Oral Health Archives - Page 2 of 2

What Won’t Florence Henderson Leave Home Without?

July 15, 2014

Filed under: Oral Health — Tags: celebrity smiles, oral hygiene — drarakelian @ 9:56 pm

She’s an international star who’s recognized everywhere she goes. As Carol Brady, she was an ambassador for the “blended family” before most of us even knew what to call her bunch. And her TV Land Pop Culture Icon Award is on permanent display in the National Museum of American History. So what item that fits inside a purse can’t Florence Henderson do without?

“I will never leave home without dental floss!” she recently told an interviewer with Dear Doctor magazine. “Because I have such a wide smile, I have found spinach or black pepper between my teeth after smiling very broadly and confidently.”

Henderson clearly understands the importance of good oral hygiene — and she’s still got her own teeth to back it up! In fact, flossing is the best method for removing plaque from between the teeth, especially in the areas where a brush won’t reach. Yet, while most people brush their teeth regularly, far fewer take the time to floss. Is there any way to make flossing easier? Here are a couple of tips:

Many people have a tendency to tighten their cheeks when they’re holding the floss, which makes it more difficult to get their fingers into their mouths and working effectively. If you can relax your facial muscles while you’re flossing, you’ll have an easier time.

To help manipulate the floss more comfortably, try the “ring of floss” method: Securely tie the floss in a circle big enough to easily accommodate the fingers of one hand. To clean the upper teeth, place fingers inside the loop, and let the thumb and index finger guide the floss around each tooth. For the lower teeth, use two index fingers. Keep moving the floss in your hand so you always have a clean edge… and remember, the goal is to get the tooth clean, but it shouldn’t hurt — so don’t use too much pressure or go too fast.

So take a tip from Mrs. Brady: Don’t forget the floss! If you would like more information about flossing and other oral hygiene techniques, please contact us for a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor magazine article “Flossing: A Different Approach.”

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Facts You Should Know About Gum Disease

June 11, 2014

Filed under: Oral Health — Tags: bleeding gums, gingivitis, gum disease, inflammation, periodontal disease — drarakelian @ 9:57 pm

Research has shown that periodontal (gum) disease can affect the health of your whole body. Evidence suggests a relationship between severe gum disease and cardiovascular disease (“cardio” – heart; “vascular” – blood vessel), conditions that lead to heart attacks and strokes. There is also a relationship between gum disease and pregnancy; mothers with severe gum disease have a higher incidence of pre-term delivery and low birth-weight babies. To understand gum disease, you may find the following facts helpful. How many are you aware of?

Periodontal disease — Any disease that affects the areas around the teeth. The word comes from the Latin “peri” meaning around and Greek “odont” meaning tooth. Periodontal disease, or gum disease as it is commonly called, is really a group of diseases with the same outcome: destruction of the periodontal tissues, loss of supporting bone and ultimately the loss of your teeth.
Dental plaque (Biofilms) — A bacterial film that forms on teeth at the gum line, and the reason we brush and floss. Its daily removal is necessary to keep your teeth and gums healthy. A biofilm is a biological film comprised of colonies of living organisms that are generally specific to a particular eco-system. Plaque is one type of biofilm.
Gingivitis (“gingiva” – gum; “itis” – inflammation) — A response of the gum tissues to plaque biofilm that is left undisturbed (due to ineffective, or inadequate oral hygiene). It is the first stage of periodontal disease.
Pocket formation — Just like a pocket on your clothing, pocket formation is the result of separation of the gum tissues from their normally healthy tight attachment to a tooth. Pocketing allows the introduction of bacteria, which perpetuate gum disease.
Abscess — A collection of pus that forms within diseased periodontal tissues. It is experienced as pain, swelling, and discharge of pus from the gum tissues and is an advanced sign of periodontal disease.

Important Tip — Bleeding Gums when brushing teeth or flossing is not normal. It is a warning sign of early gum disease that you should bring to the attention of our office.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your questions about periodontal disease. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Understanding Gum (Periodontal) Disease.”

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TV Wellness Guru Jillian Michaels Discusses Breaking Her Two Front Teeth

May 27, 2014

Filed under: Oral Health — Tags: celebrity smiles, crown, dental injury — drarakelian @ 9:59 pm

As America’s toughest trainer on the hit television program The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels helped people learn that they hold the power to change. And if anyone knows about the power of changing oneself, it is Jillian Michaels. In her recent interview with Dear Doctor magazine, Jillian discusses her childhood, the trauma of being overweight as a teenager (5′ 2″ and 175 pounds), and the day her life forever changed when she started martial arts training at a gym. “I started training when I was 17 and always loved it but never thought it would end up being my career,” she said.

Jillian also reveals that when she was a child, she broke her two front teeth and had them repaired with crowns. She added, “Now, I generally wear a mouthguard if I am doing anything where my teeth have any chance of being knocked out.”

When it comes to replacing teeth that are broken or damaged from trauma, or teeth that are damaged because of dental decay, grinding habits, or acid erosion, crowns may be your best option. And because the tooth enamel is damaged, a bit more of it must be removed before we can place a crown. Generally speaking, we must remove about 2 millimeters of tooth structure to place a crown. Once the crown is placed, the tooth will always require a crown, as this is an irreversible procedure. However, the good news is that a crown not only mimics the look and feel of a natural tooth, but it is also the optimal long-term solution. On average, a crown last between 5 and 15 years and requires no special maintenance. In fact, you should treat your crown as you do your natural teeth, with a daily cleaning regimen of brushing and flossing and routine dental examinations and cleanings.

To learn more about crowns or other cosmetic procedures, contact us today to schedule an appointment so that we can conduct a thorough examination, discuss any questions you have as well as what treatment options will be best for you. Or to learn more about crowns now, you can continue reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Porcelain Crowns & Veneers.” And to read the entire interview with Jillian Michaels, please see the article “Jillian Michaels.”

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Tooth Trauma Doesn’t Have to Mean Tooth Loss

April 17, 2014

Filed under: Oral Health — Tags: dental emergency, dental injury — drarakelian @ 7:42 pm

Tooth decay and other oral diseases aren’t the only dangers your teeth face — accidental injuries also pose a risk. Fortunately, much can be done to save injured teeth, if you act quickly.

Dental injuries where part of the enamel crown has chipped off are the most common. Even if only one tooth appears damaged, adjacent teeth and bone might also have been damaged internally. Most chip injuries can be repaired either by reattaching the broken crown or with a tooth-colored filling or veneer. If the damage has extended into the inner tooth pulp then a root canal treatment might ultimately be necessary.

Teeth that have been knocked loose from normal alignment (dislodged) or where the entire tooth with its root has separated from the socket (avulsed) are rare but severe when they occur. It’s imperative to see a dentist as soon as possible — even more than five minutes’ of elapsed time can drastically reduce the tooth’s survivability. Dislodged teeth are usually splinted to adjacent teeth for several weeks; we would then carefully monitor the healing process and intervene with endodontic treatment (focused on the tooth’s interior) should something unfavorable occur.

With the possible exception of a primary (baby) tooth, an avulsed tooth should be placed back in the socket as soon as possible. This can be done by someone on scene, as long as the tooth is handled gently, the root not touched, and the tooth rinsed with cold, clean water if it has become dirty. If no one is available to do this, the tooth should be placed in milk to avoid drying out the root, and the patient and tooth transported to a dentist immediately. Once in the socket, the treatment is similar as for a dislodged tooth with splinting and careful watching.

The damaged tooth should be checked regularly. Your body’s defense mechanism could still reject it, so there’s a danger the root could be eaten away, or resorbed. Some forms of resorption can’t be treated — the aim then is to preserve the natural tooth for as long as possible, and then replace it with a life-like restoration to regain form and function.

If you would like more information on the treatment of injured teeth, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Trauma & Nerve Damage to Teeth.”

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Fitness Expert Jillian Michaels Helps Kick Sleep Apnea

January 23, 2014

Filed under: Oral Health — Tags: celebrity smiles, sleep apnea — drarakelian @ 7:48 pm

Jillian Michaels, personal trainer and star of television’s The Biggest Loser isn’t afraid of a tough situation — like a heart-pumping exercise routine that mixes kickboxing with a general cardio workout. But inside, she told an interviewer from Dear Doctor magazine, she’s really a softie, with “a drive to be one of the good guys.” In her hit TV shows, she tries to help overweight people get back to a healthy body mass. And in doing so, she comes face-to-face with the difficult issue of sleep apnea.

“When I encounter sleep apnea it is obviously weight related. It’s incredibly common and affects millions of people,” she says. Would it surprise you to know that it’s a problem dentists encounter as well?

Sleep apnea is a type of sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD) that’s associated with being overweight, among other things. Chronic loud snoring is one symptom of this condition. A person with sleep apnea may wake 50 or more times per hour and have no memory of it. These awakenings last just long enough to allow an individual to breathe — but don’t allow a deep and restful sleep. They may also lead to other serious problems, and even complications such as brain damage from lack of oxygen.

What’s the dental connection? Sleep apnea can sometimes be effectively treated with an oral appliance that’s available here at the dental office. The appliance, worn at night, repositions the jaw to reduce the possibility of the tongue obstructing the throat and closing the airway. If you are suffering from sleep apnea, an oral appliance may be recommended — it’s a conservative treatment that’s backed by substantial scientific evidence.

As Michaels says, “I tell people that [sleep apnea] is not a life sentence… It will get better with hard work and a clean diet.” So listen to the trainer! If you would like more information about sleep-related breathing disorders, please contact us for a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor magazine article “Sleep Disorders and Dentistry.”

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Technique Just as Important With Powered Toothbrushes as With Manual

January 8, 2014

Filed under: Oral Health — Tags: oral health, oral hygiene — drarakelian @ 7:52 pm

Electric-powered toothbrushes have been in use for decades, and continue to enjoy wide popularity. But since their inception in the 1950s, there’s been a continuous debate not only about the best choice among powered toothbrushes, but whether powered toothbrushes are as effective in removing plaque as manual toothbrushes.

These debates are fueled by a large body of research over many years on powered toothbrushes. For instance, an independent research firm known as the Cochrane Collaboration has evaluated over 300 hundred studies of powered toothbrushes (over a thirty-year span) using international standards to analyze the data.

Surprisingly, they found only one type of powered toothbrush (using a rotation-oscillation action) that statistically outperformed manual toothbrushes in the reduction of plaque and gingivitis. Although from a statistical point of view the difference was significant, in practical terms it was only a modest increase in efficiency.

In all actuality, the most important aspect about toothbrushes in effective oral hygiene isn’t the brush, but how it’s used — or as we might say, “it’s not the brush so much as the hand that holds it.” The fact remains, after first flossing, a manual toothbrush can be quite effective in removing plaque if you brush once or twice a day with a soft-bristle brush using a gentle brushing motion.

Although a powered toothbrush does much of the work for you, it still requires training to be effective, just as with a manual toothbrush. We would encourage you, then, to bring your toothbrush, powered or manual, on your next cleaning visit: we would be happy to demonstrate proper technique and give you some useful tips on making your brushing experience more effective.

Remember too: brushing your teeth and flossing isn’t the whole of your oral hygiene. Although a critical part, brushing and flossing should also be accompanied with semi-annual professional cleanings to ensure the removal of as much disease-causing plaque as possible.

If you would like more information on types of toothbrushes, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Manual vs. Powered Toothbrushes.”

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