Today, five million people in the United States have their wisdom teeth removed every year [1]. With so many people having their third molars removed, it’s natural to wonder why we have wisdom teeth and why they’re no longer necessary to us as a species.

Ancient Roots

Our ancestors’ diets were much different than what ours are today. They ate food that was often much tougher and so needed to have big, strong teeth and jaws to properly chew this food. Their diet consisted of a lot of raw food that would have needed to be chewed a lot.

Today, our diet is much softer and we don’t have as much need for these big third molars as they aren’t typically used for chewing anymore [2]. As a result, our bodies have evolved and so today, our jaws are much smaller than they were in our ancestors who needed all thirty-two teeth to survive.

Modern Wisdom Teeth

Although our bodies have changed over time, not everyone will need to have their wisdom teeth removed today. There are people who have enough room in their jaws for these teeth to come in properly, although they may have trouble cleaning them [3].

While many people do end up having their wisdom teeth removed (anywhere from 60-80
percent of people), not everyone will, so it’s vital to get your dentist’s input. Some people don’t have a choice; their wisdom teeth will come in crooked or won’t have enough room to erupt comfortably in the jaw and so they’ll need to be removed.

Some people today are even born without wisdom teeth or may only have two out of the
standard four wisdom teeth, showing that evolution is slowly phasing wisdom teeth out of our bodies.

Wisdom Tooth Removal

Wisdom teeth are more likely to be impacted in people today. Impacted wisdom teeth will come in crooked, not have enough room to erupt, or may only partially erupt through the gumline.

When wisdom teeth become trapped in the jaw, they can cause crowding of neighboring teeth, pain, gum infection, swelling, and overgrowth of bacteria [4]. These are all signs that you’ll need your wisdom teeth removed.

Wisdom tooth removal is a very common surgery that millions of Americans have done every year. If your wisdom teeth need to be removed, getting the procedure done sooner rather than later can help prevent pain and infection from occurring.

Do You Have Wisdom Teeth?

If you have wisdom teeth, getting a professional evaluation from your dentist can help you determine whether or not they’ll need to be removed. While wisdom teeth are no longer vital to our survival, most people still have to deal with these teeth as they come in, so schedule a visit with your dentist to check on your third molars!

Sources:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963310/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/415290
3. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/qa-is-it-always-best-to-have-your-wisdom-teeth-removed/
4. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/qa-is-it-always-best-to-have-your-wisdom-teeth-removed/

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Caring for primary teeth until they naturally fall out can help your child have the best chance for a healthy smile. Children begin to lose their teeth beginning around age six and will continue until all their primary teeth have been replaced with adult teeth.

What are some best practices when it comes to your child losing his or her primary teeth? Here’s what you should know as a parent when your child is getting their adult teeth in.

Your Child’s Tooth Most Likely Is Fine

If your child is starting to lose their baby teeth, it’s important to let the natural process continue rather than trying to help it along. Your child’s tooth most likely is fine, so don’t pull on your child’s loose teeth or attempt to extract them early.

Your child’s loose tooth will come out when it’s ready. If you do decide to pull the tooth, you could cause your child undue pain, excessive bleeding, or even risk an infection. Simply letting your child’s tooth come out naturally is all you need to do!

When to Intervene with Your Child’s Loose Tooth

If there ever is a baby tooth that needs assistance with coming out, your dentist will let you know. If the baby tooth in question needs to be pulled, your dentist will speak with you about what the problem is as well as how to proceed.

It’s never a good idea to attempt to pull your child’s tooth without an evaluation from a dentist, so always get regular checkups to ensure your child’s adult teeth are coming in properly. Unless your dentist tells you otherwise, it’s best to leave your child’s loose teeth alone.

How to Help Your Child

You can encourage your child’s permanent teeth to come in properly without a hands-on approach!

First, seeing your child’s dentist can help encourage proper tooth development and a beautiful smile. Secondly, having your child care for their teeth—including brushing, flossing, and eating the right foods—can further facilitate healthy teeth and gums.

Finally, when your child’s baby teeth do begin to fall out, you can encourage your child to gently wiggle the tooth back and forth, but be clear that they shouldn’t pull on a tooth that simply isn’t ready to come out. Don’t be afraid that your child will choke on or swallow a loose tooth; this rarely happens!

When it’s time for your little one to lose their baby teeth, you can be encouraging and supportive during this time without hurting your child’s smile. It’s always a good idea to let baby teeth fall out naturally rather than attempting to pull them out yourself, although your dentist can let you know if you need to intervene in any way. Schedule an appointment with your child’s dentist today to ensure your little one’s teeth are on track to become a beautiful adult smile!

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With so many bacteria in our mouths, it makes sense that these tiny organisms would have the potential to either help or hurt our smiles. While many of these bacteria aren’t harmful, you do have some good bacteria and some potentially bad bacteria in your mouth. Just how important are these different kinds of bacteria to your oral health?

Oral Probiotics Begin the Digestion Process

Probiotics are helpful bacteria that can actually signal the digestion process to begin in our bodies. Although present in our gut lining as well, probiotics also exist in the oral cavity. When you chew, saliva is produced and these oral bacteria begin reactions that prepare the stomach to receive food.

In fact, these oral probiotics may actually play a role in stopping tooth decay and gum disease: when saliva is produced, it creates a buffer between food, bacteria, and plaque that can impact your teeth. This means these harmful elements are less likely to hurt your smile when oral probiotics are involved!

Good Bacteria Help Control Bad Breath

We actually need some of the oral bacteria in our mouths to help promote oral health. Bacteria such as streptococcus salivarius K12 can actually help to stop the bacteria that make your breath smell bad. Getting rid of the bacteria in our mouths isn’t possible without removing some of the good bacteria that do their part to keep our smiles healthy.

Some experts even speculate that gut bacteria is influenced by oral bacteria, meaning an upset of oral bacteria could trigger other issues in the body. This is similar to how oral bacteria in plaque have been found in arterial plaque that negatively impacts the arteries leading to the heart via inflammation.

Harmful Bacteria Cause Tooth Decay and Gum Disease

Other oral bacteria are harmful to our teeth and gums. These include streptococcus mutans, which is responsible for tooth decay, and porphyromonas gingivalis, which has been strongly associated with gum disease.

Streptococcus mutans actually feeds on sugars and starches that are leftover in your mouth from the food you eat and produce acid as a byproduct which can attack and harm healthy tooth enamel. These bacteria are the main cause of tooth decay and gum disease and need to be controlled in order to protect your smile!

How to Promote Healthy Oral Bacteria

Fortunately, our oral bacteria can be properly managed through healthy oral care habits.
Brushing and flossing help to remove food particles and plaque from in-between teeth that can encourage harmful bacteria to grow. In addition, eating whole foods and eating processed foods and sugar only occasionally can help promote healthy oral bacteria.

Visiting your dentist for professional cleanings and checkups can not only remove plaque that’s built-up in your mouth, but also ensure negative bacteria don’t have a chance to progress into tooth decay or gum disease. Managing oral bacteria can help the good bacteria to thrive and keep the bad bacteria at bay.

Oral bacteria are great influencers of our oral health—but remember that not all bacteria are bad. You can keep your oral bacteria healthy simply by brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist in addition to eating well. Having a healthy smile is simple when you take care of your teeth and gums!

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However, you can be too aggressive with your flossing to the point that you actually damage
your teeth and gums. When done incorrectly, harsh flossing can cause a host of problems.
Here’s how you can know if you’re hurting your smile by flossing too aggressively!

You Allow Floss to Damage Your Gumline

Many people forget that it’s your teeth you’re supposed to be flossing, not your gums. Some
people pull too hard on the floss to try and get it in between their teeth and end up pulling the
floss down hard on their gums.

Allowing floss to get underneath your gumline, especially if it’s in a harsh manner, actually
injures your gums. It can cause your gums to bleed in the short term and even worse, can cause
them to recede and accelerate gum disease in the long term.

Allowing floss to hurt your gumline doesn’t help remove plaque. Instead, it can open up spaces
for bacteria to enter your gums and tooth roots, leading to painful infections and even tooth
decay and gum disease.

You Floss Numerous Times a Day

Flossing numerous times a day increases the chances that you’re hurting your teeth and gums.
Flossing your teeth too much can hurt the gumline, which can expose your tooth’s root.

You only need to floss once per day for effective results, especially if you floss gently and
correctly to remove plaque from in between your teeth. If you need to floss again due to
something being stuck in your teeth, this is fine, just try not to make a regular practice out of
flossing numerous times every day!

You’re Too Enthusiastic When Flossing

Some people use floss too enthusiastically, which can hurt both the teeth and the gums.
Forcing floss against the gums or the teeth and using too much pressure can hurt the gums and
even wear away tooth enamel over time.

Digging underneath your gumline with floss isn’t necessary. Flossing should be done with some
pressure, but not excessive pressure. Just like brushing, it’s important to do this task gently for
best results.

If you’re confused about how to floss correctly, ask your dentist to demonstrate during your
next checkup. Many people experience receding gums, gum disease, and root cavities without
realizing that the main problem may actually be their harmful flossing habits!

Don’t skip flossing just because you aren’t sure how to do it correctly or you’re afraid that
you’re harming your teeth. Remember, gums usually bleed because you haven’t flossed in a
while. However, if they bleed regularly while flossing, you may need to floss more gently.
Schedule a checkup with your dentist to review your flossing techniques to protect and
enhance your smile instead of harming it!

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What types of gum grafts are commonly done and what can you expect from this procedure?

Connective Tissue Gum Graft

For this gum graft procedure, a flap of skin is removed from the roof of your mouth in order for
your periodontist—a gum specialist—to access the connective tissue underneath. Once the
connective tissue is removed, it’s attached to the gum tissue where a tooth root is exposed.
Your oral surgeon will reattach the flap of skin removed from the roof of your mouth once the
connective tissue is used. After this, you’ll need to follow your doctor’s instructions for healing.

Free Gingival Gum Graft

Similarly to a connective tissue gum graft, tissue from the roof of the mouth is still used, but
there isn’t a need to access the connective tissue. In this procedure, the flap of skin that’s
removed will be placed directly on the affected gum tissue.

People who qualify from this procedure typically have thin or weak gum tissue and will need
this flap of skin to supplement and strengthen the existing gum tissue in addition to covering
the exposed tooth root.

Pedicle Gum Graft

During a pedicle gum graft, gum tissue is actually removed near the tooth that needs the graft.
Only people who have enough existing gum tissue near the affected tooth are candidates for
this gum grafting procedure.

For a pedicle gum graft, only part of the gum tissue is cut while the other part remains
attached. The gum tissue is then pulled over the exposed root to cover and protect it and is
then attached into place.

What to Expect During a Gum Graft

The name gum graft is worse than it sounds, as the procedure is relatively simple. Local
anesthesia will be used unless you arrange otherwise before the procedure. The procedure
itself typically doesn’t take much time, and you’ll be able to return to your normal activities the
next day.

Your oral surgeon may provide you with a list of suggested foods for the next week or two while
your mouth heals. Typically, softer foods are suggested and can help facilitate faster healing of
your gum tissue. Full recovery time can be expected in approximately two weeks. Be sure to
follow any instructions your doctor gives you for after the procedure!

Only a professional dentist or periodontist can tell you if you need a gum graft. Typically, gum
grafts are reserved for people who have experienced gum disease and gum recession as a
result. Since gum recession can be unsightly and painful, gum grafts can help many people to
regain healthy gum tissue and protect their tooth roots!

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What exactly is an impacted wisdom tooth? The following are all characteristics of impacted
wisdom teeth as well as how they’re typically treated.

Unable to Erupt Into the Mouth

Fully impacted wisdom teeth are entirely trapped in your jaw and are unable to come through
the gum tissue into the oral cavity. They may be blocked by the surrounding teeth or they may
be coming in at a bizarre angle—such as tilted or sideways.

These teeth are usually out of alignment which is what’s preventing them from coming in
properly. You may also have a wisdom tooth that’s partially impacted, which means it’s not
quite as stuck as fully impacted wisdom teeth, but stuck enough to cause adverse symptoms.
Caught Between the Jaw and Gum Tissue

Wisdom teeth that partially erupt into the mouth but don’t quite make it through the gum
tissue are often called soft-tissue impacted wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth that are impacted in your gum tissue means they can’t fully erupt into the
mouth, perhaps because they don’t have enough room or just because that’s as far as they’re
willing to go.

This type of impacted wisdom tooth is likely to cause irritation or even infection in the
surrounding gum tissue. This is because they are difficult to properly clean being so far back in
the mouth and stuck in the gum tissue, which leaves more room for bacteria and food particles
to get trapped.

Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Impacted wisdom teeth can cause many problems in the mouth. If they aren’t able to erupt
through the gumline, they can cause swelling, infection, and pain.

You should never ignore impacted wisdom teeth on account of the problems they can cause. In
addition to causing pain, the longer you allow impacted wisdom teeth to develop, the more
likely they are to cause an infection or alignment problems with your neighboring teeth.

What Does the Treatment Entail?

Treatment for impacted wisdom teeth usually involves extraction. Although impacted wisdom
teeth can be trickier to remove than wisdom teeth that have erupted through the gumline,
these types of extractions are commonplace and most dentists have experience with them.

Getting your impacted wisdom teeth extracted before they cause symptoms can help reduce
the chances you’ll experience any future problems. Since impacted teeth can also ruin
orthodontic work by pushing against your other teeth, getting them evaluated now can help
keep your teeth in place.

If your wisdom teeth haven’t made an appearance yet, schedule an appointment with your
dentist. A simple x-ray can tell if your wisdom teeth are on their way in and whether or not
they’re impacted. Never let an impacted wisdom tooth go because the sooner you get
treatment, the less your smile will be disrupted by these molars!

The post What Is an Impacted Wisdom Tooth and How Is It Treated? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Although teething can be a challenging time for both parents and kids, it’s important to
remember that this is only a temporary experience for your child. Teething tends to be worse
when children are tired or at night, making it harder for both you and your baby to sleep.
How can you help your baby feel better when the pain of teething is present? Here are some
suggestions to best manage your child’s teething.

Cold Compresses

Cold can help numb baby’s mouth and lessen their pain. To do this, you have a few options:

 A frozen washcloth. Put a clean, wet washcloth in the freezer in a plastic bag. Once
chilled or frozen, take it out and let your child chew on it. This will help relieve their
soreness.

 Rubber teething rings. These rings can be frozen or chewed on at room temperature,
whichever your baby prefers.

 Wooden teething toys. For those wanting to avoid plastic, these teethers can still be
frozen or just help apply pressure to your child’s gums, which will help control pain.
It’s essential to always supervise your child when they have any of these objects at their
disposal. To help distract baby, keep alternating frozen washcloths to help your child manage
the discomfort of teething.

Gum Massage

A gum massage helps put pressure on the gumline, which can lessen pain. You can use a tool
for this—called a teething stick—or just use your clean fingers.

Gently rub any sore areas on your baby’s gums. You can rub back and forth on the gumline as
well as above and below the gumline. This will also help you to feel if there’s a tooth coming
out. Instead of using your fingers, you can also use the washcloth we discussed earlier or a
small piece of wet gauze, as long as your movements are gentle.

You can also massage your baby’s gums from the outside of the mouth, whichever option your
child is more comfortable with.

Chilled Foods

If your child is eating solid foods, you can use cold or chilled foods to help them overcome their
discomfort while teething. These foods include yogurt, applesauce, carrots, celery, and
watermelon.

In addition, you can also take advantage of mesh holders that are designed to hold chilled or
frozen fruit so that your child can chew on these and still get the juice of the fruit out while
providing relief for their teething pain.

It’s always crucial to supervise your child while they are eating these foods, especially if they’re
beginners with solid foods. Never let them bite off chunks that are too big for them to chew.
Is your baby going through the teething process? If so, take advantage of some of these helpful
suggestions to lessen your baby’s discomfort. Your child may find relief from using cold
compresses or chilled foods in addition to gum massage to help both you and your child feel
better!

The post How to Best Manage Your Child’s Teething appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

However, there is such a thing as too much fluoride. Whether you get fluoride from a drinking source or
your dental care products, it’s important to know whether or not the amount you’re getting is safe and
beneficial for your smile.

Here’s how too much fluoride could negatively impact your teeth.

Dental Fluorosis

In children, dental fluorosis—the staining of the tooth enamel, especially in the grooves of teeth—can
happen as the result of too much fluoride. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends limiting
fluoride during this time and using a different water source if your water contains added fluoride.
Dental fluorosis presents as white spots on the teeth, which are usually a different shade of white than
your normal teeth. This type of damage is difficult to conceal, although a professional whitening may
help.

Fluorosis can also cause damage to more than just your smile—people can develop weaker bones if they
consume extreme amounts of fluoride, which is uncommon.

How Much Is Too Much?

Fluoride does help prevent tooth decay in small amounts. Many people get the recommended amount
of fluoride from drinking water, juice, and soda.

Using dental products in combination with drinking water with fluoride can make it easy to exceed how
much fluoride you’re supposed to have, so it’s important to talk with your dentist to determine if your
fluoride consumption is appropriate.

Toothpaste or water is usually effective enough, although utilizing both of these has the potential to
lead to fluoride overconsumption. Discontinuing water with added fluoride keeps fluoride benefits to
the teeth and doesn’t carry their potentially harmful side effects to the rest of the body.

What You Can Do

Fluoride certainly has its benefits when it comes to oral health, so don’t discredit evidence that it does
help with tooth decay. Checking with your dentist can let you know how your fluoride consumption is
either benefitting or harming your smile.

It’s important to remember that babies and children under two shouldn’t have fluoride as there’s no
evidence that it helps. For children, remember that only a pea-sized amount is needed for bigger
children. For babies, the size of a grain of rice is acceptable.

For adults, you can also less toothpaste. Lots of toothpaste isn’t necessary to clean your smile.
Toothpaste contains levels of fluoride that are higher than that of water, so a smaller amount should
suffice when it comes to brushing your teeth.

How can you know if you’re getting too much fluoride? Making an appointment with your dentist can
help you determine if you’re getting too much. Through gauging whether or not your drinking water
contains fluoride to your toothpaste, your dentist can help you determine whether your teeth are
benefitting from your fluoride intake or being harmed by it.

The post Is Too Much Fluoride Bad for Your Smile? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Water Floss Easily Removes Food

Water floss tends to be very effective at removing food particles, but many dentists feel that this method of flossing isn’t quite as effective as using regular floss. This is because while the stream of water removes the food and some bacteria, it doesn’t essentially scrape away plaque in the same way that regular floss does in those places your toothbrush can’t reach!

Regular Floss Better at Removing Plaque

Regular floss essentially removes plaque from your teeth when you’re moving the floss in and out of the tight spaces and around your gumline. This is a benefit that water floss doesn’t provide. Although regular floss tends to be trickier to use, especially for kids or for those who have very little space in- between their teeth, it can provide a more thorough plaque and food removal.

Water Floss Easier for Braces

Water floss can be easier for those who have traditional metal braces. If you’ve had braces, you know that you need a special tool in order to get the floss underneath the wire of your braces in order to floss properly. Water floss may motivate kids and teens who have braces to floss because it’s easier and can help them to feel like their mouths are cleaner with water floss!

Regular Floss Is Cheaper

Regular floss beats water floss any day when it comes to price. This is because regular floss only costs a few dollars at the most, while water flossers can be $50 or more! Water flossers also require an electrical outlet and take up more space than traditional floss, therefore being more inconvenient and difficult to take with you when you travel. Regular floss is smaller, cheaper, and fits easily in a suitcase, travel bag, and even your purse!

So Which Is Better?

When it comes to water floss and regular floss, regular flossing offers more benefits and is more trusted by dentists around the world. Traditional floss helps to remove plaque from tight spaces in addition to trapped food and bacteria around the gum line. Although water floss can motivate some people to floss and is generally easier for those with braces, it’s not a cost-friendly or convenient option and can quickly become to burdensome to use.

Regardless of which floss you choose, just be sure to use it! Water flossing is better than no flossing at all. You should try to floss at least once a day. Talk with your dentist about which type of floss is best for you to use—there are many different options for traditional floss! Whether you’d like dental tape for wider gaps or traditional string floss for tight gaps, flossing goes hand-in- hand with brushing for a healthy smile!

Image courtesy of 89studio at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The post Water Floss vs. Regular Floss: Which Is the Real Winner? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

There are several different types of fillings these days. Although the traditional amalgam (silver) fillings aren’t as popular anymore, composite fillings, ceramic, and glass ionomers are all options you may have. You and your dentist will decide on the best one for you based on the size and location of your cavity. Talk with your dentist about what to expect the setting time for your material to be—not every material has the same one!

Brush and Floss Gently

After you get your cavity filled, you can brush and floss as normal—and this means gently! Always choose a soft-bristled toothbrush and gently brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. No need to take special care when brushing around your cavity, just ensure your brushing is gentle so to not damage your enamel or your new filling!

Avoid Extreme Hot or Cold Foods

Sensitivity may happen as a result of any food you consume with extreme temperatures for the next few days or weeks. You’ll want to try and avoid foods with extreme temperatures; these could not only hurt you but your filling! You may also experience sensitivity when biting down, a sensation that should go away as your mouth heals.

Take Caution When Chewing

Be gentle when chewing. It may help to chew on the opposite side that your cavity was filled on. Be careful while eating and drinking, especially because of the local anesthesia as well as the time it’ll take your filling to set. Avoid eating or drinking for a couple hours while the anesthesia wears off and you can comfortably chew food again, and if you can, avoid chewing directly on the filling for a couple of days.

Contact Your Dentist

It’s always best to follow up with your dentist to ensure the filling has set properly, but in the meantime, call your dentist if you have extreme pain, trouble biting down on the filled tooth, or notice cracks in the filled tooth. Your dentist will advise you on which symptoms are normal and which aren’t. Always call your dentist if you have any questions or concerns!

With the proper care, your filling will set securely and your tooth will be protected for years. Talk with your dentist about the best filling material of your tooth, and treat your mouth with care in the days after the procedure. This includes avoiding hot and cold foods, chewing carefully, and brushing gently!

The post The Best Ways to Take Care of Your New Filling appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.