Women And Gum Disease
April 12, 2010
The health needs of women are unique, and sometimes extra care has to be taken by woman when they change in terms of maturity, and when special health needs like menstruation and pregnancy require them to take extra oral care of themselves. Women are more affected by periodontal (gum) diseases, and the varying hormonal changes in a woman’s body make it more prone towards gum diseases and oral and throat cancer.
According to a study on woman’s oral diseases, statistics show that normally females brush their teeth 1.9 times a day, losing 5.4 teeth when they reach the age of 72, whereas, a smoking woman may lose 12 teeth by reaching the age of 72 years.
Periodontal Disease
Periodontal diseases are caused by the plaque ( a sticky, colourless substance on the teeth which escapes from toothbrush and gets harden into ‘tartar’ ) containing bacteria and toxins which not only infect the tissues but also destroy the bone that supports the teeth. Tobacco, genetics, medications, bad hygiene and other diseases may be the reason of periodontal diseases.
Hormones and Gum Disease
The hormonal variations in a woman’s body may not only result into mood or health change but also they can be a cause of changed gum health in the following ways.
• In puberty, the increased level of sex hormones in a woman’s body results in increased blood circulation towards the gums, which can aggravate the gum’s sensitivity and its reactivity towards any change in the current health state of teeth such as plaque or leftover food particles action.
• In menstruation, the increased sensitivity of the gums may result into bleeding, swollen or red gums
• Pregnant women may also experience pregnancy gingivitis, i.e., swelled, bleeding, tendered or bright red gums tissues. If pregnancy gingivitis grows more, it can turn into tumour which is generally painless, but if it stays longer, it is removed by the periodontist.
• A menopausal woman may be a victim of mouth dryness, pain in the gum tissue and change of taste.
What Can You Do?
All those women who are noticing changes in their mouths following the hormonal changes must take extra periodontal care and take good oral hygiene throughout the period of their hormonal fluctuation.
Twice-daily thorough brushing and daily flossing between teeth help in fighting bacteria and prevents the plaque to make place between the teeth.
A yearly or bi-yearly professional dental check-up helps in repelling periodontal diseases.
Your dental professional should be kept informed about any medication or drug you are taking to decrease bacteria or plaque growth in your mouth.
To top it all, a healthy smile on a woman’s face can make it look even more beautiful than it actually is, and this can be brought by taking due care of the teeth’s health and taking every possible preventive measure to protect the gums and teeth from being infected by periodontal diseases.
Tooth Sensitivity
March 29, 2010
Among the most common problems in USA, tooth sensitivity is a commonly heard complaint from people. According to our study, almost one in five adults is a victim of dental problem on account of tooth sensitivity and improper dental care.When you take a hot/cold or sweet/sour food item, a sharp pain is felt in the tooth which shows that you are suffering from tooth sensitivity. Moreover, people having extreme tooth sensitivity feel the pain even when the tooth is open to air only.The reason behind the occurrence of tooth sensitivity is the damaging of the tooth enamel that covers the dentin and protects the tooth from exposing to sharp taste foods or drinks.Causes of tooth sensitivity
- The most common causes of tooth sensitivity are:
- Bruxism: when you grind the teeth it scratches out the enamel from the surface of the tooth.
- Missing artificial fillings or lose prosthetic crown may also result in the tooth enamel being worn out.
- Periodontal gum diseases such as gingivitis (swelled gums).
- Plaque (a soft sticky substance collected over the surface of teeth containing bacteria when leftover food particles are not properly removed).
- Breakage or cracking of tooth or a part of it.
- Rough and careless brushing damages the tooth enamel.
- Artificial whitening of teeth fades away the original enamel of tooth and when the whitening is scratched out over the period of time it exposes the tooth surface.
- Improper hygiene like acidic foods.
Ways and Means to Treat Tooth Sensitivity
- There are many ways and means by which the tooth sensitivity can be handled easily:
- Fluoride mouthwash should be used
- Intake of low acidic foods
- Soft toothbrush should be used
- Gentle teeth brushing and flossing. Use of electronic tooth brush can help in managing the pressure over teeth.
- If you have a habit of grinding or crushing your teeth, prefer wearing a night guard if possible.
- Use of good quality tooth paste which does not affect the enamel of teeth.
If the problem of tooth sensitivity persists even after taking the aforesaid preventing measures, visiting a professional dentist is recommended so that he can treat the teeth by means of surgery or any other medications.
The Basics Of Good Dental Hygiene
March 8, 2010
THE BASICS OF GOOD DENTAL HYGIENEFor the healthy being of our teeth and gums, routine tooth-brushing and periodic tooth flossing is not adequate. Proper dental hygiene is also essential to keep our teeth healthy and bacteria free.The fact of being prone to dental diseases inherently cannot be denied, but it is also true that if proper care is taken of teeth ever since they first appear in your mouth, it is not difficult to fight the genetically inherent tooth diseases, provided that following measures must have been taken.
- Brushing. Brush your teeth properly after every meal, or at least twice-daily.If you don’t get the chance to brush teeth after every meal, wash you mouth thoroughly to remove the food particles that stay over the teeth after eating.Prefer using fluoride toothpaste over any other toothpaste as fluoride helps in protecting the teeth from decay.Periodic replacement of tooth brush will also be better as some of the bacteria stay inside the bristle of brush and consequently get in contact with the teeth and gums, and the bristles can transfer those particles into them.Brush your teeth softly and properly reaching adjacent area of the gums. Avoid hustle and vigorous brushing that can cause the gums to bleed as well as the tooth enamel may get worn out.
- Flossing. In order to maintain good dental health, dental flossing should not be avoided as it is the most integral part of tooth care. Brush can only reach the surface of the teeth or the areas adjacent to the gums, while flossing ensures that the area between the teeth is also clean and particle free.At minimum, once a day flossing is normally recommended by professional dentists.Flossing is not necessary for young children as brushing is enough for keeping their teeth clean. But if child’s teeth are being flossed daily, it will ensure long-term strength and good health of their teeth.
- Diet. Professional dentists strictly prohibit the use of acidic products like tobacco, alcohol etc. as these items leave adverse effects on dental health.Food items which contain large amount of sugar or starch become the sole cause of plaque (a colourless acid that accumulates the leftover food particles and bacteria and let them grow over time resulting in dental cavities (caries), gingivitis, or other periodontal problems).
How To Keep Your Child’s Teeth Healthy
February 22, 2010
The most important part of kids tooth care begins at home when the baby’s first tooth appears. Even when the baby is on feeding, the probable birth of bacteria in the baby’s mouth can be prevented by wiping baby’s gums with a clean damp cloth. Following the growth of little teeth, child toothbrush can be used to floss the kid’s gums and teeth to protect them from getting infected.Many people have the habit of feeding their babies while they are sleeping by putting the bottle in his or her mouth inviting dental decay which harms the baby’s teeth as the leftover of the feed stays at the baby’s teeth for hours, leading to a problem in babies called bottle mouth [uneven, or stained front teeth]. In order to solve this problem, a time must be fixed for the feeding or drinking of milk or other liquids so that the teeth can be duly flossed after the food intake.Scheduled Visit to Paediatric DentistsParents must regularize the monthly dental check up of their kids with paediatric dentists who can maintain and advise daily care tips of kids’ teeth and gums.Preventing CavitiesAccording to the American Dental Association (ADA), parents are recommended to take their child to the dentist after his or her first birthday which can help the child becoming habituated to visit the dentist without any fear. Moreover, it may also help in detecting latent tooth problems as they grow older.Fluoride CoatingA kid of around 2½ years of age must have his or her teeth coated with fluoride regularly which smoothes and stabilizes tooth enamel enough to prevent acid penetration, which can emerge from leftovers on the teeth, and protect tooth surface from catching oral diseases like caries or cavities. It should also be taken care of that excessive fluoride can result in stained or decolourised teeth.Regular tooth brushing and flossing can ensure the well-being of teeth and help them stay unaffected by bacteria and germs.Application of Protective SealantUpon the growth of a child’s permanent teeth, the application of a protective sealant on those parts of the mouth where a toothbrush cannot reach may help in preventing bacteria from staying there, provided that daily brushing and flossing of teeth is maintained. Also, if after the application of sealant, the child starts eating sweets excessively, the sealant cannot ensure protection of teeth. Sometimes, even the most regular brushing and flossing cannot prevent a cavity formation where the child is highly prone to catching tooth disease. In that case, affected teeth must be duly treated and checked up regularly.In case of any breakage, readily growing decay or irregular growth of baby teeth, stainless steel crown should be preferred over other alternatives because crowns avert the decay from spreading all over teeth.If due care is taken to keep the child’s teeth healthy and clean, parents can enjoy a long-term benefit out of it in terms of being prevented to spend their hard-earned money for the dental treatments, surgeries and other cures like braces, implants or a major root canal therapy etc.A little amount of effort for your child can ensure a beautiful and healthy smile on his or her face.
Advantages Of Implants Vs Fixed Bridges
February 8, 2010
Dental implant is the surgical placement of a fixture in the jaw and its osseo-integration with the jawbone to produce an artificial tooth replacement which forms a structural and functional connection between the living bone and the implant.
The abtument is the part screwed to the fixture, providing a sufficient platform above the gum line to retain the prosthesis by means of cement or a screw. Last item is the prosthesis itself and can be in the form of a single crown of an abtument.
There are many advantages of dental implants over fixed bridges.
First, they can be placed with no variation to the structure of the face or jawbone, as is often the case when a tooth is removed. Once the teeth are extracted, and the jawbone is not stimulated by the chewing action, the body resorbs that area of jawbone. Secondly, unlike fixed bridge, the teeth on the each side of the implant need not be cut down as abutments.
Thirdly, fixed bridge requires the existence of tooth on the either sides of the space, whereas, an implant does not need to have a tooth on each side of it. And Implants fill up the gaps across the space because of the missing teeth.
In case of implant, there is no need to have the periodic tooth cleaning between the implants as they are made of metal and porcelain, unlike fixed bridges which often have to be cleaned or replaced due to problems like caries (decay), fractures or nerve diseases. Moreover, no root canal therapy or crown replacement is required in implants.
Although implants are comparatively expensive than fixed bridges initially, but on account of their low cost maintenance, reliability and durability, and the osseointegration success rate of 98.5% makes them much less expensive than fixed bridges which have a mean life expectancy of 10 years. The artificial crown on an implant is removed on being broken and that crown has to be redone only. If in very rare cases the abutment gets fractured, it may be replaced, but the fixture once restored, has never to be replaced.
The expected average life of fixed bridge is of 10 years with 15% to be replaced and around 33% of them may require to be redone by 15 years or so, whereas, implant osseointegration rate of success is of 98.5% with a little percentage of unsuccessful results.
Conclusively, dental Implant saves the patient from spending additional unnecessary and excessive surgical treatment costs due to the individuality of the prosthetic crown (which needs to be replaced in a very rare case of breakage or fracture), thus making implants a more affordable choice for people.