Why Consider Invisalign Aligners?

Some people aren't aware of an alternative to braces for getting perfectly straight teeth.  Aligners can be used to fix crowding, bite imperfections, and spacing issues. If you're considering getting braces, check out these reasons why you may want to consider aligners as an option as well.

1.    Easy to clean - aligners are easy to pop out and clean. You won't have to worry about flossing or brushing in between brackets and wires because aligners are completely removable.

2.    No food restrictions – Because aligners can easily be taken off your teeth, you're allowed to eat whatever foods you'd like without having to worry about damaging your aligners.

3.    Comfortable - Although they may be uncomfortable when you first get them, the aligners  typically become more comfortable to wear as you wear them more. You are given multiple sets of aligners that you change every two weeks. Each aligner is slightly adjusted from the one previous, and you may feel a minor tightness that lasts only a day or two after you put in a new set of aligners.

4.    Virtually invisible - These aligners are made out of clear plastic, so they're hardly noticeable when you smile.

Not everyone is eligible for Invisalign. Call to book an appointment to see if it is an option for you.

Tips to Prevent Tooth and Mouth Injuries

Mouth and tooth injuries are quite common. Most of the dental injuries occur to the front teeth and lips, tongue, jaw, gums and inner cheek. In babies, injuries could occur due to falling while leaning to walk or playing. Sports are the main source of dental injuries for adolescents and adults.

It is seen that almost half of dental injuries are caused due to sports. Dental injuries can be very painful and it is important to be careful during sports or other activities.

Some tips to prevent sports-related dental injuries:

• Mouth Guards - A mouth guard is the best way to protect your teeth while playing sports. It absorbs and minimizes the effect of any forceful impact.
• Face cages - Some positions in certain sports are very susceptible to dental injuries like hockey goalie, baseball catcher etc. Wearing a face cage can protect against injury in such cases.
• Helmets - It’s important to use helmets in sports which are prone to head injuries like in cricket as it protects the most important part of your body - your head.

Knocked out tooth

Whether the result of an accident or biting on a piece of food that’s too hard, mouth injuries can cause teeth to become cracked, broken, or knocked out/dislodged. It is very much possible to repair your knocked out tooth provided you get to your dentist as soon as possible. Teeth which are knocked out and replaced by the dentist within one hour have the best chances of being saved. Even if the tooth or teeth cannot be saved there are various cosmetic procedures to get back your smile such as a removable partial denture/bridge or a fixed partial denture or even a dental implant.

It is important to see a dentist because if left untreated, a dental emergency can lead to serious complications.

Ref:www.webmd.com

www.dentalhealthsite.com

Smoking and Oral Health

In addition to several other chronic diseases, tobacco use is a primary cause of many oral diseases and adverse oral conditions. For example, tobacco is a risk factor for oral cancer and periodontal disease. It can also cause stained yellow or brown teeth, bad breath, and loss of teeth. Smoking is thought to alter bacteria in dental plaque, making it more harmful.

In general, smokers can expect to develop some combination of the following, depending on the amount and length of time they have smoked: (Ref: J.periodontology 2000 May:71(5):743-51)

• Persistent bad breath
• Discolored teeth
• An increase in calculus (tartar) build-up
• Periodontal (gum and bone) disease that may progress more quickly and be more severe than in non-smokers
• Jaw bone loss
• Shifting teeth
• An increased number of missing teeth
• Oral cancers
• Mouth sores
• Root caries (cavities)
• Sinusitis
• Hairy tongue
• Smoker’s lip (like a burn)
• Altered sense of taste and smell
• Delayed wound healing

Gum Disease

Smoking has been established as a significant risk factor for gum disease. Tobacco reduces blood flow to the gums, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients that allow gums to stay healthy, and leaving them vulnerable to bacterial infection. 

According to one U.S. study, cigarette smoking may play a major role in more than half the cases of severe gum disease in adults. Current smokers were about four times more likely to have periodontitis than people who had never smoked.

If unchecked, periodontal disease can lead to complete destruction of the tooth’s supporting tissues, abscesses and, ultimately, loss of the tooth.

Caring for your Teeth and Gums

If you are a smoker, there are some things you can do to prevent tooth and gum problems:

• Try to quit smoking – speak to your doctor or dentist or call helpline for guidance and support.
• If quitting smoking is too difficult, try and reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke.
• Thoroughly clean your teeth and gums twice a day with toothpaste that contains fluoride.
• Use dental floss every day to clean between your teeth.
• Visit your dentist regularly for advice about the proper care of your teeth and gums at home, early intervention and regular preventive maintenance visits to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
• Avoid having a dry mouth – drink plenty of water and chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production.
• Limit your alcohol intake.

To stop using tobacco or smoking habit, people can also join smoking cessation classes and support groups along with drug therapy. Ask your doctor or dentist for information on similar programs they may be familiar with.

Ref: www.webmd.com

www.who.int

www.cdho.org

How can I Prevent Cavities?

Cavities, also known as tooth decay, occur when plaque, the sticky substance that forms on teeth, combines with the sugars and / or starches of the foods that we eat. This combination produces acids that attack tooth enamel.

Follow these dental hygiene practices to prevent cavities:

• Brush your teeth - In the fight against cavities, it is essential that you brush your teeth properly at least twice a day with a toothpaste containing fluoride.
• Floss daily - Food debris gets caught in between our teeth when we eat. If the debris is not removed, it can lead to cavities. Flossing every day is the best way to remove food debris from in between the teeth.
• Eat healthy – Proper nutrition plays an important role in good dental health. Eating nutritional snacks and limiting the amount of sugar intake will help to prevent plaque from forming on the teeth.
• Visit your dentist - Many cavities can only be detected by a dentist or a dental X-ray. Visiting your dentist for regular checkups and cleanings are a key factor in preventing cavities and staying on top of good oral hygiene.
• Have sealants placed - Dental sealants are a protective coating that is applied to the biting surfaces of the back teeth. The sealant protects the tooth from getting a cavity by shielding against bacteria and plaque. Sealants are more common in children because of the new growth of permanent teeth; however, sealants can benefit adults too.
• Use a mouthwash - There are several antimicrobial mouthwashes on the market that have been clinically proven to reduce plaque. Rinsing with one of these mouthwashes after brushing or eating can aid in cavity prevention.
• Chew sugarless gum - Believe it or not, chewing certain sugarless gums can actually help to prevent cavities by increasing the flow of saliva in your mouth.

It is especially important to keep an eye on how often your child eats as well as what he/she eats. You should limit between-meal snacks to reduce the number of acid attacks on teeth and to give teeth a chance to repair themselves. Limit their intake of candies, cookies, soda and other sugary drinks. Make sure your child doesn’t eat or drink anything with sugar after bedtime tooth brushing. Don’t forget to supervise young children when they brush. Since most cavities in children and adolescents develop in the molars, it's best to get these teeth sealed as soon as they come in.

Ref: www.dentistry.com

www.nidcr.nih.gov

Do you need a Root Canal?

To make an accurate diagnosis about your tooth's need for endodontic therapy (root canal), your dentist will need to evaluate information collected from a number of different sources.
And while there are some obvious signs that nearly everyone is familiar with, there are also a number of less apparent ones that quite possibly only your dentist will notice.

Here are the types of issues and events that they'll need to evaluate.

1. Symptoms you have noticed - It's usually the presence of discomfort and/or swelling that signals to a person that their tooth has a problem. Your dentist will quiz you about what you have experienced.

• Pain
• Sensitivity to hot/cold
• Gum tenderness or swelling
• Frequency of pain or swelling

2. Signs noticed by your dentist - Some teeth give little indication that there's a problem within their nerve space. But to the trained eye, these subtle hints can be an obvious sign that a problem likely exists.

• Identifying problem teeth with x-rays
• Recurring or persistent gum pimples
• Individually darkened teeth
• Exposure of a tooth’s nerve

3. Additional testing - Once a dentist has identified a suspect tooth, they may then perform additional testing that can help to confirm their suspicions.

• Percussion testing – tapping the end of one of their instruments on your tooth.
• X-ray evaluation
• Thermal testing
• Electric pulp testing – A pulp tester transmits low-levels of electrical current to a tooth. The general idea is that a healthy nerve will respond with a tingling sensation. A dead nerve will have no response.

If you notice any of the signs and symptoms mentioned here, you should contact your dentist and make arrangements to be evaluated and receive treatment in a time frame they determine is necessary.

Don’t make assumptions and don’t delay

Some people won't seek treatment promptly if, in their mind, they think it's already too late, will cost too much money or else the idea of having the treatment is too unnerving for them. 

Don't make this mistake. If you have a tooth that's displaying symptoms, have your dentist evaluate it sooner rather than later. Doing so may make a big difference in what you experience, what type of treatment you require and its total cost.