Teeth Grinding

Athletes run a higher risk of damage to their teeth and gums through bruxism, or teeth grinding. Teeth grinding can happen during intense exercises, as a result of stress, or even an injury. It’s important to wear custom mouth guards if appropriate for the sport you’re playing. If not, try to be aware of whether or not you grind your teeth during exercises. Bruxism is a serious threat to your oral health and can lead to tooth enamel damage, inflamed gums, and even tooth loss. Consider dental guards or exercises and workouts that are low impact. You shouldn’t be grinding your teeth during an exercise, even if it’s a difficult one!

Dry Mouth

One of the biggest influential factors of poor dental health among athletes was found to be their saliva (link to study: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2014-archive/november/endurance-athletes-may-be-more-prone-to-tooth-erosion-and-caries-researchers-say) —not only did the pH of athlete’s saliva change as they worked out, but saliva also decreased due to mouth breathing. Breathing through your mouth can quickly dry out your mouth, leaving a perfect space for bad bacteria to thrive. Lack of saliva in addition to bad bacteria can erode your enamel over time and lead to cavities, gingivitis, and tooth loss.

Instead of breathing through your mouth, try better breathing methods such as through your nose. It may take time to build up to working out with your mouth shut the whole time, which could mean decreasing the intensity of your workouts while your body adjusts. It’s worth it to protect your teeth!

Diet—Sports Drinks and “Health” Bars

While some studies haven’t found a direct link between athlete’s dental health and their diet, diet still plays an important role in oral health. Athletes may be predisposed to having dental problems as a result of their dry mouth, and a dry mouth isn’t the best environment to be introducing sports drinks to. The conventional sports drink is packed with processed salts and sugar, which are doing your body more harm than good!

Many “energy” bars tend to be packed with sugar as well. Learn to read the label and remember that whole foods are better than buying pre-packaged ones. Toss the sports drinks and opt for more natural alternatives, such as coconut water. If you don’t like the taste of coconut water, you can add whole salts like pink Himalayan sea salt to your water (just a pinch) to help get those trace minerals you need in addition to rehydrating.

Exercise is so important for your body! Although athletes are more at risk for poor dental health, you can adopt healthy practices to reap the benefits of exercise and still have a great smile. Don’t grind your teeth, breathe through your nose, and rehydrate with coconut water during breaks. Healthy teeth, healthy body!

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The cause of bruxism is not clear. It can be related to emotions such as anxiety or stress, but it can also be caused by health problems including acid reflux, sleep disorders or misaligned teeth. Bruxism may be a side effect of certain medications, or be caused by personality type. Bruxism is common in children, but it usually goes away by the time they are teenagers.

In adults, bruxism can cause complication if it is severe. If you catch yourself clenching your teeth when you are awake, you can try to stop, but if you clench or grind your teeth in your sleep you probably won’t realize it until a problem arises. Worn teeth are one sign of sleep bruxism. You may also be a nighttime teeth grinder if you experience frequent headaches, jaw pain or soreness, sensitive teeth, or damage to your tongue or the inside of your cheeks.

A dentist can usually spot the signs of sleep bruxism more easily than the patient can. If you have symptoms of sleep bruxism or know you grind or clench your teeth when you are awake, a trip to the dentist could provide solutions. Mild bruxism usually does not need treatment, but if bruxism is causing pain or harming your teeth, corrective measures could include correcting misaligned teeth; using a custom fitted mouthguard when you sleep to align your jaws correctly and prevent clenching; or behavior therapy, which is the practicing of proper mouth position to train yourself not to clench your teeth. Caffeine or alcohol consumption shortly before sleeping can increase the likelihood of teeth grinding, so avoiding these substances before bed can also help.

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There are as many as 75% of people in the United States who have some type of fear of the dentist. This might not be a full blown phobia, but there is still a real fear of being in the dental chair. Many will avoid going to the dentist at any cost, often to the despair of their teeth and gums. Some will only go when they have an emergency, such as an infection in the mouth or pain from a toothache. Some are merely too afraid of the unknown.

While we can understand that this fear of the unknown or past experience is valid, we also are resolute that the dentist can be a wonderful experience. With the onset of new technology and the friendly, welcoming smiles of your neighborhood office, a visit to the dentist is a part of a routine to look forward to. If nerves still have you feeling anxious, we are here to help. Communication is the beginning! Some dentists will provide sedatives to relax the patient before a procedure, but behavioral techniques can also help. You may speak to a counselor or your personal dentist about the fear to determine the root of the problem. If this anxiety is prominent in your little ones, one of the best ways to help ease the fear is to have them look at the work that the dentist does in the office. Many dentists will let people watch as they clean teeth and get a real “behind the scenes” experience. They will also let people look at the instruments and listen to them so that they know what to expect before any procedures are done.

Dentophobia is very real, but that does not mean that it must persist. Speaking with a dentist about your reservations is key to unlocking the root of the fear and letting your dentist assist you. With our new technologies and relaxing methods, we are here to stand beside you and make your experience purely positive! Visiting your dental office no longer needs to be an area of avoidance, but rather an appointment both you and your smile can look forward to.

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Halitosis, the proper term for bad breath, is caused by germs from food particles in the mouth. Toothpastes and mouthwashes are usually mint-flavored for two reasons: making them pleasing to taste as well as covering up nasty bad breath. However, it also covers up something else- the fact that it is not curing bad breath whatsoever. Mouthwash has an immediate effect, but bad breath has the annoying tendency to linger for a while. God forbid we eat something strong smelling, like garlic or onions, the aroma not only sticks to our gums and teeth, but it actually gets carried through our bloodstream and lungs. This causes the bad breath to rear its ugly head every time we exhale, regardless of which techniques have been used to mask it. Using mouthwash certainly helps to reduce bad breath, but proper brushing and flossing is essential to removing food particles completely. Regular teeth cleanings are also an absolute must! They help keep your mouth fresh and “bad” bacteria free. In addition, regular check-ups to detect cavities is vital to attacking problems before they flourish.

Halitosis can also be caused by other factors, such as poor-fitting dentures, yeast infections in the mouth, and untreated cavities. Untreated cavities give nasty bacterias a place to live and grow! In additon, many who suffer from dry mouth tend to have a problem with halitosis. Dry mouth can be caused by medical conditions or certain medications. Have you ever noticed that you tend to have bad breath when you have a cold? This is because you sometimes breathe through your mouth when you have nasal congestion during a cold, which causes your mouth to dry out!

Bad breath is a common occurrence that none of us can completely avoid. However, we can maintain good practices to decrease it. Practicing good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing at least twice a day or after every meal works wonders in curbing stinky breath. Remember: bad breath is not always evident to the person who has it, but it is very evident to everyone else! Practice healthy habits for a clean, bright, fresh smile that no one will be afraid of.

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The main reason why dentists recommend dental crowns as a treatment option, is because there is little tooth structure left, once the old filling and cavity is removed. If you restore the tooth with “just another filling,” there is a significant chance the filling will break, or worse, more of the tooth will break.

Dental crowns protect the teeth from further breakdown. Your teeth are subjected to cracks everyday with just normal wear and tear. Arguably dentists can crown all of our teeth due to cracks…but they don’t do that. Dentists look to only crown the teeth that are weak and subjected to fractures.

In my own experience, I’m finding that most dental insurances today do not cover a tooth that breaks if a filling in that tooth was placed less than 2 years ago! So you run the risk of not getting coverage for a dental crown, if your newly placed “large filling” breaks. So with this in mind, sometimes by having your dentist do a filling, they are not saving the patient any money or time should break within 2 years.

If the filling covers more than 1/2 of the tooth, you most likely would benefit from something stronger.

The tooth featured in this picture had a “large filling”. The tooth cracked, not the filling. If this filling was done less than 2 years ago, the patient’s [media-credit id=14 align=”alignright” width=”350″][/media-credit]insurance would not cover for it to be repaired or replaced. In this situation, the patient has to pay the full cost of the crown because the original treatment plan compromised on a weaker restoration.

It is important to understand why teeth in certain cases should be crowned and the associated risk of fractures. Discuss treatment options with your dentist and ensure that you are getting the best dental care for the long-term health of your smile.

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This is a pain around the tooth, inside the tooth or along the nerves.

Potential Causes of Toothaches

There are many things that can cause a toothache, and variables such had dietary habits, trauma and adherence to regular dental care and oral health can all play a part in causing tooth decay, damage and/or pain. Some might be simple in nature and only require a warm compress on the side of the mouth to feel better. There are other reasons which can be more severe and that need to be examined by a dentist in order to be correctly diagnosed and fixed before the condition gets worse.

Tooth decay is the most common reason for a toothache. This is when bacteria sits on the tooth, eating away at the enamel. It can be on any area of the tooth. Left untreated, it will form a cavity that will need to be filled. If the cavity does not get treated, this can increase tooth sensitivity and you might experience pain when eating hot or cold foods if the nerves are exposed. An abscessed tooth is one that has an infection. It is important to get antibiotics for this because the infection can damage the tooth further if left untreated. The infection can also get in the bloodstream, leading to other health concerns.

A fracture on the tooth can cause a severe amount of pain. There are times when you can fracture a tooth and not know about it because there isn’t any pain, or the fracture may not be visible to the naked eye or perhaps you do not immediate feel any pain when the nerve is not exposed.  The pain accompanying a tooth fracture can often be sharp, intense and occur during the act of biting or with release of biting pressure. However, if a tooth is knocked out from falling or being hit, as this could result in direct exposure and damage to the tooth nerves, there is a high probability that you will be in pain until the tooth is repaired or replaced.

If a filling comes out of the tooth or it is damaged, you might have pain in that area. While at the dental office, the dentist removes the decayed part of the tooth in order to get rid of the cavity before the tooth is filled. If that filling gets damaged or comes out, the area of the tooth near the roots and nerves can be exposed, increasingly the likelihood of pain an discomfort. You’ll need to go see your dentist to get the filling repaired as soon as possible.

[media-credit name=”bill wells” align=”alignleft” width=”350″][/media-credit]Grinding ones teeth can also lead to pain. The wearing down of teeth can lead to an uneven bite, exposure of more of the tooth and other damage that can lead to discomfort and pain. This can be prevented by wearing a mouth guard at night. Other causes of tooth pain include chewing on the same side of the mouth, chewing gum on a regular basis and other repetitive motions dealing with the mouth and teeth.

The diagnosis of toothache can be challenging, and only from an examination from your dentist can the source of a toothache be identified down to a specific tooth, teeth, or a non-dental cause.

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Lasers have been used since the mid-90s. However, with so any people wanting to improve the look of their teeth and keep their mouth healthy, and have a more gentle and comfotable experience, more dentists are using the treatment. There are several areas where lasers are commonly used. Heat, vibration and pressure can often be the primary causes of discomfort associated with the use of the traditional dental drill. Since cutting both hard (teeth) and soft tissues (gums) with dental lasers does not generate heat, many dental treatments can be performed nearly pain-free with fewer shots, less need for anesthesia and less cause of dental anxiety.

Tooth decay can be removed from within the tooth instead of simply on the outside. The lasers can also be used to prepare the enamel for a filling. You have probably seen a light being used after a filling has been placed. This is a laser that cures, or sets, the filling. Lasers are used when reshaping the gums. They also remove bacteria when a root canal is performed. If there is an area in the mouth where the dentist feels a biopsy needs to be done, then a laser is used to remove the area instead of using any kind of sharp instrument to cut the area.

Laser dentistry is performed when energy is emitted from a light source. The laser acts as an instrument for cutting or as a vaporizer. During the curing process, the laser hardens the filling so that there is a bond between the tooth and the filling. There are several positive aspects when it comes to using a laser in the dentist office over using a traditional drill. There is often less pain involved. This means that the patient can take minimal pain medications after the procedure. Anxiety could be reduced since a drill isn’t used in the mouth. The laser will also minimize bleeding and any swelling when used on the gum tissue. When cavities are removed, more of the tooth can be preserved compared to when using a drill the dentist might have to remove more of the tooth in order to complete the procedure. Laser dental treatment is an advanced technology that is offered by many dentists today, and can be viewed as a safe and preferred to traditional drills.

Discuss what laser dental treatments your dentist can offer, and benefit from the advances in dentistry which can make recieving your regular dental care a comfortable experience and in turn promote good overall dental health for years to come.

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