Why floss?

Photo: 1st Family Dental

Don’t lie to us. We all know that you’re not flossing as often as you should. Most patients start flossing a few days before their appointment thinking that it might somehow make up for the last six months. Flossing is one of the hardest habits to start, and we know that.

As a dental professional, I don’t even floss as often as I know I should. It seems like an annoying daily task, but it is crucial to maintaining adequate oral health. Unfortunately, your toothbrush can’t reach in between your teeth and that is where the floss comes in to save the day.

Flossing will help reduce the amount of decay causing bacteria that sit between your teeth. The longer that bacteria sits between your teeth, the faster decay will start to form. Flossing may also help with reducing bacteria that can cause bad breath. So, that quick minute it takes you to floss will save you more trips to the dentist
 

The bitewing radiographs, usually taken at your six month recall appointments, are what the dentist uses to diagnose the decay in the flossing contacts of your teeth. The picture below shows a bitewing of a patient with decay. 

Photo Credit: Dr. Spiller

It is important that you're allowing your office take these films at least once a year to watch for decay. Folks, let's make flossing a priority and stop our lies to the dentist.

For more information on flossing techniques and types of floss: Colgate
For more information on bitewing and other radiographs: Dr. Spiller

What is a dental implant?

If you are missing a permanent tooth, odds are that your dentist has given you options for a replacement. Missing a tooth can cause other problems like shifting, super eruption, decreased chewing ability, bone loss, and the extraction of additional teeth. There are a few options for replacements, and in most cases the best option is to replace it with a dental implant.  

A dental implant is a titanium root replacement usually placed by an oral surgeon. The process works by first extracting the tooth and then screwing a titanium screw in to the bone. That will need to heal for a few months and then your general dentist will cement a permanent crown to cover the top. They look very natural have a great prognosis. 

The price of a dental implant is steep, often costing around $2,500 to $3,000 between the oral surgeon and your general dentist. Although this may seem like a lot of money, this is usually the best option and will save you money in the long run and the loss of more teeth. 

Nobel Biocare is one of the leading manufactures of dental implants, and their website has very informative graphics (like the one below) to help you better understand what they would look like once place in your mouth. If you're thinking about getting an implant I recommend viewing their website and photo gallery to help prepare yourself for the procedure.  

Photo Credit: Nobel Biocare

Tooth Tip Tuesday

For today’s oral health tip I’m going to discuss the importance of drinking H₂O. By now, you should all know how incredible water is. There are countless benefits that it has for your body, but did you know it is good for your mouth too?

Water has a pH of 7 and that just happens to be the pH your mouth works best at. Anything more basic or acidic will lead to decay and other issues.

Whenever you eat or drink your mouth fluctuates in pH level. I was taught in school that it takes your mouth  20-30 minutes to get back to a neutral level once you eat or drink. If you're sipping on Diet Coke or other acidic drinks all day long your mouth is never getting a chance to recover. When it is at that acidic state all day you're putting yourself on the fast track for decay.

We have a lot of parents come in to the office and they’re confused as to why their child has all of these cavities even though their kids brush their teeth. Most times the decay is because of the juice and sports drinks that they are consuming.

Most pop, juice, and coffee have a pH of less than 5 and your enamel begins to dissolve at 5.5. Skipping these beverages and opting for water will be beneficial to your body and your mouth.

I know most of us like to indulge in these beverages. So if you decide to have that pop make sure that you aren't sipping it all day long and have a glass of water afterward. It will not only get you hydrated, but it will also level your pH.

Here is a list of the pH level of some common beverages:

Photo Credit: Prevent Disease



 



Learn more about this topic: Wisconsin Dental Association
To be notified for new postings, follow me by adding your email in to the box in the top right.

Tooth Tip Tuesday

Each Tuesday I will be blogging about a tip for taking care of your teeth. I see many patients come in with tooth decay that could have been prevented by taking better care of their teeth. With these tips, I hope that you can maintain better oral health for both you and your family.

For my first post I want to talk about proper brushing technique. My guess is that all of you are brushing too hard. I know you want to scrub all of the plaque off a quickly as possible and get on with your day, but you’re doing a lot more harm than good.

Brushing too hard causes gum recession. This can cause your roots to become exposed which can lead to sensitivity to hot and cold. Once your gums begin to recede, you will put yourself at an increased risk for tooth decay.

So, let’s talk about brushing. Start with a soft bristled toothbrush…always. You don’t need anything harder than that. You will want to angle your brush at a 45⁰ angle and take short, soft strokes back and forth, slowly working your way forward. It should take you about 30 seconds to brush each quadrant of your mouth. If you have a fancy electric toothbrush, like the Oral-B Triumph, it will tell you when 30 second is up and actually shut off when you’re brush too hard.

Photo Credit: identalhub.com

 

Let’s do your mouth a favor and take an extra minute to brush. Knowing how to properly brush your teeth will help slow this recession process down and keep your gum tissue at the appropriate level.

Picture of the day

PhotoCredit: Joe Paduda

Have you ever thought that brushing and flossing could help keep your heart strong? It sounds pretty odd, right? Actually, recent studies have shown that oral and cardiovascular health could be closer in relation than we thought.

It all starts with periodontal disease. If you aren’t sure what periodontal disease is, you’re not alone. Many people go through life with it and are completely unaware of their condition. It is the chronic inflammation of the tissues and ligaments that surround your teeth usually caused by plaque buildup. It is irreversible, but it can be maintained by routine cleanings and, in some cases, visits with a Periodontist. This is dentist who focuses on the tissues and structures supporting the teeth.

When you have periodontal disease, the bacteria from your mouth enter your bloodstream and cause a rise in a certain type of protein in your blood. This protein is known to inflame the blood vessels, which then could increase your risk for heart disease. There are still many studies that need to be done, but this link could be life changing for many. The Cleveland Clinic provides great information on this topic.  

How can you help prevent periodontal disease? First, you can start by developing a great oral health routine at home. Make sure that you are brushing twice a day for at least two minutes each time, and flossing at least once a day. I know that everyone hates to floss but it is so beneficial (post on this to come).  Also, it’s great to start rinsing with and antibacterial mouth rinse that contains fluoride.  This will help by killing that harmful bacterial that sits in your mouth. Next, make sure that you're getting a routine cleaning at least once every six months. For some of you with high plaque buildup and gum disease, your dentist or hygienist might recommend you coming in every three months.

 

About this blog

My love for teeth started in the first grade. It started by watching a little boy use a Kleenex to try and pull out one of his teeth. He could not get it out and he was becoming very frustrated, so I decided he needed a little help. I walked up to him and twisted it right out. It was at that moment that I caught the dental bug. From then on, I knew I was going to work in the dental profession. I was that weird kid who always loved going to the dentist and getting my teeth clean. My freshman year of college was spent going through the dental assisting program here at IU South Bend. My title is an expanded functions dental assistant, which just means that I did extra training and am able to place fillings. I landed a job at an externship that was assigned to me for school and have been there ever since. After completing the assisting program, I came back to IU South Bend as a predental/biology student, but my plans for dental school changed when my husband and I decided to have a baby. Now, I am going to complete my bachelors this May and continue my career as an assistant.

I love teeth and genuinely care about the oral health of others. Throughout this blog, I want to give you tips and great information for maintaining good oral health. As kids we were taught to fight decay by brushing and flossing, but maintaining good oral health is much more than that. My goal is to provide you with a better understanding of how your mouth works and ways to prevent decay. I hope to lead you to a cleaner mouth and a bigger smile. If you have questions about oral health feel free to ask me or check out the American Dental Association website.