Don't Waste Your Time Taking Pain Medication Before A Dental Bleaching!

Did you know that taking an over-the-counter pain medication may not help with pain during or after professional dental bleachings?

 "According to a new systematic review published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, patients who took the drugs before having their teeth bleached experienced similar levels of sensitivity as those who did not."

I wish I had known this before but I learned the hard way! The first time I ever had my teeth whitened, I didn't think anything about it, it never crossed my mind that I would experience major tooth sensitivity afterward. This was one of the most painful experiences in my life, I swore that I would never do it again. 

Anyway, a few years later, I was told that they (my dental office) had a new bleaching product that was made for people with sensitive teeth.  I gave it another chance but this time I took Ibuprofen beforehand. Well, my experience was the same, I actually didn't complete the bleaching process and still had major tooth sensitivity.

In my opinion, dental bleachings are not worth the pain associated with it! 

Have you ever experienced major tooth sensitivity after dental bleaching? 

Can Baby Teeth Identify Possible Mental Disorders?

Did you know your baby teeth can reveal many clues about your childhood? If your answer is no, then you are in for a treat! Baby teeth can expose physical stress such as poor nutrition or disease. The enamel on the tooth is affected causing growth lines inside the tooth. Similar to the rings found inside of a tree! Interestingly, the thicker the growth rings, the more stress the individual has faced in their short life.

Eric C. Dunn, ScD, MPH created a hypothesis to see if the thickness of the neonatal line (NNL) had any effect on whether the infant's mother had higher levels of physiological stress during pregnancy. 

Mr. Dunn and two people from the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopment Genetics Unit conducted a study. This study consisted of mothers filling out a survey. Some of the questions asked were about stressful events during the prenatal period, maternal history of psychological problems, neighborhood quality, and level of social support.

After the mothers completed the survey Mr. Dunn and his team measured and analyzed the NNL on each tooth. 

Interesting findings emerged from this study!

Children who had mothers with depression, psychological problems, and/or anxiety during their pregnancy had thicker NNLs.

With this new information, Mr. Dunn believes "that the NNL and other tooth growth marks could be used in the future to identify children who have been exposed to early life adversity. Then we can connect those kids to interventions. So we can prevent the onset of mental health disorders and do that as early on in the lifespan as we possibly can."

Click here for the full article!

Help Your Child Build Strong, Healthy Teeth!

 Have you ever heard the old wives’ tale that women should expect to lose a tooth with each child?  Well as it turns out, long ago that belief was well rooted in reality! Now, however, this is a proven modern-day myth. Your baby actually gets the calcium he needs from your diet and if your diet does not contain enough calcium, the body will access the mineral from the supply in your bones, not from your teeth. But today, with careful management, most of us should be able to avoid losing our teeth. So what steps can you take to ensure that you keep your teeth in top condition, and what can you do for your child after he is born to keep his teeth healthy?

The following are some important points to remember for you and your child to ensure healthy teeth:

While you are pregnant:

Eat a healthy diet rich in calcium to keep the stores in your body at a healthy level. Dairy products and green leafy vegetables are good sources of calcium.

Brush and floss daily. It is important to keep plaque and tartar at bay. A healthy mouth will lead to a healthier baby!

Ages 0 To 10

STUDIES have shown that if we have tooth decay as babies, then we are more likely to get decay in our permanent teeth. Dental hygiene can and should begin with newborns. Bacteria can be removed by wrapping a piece of gauze around your finger and gently wiping the baby’s gum pads.

Apart from their food-processing function, baby teeth are important as space maintainers so that permanent teeth have a space to grow into. If these teeth are lost early through decay, the space may not be saved, so permanent teeth can drift - a problem more likely to lead to a need for braces later. Consequently, a baby’s sugar intake should be monitored, bearing in mind that even health foods such as milk and fruit contain sugars.

Baby toothbrushes with soft heads should be introduced as soon as teeth come through, along with specially formulated children’s toothpaste. These contain the optimal dose fluoride for youngsters.

Have their teeth cleaned regularly from the age of  2 years.  Regular dental screenings can prevent loss of teeth in early years, and helps get your child in the habit of practicing good dental hygiene.

Nursing Bottle Syndrome - a condition which causes rampant decay in a baby’s teeth - can occur from six months, and constant sweetened drinks are often blamed. Studies have shown that 50% of five and six year old children may have erosion of their front milk teeth - a condition that can cause pain and sensitivity. At around the age of six, the first molar teeth start to appear. These can be sealed with a plastic coating, known as fissure sealant, to prevent decay.

Overall, good hygiene for both mother and baby is essential to healthy teeth. The better their teeth when they are young, the longer they will keep them as adults!! In my line of work, I encounter people almost daily in their 90's who still have their own teeth. In part because of a healthy lifestyle and partly because of amazing technology and advancement in dentistry.

Keep Smiling!

Are You Cleaning Your Electric Toothbrush?

Most people brush their teeth, rinse off the toothbrush, place it back in its holder, and hopefully replace it every 6 months.

Well, an electric toothbrush needs a little more TLC. It's still important to clean the head of the toothbrush after every use and replace it every 4-6 months. But, did you know that cleaning and caring for the electrical base is just as important?

Below are a few steps to keep your electric toothbrush kicking:

• Unplug the base and wipe it with a mild cleanser or bleach solution.
• Dip a cotton swab (q-tip) in the same solution and clean the area where the head attaches and around any buttons.
• If there is excessive gunk build-up, use a toothpick to gently loosen it. 
• Sanitize if possible. Sometimes electric toothbrushes come with a sanitizing machine, use it!
• To ensure the best battery life, use the toothbrush until it dies. Then recharge it, and repeat the process. *keeping the toothbrush constantly plugged in, will eventually ruin the battery*

Fun Trivia Facts About Animal Teeth

 Since we really cant focus on our own teeth right now given that most dentist offices are closed for routine care, I thought it would be fun to re-post this blog about animals. Here are some facts about different animals I collected from various sites on the web. Just a little fun trivia for everyone to read. Enjoy!

• Beavers, Gophers, Rats, Mice and Hamsters teeth grow continuously throughout their lives. They must grind their teeth down to keep them at a reasonable length.
• A dolphin has only one set of teeth to last throughout it's lifetime.
• An Armadillo has 104 teeth.
• A Blue Whale is the largest mammal on earth but it has absolutely no teeth!
• A Cat's jaws cannot move sideways.
• Turtles and Tortoises are toothless.
• Rabbits are born with their permanent teeth.
• African Elephants have only 4 teeth.
• Mosquitoes have 47 teeth. (They drink blood, what's to chew, lol?)
• A snail has thousands of tiny teeth, yet it's mouth is smaller than the head of a pin!

Keep smiling!!!

Healing with Aloe Vera Gel

  We've all heard or have read about the benefits of using Aloe Vera for healing...i.e., scrapes, scratches, burns and ailments such as stomach ulcers, etc. It's not surprising, therefore, that dentists have incorporated its uses into the field of dentistry.

Some dentists have found it useful in their own practices for healing and preventing dry socket following extraction, periodontal disease, mouth sores, canker sores, denture irritation...the list goes on and on!  This miracle plant has many, many uses.  Check with your dentist or at your local health food store for Aloe Vera gel or Aloe Vera toothpaste!
As always, keep smiling!

Possible New Oral Cancer Detection...

Did you know when you have your routine dental examination, your dentist examines your gums, and teeth and also checks for oral cancer?

Typically your dentist will check the inside of your mouth for any mouth sores and palpate the tissue inside the mouth checking for any lumps. Some dentists may even go a step further and check the throat and neck.

However, in the future, there may be a new way to diagnose oral cancer. 

In an article by Dr. Bicuspids Melissa Busch, the University of Birmingham in the U.K. is in the works of developing a lollipop that could aid in diagnosing oral cancer! See the full article below.

"Instead of getting a lollipop for good behavior at a dental appointment, clinicians may hand them out and ask for patients to hand them back so they can be tested for mouth cancer, according to the University of Birmingham in the U.K.

The school will use a smart hydrogel to develop a prototype flavored lollipop that could aid in diagnosing mouth cancer. Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have awarded a three-year 350,000-pound grant ($442,347 U.S.) to fund the research, according to a university press release dated March 21.

"This project is an exciting first step towards an entirely new way to identify mouth cancers earlier," Dr. Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said in the press release.

Currently, a mouth cancer diagnosis requires biopsies and nasoendoscopies. However, the procedure is invasive, time-consuming, and requires an endoscopist. In addition to these factors, these tests are unpleasant for patients.

A hydrogel functions like fishing nets. It absorbs lots of water while catching larger molecules like proteins and the "net" can be opened, releasing larger molecules for analysis.

Therefore, to test for cancer, a patient would suck on a lollipop, transferring their saliva to the hydrogel. The proteins caught in the hydrogel lollipop can be blasted with a ultraviolet light, and the liquid can be analyzed for saliva proteins that are indicators of the early stages of mouth cancer, according to the release.

"We're hoping that we can be the first to make a device which is much kinder for diagnosing mouth cancer for patients," Dr.  Ruchi Gupta, associate professor of biosensors at the university, said in the press release."