Black Teeth: An Unsightly Dental Condition

Everybody wants to look good and we have set our sights on our Hollywood idols to follow and imitate. We envy them for their beautiful skin, slender bodies and pearly white teeth. Particularly that million-dollar smile is something that leave many people mesmerized. Sadly, only a few of us are gifted with that bright smile. While some of us are luckier with yellow teeth only, there are those who have it worse—black teeth.

This black teeth condition is primarily due to bad dental hygiene, highly attributed to the failure to brush, floss and rinse regularly. In a fast-paced world, most people no longer care about dental hygiene and tend to forego the simple routine of brushing one’s teeth. Added to that is the daily intake of coffee, cigarettes and sweets, causing unwanted residue and deposits to accumulate on teeth.

Cigarette smoking, in particular, is the most common of all causes. The nicotine residue stains the teeth. As a result, the accumulated plaque tends to cause discoloration on the teeth. In time, they will slowly become black.

Tooth decay is also attributed as one of the causes of black teeth. The bacteria lodged in, around and between the teeth cause the discoloration. As the decay progresses, it will also lead to black teeth.

Black teeth are an unsightly and unwanted appearance. No one wants to flash a smile with black teeth. Not only is it an esthetic concern, it is also a serious and painful dental condition, especially when the decay hits the tooth’s pulp.

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Types of Partial Dentures

Dentists generally prescribe dentures for patients who are missing teeth. Some of these patients willingly subscribe to the dentist’s recommendation for esthetic reasons. After all, it’s difficult to smile with some teeth missing. An opportunity to have back a complete set of teeth is a good confidence booster for someone who has lost it.

While the patient concerns himself with beauty and appearance, dentists are more concerned about the adverse effects on someone with missing teeth—like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems. A patient with TMJ problems will experience difficulty moving his jaw, in addition to headaches and earaches.

There are different types of dentures, classified as fixed and removable.

Dental implant bridges are among the fixed kind and involve a permanent attachment of the artificial teeth to the jaw or gum tissue. These are preferred since the attached teeth bear a striking resemblance to natural ones. However, they’re harder to clean.

Removable dentures come in different styles. There’s the flipper denture, which is the least expensive of them all. However, they are just temporary solutions to tooth loss. In cast metal dentures, soreness is not an issue since its framework doesn’t come in contact with the mouth’s soft tissues. The flexible framework denture uses nylon-like materials, which is considered an advance in dental treatment.

When one or more rear teeth are lost, dentists use the Nesbit denture; however, there’s the danger of accidentally swallowing it. Lastly, the cusil denture is one that allows the remaining natural teeth to show and protrude through.

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Fill the Tooth Gap with Partial Dentures

Dentists recommend the use of partial dentures for people with missing teeth. These dentures help fill the gap created by teeth that were extracted or missing or that fell out. What most people understand is that this orthodontic device serves esthetic purposes so that people with missing teeth are no longer restricted in flashing their smiles. In a way, using dentures help boost a person’s confidence, making them feel good about themselves and their smiles. Additionally, partial dentures provide support to the mouth, help people chew their food and maintain the shape of their faces.

When a tooth is extracted or missing, the remaining teeth tend to shift from their positions and fill the empty spaces left by the missing teeth. Without this device, the teeth are also likely to have a crooked and unpleasant appearance due to the unbalanced force created—one tooth is pushed in the direction of the tooth gap without anything that will counter balance from that side.

Partial dentures are designed to fill the gaps that were created, thus creating gap-free teeth alignment. Here, the natural teeth stay in their original positions. No teeth movement occurs since the spaces created by the missing teeth are filled.

In addition to their esthetic purpose, partial dentures prevent other problems that might arise from spaced teeth, like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems. This disorder causes headaches, ear aches and jaw pain, among others.

With those gaps closed and filled, one can now have painless jaw movement as well as a gap-free, beautiful smile.

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Indulging in Healthy Foods for Better Dental Health

Maintaining good dental health goes beyond brushing and flossing; it also involves making smart choices in your diet. In this blog, we’ll explore how indulging in healthy foods can significantly contribute to better dental health and overall well-being.

The Role of Nutrition in Dental Health:

Nutrition plays a crucial role in keeping your teeth and gums healthy. Consuming a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients helps strengthen enamel, prevent tooth decay, and support gum health.

Nutrient-Rich Foods for Dental Health:

Calcium-Rich Foods: Incorporate dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt into your diet as they are excellent sources of calcium, essential for strong teeth and bones.
Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables: Snacks on crunchy fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, and celery, stimulate saliva production and naturally clean teeth.
Lean Proteins: Include lean proteins such as chicken, fish, and legumes in your meals to promote tissue repair and maintain oral health.
Leafy Greens: Add leafy greens like spinach, kale, and broccoli to your diet for their high vitamin and mineral content, supporting gum health and reducing inflammation.

Foods to Limit or Avoid:

Sugary and Sticky Foods: Minimize consumption of sugary and sticky foods like candies, sodas, and sweets, as they can contribute to tooth decay and cavities.
Acidic Foods and Beverages: Limit acidic foods and beverages like citrus fruits, tomatoes, and carbonated drinks, as they can erode enamel over time.
Starchy Foods: Reduce intake of starchy foods like chips, crackers, and bread, as they can get trapped in teeth and promote bacterial growth.

Hydration for Oral Health:

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Water helps rinse away food particles, neutralize acids, and maintain saliva production, essential for oral health.

The Importance of Oral Hygiene:

While a healthy diet is beneficial, it’s essential to complement it with regular brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups. Practice good oral hygiene habits to prevent dental problems and maintain a bright, healthy smile.

Conclusion:

By indulging in nutrient-rich foods and adopting good oral hygiene practices, you can enhance your dental health and overall well-being. Make informed choices in your diet, prioritize oral care, and consult your dentist for personalized advice on maintaining a healthy smile for life.

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Dental Accidents (And What to Do If It Happens to You)

Have you noticed how most athletes (boxers, football players, etc.) wear mouthguards for every game? This protective gear helps prevent jaw and tooth injuries. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontists highly recommends wearing one when engaging in physical sports like boxing, basketball, football, wrestling and other similar activities. Think of it as armor and a cushion for your teeth, protecting them from an incoming ball, another object or a person.

However, mouthguards are not your typical fashion accessory that you can always wear to school, the office or party. Unprotected, your teeth are at risk of injury at any moment notice. That could be broken, loosened or knocked out at the point of impact.

Accidents happen. But what you do afterward is what really matters. If you slip on the floor, fall off a bike or bump the wall and hit your mouth, chances are you could injure your jaw and teeth. Here are a couple of tips on dealing with the unfortunate event.

If your tooth broke, was chipped or loosened, put an ice pack on the injured area. Save the chipped tooth fragment for possible reattachment, or gently attempt to push a loosened tooth back into its socket, if feasible.

If you knocked out your tooth, seek professional help immediately. Timely dental attention could greatly improve your tooth’s chances for reattachment. Still, you can attempt to restore it in its socket until professional help arrives. If not possible, place the tooth in your mouth (saliva helps), in a glass of milk or in sterile saline solution—but never in water.

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Endodontic Treatment on Baby Teeth

Dentists perform endodontic treatment for people who experience tooth pain due to severe sensitivity or exposed tooth pulp. This procedure can be performed both on permanent and baby teeth. And even though baby teeth will fall out eventually, dentists would still opt to fix them. After all, these baby teeth occupy the spaces that permanent teeth will replace once the former fall out. Otherwise, the neighboring teeth would occupy the space and block the growth of the permanent tooth, causing it to tilt out of place.

When a patient experiences pain in his/her baby tooth, the dentist will usually provide the patient with the option of pulling it out or having root canal treatment performed instead. Accordingly, there are two types of endodontic treatment procedures for baby teeth: (1) vital pulp therapy and (2) non-vital pulp therapy.

In vital pulp therapy, the tooth in question should not be loose or characterized by abscess or swelling. Under this procedure, the dentist would only remove the decay from the tooth if the pulp is not damaged or infected. A filling is placed in the tooth to replace the decayed part while a protective material is dressed over the pulp, if exposed.

Non-vital pulp therapy is also known as root canal treatment. This procedure is resorted to when the pulp is already damaged or infected beyond repair. Here, the dentist will remove the pulp from inside the tooth. To seal it, a special filling will be placed inside the tooth. Protective materials are also placed to protect the outer tooth.

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How Often Should Your Kid Undergo Dental X-Ray Exams?

When a dentist wants to see the size or position of a patient’s teeth, he or she uses a dental x-ray. This device helps monitor the oral orifice. A dentist can detect teeth or gum injuries and prepare orthodontic treatment for a patient without the need of a thorough visual exam on the inside of the mouth. Indeed, the dental X-ray is a valuable tool at the dentist’s office.

Children generally need dental X-rays more frequently compared to adults. Since they are growing, children’s mouths change and develop rapidly. Also, they are more prone to tooth decay; thus, regular dental X-rays are needed to detect the presence of tooth cavities.

But how often should your child undergo dental X-ray exams?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends one X-ray exam every six months. However, that is not a hard-and-fast rule since the need for an X-ray exam varies from one child to another. For instance, children prone to tooth decay need to undergo X-ray exams more frequently than kids who are at a lower risk of having tooth decay.

The risk of radiation in dental X-rays is extremely small under contemporary standards. Nevertheless, dentists are taking precautionary measures to minimize its effects. Lead aprons and shields are being used to protect the child patient from further radiation exposure. In addition, recent advancements allow the equipment to filter out unnecessary X-ray beams and limit it only to the specific areas of the mouth, thus minimizing the risk of radiation exposure in child patients.

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Five Types of Dental X-rays

Dental X-rays are used much more than just for detecting tooth decay and cavities. Dentists also use them to survey teeth or bone anomalies, diagnose dental disorders and/or prepare orthodontic treatment. With dental X-rays, dentists can now perform these oral surveys without the need of direct visual exam, making the procedure comfortable and convenient for the patient.

But did you know there are different types of dental X-rays used by dentists for different occasions? You may have seen one but you haven’t seen them all; each one has various uses, depending on the goal. Here are the five kinds of dental X-rays:

Bitewing X-ray: Also known as the cavity-detecting x-ray, this is used to view and capture tooth decay and cavities that cannot be seen directly usually located in the back of the mouth.
Periapical X-ray: This is used to view the bone structure of the teeth. It allows the dentist to see the child patient’s permanent teeth growing beneath the baby teeth.
Panoramic X-ray: This is probably the most commonly used type of dental X-ray today since it allows the dentist a full view of all the patient’s teeth, upper and lower jaws and temporomandibular joints. Dentists use this if the patient incurs injuries to the face or is suffering from an orthodontic problem.
Occlusal X-ray: This serves the same purpose as the panoramic X-ray to view the patient’s upper and lower teeth.

Orthodontic X-ray: Dentists use this if they need to view the patient’s head from the side and to evaluate the jaws or bones of the skull.

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Survey Reveals Native American Children Have More Tooth Decay

In a statement released on May 30, 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that children born to indigenous populations have more tooth decay and cavities compared to other children. The pediatrician group further recommended that doctors and dentists should pay more attention to these kids’ oral health.

A survey conducted in the US, Alaska and Canada revealed that 68 percent of children aged 2 to 5 have untreated cavities. Furthermore, it was also found that 90 percent of the children in Canadian indigenous communities have tooth decay.

Dr. James Irvine, coauthor of the pediatrician group’s statement, found “remarkable similarities in health issues and living circumstances of indigenous children in the US and Canada.” His coauthor, Dr. Steve Holve, also emphasized the nature of childhood tooth decay as an infectious disease.

With the outbreak of tooth decay and cavities among kids in US and Canadian indigenous communities, the pediatrician group encourages its members to assume larger roles in tooth decay prevention and recommends the following:

Parents, guardians and caregivers should be adequately educated on proper dental hygiene and sensible diet so that they know what to do with regard to their minor wards.
Prenatal screening for dental health and other dental care services should be made available to pregnant women.
Oral care programs and dental treatment services should be afforded to children. Topical fluoride varnishes, in particular, is what Dr. Holve hopes to become the focus in the treatment of tooth decay in children.

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Is Tooth Extraction Safe During Pregnancy?

One of the essential aspects of good health is to maintain good dental hygiene. However, certain changes occur during pregnancy. This is attributed to hormonal changes where pregnant women develop swelling and red gums as well as other dental conditions, which later on could result in tooth decay. While regular dental checkups and maintenance greatly help prevent the conditions from worsening, there are instances where the conditions need further diagnostic procedures.

Dental experts generally advise pregnant women to avoid medication to minimize any harmful risk to the baby. But assuming the pregnant patient needs tooth extraction, would it be safe for her to have dental work despite her pregnancy?

While tooth extraction is a safe procedure for everybody, it is generally discouraged if the patient is pregnant. If the dental condition can still be treated in other ways, the option for tooth extraction is set aside. Tooth extraction is done only in emergencies. But if the need arises, there are several factors to consider before proceeding with the tooth extraction on a pregnant patient.

The duration and phase of the pregnancy are an important aspect to consider. The patient should inform her attending dentist or any physician regarding her pregnancy before undergoing any dental or medical procedure.

Moreover, safety of the baby is the primary concern. The use of X-rays and anesthesia should be exercised carefully. A lead apron should be used to shield the baby during X-rays, while anesthesia should be carefully given to minimize the harmful risks.

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