Eating Habits Increase Risk

One of the greatest factors influencing tooth decay in children is diet. The fact is that young people love candy, desserts, and soft drinks. Between fast food, vending machines, and sugary beverages, it’s no wonder that young people are experiencing tooth decay.

How does a diet high in sugar result in tooth decay? The bacteria in the mouth thrive in acidic conditions. Sugars create acidic conditions in the mouth. As a result, bacteria can multiply faster leading to plaque, tartar buildup, and tooth decay.

Poor Oral Care Habits Also to Blame

The average youth also struggles to stay on a good oral care schedule. We may remind our children to brush their teeth in the morning and evening when they are little, but do we keep after their routine as they get a little older and should know better? It’s no wonder that tooth decay, already prevalent in younger children, increases dramatically around age 12.

How to Promote Good Oral Care in Your Household

How can you help your children not to become a part of the statistics listed above? Here are some suggestions.

Set the Example – Let your children see you brush your teeth. If there is room in the bathroom, make brushing a family routine, and have your child brush at the same time.

Teach Technique – Your children will need your help to learn how to brush properly. Teach them how to floss as well. We are always more likely to do something regularly when we know how to do it.

Education – When we know something is beneficial, we are more likely to go out of our way for it. Train children to understand the importance of caring for their teeth.

Dietary Instructions – Replacing colas with water can go a long way toward preventing tooth decay. Kids often grab the sweetest options available, so swap sugary snacks for fruit.

With a little training and encouragement, children can have strong and healthy teeth well into adulthood. Start training young, and don’t forget to schedule regular dental visits.

The post Did You Know: Children Are at High Risk for Tooth Decay appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

The Old Method
In the past, you would have had to get a mold of your tooth made so that it could be sent off to a lab. There, the dental impression would be used to make the crown, which would then be sent back to your dental office. During this time, you would have a temporary crown. At the second visit, you would have the temporary crown removed and the permanent one put into place.

Modern Technology For Same-Day Crowns
Now your mouth can be scanned digitally. This gives the computer a 3D image to work with. Using that image, the computer can then develop a digital mold. Without the need for a physical impression, the software determines the size and shape of the crown that is needed. A dentist can then look at the virtual crown and make any needed adjustments to fine tune the final product. The digital information is then passed electronically to a machine that makes the crown on its own right there in the office. In less than two hours, your crown is ready.

Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic
CEREC, for short, is one system that uses CAD and CAM to produce high-quality crowns while you wait. You avoid multiple trips to the dentist, and it can even reduce the cost of the procedure by saving lab costs. You do not have to worry about walking around for days or weeks with a temporary crown in your mouth. Plus, fewer visits to the dentist means fewer times that you will need your mouth numbed. It is perfect for nervous patients. This is the time and cost effective solution for getting a dental crown made.

Are Same-Day Crowns As Good as Traditional Crowns?
In reality, the answer depends more on your dentist than on the technology. A good oral care professional can have greater success with a same-day crown than a less experienced or rushed dentist might with a traditional crown that was made in a lab. The technology is sound. Choosing the right dentist is the key to a high-quality same-day crown.

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Losing a healthy tooth due to accident or injury requires quick action. When a tooth comes out in one piece, rinse it in water, trying not to handle the root end of the tooth. Very gently, try to put the tooth back in place in your mouth. If this is not possible, put it in a glass of milk or salt water. Get to the dentist immediately: The tooth is more likely to be able to be restored if you see the dentist within an hour.

If you chip or break a tooth, try to save any large broken pieces. They may be able to be reattached to the tooth, but in some cases a crown or other restoration materials may be necessary to rebuild the tooth. Rinse your mouth with water and tend to any injuries to your mouth or face. See the dentist as soon as possible.

Sometimes a toothache can be an emergency situation if the pain is severe or comes on suddenly. If you have something caught between your teeth that you cannot remove with dental floss, whether or not this is causing pain, you should see the dentist. You should see the dentist for a toothache even if it is not severe. A toothache that lasts for a day or more could be an indication of a serious problem inside the tooth.

If you lose a filling, break a crown, or wear braces and have broken wires or brackets, you should get to the dentist as soon as possible to have the issue fixed. Any sore or abscess in or around the mouth requires a trip to the dentist.

A lost or broken tooth requires immediate action and a trip to a dentist within an hour if possible. Other serious situations like toothache or lost fillings can wait a day or two, but the faster you get to the dentist, the sooner pain will be relieved and the healthier your teeth and mouth will be.

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TMJ are the temporomandibular joints, the joints on the side of your face that allow your jaws to move. Problems with these joints are common, which isn’t surprising when you think about how much work they do. TMJ disorder happens when the smooth operation of the joints that we are born with wears down. The symptoms of TMJ disorder often go unnoticed because they are mistaken for something else. Headaches and facial pain are a primary symptom of TMJ disorder, but are often assumed to be caused by other factors. Clicking sounds when you open your jaws and jaw pain when you open your mouth are less common symptoms of TMJ disorder. Even without these symptoms, chronic headaches or pain anywhere in the face or neck could be an indication that TMJ disorder is present.

The most common treatment for TMJ disorder is a dental appliance, called a splint, which a dentist fits to your mouth so that it fits precisely. The splint helps to position your jaws correctly so that pain is alleviated. You can wear the splint while you sleep and it can decrease or eliminate headaches and neck pain that you may have been accustomed to waking up with.

In severe cases of TMJ disorder, surgical treatment may be recommended. For most people, non-invasive treatment such as a splint provides satisfactory relief. In some cases, problems with the alignment of the bite can contribute to TMJ symptoms and pain. If this is the case, correcting the bite with orthodontics could relieve TMJ symptoms.

If you have clicking jaws, chronic headaches, neck pain or facial pain, a trip to the dentist could reveal the presence of TMJ disorder. Dental treatment can be a simple way to get rid of the pain.

For more information, make an appointment with your dentist today.

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Calcium is as important for teeth as it is for bones. When we eat and drink, acids wash away minerals in our teeth, and this weakens the enamel. Foods that are rich in calcium, such as milk and cheese, are great choices for protecting this enamel and keeping it strong by stimulating saliva flow in the mouth. Along with calcium, phosphorus in foods like chicken and other meats helps to redeposit minerals that have been washed away. Nuts are another good choice as a snack option for healthy teeth. Peanuts and almonds are high in calcium while cashews help to stimulate saliva and even clean the teeth.

Fruits that are firm and have high water content, such as pears and apples, help stimulate the flow of saliva and wash away lingering food particles. The high water content of these fruits even counters the negative effects of sugars that the fruits contain. Citrus fruits contain high amounts of acid which may damage your teeth, but are fine if eaten in moderation- even offering a healthy dose of Vitamin C to gums! Firm vegetables, such as raw carrots, are also known to stimulate saliva flow while leafy green vegetables offer a high amount of Vitamin B. Both work together to promote a healthy mouth and gums.

Enjoy a hot cup of tea with your meals if you really want to help your teeth. Green and black teas contain compounds called polyphenols that help fight off bacteria and other causes of plaque.These polyphenols either kill or suppress bacteria, preventing them from building harmful acids in the mouth.

Enjoying a healthy meal is not only great for maintaining a balanced diet and ingesting necessary vitamins and minerals. It’s time to eat with your teeth in mind! Eat consciously to promote a healthy, glowing smile. Your teeth will thank you.

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Excessive muscular activity in the head and neck region, particularly with the muscles of the jaw, require an increased amount of input to this trigger area. Even minor jaw contractive forces and bite discrepancies can be enough to elicit the onset of a migraine. Individuals who must cope with heightened levels of stress, especially when combined with grinding or clenching of their teeth, are typically at greater risk for these headaches. With proper diagnoses and the appropriate use to certain modern-day dental appliances, your dentist can alleviate and sometimes eliminate migraine pain.

Recent studies have shown that certain dental treatments can play an important role in reducing the number and the intensity of migraine headaches. By reducing and harmonizing the forces that patients place on their jaws and facial muscles, there is a significant decrease in the amount of activity being sent to the “migraine generator.” Research in neuromuscular science has shown that when a patient wears a dental bite appliance the destructive forces on the jaw muscles is reduced by up to 70%. Furthermore, these appliances can actually help the brain deprogram or condition itself to diminish teeth grinding and clenching tendencies.

It goes without saying, that chronic headache pain can significantly affect a person’s quality of life. If left untreated, this debilitating pain can negatively impact an individual’s personal, family and work experiences. Dental appliances alone are certainly not the only answer to migraine headaches, but they may significantly reduce what triggers these attacks, and perhaps even more important, prevent the dependency on pharmacologic treatment alone. If you are suffering from frequent headaches or migraines, give your dentist a call and have a discussion on certain available treatments, your quality of life is worth it.

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