Diligent Brushing, Flossing and use of Mouthwash are essential for healthy teeth. But we can also help keep our teeth healthy with the right diet and good habits.

Crunchy Food

Apples, carrots, celery and other fruit and vegetables will teeth clean. The physical action of chewing these foods will get rid of some plaque from the tooth surface. They also keep the mouth moist, which reduced decay.

Water

This generation has been taught the importance of keeping well-hydrated for good health. Drinking water also helps keep our mouths clean and breath reasonably fresh. A dry mouth is prone to decay because the bacteria count increases, and this is one reason for bad breath.

Bottled water does not usually contain fluoride, which is a slight issue. Fluoride in tap water helps to reduce decay.

Make sure to take some salt. Too much water can leave our bodies without sufficient salt, which is a serious health problem, leading to fainting and disorientation.

Water with additives like lemon juice is too acidic for teeth.

Breathing

We should breathe through our nose. Breathing through the mouth leads to dry teeth and gums, and that increases the risk of tooth decay and bad breath. It also tends to make us feel lethargic due to the reduced nitric oxide. Some people find this is a big problem at night, especially if there is snoring. A mouthguard or nasal strip can help. Talk to the dentist.

Chewing Gum

Chewing sugar-free gum keeps our mouth moist and helps clean out teeth. It is also good for fresh breath. Gum that is sweetened with xylitol is preferable as the xylitol helps fight bad bacteria. Gum that is sweetened with aspartame is popular with many people, though aspartame is a common allergy.

Cashews

Cashews have been found to fight the most common decay-causing bacteria in the mouth. A few cashews after a meal is a healthy option, though these nuts do contain a lot of calories.

Green Tea

This has many general health benefits, fighting bacteria in the mouth and keeping breath fresh are only two dental benefits. Cold green tea (in place of water) is a good option.

Implants from Dentist Denistone

Dental implants are the modern way to replace a missing tooth. Unlike dentures, they are permanently attached to the mouth. Unlike bridges, it does not require the neighbouring teeth to be altered.

Dental implants consist of a titanium post embedded in the jaw holding a porcelain replica of a tooth. Titanium is used in the post because this particular metal bonds to the jawbone through a process called osseointegration. The porcelain is used because it looks like a natural tooth; the dentist can even ensure that the shade of the tooth matches the surrounding teeth.

Implant Procedure Dentist Ermington

Implants usually require three dental visits. The titanium implant must be fixed during an earlier visit. The porcelain crown is attached when the titanium post has been certified as stable.

Implant surgery can be performed with a local anaesthetic, and will cause only slight discomfort after the surgery is completed. The success rate is very high, and even higher if there is no former damage to the jawbone.

Implant Maintenance Dentist Dundas

Implants basically require the same cleaning and maintenance as regular teeth. Of course, the porcelain will not decay, but the surrounding tissue and bone are as prone to infection as the rest of the mouth.

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.