type of tooth decay, known as root decay,starts on the surface of the root. Root decay is common with middle aged individuals. It is normally the result of dry mouth, a lot of sugar, or not taking care of your teeth. Root decay is the most difficult to prevent, and the most importanttype of tooth decay. It can eat teeth fast, leaving you no choice but to get the affected teeth removed.
Take care about ridiculing the matter of tooth decay, you have to have this issue take care of at your dentists on numerous terms.Brush your teeth and use teeth cleaning products to avoid any damage to your teeth, remember tooth decay can be surely protected against.
Tips on How to Prevent Tooth Decay
Posted by: stomper in dental advice on February 18th, 2010
Tooth Decay is a location on a tooth where so much of the tooth’s mineral content has been dissolved away that a defect of “cavity” has formed. Any surface of the tooth that is exposed to oral cavity can experience tooth decay but not the structures within the bone. Tooth decay is a disease that all people have to avoid. Here are five ways to prevent such:
- Fluoride Therapy. Tooth decay can be prevented by topical or sytematical flouride therapy. Intake of tablets or drops is usually done for flouride supplementation. If the area has fluoridated public water supplies, tablets or drops are no longer needed.
- Brushing your teeth. Home is where the most important part of tooth care happens, as your Cincinnati dentist would say. Regular dental checkups and daily brushing and flossing are required to keep teeth healthy. Dentists would advice brushing three times a day to keep teeth strong and healthy.
- Regular checkups with your dentist. Seeking professional advise is the most important step in dental health. Dentists are the best and the only people you should consult in regards to teeth. You have nothing to worry about if you’d let them handle your dental problems.
- Dental sealant. It is the dental treatment consists of plastic material that covers one or more teeth, for preventing of cavities and tooth decay. They are usually applied during a visit to the dental clinic.
- Dietary snacks. Blood sugar can be altered by sweets so it is better to limit intake of sugar-rich food. Completely avoiding snacks is a no-no since you’ll be depriving yourself of nutrition for that period. Good snacks should include healthy proteins and fats.
Taking good care of teeth is critical especially for people who are very conscious with their appearance. Displaying the best white smile, we have to admit, can be one of our greatest features. Following each advice mentioned above is important for maintaining that perfect smile.
The Fluoride Debate: Healthy or Not?
Posted by: stomper in dental advice on December 19th, 2009
If there’s one water matter that creates a lot of discussion, it’s fluoride. Some say it’s necessary, some say it’s dangerous. What are the facts? As with most controversies, it lies somewhere in the middle.
A little while ago, my dentist nearly imploded when I mentioned the controversy regarding fluoride. “There’s never been a single thing that has been a better way to improve the health of teeth in our country!” But there are other dentists that have opposing views. Some say it is immoral to add it to water and that it viloates our rights as individuals. Others say it’s required for the better good of the population.
Fluoride is often added by authorities to reduce tooth decay. It can be helpful or harmful, depending on the intensity in water. Fluoride, at levels of up to 1 part per million will reduce the likelihood tooth decay. However, according to the Water Quality Association (WQA), levels above 2 parts per million can cause dark brown staining (“Colorado Brown Stain”) or give a chalk-like appearance to teeth. Skeletal fluorosis can develop when the body has been drinking highly fluoridated concentrations of over 4 parts per million. This is a very serious disease bone malady similar to osteoporosis. When fluorides at high levels are present, it is necessary to remove it from water. That said, most problems related to fluoride are considered insignificant.
There have many concerns over the past several years that fluoride is possibly connected to cancer and some studies suggest it may not even be effective in fighting tooth decay. It is a much debated topic and very little conclusive evidence exists, so you may want to do your own research before deciding whether or not you should remove it from your family’s water. However, excessive levels should continually be removed. The appropriate amount is 1 mg/L.
Chances are, you’re getting plenty of fluoride just from the toothpastes and mouthwashes that are added by manufacturers to their products for dental health.
To remove fluoride from drinking water, you will need a reverse osmosis under-counter drinking water system, which will reduce it approximately 50%. Or, a fluoride-specific filter made of activated alumina which will reduce it about 90%. One good unit that can be customized to include fluoride removal is http://www.puriteam.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=103
To get more information on fluoride and other water topics, visit www.puriteam.com.
Cases Of Dental Caries Are High Among Adults
Posted by: stomper in dental advice on November 22nd, 2009
Tooth decay is not only a problem for kids but also with adults. Back then, adults weren’t as fortunate as the children today when it comes to dental technology; now, people have a better access to dental care. Since preventative measures are readily available, not a lot of kids have cavities nowadays. However, the problem of tooth decay cannot be totally avoided because plaque, the sticky film of bacteria, is ever present in your teeth.
As long as you eat and drink especially foods containing starches and sugars, plaque will form on your teeth. Plaque produces acids that attack the enamel of your teeth and over time, the acids gradually destroy the enamel resulting to tooth decay.
It’s not the end of the world for all the sweet tooth out there. Keep in mind that proper dental hygiene and regular dental visits are important in keeping your teeth in good condition and also, to prevent the formation of cavities.
To prevent tooth decay, you must follow these tips:
- Use a fluoride based toothpaste when brushing your teeth. Brush at least twice a day.
- Floss daily to remove the food debris in between your teeth.
- Eat a balanced diet and lessen the number of snacks in betwen meals.
- Inquire about supplemental fluoride with your dentist to strengthen your teeth and the use of dental sealants to be applied on the surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from cavities.
- Make it a point to visit your dentist regularly for dental cleaning and oral examination.
Adults who have dental fillings should take notice on the crevices, edges and margins of their fillings. Many adults didn’t receive proper dental care when they were growing up such as fluoride treatment and with that, they often have a number of dental fillings. Bacteria-carrying plaque may destroy the enamel especially the tiny spaces in between the teeth and eventually leads to decay.
For more tips about proper oral care and dental health, visit our team of Ft Lauderdale dentists at sleepdentists.com
