New Year's Resolutions

2011 begins in just a couple days! Challenge yourself to add a dental resolution to your new year's goals. Not only will it be good for your teeth, it's good for your overall health.

Here are some examples:

1. A better brushing technique. Read "The Best Brushing Tip Ever" below

2. Flossing...start if you're not doing it or if you are a sporadic flosser, try to increase your consistency

3. Replace sugary drinks with water. Limit those sugary drinks to mealtime and carry a water bottle with you throughout the day.

Remember, it only takes 21 days of consistency to form a new habit. Challenge yourself! Small changes can make a BIG impact!

Cranberries...the Thanksgiving Bacteria Blocker

Food, food, and more food! I don't know anyone who doesn't look forward to the epic Thanksgiving feast! The turkey, of course, has always been the celebrity of the event, gobbling up (pun intended) all the media attention. However, I want to take a moment and point your eyes towards the true unseen hero of the Thanksgiving meal...cranberry sauce.

Cranberries have long held the reputation for being great for your bladder, but more recently studies have confirmed that cranberries are also great for your teeth. The juice keeps cavity-causing bacteria from being able to stick to your teeth. If the bacteria cannot stick to your teeth, then they cannot produce a cavity.

So...this year help yourself to some extra helpings of that delicious cranberry dressing. If anyone complains that you're hogging it all, just tell them your dentist made you do it.

Some side notes:

• Most store bought cranberry juice mixes have a lot of sugar added which can offset the cavity fighting properties of the cranberry, so don’t over indulge in sugary bottles of cranberry juice. Natural cranberries, without sugar added, are obviously the best choice.
  
• Natural cranberries are also high in antioxidants, which fight diseases and cancer
• Cranberries are native to North America and were used by Native Americans for food, medicine, dyes, and decoration.

The Best Brushing Tip Ever

When it comes to brushing, we could spend a lot of time talking about technique, how long to brush, which toothbrush to use, which toothpaste to use, etc...etc. Those things are important; however, the best advice I could ever give someone about brushing is this: Be conscious of what you're doing.

If you're like me, you are probably a multi-tasker and do other things while you brush your teeth...watch the sport highlights on tv, check my calender, clean my ears (this one takes talent). Well, in doing this, I am not really conscious of what I'm doing. I know I'm scrubbing, and then I notice the toothpaste is starting to get pretty foamy, so I assume I'm good and done. The reality is I have no idea if I've adequately brushed each tooth surface and more than likely I've missed some spots. We tend to develop routines with our hygiene habits. This includes brushing our teeth. Many people develop a routine and, unknowingly to them, they are brushing certain teeth too much and others not enough. This goes on day after day, month after month, year after year. This really adds up! Because of this routine you could be missing some spots, not just once, but for a LONG period of time! If you are not removing the plaque, then guess what, it's still on there. YOU have to get it off. It doesn't just go away.

And so, this is why the best advice I could ever give concerning brushing is: Be conscious of what you're doing. Are you cleaning every surface of your teeth? Ask yourself if you feel like you've scrubbed each part of the tooth well enough. Make sure you are cleaning the chewing surface and each side of every tooth. Do this for a couple weeks and you will surely develop a new and better routine...one that doesn't take any more time than before. It's just more effective and efficient.


Additional Thoughts:

1. When 1st trying to develop your new routine, try to focus on one tooth at a time. Don't just vaguely brush your right side then your left. You've got to be more specific and aware of what you are doing.

2. Work your way around your mouth in a set pattern. For example: work clockwise around your mouth. Top right, top front, top left, bottom left, bottom front, bottom right, done. Most of us have no rhythm or pattern. We are all over the place. Right side, left side, right side, front teeth, right side, etc. This is how we get into trouble. Jumping around like that, we have no idea what's truly been cleaned well. Be conscious of what you're doing and develop a pattern. Don't aimlessly brush. Develop a pattern that has purpose.

3. A majority of gum recession is caused by brushing without being conscious of what you're doing...a "hurried" technique that is so fast and furious it scrubs the gum tissue away. What's the number one cause of tooth sensitivity that I see in my office? Answer: root exposure caused by gum recession. Better brushing = less sensitivity.

4. Test yourself. Use a disclosing tablet provided by your dentist (I'd be happy to give you one, just ask) or a disclosing solution sold in drug stores. Both of these products are dissolved in the mouth prior to brushing and stain plaque (usually either red or blue). You then brush your teeth using your typical brushing routine. Afterwards, look in the mirror. All the spots you missed will still be stained that color. Modify your routine and test yourself again to see your improvements. (It will also show you how important flossing is.)

5. The topic of electric toothbrushes is a separate discussion, but I did want to throw in one point here. There are electric toothbrushes out there that can help you be more aware of what you're doing. This is mostly achieved with timers that notify you when you've spent enough time on one part of the mouth and it's time to move on to the next. You still have to be conscious of what you're doing though in order to develop an effective routine. Don't assume an electric brush will make up for all your brushing mistakes. If you're a bad brusher with a regular brush, you'll still be a bad brusher. You'll just have a cooler toothbrush, that's all.


NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION:

If you are hoping to improve on your technique for this coming New Year as part of your New Year's Resolution, set an obtainable and specific objective. Instead of setting a vague goal of "I'm going to brush better this year", set something specific for the short term. Remember it only takes 21 days straight of doing something to form a new habit! Commit yourself to a better brushing technique for the next 21 days. Soon your new & better brushing technique will feel like the natural one to you. CHALLENGE YOURSELF! YOU CAN DO IT! It's such a small thing that in the big picture can really improve your dental health, overall health, and save you some money for dental treatment.

Trick or Treat?!

"A 2-pound bag of soft candy consumed in 1 minute does less damage to teeth than a single hard candy left in the mouth for 2 minutes."

I recently read this 'Factoid' quote published in a dental journal I receive. One might read this and question if this could really be true. "Is it really possible that ONE piece of candy can do more harm than an entire big bag?!" Well...the answer, surprisingly, is YES. The point that this fact is trying to get across is not "certain types of candy are worse for you than others" (although this is certainly true), but rather, cavity development is directly correlated with the amount of time that sugar touches your teeth. The longer sugar sits on your teeth, the more time bacteria has to break it down and produce harmful acids which damage your teeth.

This is crucial dental health knowledge. It is not only true for candy, but for all sugary foods and drinks. The same statement could be said about Coke. "A 2-liter bottle of Coke consumed in 1 minute does less damage to teeth than a 20oz bottle consumed in 2 minutes." Again, more contact time = more damage.

Some advice:

If you're going to eat or drink something sugary, then just do it and be done with it. Don't nibble on a candy bar or sip on a soft drink for a long period of time.

Try to consume sugary things at meal times, not snack times.

If you consume something sugary, at the very least, swish with some water to help get some of the sugar off your teeth. I stress this all the time with our patients.

Minimize sugar or try switching to sugar-free options (read our article on xylitol to see how sugar-free candy can actually be good for your teeth). Remember, without sugar the bacteria is unable to cause cavities.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Does your mouthwash help or hurt your breath?

There are tons of mouth rinse products on the market…all claiming to give you kissable fresh breath. While most will temporarily mask bad breath with menthol additives, they may actually be doing more harm than good. Most mouthwash products contain alcohol, which actually dries out your mouth. A dry mouth is a much more favorable environment for odor-causing bacteria to flourish in. And so, while these mouth rinses may give you a quick cover-up, they are really just giving bad breath the breeding grounds to come back stronger than ever.

But don’t get me wrong; I am a BIG advocate for mouth rinses, especially those containing fluoride (which help strengthen teeth and can halt cavity formation). Just make sure you are choosing a rinse that states it is “alcohol-free” if you are trying to tackle bad breath.

More Energy & Healthy Mouth? I'll Drink to That.

Sodas, energy drinks, and coffee are being consumed in record-breaking numbers. Our society absolutely craves energy boosts to get us through our “lives on the go”. Let’s face it…most of us are addicted to caffeine and will consume it in one way or another at some point every day!

So here’s the question: Is there a way to obtain your caffeine fix that’s actually good for you?

Actually….Yes. Ever thought about a good cup ah’ tea?

Tea typically contains more caffeine than a coke, but less than a brew of coffee. It is also sugar-free, unless you choose to add some. Tea has long been known to have many systemic health benefits including: decreasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and boosting your immune system. More recently though, tea has been linked to GREATER ORAL HEALTH.

White tea is the least processed form of tea. Basically, the leaves are picked, dried, and that’s it. Because of this, it is the most antioxidant-rich tea there is, even more antioxidants than green tea. Recent research has found that consuming white tea can help prevent cavities and periodontal disease by suppressing the growth of cavity causing microbes and interfering with the bacteria’s ability to stick to teeth. People who drank a cup of tea or two between meals were found to have lower bacterial counts and less plaque than those who did not. A caffeine fix that promotes oral health….a dentist’s dream! The other great news is that white tea is not going to cause erosion of the teeth and unlike coffee and darker teas, white tea will cause minimal to no staining of those pearly whites.

There are many options for obtaining that small boost throughout your day. Consider replacing some of your other options with a nice cup of white tea. Not only will it give you a dose of caffeine, it will promote overall systemic and oral health.

Candy that FIGHTS cavities?!

I am a dentist, I hate plaque and gingivitis, I stress proper brushing, I beg people to floss every day, and yes, I prescribe CANDY almost daily in my practice. Candy?! Is this some kind of dental blasphemy? No, believe it or not, the right kind of candy can actually promote stronger teeth and better oral health!

Streptococcus mutans is the oral bacteria responsible for causing cavities. It breaks down sugars to form plaque and acids which eat away your tooth. This bacteria has a very specific sugar diet...sucrose. Without sucrose, this bacteria has no food and no ability to cause cavities. Xylitol is a natural sweetener that is FDA approved for use as a food additive. It has quickly become the sweetener of choice for many sugar-free gums and candies. What is the first thing you notice about xylitol? It's NOT sucrose! Cavity-causing bacteria cannot digest this stuff! Research has shown that xylitol actually inhibits the growth of streptococcus mutans. Great news for your teeth, terrible news for bacteria!

Besides decreasing the bacterial colonies in your mouth, sugar-free candy and gum, like all food, will get your salivary glands going. Your saliva plays a crucial role in your oral health. Most people realize that it moisturizes food and acts as a lubricant for all the grinding and chewing that goes on in your mouth; however, there are more benefits than just that. Saliva acts as a buffer to neutralize any harmful acids that may be present in your mouth. Also, saliva contains many minerals that help strengthen teeth and restore "soft spots" to healthy tooth structure.

Let's put this all together now. Chewing sugar-free gum or eating sugar-free candy will essentially inhibit cavity-causing bacteria, neutralize harmful acids, and strengthen teeth. That's quite the resume! So, analyze your diet. If you have a high intake of sugary foods consider replacing them with some sugar-free options or using sugar-free candy or gum after consuming sugary foods to neutralize the harmful environment. Cavities can be prevented.

I am a dentist and I prescribe candy to patients.

The Age of Implants

As big advancements are continually made in health care, dentistry is no exception. Implants have revolutionized the way we practice dentistry by giving us the option to truly replace a lost tooth with a new one. An implant is essentially a titanium post that integrates with the bone, mimicking a natural tooth root. After healing occurs, an artificial tooth is then attached to this “root”. This is the beauty of implants: they are the most natural replacement of a lost tooth that you can have, period. Being made of titanium and special ceramics an implant will never decay, thus giving you not only a new tooth that looks and functions like a natural tooth, but one that should be with you for life. It is easy to see why implants are an exciting restorative option.
From an oral health standpoint, there are a few considerations that must be taken into account to determine if implant treatment would be suitable for you. You need to have an adequate quantity of bone at the possible implant site. Your gums will also need to be in good health. The remaining teeth should be evaluated to see if another restorative option would suit you better. Finally, although implants have a high success rate and there are very few contraindications, your overall systemic health should be evaluated.
When facing the decision of how to replace a tooth, implants have many wonderful benefits and are a great option to keep in mind. Sometimes they are the best option, while other times a different route may be better. Our hope is to provide education and guidance on your decision. Ultimately, you need to determine two things: what’s important to you and what’s best for you. We are always more than happy to take time with you and talk about your options, desires, and concerns.