What is Ogliodontia...or Absent Teeth?

This may not be as uncommon as you think!  This malady affects between 1.5 and 10 percent of the population. For clarification, a single missing adult tooth is called agenesis.  Multiple missing teeth - ogliodontia, and when a child is missing his complete set of adult teeth it is called anodontia.  Sometimes this is hereditary, sometimes it is spontaneous.

Baby teeth can begin to fall out as early as age 4, or as late as age 9.  Typically, a child loses his first tooth around age 6.  Permanent teeth begin to appear within a few months.  In some cases, however, a permanent tooth doesn't appear in it's place.  This is why it is so important to take a child for a dental visit and x-rays by age 3 or 4.  X-rays will tell a dentist whether permanent teeth are forming in the jaw normally.  Most kids will  have all of their permanent teeth by age 15.

There are options for kids with missing adult teeth such as orthodontics, implants or even space maintainers if a tooth is forming but not fully erupted. If your child is missing any of his adult teeth,  check with your pediatric dentist to find out the best treatment option.

As always, Keep Smiling!

Dentistry Going Green?

According to an article published in Dentistry Today, the Univesity of Costa Rica (UCR) throws away 166 saliva ejectors (spit sucker) each day, 3,317 each week and almost 4,000 each year.
Now imagine the number of saliva ejectors that are thrown away all around the world. Crazy, right?

Thanks to four dental students at UCR, tossing each individual saliva ejector may be a thing in the past. They have developed a metallic saliva ejector that can be used over and over again because it can be cleaned in the autoclave just like many other dental and medical tools.

The metal ejector will cost dentist more but they will pay for itself in the long run!

What do you think about the reusable metal ejector?

Click here for the article!

Oral Care Tips For Someone With Special Needs

If you have never taken care of someone with a developmental disability, you need to realize it requires a lot of patience and skills.

You may think that brushing someone's teeth would be a simple task, right? Think again! It takes planning (what will be the best way to make your client and yourself comfortable during the process), time and the ability to manage their physical, mental or behavioral problems. 

If you are a first time caregiver, here are some tips that can help you ease your way into caring for someone's oral care:

• Location - You can brush someone's teeth pretty much anywhere! All you will need are a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bowl, floss, a glass water, and good lighting!
• Behavior - If your client has behavioral issues, brushing their teeth may be difficult. Try using the "tell-show-do" method.
• Tell - Explain each step before you do it.
• Show -  Let your client hold and touch each tool that will be used.
• Do - Do the steps the same way as you explained them.
• Timing - Let your client adjust, they may just be getting to know you, it can take some time before they will let you work in and around their mouth.
• Positive feedback -  Let your client know that they are doing great!
• Routine - Try to have the same routine each day and have it done at the same time. This may help eliminate any fears.
• Make them comfortable - Let them hold onto a special item or toy, this may reduce anxiety. Play calming music or come up with a creative game like "show me your biggest smile"!

 *Remember making your client comfortable will make your job easier!

Having Straight Teeth May Not Always Guarantee Happiness

Yes, you read that correctly!

According to Dr. Esma Dogramaci at the University of Adelaide Dental School in Australia, people who haven't had any orthodontic work and have varying levels of crooked teeth showed patterns of higher psychosocial scores, which means they were more optimistic than people who had orthodontic treatment.

The research was done to gauge how straight teeth affects peoples happiness. Researchers looked at how people handled new or challenging problems, how much they cared about their health, how much support they received from family and friends and optimistic levels.

What are your thoughts on this study?

Nail Biting is a Tough Habit To Break

Are you a nail biter? Do you know someone who is? If so, this is something you may want to pay attention to!! Nail biting is actually considered by some psychologists and physicians to be a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD). Here are some fast facts about nail biting that you may not know:

• It is estimated that as many as 40% of teens and 30% of adults may be compulsive nail biters.
• It is considered to be a nervous disorder, and even an indication of anxiety and passive aggression.
• It is (in some cases) also hereditary!
• Thumb sucking and lip biting fall into the same catagory.

The effects of nail biting on the teeth and gums is a serious issue. Long term, it can weaken the structure of your teeth and cause them to loosen, chip or crack. It can also cause misalignment. Bacteria lives under your fingernails, and it is introduced into your mouth when you bite your nails, carrying the possibility of viruses like E-Coli, influenza, the common cold and other diseases that we can't even pronounce... Think about it...whatever you've touched recently may still be lurking around under your nails. Ugh! In addition to that, constant nail biting can cause permanent damage to your nails and nailbed. There are topical applications that have proven useful for kids who are nail biters, but it isn't really effective for teens and adults. Therapy is useful, but expensive. For most, it is a very hard habit to break but have faith....it can be done!
Ladies, you may benefit most from this remedy...switch to acrylic nails and manicures that include polish and artwork! I have personally known people who have successfully grown out their nails by doing this. It works!

As always, Keep Smiling!

Stay Safe This Fourth Of July!

Happy Independence Day!


Today the majority of us will be celebrating with our family and friends by enjoying some bbq, attending concerts, hanging out by the water and finishing up the night by watching fireworks!

Did you know the Fourth of July is one the leading holidays for injuries?  According to the Pew Research Center on average more than 45,000 people visit the emergency room for injuries from July 4 -5 every year due to fireworks.

Every year it seems like there is always some kind of story on the news of people who are trying to show off to their family and friends. Some of these stories include: Setting firecrackers off in their hands, on a boat, out of their butt crack, making firecracker bombs and the list goes on.

But, the most disturbing one to me are the people who let firecrackers go off in their mouth?

If a firecracker explodes in a person's mouth it makes restoring oral functions very challenging if they survive.

The explosion can cause loss of teeth, broken jaws, severe burns, and injury to the upper airway caused by smoke inhalation. The road to recovery call be very painful and long.

If you are planning on setting off fireworks tonight, please do it responsibly!