Do You Have To Be Young To Have Really White Teeth?

It is true that your pearly whites lose their luster as we age. Some common foods, drinks and even mouthwashes can stain teeth. But, Do-it-yourself remedies can help whiten teeth, and avoiding substances that stain teeth can stop further discoloration.

Use these steps to whiten your teeth:

• Home teeth whitening – Talk to your dentist about home tooth whitening products like kits, strips and toothpastes may lighten stains. But, for deep stains, you may need to seek your dentist’s help.
•      Home remedies – Some people prefer the age-old home remedy of baking soda and a toothbrush to gently whiten teeth at home. Also, some foods such as celery, apples, pears, and carrots trigger lots of saliva, which helps wash away food debris on your teeth. Chewing sugar-less gum is also a tooth-cleansing action.
•      Tooth whitening and dental work – Approach tooth whitening with caution if you have lots of bonding, fillings, crowns, and bridges. Bleach will not lighten manufactured teeth, so they will stand out among newly whitened natural teeth. In order to match your whiter teeth, you may need new dental work, including veneers or bonding.
•      Preventing teeth stains – As we age, the outer layer of tooth enamel may wear away. The underlying layer, called dentin, is yellower. That’s why it is important to try to avoid staining teeth. If you take care with foods and drinks that discolor teeth, the results of whitening can last longer.
•      To keep teeth white, don’t light up – Smoking is one of the worst offenders, when it comes to staining teeth. Tobacco causes brown stains that penetrate the grooves and pits of tooth enamel. These stains are hard to remove by brushing alone.
•       Foods that cause teeth stains – Some common foods, which discolor teeth, are coffee, tea, dark sodas and fruit juices. These teeth stains develop slowly and become more noticeable as we age. Deep color fruits and veggies such as blueberries, blackberries and beets leave their color on teeth as well. Eat them for your health and prevent tooth stains by brushing teeth and rinsing mouth immediately after eating.
•      Think as you drink – A glass of red wine, cranberry juice or grape juice also stains teeth easily. Remember to rinse your mouth after you have these drinks.
•      Don’t forget daily maintenance – One simple strategy can help maintain white teeth: brush. Brush at least twice and floss at least once daily. Brushing helps prevent stains and yellow teeth, especially at the gum line.
•      Visit your dentist – See your Calgary dentist for regular checkups and professional cleaning. The abrasion and polishing methods dentists use can remove many teeth stains caused by food and tobacco.

Do you think that losing your teeth is a natural part of the aging process?

Tooth loss is not a normal and unavoidable part of aging. Your teeth are intended to last a lifetime and with good oral care and professional dental services they can.

The fallacy that losing your teeth is a natural part of aging originated from an era when routine dental procedures to prevent tooth loss were not generally practiced or as available as they are today. The truth is that bad oral hygiene habits, wrong diet and neglecting to see your dentist for regular dental services has way more to do with tooth loss than growing older does.

Tooth root decay develops more quickly as we grow older, but fortunately frequent fluoride treatments minimize this risk along with tooth cavities. The natural cleansing process of salivary production may slow down later in life causing more plaque build-up – making routine cleanings and dental procedures even more important. Professional dental cleanings also help to prevent periodontal disease or bone loss which is the number one reason why folks lose their teeth.

Dentists are available to give dental tips and to provide dental services that guard against tooth loss.

The Benefits of Regular Visits to the Dentist

Visiting your dentist for regular checkups and cleanings can help prevent many dental problems as well as to help you maintain optimal oral health. Don't wait until you have a toothache before you call your dentist. You should have a regular dental visit at least every 6 months.

What happens during a dental visit?

• Clinical dental examination - Your dental professional will check for cavities and to see if there is plaque or tartar on your teeth. Plaque is a clear, sticky layer of bacteria. If it is not removed, it can harden and become tartar. You cannot remove tartar with brushing and flossing. If plaque and tartar build up on your teeth, they can cause oral diseases.

Next, your gums will be checked. This will be done with a special tool to measure the spaces between your teeth and gums. With healthy gums, the spaces are shallow. When people have gum disease, the spaces may become deeper.
The check-up should also include your tongue, throat, face, head, and neck. This is to look for any signs of trouble, swelling, or cancer.

• Dental cleaning – During the dental visit, your dental professional cleans your mouth by removing any plaque and tartar, polishing your teeth and flossing.

Once your examination and cleaning have been performed, they’ll tell you about the health of your teeth and gums and then make any additional recommendations. It’s important that you see your dentist every six months for a routine examination and cleaning. By seeing your dentist on a regular basis and following daily good oral hygiene practices at home, you are more likely to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Make Your Child Love the Dentist

Going to the dentist starts long before your child’s first appointment. If you have hesitation about going to the dentist, he/she will sense this and be apprehensive as well. Believe it or not, some children actually look forward to going to the dentist, but this takes preparation and teamwork to make this happen.

You can prepare your kids by reading books about visiting the dentist. Books explain why we need to visit the dentist and what happens at the dental clinic, from arrival to the waiting room to the equipment used and what the dentist will do. One of the main reasons children might fear the dentist is the unknown – if they have an idea of what to expect it makes it easier for them. Secondly, be a positive role model. Visit the dentist regularly yourself and brush your teeth with them.

Children may have any number of dental health problems over the years. For instance, they may require braces to help with straightening their teeth. They could need to have fillings put in to prevent worsening of cavities and further damage to their teeth. Very young children will need to be taught good oral hygiene practices, and the dentist’s office is the perfect place to reinforce what they are learning at home. 

How Much Toothpaste Should an Adult Use?

As little as we think about it, toothpaste is an essential item that we use every day. But, a good question is “How much toothpaste should we be using?”

Most adults tend to think that it is necessary to cover the entire brushing surface of a toothbrush because of the way toothpaste is advertised on television. Liberal use of toothpaste is far too much; it is only necessary for adults to use an estimated pea sized dab of toothpaste to properly clean their teeth.

Besides toothpaste, fluoride can be found in a variety of products, including mouth rinses, supplements in tablet form and drinking water, if community water is fluoridated. Other products, such as juice boxes and soda pop, may contain fluoride, depending on their water sources. For example, if the bottler for a soda pop company is located in a community where fluoridated water is present, fluoride will be present in the product. Some people also receive topical fluoride treatments during a routine dental visit.

So, in summary,

1. The right amount of toothpaste is the size of a pea.
2. We can get fluoride from the sources other than our toothpaste.

Regular visits to the dentist are important because dentists can help if you or your child is not receiving enough fluoride.

Remember, only a dentist can diagnose your dental problems and offer the right treatment plan for you. Get connected with your nearest dentist in NW Calgary.

How common is Gum Disease?

Gum disease is a very common condition where the gums become swollen, sore or infected and most people experience it at least once. It is much less common in children. As per Canadian Dental Association (CDA), 7 out of 10 Canadians develop gum disease at some time in their lives. The incidence of gum disease is very high. It is seen in all types of people, all races and cultures, regardless of where they live or their level of education.

People who do not go to a family dentist are frequently unaware they have a problem -- an estimated 20 per cent of Canadians have active periodontal disease and do not know it.

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is a chronic infection that can result in a number of health problems, from mild inflammation to severe gum damage to tooth loss, if left untreated. In addition, gum disease can affect your overall health, and has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

It is an infection of the tissues that surround and support your teeth and, is caused by plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that is constantly forming on our teeth. Plaque that is not removed with thorough daily brushing and cleaning between teeth can eventually harden into calculus or tartar.

If you have gum disease, your gums may bleed when you brush your teeth and you may have bad breath. This stage of gum disease is known as gingivitis. If gingivitis is not treated, a condition called periodontists can develop. This affects the tissues that support teeth and hold them in place.

Signs of Gum Disease:
Your oral health is critical to your overall health. If you notice any of the following symptoms, seek care from a dentist who is knowledgeable about treating gum disease:

• A sour taste in your mouth or persistently bad breath
• A change in how your partial dentures fit
• A change in how your teeth fit together when you bite down
• Bleeding gums
• Gum tissue that pulls away from your teeth
• Loose teeth or increasing spaces between your teeth
• Pain when chewing
• Unusually sensitive teeth
• Swollen and tender gums

Gum Disease Treatment Options:

• Regular professional deep cleanings
• Medications that are either taken orally or are inserted directly into infected tissue pockets
• Surgery, in more severe cases of gum disease.
• Good oral hygiene home practices i.e. brushing + flossing.

Despite following good oral hygiene practices, people may be genetically susceptible to gum disease. If anyone in your family has gum disease, it may mean that you are at greater risk, as well. If you are more susceptible to gum disease, your dentist or periodontist may recommend more frequent dental check-ups, cleanings, and treatments to better manage the condition.

Broken or Cracked Tooth

Any trauma to the mouth that causes bleeding and lacerations to the gums, tooth fracture and/or dislodging of teeth, may require immediate attention. If you take longer to see your dentist, it will reduce the chance of revival of the tooth.

Causes

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

If the tooth is just chipped, you should make a non-emergency dental appointment to have it smoothed down and filled. If the tooth has been knocked out or is badly broken, see a dentist immediately. Find your nearest dentist who offers emergency dental appointments.

While you wait to see a dentist, you can follow these dental tips:

• If you still have a knocked out tooth, handle by the tip of it (crown) and avoid touching the root. Do not scrape or brush the tooth. If that tooth is dirty, rinse with milk or salt water. The sooner a knocked-out tooth is re-implanted, the more likely it is to embed itself back into the gum. If you don't want to be left with a gap, make an emergency appointment to see your dentist. Usually, your dentist will want to re-implant your tooth as soon as possible, ideally within an hour of it being knocked out. If you have already attempted this yourself, they will check that the tooth is in place correctly.

• In case of lost tooth, most people will choose to have it replaced. Different dental treatments are adopted for tooth replacement. Your dentist can replace the tooth with a denture, a bridge or an implant.

• If you have broken your tooth, do not try to re-implant the fragment back into your gum – store it in a clean container and cover the fragment with milk or saliva until you can see a dentist. It may be possible to reattach the broken fragment to the tooth. If you have broken a tooth halfway down and damaged the network of blood vessels and nerves in its center (the pulp), root canal treatment will be needed to remove the damaged pulp from your tooth, as this can become infected. The space will then be filled and the tooth sealed with a filling or a dental crown.

Unlike broken bones, the crack in a tooth will never heal completely. It is still important that you get treatment. Our dental team at Expressions Dental™ will be able to tell you more about this problem and recommend treatment for a broken or cracked tooth.