What You Were Born With...(part 2)

Also on a microscopic level, our bodies have a skin junction that blocks any bacteria from getting past it into the bone around our teeth:  our gums.  In this case, the best scenario is to prevent any damage to the gums.  Just like water pipes, barnacles of bacterial deposits can build up on our teeth, causing our gums to be unhealthy.  Ultimately, the tartar can cause us to lose bone around our teeth.  Regular dental office visits to get 'cleanings' are needed.  Although 'cleanings' is what we call them, really the dentist or dental hygienist is cleaning deep down around the teeth where we don't reach when we brush or floss.  This regular maintenance is necessary to prevent problems later on.  Think about what a wonderful machine we have in the human body, and find out how you can best take care of yours.

Money, Money, Money

No, this isn't a post about your cash getting burned up in the gas tank.  Nowadays, costs seem to be rising for everything.  Sometimes, although we would like to save money by skipping our cleaning appointments with the dentist, we may be hurting our wallets more in the future.  Many insurance companies cover cleanings and exams twice per year at least.  Like we posted previously (here) the cost of prevention is much less than the cost of 'patching'.  Plus, usually, by the time a tooth is hurting you, it's going to cost more to fix, so early treatment is usually less expensive.  Just like changing the oil in your car is crucial to future use of the car, getting your oral maintenance taken care of is crucial to keeping your oral health in the best condition.  Also, if work needs to be done on a tooth, usually it is less expensive to treat that one tooth, than it is to pull the tooth and fill in the void!  There are two things you can do that will save you money.  First, educate yourself!  Find out more about your health so you can make lifestyle changes if needed.  Second, get your oral health check-up and maintenance to prevent, and save yourself some money!

Leave It to the Kids!

Maybe you are familiar with what happens to some unsupervised children and food:  it becomes a war!  Amazingly enough, it is easy to let kids decide how clean their teeth will be.  It just seems easier to let them brush their own teeth, especially those strong-willed-independent-types.  Besides keeping the kids from hosing $5 in toothpaste into the sink to make it look  like in the commercials, kids need supervision to help them brush correctly until they are about 8 years old.  Each parent will need to make the decision as to when they think their child is ready to brush solo.  Preventing cavities is vital both to prevent spending a lot of money on baby tooth fillings, and to prevent the fear that some children may develop if they have to have cavities filled at a young age.  Talk to your dentist about when your child is ready to brush their own teeth, and how they are doing brushing their own teeth.  Two other posts that may be helpful are:  No Bottles for Bed and Remember!.

The Wonder of Electric!

There is nothing wrong with using a manual toothbrush.  We recommend brushing your teeth for 2 minutes to ensure sufficient time to remove plaque and give the fluoride time to remineralize your teeth.  Also, we need to use circular, light motions to make the most of the time we spend brushing.  If either of these two requirements is difficult to achieve, we recommend getting an electric toothbrush.  The price ranges from $6 to over $200, and even the least expensive can give some benefit in doing more brushing work within the period of time you brush.  Just remember to still brush lightly, as the mechanical action of electric toothbrushes increases the chances of doing damage to your teeth or gums. (See previous post 'Ye Olde Washboarde')  If you have questions about what electric toothbrush to buy, talk to your oral health doctor about the options.

The Power of Sight

This is an enlarged photo of between two teeth.  The pink skin is gum tissue.  The blue arrows are pointing to a fracture in the tooth above a silver filling.  When you go to the dentist, you are not just having your teeth cleaned.  You clean your teeth at home.  One of the important parts of your regular dental office visit is to have your dentist check for fractures and signs of failing restorations, such as the one pictured here.
With this information and your oral health doctor's recommendations in mind, you can make wise decisions about what to do to maintain your oral health at the optimum level.  One part of the optimum level is having teeth that can be cleaned at home.  The crack pictured here not only weakens the tooth, but it can be a microscopic crevice where bacteria build-up and create a cavity.  There is a possibility of fracture in this tooth, maybe even to the point where the tooth cannot be saved.  Regular visits to your dentist's office will help you stay ahead of the game.

Don't Let Your Teeth Be Loose...

Dentures give us or our loved ones another chance at life:  they offer the ability to chew and have a nice looking smile.  Over time, a set of complete dentures can become loose.  Loose dentures are not good for our mouth because of the support system of dentures:  our bone and gums.  Dentures rely on having a ridge of bone and gum tissue to support them and keep them in place.  Once teeth are lost, the body re-absorbs the bone, making the ridges smaller.  Of course, the dentures are plastic and they stay the same, which creates looseness.  Another culprit is if the dentures stay in all the time, not allowing the skin to breathe and recover.  The irritated skin can also contribute to faster resorption.  Any looseness can cause the bone to be re-absorbed faster!  Many people with dentures may think that they don't need to see their dentist.  It is important that although you have dentures, you see your oral health professional at least once per year to evaluate the supporting tissue keeping your dentures fitting well.  Also, make sure you remove your dentures often enough to let the skin relax and recover.  Talk to your dentist about how often you should remove your dentures.

Remember!

One of the most difficult parts of improving your habits is the "habit" part of it!  Habits take time to create.  When it comes to your mouth, good home-care habits are essential for good oral health.  Only seeing your dentist or dental hygienist a handful of times per year can help have a healthy mouth, but it's the things you do on a daily basis that have the most long-term impact.  Especially now that we have a new year to begin good things, make good oral cleaning habits part of your new year.  If you find yourself forgetting your mouth's needs frequently, make a renewed effort to remind yourself of the importance of brushing and flossing every day.  Many of us struggle with remembering something new when our lives are already full, but making sure we take care of ourselves is something we can afford to change.  A couple of ideas to remember are to put your toothbrush on your pillow.  Brushing at night is very important, (see other posts).  Another good way to remember is to write a sticky note that has your new and improved bedtime routine.  After a few days of remembering, the habit can stick.

Ye Olde Washboarde

Do you remember the old way to wash clothes?  Having washed my clothes by hand in Argentina, I know how tedious it can be if you really want to get the clothes clean.  What a luxury to have a machine that cleans our clothes for us!  Oddly enough, it's seems amazing that now all we have to do is throw our clothes in a machine that stirs the water for around 45 minutes, and we get the same result as an old washboard, but perhaps it's easier on the clothes.
What does this have to do with dentistry?  Well, in the same way a washboard is tedious and rough on clothes, brushing our teeth hard is rough on our mouth.  In fact, our mouth gets cleaner when we brush lightly for longer time, doing the same thing as a washing machine:  agitating as much as we can softly, over a couple of minutes, cleans our teeth better.  This is especially true with electric toothbrushes.  We should just agitate lightly for at least two minutes and follow up with flossing or something to clean between our teeth.  So next time you catch yourself brushing hard, remember the washboard!

The Frayed

Maybe it's been a while since you replaced your toothbrush, but hopefully it doesn't look like this...Frayed toothbrushes don't clean our teeth as well, but they do a good job at creating a false sense of security.  The stiff, frayed bristles don't clean the pits of our teeth anymore, and they also don't reach down into small areas near the gums where cavities and gum disease form.  For the same reason that you wouldn't want to use a frayed toothbrush, you'll want to stick with soft bristles:  the hard bristles just don't clean as well and they may even hurt your mouth.  The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush or toothbrush head at least every three months.  See ada.org for more information.

Don't forget your toothbrush and floss!

We end up traveling a lot during the holidays to see family or spend time with friends.  If you are traveling whether with family or friends or by yourself, you'll want to take along your toothbrush and floss.  Our home habits can get completely thrown off by the differences in schedule and location we sometimes experience during the holidays.  We also eat food we would normally not eat.
     Another important point that is often overlooked when considering our health is the need for a time of de-stressing.  Stress can be linked to many medical issues, if not as the cause, then at least a contributor.  One tool for relieving stress is to look for and realize the things we have to be grateful for.  It takes no skill or talent to identify the negative in our lives, everything we think we lack that we deserve, etc.  Many people have experienced the blessing of being brought back from a life-threatening event with a greater appreciation for each day, each happy moment, each breath.  This holiday season may we appreciate the small things, and express our appreciation to the ones we care about, the beauty in the world around us, and even strangers who help us.  This is the key to a happy, full life!

What if I have braces?

Braces, or any orthodontic appliances, make it so we need to do a lot of extra work to clean our teeth.  The metal from the appliances can keep food and bacteria stuck to our teeth easier, increasing our risk of cavities, gum disease, and bad breath.  There are things you can do to help clean your teeth with braces.  One, you can purchase an electric toothbrush.  Electric toothbrushes can help to do more work for the amount of time you brush.  There are even inexpensive electric toothbrushes that can help.  Flossing can be very tedious when you have to work around braces.  Floss threaders can be used, and there are other options that you can ask your oral health professional about.  Another vital time to have your teeth checked is after the braces come off!

Getting rid of the tartar...

http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/10/homemade-tartar-sauce-recipe.html

Tartar sauce is great with fish, but the tartar we all need to get rid of frequently is the tartar on our teeth.  Another name for it is calculus, and we all know what that word means:  a hard math class.  The tartar we're talking about is a build-up of bacteria, literally a colony of bacteria, and they've moved in!  The hard tartar usually can only come off during a visit to your dentist for a check-up and cleaning.  Where tartar is more of a problem is if it builds below your gumline, where your tooth brush can't reach.  This tartar is irritating to your body and in response, your body can stay inflamed in the area.  Over time, the inflammation can cause the bone around your teeth to withdraw, making your teeth loose.  The inflammation is what we call active periodontal disease, or active gum disease.
You can do something about tartar to prevent it!  As you brush and floss daily, you are breaking up the bacteria so they can't build tartar.  Without their removal the bacteria can colonize, and this can lead to active gum disease and cavities.  See your oral health professional today to determine any needs you have, and you can ask if there are any areas in your mouth where tartar can get trapped.

Is It Really Just a Cleaning?

"I have my cleaning at the dentist tomorrow..."  Although we may have been raised calling it a dental cleaning, the truth is that much more is going on than cleaning.  Like getting your oil changed as needed, going to the dentist regularly for a "cleaning" is actually much more.  The auto mechanic checks other fluids, asks if there are any concerning noises, malfunctions, etc., and examines everything for any other needs your car may have.  Well, when you see your dentist for your previously agreed upon maintenance visit, you are either given a clean bill of health, or a plan of action is discussed to bring your oral health back up to optimal.  Also, the cleaning that is performed ensures that even the spots you can't reach are cleaned.  By this we mean deep in between your teeth and gums where your tooth brush doesn't reach.  In addition to the cleaning, however, the teeth are examined for any decay, the gums and bone are examined for any trends of recession or inflammation, and any of your concerns can be discussed.  So a "cleaning" is really an oral health maintenance visit!  Don't worry, if you get behind on your maintenance, you can always get back on schedule.

Who's in Charge?

     Ah, the '80's...many of us recognize the phrase "Charles in charge" from the sitcom made famous by an in-house, male sitter.  Although we may not select someone like Charles to make decisions for us, it can be tempting to have someone else take responsibility for big decisions.
     It is wise to realize early that each of us is our own best healthcare provider.  If we stop to think, it is ironic that we make many decisions about our health without consulting anyone:  whether to smoke, floss our teeth, or  overeat.  Because the physicians, nurses, and doctors we see are caring individuals, we can sometimes fall into the habit of expecting them to "fix" whatever problems we may have caused through our decisions or lack of discipline.  Our healthcare providers will even try to meet whatever reasonable expectations we have, however, make no mistake:  we are responsible for our own health.
     So next time you see your doctor or nurse to discuss any treatment, make sure you understand what is going on, that you have all of your questions answered, and especially that you make the decision for yourself.