Valentines Day 2012
Nothing will ruin a romantic Valentine's Day dinner like bad breath! Believe it or not, some mouthrinses may be making your breath worse! Listerine, and many other rinses, can make your breath worse due to the high alcohol content. The alcohol dries out your mouth and makes it easier to for bacteria to hang around. To prevent this drying, it is best to use a rinse without alcohol. Listerine has recently come out with an alcohol free rinse called Listerine Zero. Many other brands now are alcohol free, just be sure to check the label when you buy... and don't forget the roses!
February 2012 Blog
Q: February is Children’s Dental Health Month. How do I take good care of my child’s teeth?
A: If you educate your child at a yound age and help them form good habits, you can prevent a slew of dental problems down the road.
*When will my child get their first teeth?
Baby teeth start to appear in kids at around 6 months, but can take as long as 12 months for the first tooth to appear in some cases. Girls typically get teeth faster than boys. The first teeth that erupt (coming through the gums) will typically be the front teeth on the lower jaw. While these teeth are erupting, it is common for your child to have run a fever and not feel well. Don’t panic, your child will just need some extra TLC for a day or two. These baby teeth will continue to erupt until approximately age 2-2.5 years old when all the baby teeth should be present in the mouth. There are 20 baby teeth in all!
*When should I take my child to see a dentist?
The American Association of Pediatric Dentistry recommends seeing a dentist when your childs first tooth appears or at 1 years old, whichever comes first. This quick visit to the dentist is to make sure things are developing properly and give detailed home care instructions. Typically we will see your child one time a year until they start forming adult teeth at 6 years old. At this time, it is recommended to see the dentist every six months to keep the teeth healthy and prevent cavities.
*What should I be doing to keep the cavities away at home?
Important general guidelines for taking care of your child teeth fall into two categories. First, your childs diet is very important. Stay away from high sugar items such as juice as much as possible. If your child does like juice, limit it to one time per day and brush their teeth after. The worst habit it to sip on juice throughout the day. This attacks the teeth with constant sugar and greatly increases the chance of cavities. Second, your child should be brushing two times per day in the morning and night with your assistance. If your child is swallowing the toothpaste, you should be using a non flouride children’s toothpaste as flouride should not be ingested over long periods of time. Once your child can spit out the toothpaste, regular flouride toothpaste is recommended.
*When does my child start to get baby teeth?
Adult teeth start to appear at around 6 years old. The first adult teeth to form are the “6 year Molars” that erupt behind your child’s existing baby teeth. These are the same teeth you will have when you are 90 years old assuming you keep them clean! Adult teeth replace the baby teeth over the next 5-7 years.
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January 2012 Blog
With the New Year comes many resolutions involving health and physical appearance. One of the most common questions I get from patients is “What is the best way to whiten my teeth?” With the myriad whitening products on the market, it can be overwhelming to pick one. Here’s a breakdown...
There are many reasons why teeth are discolored and whitening will not always be effective. Whitening is typically most effective on external discolorations caused by things such as smoking and beverages such as coffee, tea, and red wine that stain your teeth. This external staining will usually manifest itself as a dull yellow color or light brown. These are different than internal discolorations which will not be affected by whitening. These typically manifest as a greyish color. You can also have yellow discoloration that will not whiten due to thin enamel (the outer white layer on your teeth) that allows the inner yellow layer of your teeth to reflect through. The only way to improve the color of your teeth with internal discolorations is to cover them with porcelain crown of veneers.
For external discolorations it is most important to keep your teeth clean! The best way to clean is with an electric toothbrush at least two times a day and thoroughly flossing at least one time per day. Beyond keeping your teeth clean, there is an abundance of whitening products on the market that can certainly improve the appearance of your smile. You can use over the counter products or professional strength products dispensed by a dentist. The key with any whitening product is that it allows you to apply the product directly on the tooth surface and not affect the gums. In addition, it should be something that can be easily used again since teeth will typically rebound their original color.
Products Dispensed in a Dental Office
1) Professional strength whitening gel combined with custom fitted trays to your teeth.
In my opinion, this is the best combination of safety and great long term results. Most important is to have whitening trays that are custom fit to your teeth. This is done by creating a mold of your teeth in the dental office similar to a retainer used after braces. Another benefit of these, is that they can be reused again and again as long as you have whitening gel.
2) Whitening in the dental office using a light (also called laser whitening).
The advantage of whitening this way is that you will initially see a dramatic difference in the color of your teeth. In my opinion, this is the best method of whitening if you have a specific event such as a wedding or prom coming up and you want a quick fix. The risk is that you can have severe sensitivity immediately following the treatment. The cosmetic downside is that the color will rebound substantially after the first couple of days. After this time, you will need to purchase an additional whitening prodcut to keep up the color.
Over the Counter Products
There is an abundance of products that can be bought over the counter. Have a critical eye when considering these as many products dramatically over promise results.
Strips
If you only want to use an over the counter product, the product that I have seen yield the best results is the whitestrips made by Crest. These are generally safe as long as you don’t allow them to touch your gums. If so, trim them and reapply to your teeth.
Mouthrinses and Toothpaste
Avoid these products as they do very little to whiten your teeth and will have an overall negative effect on your teeth. Many times these products will increase tooth sensitivity when used over a long period of time.
Gel and Trays
The downside of these is the trays do not exactly fit your teeth. Even if you mold them with hot water at home, you will never get the fit of a custome tray made in the dental office. This poor fit will allow excess gel to contact your gums and damage them. It is better to at least have dental trays made in a dental office.
Whitening products can be confusing and hard to decipher. If you do have any questions, feel free to schedule a consulation at our office.
We wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2012!
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December 2011 Blog
How to enjoy your holiday food while maintaining a healthy smile…
This is the time of year when we are surrounded with all sorts of good tasting sugary foods. However, all those chocolates and hard candies can lead to cavities and even a fractured tooth! Fortunately, there are ways to avoid these outcomes. Here’s a few tips to get your teeth through the Holidays:
Hard candies can cause fractured teeth particularly for those who have large fillings. These large fillings can act as a wedge when compressed by the hard candy. A fractured tooth will nearly always require at least a crown to restore the tooth the full function. If you do have any teeth with large fillings, it is better to avoid chewing hard candies with these and try to chew with your natural molar (back) teeth without fillings.
More easily avoidable are the cavities that come with eating high sugar candy. When we eat something with sugar, this feeds the bacteria (yes, we all have some bacteria in our mouth) that we have in our mouth and causes the bacteria to make acid for approximately 30-45 minutes after eating the candy. This acid is what causes a cavity. Therefore, if you can’t resist the urge to have some sweets, it is better to have them all at once rather than throughout the day when it comes to your teeth. If you snack throughout the day, your teeth will constantly be attacked with acid and eventually lead to a cavity that requires a filling.
Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure.” This is most certainly true for your dental health. The best way to keep your teeth healthy is through preventative treatment including regular check-ups with your dentist at least 2 times a year. The other 363 days are up to you and your habits at home. Prevention starts at home with brushing your teeth at least two times a day for two minutes. The best toothbrushes are the rechargeable electric toothbrushes such as Sonicare and Oral-B. These vibrate with such a high intensity, they remove the bacteria (plaque) that causes problems much better than the standard manual toothbrush. Flossing, although much less popular than brushing, is extremely important because it cleans between the teeth where the toothbrush can’t reach. A good way to check and see if you are doing a good job cleaning your teeth is to check if you have any bleeding when flossing. Bleeding gums indicate the presence of damaging bacteria and is your body you something is wrong. If you do notice any bleeding, spend some extra time with that area over the next couple of days until the bleeding stops.
Happy Holidays from Dr Nelson and the team here at Southtown Dental Care!