Dental Care

Many people are now faced with problems in their dental health. Particularly, teeth stains are an everyday occurrence that is faced by many at some point. While some of us don’t really care about oral hygiene, there are many who would pay a premium just to have impeccable dental health as well as appearance.

When we speak of dental hygiene, what comes to mind is generally about brushing one’s teeth to make them clean and white. Though it is true, cleaning one’s teeth does not only involve the external aspect of dental hygiene (i.e., the surface of the tooth). It also involves the internal aspect.

When we fail to maintain good dental hygiene, stains develop on our teeth. And it’s not just about esthetics, or appearance. The stains here concern both the external and internal aspects of dental health.

Internal stains on our teeth by definition, are not limited to the surface of our teeth. Rather, it is something that goes beyond it. To illustrate, tooth decays and cavities are internal stains. They cause damage to the tooth’s enamel, which in effect produces black spots on our teeth. Fluorosis is also an internal stain that is manifested by white stains on teeth as well as flaking. This tooth degeneration is caused when a person consumes large quantities of fluoride.

External stains, on the other hand, are relatively easier to treat compared to internal stains since the plaque layer attaches itself only on the outer part of the tooth. Stains caused by smoking or drinking coffee or tea are classified as external.

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.

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.

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.

Much like noise-canceling or noise-reduction headphones in airliners, a new dental technology can block out the shrill sound from the dentist’s instruments, which has been the prime cause of patient phobia and anxiety.

The device, containing a microphone and a chip, shuts out sound from the dental drill through soundwaves that produce interference. The prototype device, invented by clinicians from King’s College London, uses an electronic filtering system that locks onto soundwaves and removes them.

Patients would only have to plug the device into their MP3 player or mobile phone and then plug its headphones into the device. They could listen to their own music while canceling out unwanted noise, although they would still be able to hear the dental team conversing or speaking to them.

The technology was initially authored by Professor Brian Millar at King’s College London Dental Institute who worked with research engineers at Brunel University and London South Bank University for over a decade before designing the prototype. The professor was inspired by carmaker Lotus’ efforts at developing a system that removed unpleasant road noise while still allowing drivers to hear emergency sirens.

The drilling sound of the dentist’s handpieces has been a deterrent for most patients, postponing their trips to the dentist and critical oral care.

“Many people put off going to the dentist because of anxiety associated with the noise of the dentist’s drill. But this device has the potential to make fear of the drill a thing of the past,” says its creator, Professor Millar. “The beauty of this gadget is that it would be fairly cost-effective for dentists to buy, and any patient with an MP3 player would be able to benefit from it, at no extra cost. What we need now is an investor to develop the product further, to enable us to bring this device to as many dental surgeries as possible, and help people whose fear of visiting the dentist stops them from seeking the oral healthcare they need.”

Patient anxiety or fear of going to the dentist has been one of the predicaments dental practitioners face when providing dental care. One in 20 patients or 5% of patients in the US and Europe have odontophobia, or extreme dental fear, while up to one-third experience some degree of anxiety.

A new study, tested on 20 patients (16 women and 4 men) who have moderate to severe anxiety, found that acupuncture can calm down anxious patients when performed prior to dental treatment.

Using the Back Anxiety Inventory questionnaire, the average BAI score of the patients fell from 26.5 to 11.5. The BAI score was assessed before and after acupuncture treatment using acupuncture points located on top of the head. Acupuncture was administered five minutes before dental treatment.

All 20 patients were able to receive dental treatment after acupuncture was given. Prior to this, dental treatments were only possible in six and only after much effort from the dentist and patient.

The acupuncture was performed by the dentists themselves, who are members of the British Dental Acupuncture Society. The patients were from eight different dental practices.

There have been various techniques to calm down anxious patients before they receive dental treatment, including relaxation techniques, biofeedback, behavioral therapy, hypnosis and sedatives. However, these are time-consuming and need considerable psychotherapeutic skills to be effective. The authors suggest that, although acupuncture still needs to be tested in a larger study, it could offer a simple and inexpensive method of treating dental anxiety.

Dentine hypersensitivity is a sudden, sharp shooting pain in the teeth triggered by hot, cold or acidic foodstuff. Pain is also felt with touch, such as from chewing or tooth-brushing, and with air pressure, such as when one is breathing through the mouth.

Cracked teeth, cavities, worn tooth enamel (outer layer of the tooth), worn tooth fillings and exposed tooth roots can cause hypersensitivity. When the tooth’s outer covering breaks down, dentin is exposed (inner tooth bone layer), allowing heat and cold or food particles to pass through its hollow tubules; this irritates the nerve fibers in the tooth pulp. The sensory nerve endings are responsible for our sensation.

The dentin may also be exposed when gums recede due to infection (periodontal disease). In advanced periodontitis, the tooth attachment and its supporting structures are destroyed, leaving the root exposed. This leads to hypersensitivity in the gumline. Brushing the teeth too aggressively can also injure the gums and expose the tooth roots.

Treatments of sensitive teeth range from desensitizing toothpastes that contains potassium nitrate (inactivates the nerve) to fluoride gel that strengthen tooth enamel, sealants and bonding agents that seal the sensitive teeth and root canal therapy. Endodontic, or root canal, treatment (removal of the pulp tissue) will be recommended by the dentist in severe or chronic cases.

Proper oral hygiene, including proper brushing technique and flossing, and healthy diet will prevent tooth decay, gum disease and tooth mineral loss. Enamel loss has been attributed to an acidic diet, which produces demineralization

You will never look at toothbrushing again as a routine hygiene to take lightly or you can do without. A recent study found that people who brush their teeth less frequently have a 70% increased risk of heart disease compared with those who brushed their teeth twice a day. When people don’t brush their teeth regularly, they are prone to periodontitis, a chronic gum infection. This will manifest at first as gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums, which not only causes bad breath but also sets off a chain of events in our bloodstream.

One of our body’s responses to inflammation is blood coagulation, or clotting. Protein substances in our blood that cause blood to get sticky rise when there is inflammation. When this condition becomes chronic or persistent, it will cause accumulation of plaque that blocks normal blood flow to the blood vessels, a condition called atherosclerosis. Plaque that has already formed in the arteries may also be swollen by bacteria and cause further narrowing of these blood vessels. This heart disease leads to stroke and heart attack.

People who reported poor oral hygiene tested positive for these clotting protein substances, which are inflammatory markers in blood tests. With the strong link between periodontal disease and risk of cardiovascular disease, people are advised not to take chances and observe oral hygiene. Prevention is still the best cure. Being diligent with the simple acts of toothbrushing and flossing can prevent the risk of a fatal cardiac event.