We have known for many generations that sugar, particularly when processed, is bad for our teeth. But it is misleading to say that it is the only cause. There are other factors involved.

Lack on minerals in the diet, particularly magnesium, calcium and phosphorus, will cause problems. We have known for a while that calcium was an issue, and encouraged children to drink milk. But lack of any of the minerals will leave teeth weaker and prone to decay.

Lack of fat soluble vitamins, such as A, E, K and especially D, will weaken teeth and probably cause gum problems. These vitamins combine well to benefit health, though if one is deficient the others cannot compensate. We need all these vitamins together.

Recently it has been discovered that Phytic acid in food both blocks the absorption of minerals in our diet and leaches minerals out of bones and teeth. Processes such as sprouting or fermenting seed, beans and grain significantly reduce phytic acid. These processes were once popular in agricultural societies, but have fallen out of favour with modern processing and cultural habits.

It is a pity that the best dietary intentions in the world are compromised by anti-nutrients such as phytic acid. But this can be altered. Fermentation, soaking and sprouting of beans, nut and grains (while slightly time consuming) can make a significant difference to the way out bodies absorb nutrients. This should allow us to derive the maximum benefit from natural and healthy food sources.

We know to avoid sugar and brush our teeth. We should also know to eat the healthiest diet possible. Our society had lost some good habits over time. If we reintroduce these habits, or develop healthy habits of our own, we can reap the benefits in every part of our lives.

BioMinF toothpaste is the latest development in those with sensitive teeth, or those just want to prevent further decay.

Teeth become sensitive when tubules open in the teeth, causing pain whenever hot or cold food is eaten. In the past teeth were desensitised by toothpaste that blocked these tubules. But the teeth were never repaired, just sealed with an artificial additive.

BioMinF toothpaste removes tooth sensitivity by rebuilding tooth damage, providing the damage is only moderate. It steadily releases calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions over an 8-12 hour period. This slow release is the key development. These same minerals in the past, particularity fluoride, were already been known to be beneficial for teeth; problems occurred as they needed to be applied to the teeth for substantial periods of time. Previous toothpastes contained the minerals, but lost effectiveness in less than an hour.

The steady application of the minerals helps teeth remineralize. If the outer surface of the tooth can remineralize faster than it is being demineralised any light damage to the tooth enamel can be reversed. Fluoride in drinking water has some benefits for this process, but the ingestion of the fluoride is controversial. And any drinking water only has minimal time in contact with the teeth. By contrast the newer BioMinF contains several remineralizing agents, and when used at night it is able to remain in contact with the teeth until morning.

A version of BioMinf is being developed that does not contain fluoride. The other active remineralisation agents should work sufficiently to achieve the same result.

References

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/308970.php

Teeth grinding during sleep may affect up to 10 % of people; more if the grinding is keeping our partner awake at night. It can be both a symptom of a problem and a problem in its own right. We might grind our teeth in times of stress and frustration, and if we are lucky this might resolve itself over time before we suffer any serious damage. Else, teeth grinding might be an ongoing problem. There are some suspicious signs of tooth grinding, such as a saw jaw in the morning, unexplained headaches or a complaining partner. But serious tooth grinding may occur without any of these symptoms appearing. If teeth show signs of unexplained wear it is quite possible that the individual is grinding their teeth at night. This damage can be quite serious. There is fairly good evidence to link grinding with stress and frustration, but this quickly gets complicated and is affected by many factors.

Some people suffer stress, yet show other symptoms rather than teeth grinding. Others grind their teeth during difficult phases of their life and stop grinding once the problem is resolved. It seems that the predisposition to teeth grinding is genetic. Everybody suffers stress from time to time; some people experience teeth grinding as a symptom of this, others do not. Early theories about grinding being caused by physical problems in the jaw look to be false, though grinding certainly can cause problems by wearing away teeth and causing sore gums. There appears to be no simple cure for teeth grinding. Resolving the cause of stress can help, but some individuals grind their teeth despite a lack of any apparent stress.

Instead, grinding treatment concentrates on preventing damage. Wearing a mouth guard will prevent the teeth from being worn away, which is a major concern. Unfortunately, tooth grinding can strain jaw muscles and severely compromise hearing. Mouthguards do very little to reduce this damage. Behavioural therapy, biofeedback and an improved diet have a limited benefits for jaw grinding.

The situation is very frustrating for patients as the habit is quite involuntary. Despite knowing about the issue the patient is unable to stop their nighttime behaviour. At least the fitting of a mouthguard will prevent most of the damage done to the mouth.

When a new form of technology becomes common in society many different people find many different ways to apply it. Some recent examples that apply to dentistry include;

3-D Printing

There have been more than a few medical applications for 3-D printing; it has been used to print body organs. Dental researchers have used 3-D printing to create replacement teeth, which is no longer recent news. But this has taken this further so that 3-D printing has been used to recreate the patient’s mouth, allowing better replacement teeth to be produced. In some extreme cases, a patient cannot open their mouth sufficiently for a mould to be made. But 3-D scanning can produce a very accurate model of the patient’s mouth, and this is used to make prosthetic or replacement teeth. In at least one case an entire upper jaw has been made by this method. If nothing else patients will have to spend less time having moulds made of their mouths.

Laser Cavity Repair.

Lasers ceased to be science fiction more than two generations ago. We are used to them in CD players and as novelty pointers for lecturers. Attempts to use them to regrow hair have only anecdotal evidence, but Harvard research has used them to regrow dentin and reverse tooth decay. So far the method has only been used on animals, but the technique looks very promising.

The laser used is extremely bright but fairly low-powered. It encourages stem cells in the mouth to reform dentine, the substance inside the tooth. Teeth can normally only form new dentine at their centre where the stem cells are, and not near the surface of the tooth. The laser treatment allows dentine to be reformed right up to the surface of the tooth, though the surrounding surface enamel presently cannot be regenerated.

As lasers are already used for many medical procedures there do not appear to be too many obstacles to preventing the introduction of this new laser treatment.

Stem cells have also been used to regrow significant parts of a patient’s jawline. We expect there will be a great deal of many other applications for stem cells in dental work.

The basic brushing instructions we were given in school taught us to brush in small circles or back and forth. Some believe a modified method is better.

For the outside of the teeth, the brush should be horizontal with the angles of the bristles up to 45 degrees. Brush in small circles and flick the brush downward when each section is finished.

For the inside teeth, the brush should be vertical and moved up end down. If the brush head is sufficiently small it is possible to clean the inside in the same manner as the outer teeth, angling the brush at 45 degrees,

Some Common Mistakes:

• Replace the brush after about three months, or when the bristles cease to be straight.
• Wait 30 minutes after eating before brushing. If the food is acidic it will soften the tooth enamel, so your brushing will damage the teeth.
• Completely avoid hard bristle toothbrushes. These are far too abrasive on gums, and many pensioners have found a lifetime of hard brushes has damaged their tooth enamel. Complementary toothbrushes in hotels and planes are mostly too hard. Save these for cleaning jewellery and teacups.
• Brush for at least 2 minutes. Most people tend to brush for less than half this. Use a timer or watch. The fluoride in the toothpaste needs about two minutes to work effectively.
• Don’t rinse with water after brushing. This washes away the fluoride in the paste, making it much less effective. Use a mouthwash rather than water.
• Don’t store toothbrushes out in the open, especially in the bathroom. Toothbrushes attract all sorts of filth from the air. A cover for the brush helps slightly, but this prevents the bristles from drying, and wet bristles will breed bacteria. Find somewhere clean and dry to store the brush.
• It makes a significant difference.
• Scrape your tongue. Either buy a tongue cleaner or buy a brush with a tongue scraper on the back. Some people with bad breath find that cleaning the tongue almost completely eliminates the problem.
• Electric toothbrushes tend to be good but use a manual toothbrush on occasions so you don’t lose the basic brushing skills.

Preventative dentistry looks to treat teeth and gums so that problems don’t develop. This may now be extended so that problems are revered when first detected, preventing the need for expensive and awkward treatments.

It has been known for a while that the outer surface of a tooth can re-calcify when kept clean and treated with fluoride. Dentists encourage this approach when the first signs of decay appear. But it is now understood that decay does not progress as rapidly as previously thought and that there may be a wider window for preventative measures.

Till recently the tooth showing moderately early signs of decay was thought to be a risk. If the surface could not re-calcify within a few months it was quickly drilled and filled. Dental authorities believed that failure to deal with the problem would lead to rapidly progressing decay, with the whole tooth, not just the surface, being threatened. It is now believed that decay takes several years before being an irreversible threat. During this time it should be possible to detect and treat problems on the tooth surface.

If the decayed tooth surface is detected the damaged areas can be treated with highly concentrated fluoride. Repeated fluoride treatment, and long-term removal of unhealthy food products, appear to restore decayed tooth surfaces. As long as there is no physical hole in the tooth the problem should be treatable without resorting to drills and filling material.

Recent trials have seen the need for filling reduced by 30 to 50%.

Coconut oil has received a lot of press over the past few years. It was considered a bad food for several generations due to the high level of saturated fat. But recently this has been questioned due to the possibility that not all saturated fats are unhealthy.

Many of the uses of coconut oil are topical, so its saturated fat and high caloric count need not be a health issue. It has been effectively used as an ingredient in soap and deodorant for many years, with its anti-bacterial properties preventing many fungal problems and other infections. It has also proved useful as a skin moisturizer.

The anti-bacterial function of coconut oil may extend to tooth decay. Enzyme-modified coconut oil has been found to be very effective at fighting the bacteria (Streptococcus mutant) that is part of the tooth decay process. The enzyme modification performed on the oil was designed to be similar to the process of food digestion in the human digestive system. This same modified oil was also found to be effective against other bacteria problems including thrush and other skin infections.

Before people start gargling coconut oil it must be remembered that it is the enzyme-modified version of the oil that has proved effective against tooth decay; regular coconut oil may have little or no benefit. Nonetheless, any products developed from this look to be more organic, and more environmentally friendly than some of the chemicals we have used for fighting bacteria in the past.

The last generation has seen many links drawn between oral hygiene and other health issues. The connection between dental plaque and heart disease is probably the most publicized example, though it is now believed that 90% of all health issues have some connection to our teeth, gums and mouth. Sometimes this connection is an initial cause, sometimes it is an increased risk factor, more often it is a symptom that allows early diagnosis.

A study of patients having suffered a stroke has shown a strong association with the oral bacteria (cnm-positive Streptococcus mutans). The association seems strongest with Haemorrhagic strokes rather than intracerebral strokes.

Haemorrhagic stroke is the term for blood vessels in the brain that rupture. It is thought that the presence of cnm-positive Streptococcus mutans bacteria in the person’s blood may be increasing the risk of a stroke; the bacteria seem to bind to blood vessels weakened by age and high pressure and increase the risk of rupture. The bacteria are not the sole cause of the stroke, but it increases the chance of stroke if the other risk factors are already there. Only 10 % of the population have these types of bacteria in their body, but this level is measured at more than 26% in stroke victims

If the theory about the bacteria binding to blood vessels is accurate there may be further health implications; the same binding properties would affect dementia, and could well provide the link between dental hygiene and heart problems.

Previously, there had been speculation that heart, stroke and dental issues occurred because individuals were negligent in all aspects of their health – people who didn’t brush their teeth were also people who didn’t exercise or eat well. Now it appears the link is more direct and is physiological rather than psychological. Poor dental health compromises our overall health.

Toddler’s non-spill cups, sometimes known as Sippy cups, do prevent spilt drinks; however, they can also cause dental decay and injuries if not used safely.

Safe Drinking

The decay issues with sugary liquids in well known; sugar reacts with the bacteria in the mouth and steadily damages teeth. Sippy cups make this problem worse. When using such a cup the front teeth are constantly exposed to the liquid being consumed, increasing the decay. Furthermore, children using these Sippy cups tend to sip liquids steadily over a long period of time; this constant exposure also increases the decay. Individuals drinking from a regular cup tend to consume the beverage in one sitting, meaning only a brief exposure to the liquid. Children with Sippy cups have increased decay on the front teeth due to these teeth being constantly exposed to sugary liquids.

This issue does not apply to children when drinking water. Decent quality water will not harm the teeth. Problems only occur when the children drink sugary substances, or with some milk from baby formulas.

Safe Cup use

It is unfortunately common for children to trip while running with a Sippy cup. Tripping over is bad enough, but the child can severely damage teeth if they have something in their mouth. Instruct children to only drink when sitting or standing still. Most accidents can be avoided.

The choice of the cup makes a significant difference. Children’s drinking cups with soft silicon tops will cause much less damage if the child falls over. Children’s cups that incorporate a straw are reasonably spill-proof and expose the child’s teeth too much less liquid. It can be a good idea to replace the type of drinking cup as the child’s physical skills develop.

Summary

Only use water in the children’s non-spill cups, where possible. When a child needs to drink other liquids make sure they consume the whole drink in one sitting; small portions are advisable. Drinking through a straw reduces the teeth’s exposure to the liquid.

Use a non-spill cup that has a soft silicone top or a cup with an inbuilt straw. This prevents the child from injuring themselves if they fall with a cup in their mouth. Do not let the child run around while drinking from a cup.

Fluoride in water has always been the subject of some controversy. Fluoride was originally added to drinking water because populations drinking naturally fluoridated water suffered fewer dental cavities. But it has been known for a while that very high levels of fluoride can compromise health. The controversy debates where the safe fluoride level lies. Treated water should have far less fluoride than the amount needed to cause issues.

Both New Zealand and Israel have seen this debate resurface recently: Israel actually suspended fluoridisation for about two years before reintroducing it in mid-2016. New Zealand television has been running an anti-fluoridation campaign, strongly criticized for giving misleading information.

According to its critics, the fluoride in water can cause kidney strain, child development problems and (ironically) dental issues. It is known that these issues have some connection to fluoride, but only under extremely high levels of exposure. The human kidneys should be more than able to deal with the minute amount that most individuals are exposed to. And the dental issues from fluoride consist of white patches on teeth that are only of aesthetic importance. The effects on child brain development do not seem to be an issue in developed countries with regulated fluoride, only in unregulated, extremely high-level supplies; and even then there is suspicion that the problem might be caused by other pollutants. Low levels of fluoride seem to pose no threat.

The cost of water fluoridisation in many developed countries is about $1.oo per person. This is much less than the cost of fixing the dental problems that would exist without fluoridisation. Many studies support the idea that this practice is justified.

The human body needs many trace elements to survive. These same elements can sometimes be toxic in higher doses. Copper is one example of this; deficiencies are a health issue, but toxicity occurs beyond a very small dose. Fluoride is probably similar. It is useful in small doses but causes problems in humans when consumed in extremely high doses.