What You Were Born With...

Part 1:  It can be easy to nitpick everything we don't like about our bodies:  too fat, too thin, not enough hair, too much hair, etc.  There is something to be said about being happy with ourselves, especially when we consider what a wonder the human body is!  The human hand is one example of great complexity and functional ability.  Also, our bodies have the best sickness fighting mechanism as a machinery that copies the virus or bacteria, then specifically attacks it.

On a microscopic level, our teeth have a fascinating structure that is inherently very strong, and that isn't completely replaced by dental restorations.  It is better to avoid drilling more away from a tooth any more than needed so that there is more of that natural structure left.  Teeth are very strong, relatively speaking:  we basically have gemstones in our mouths! It bears repeating that prevention is our best ally for lifelong dental health.

Amalgam VS. Composite

What is the difference between composite fillings and amalgam fillings?  They are different in color, obviously one being tooth colored and the other being silver.  In addition, there are structural differences and differences in placement technique that are important to consider when you are deciding between the two.  Silver fillings tend to cost less, however, silver fillings require that a certain amount of your tooth be removed so that the silver will be strong.  This means that even if the cavity is small, the filling requires that healthy tooth structure may be removed.  A composite filling is bonded to teeth, and can remain small:  only the cavity need be removed to restore the tooth.  New advances in composite fillings are making them more similar in longevity and strength as silver fillings without having to drill so much of the tooth out.  Ask your dentist to recommend a filling material to you according to your individual needs.

"But my teeth aren't bothering me at all..."

Usually, by the time your teeth are aching, a lot of work needs to be done.  If a tooth is sensitive to temperature or sweets, but the sensitivity goes away when the cold/sweetness goes away, then this can be either a cavity in the tooth or just a normal tooth response .  If a tooth is aching, throbbing, and keeping you awake at night, you can classify it as a toothache.  Either way, sensitivity in teeth should always be evaluated by a dentist in order to rule out decay or dying teeth or infection.  As previously posted, regular visits to your dentist are not just for the purpose of cleaning your teeth, but also for the purpose of evaluating any needs.  Once evaluated, if any cavities or fractures are found by your dentist, treatment can be recommended.

Even though your teeth may not hurt, they still may have something like a cavity or fracture developing that is best to treat early.  Early treatment is usually more conservative, leaves more natural tooth structure, and is less costly.  The cost-effectiveness of prevention is much less than the cost of fixing things that are to the point of causing pain, and don't wait if you have a toothache because it won't get better on it's own:  there will always be an underlying threat of severe infection.

Keep the SeeSaw at Your End!

Good oral health may seem to come naturally to some people and seem completely out of reach to other people.  Like many seemingly impossibilities, oral health is possible for everyone who understands how our mouth is like a seesaw!
On one end of the seesaw is the bacteria, and on the other side are the things we do to combat the bacteria.  The bacteria tip the seesaw to their side when we eat because the bacteria eat what we eat and then produce acid.  We tip the seesaw to our side when the acid doesn't effect us.  We can do many things to tip the seesaw to our side, which will prevent cavities and gum disease.  Here are five things we can do to make sure the bacterial acid doesn't win:

     1.  Sugarless gum or candy.  For the first thirty minutes after eating we are most susceptible to acid, so we can combat it with chewing sugarless gum, sucking on sugarless candy, or at the very least swishing with water.  Anything to promote our saliva, which acts as a natural acid buffer.
     2.  Promote saliva.  On that same note, our saliva is our natural protector from cavities and gum disease, so if we are taking medicine that gives us dry mouth as a side effect, or if we just notice that we have a dry mouth, we should do things that make saliva, keeping our mouth wet as often as we can, perhaps discussing changing medications if possible, or cleaning our teeth frequently to prevent the build-up of bacteria.
     3.  Brush and floss.  Brushing our teeth and flossing between our teeth both mechanically remove build-ups of bacteria.  The less bacteria, the less acid can be produced.
     4.  Fluoride.  When we use fluoridated toothpaste, we are helping remineralize places where the bacterial acid has demineralized our teeth.  The acid produced by bacteria can make small white spots on our teeth that are whiter than our natural tooth color.  These "white spots" can be a precursor to cavities, so if you see white spots on your teeth, have your health professional evaluate them.
     5.  Regular visit to the dentist.  As previously posted, getting your teeth clean is more than just a gimmick:  at the dental office, your teeth are cleaned below the gums to a degree, and all of your teeth, gums, and bone levels are evaluated to let you know as soon as possible of any trends you should be aware of.

These five suggestions can help to keep the seesaw on your side, in other words, the bacterial acid will be neutralized.