Laughing in the Face of Dental Fear May Ease Worries

For those who hate going to the dentist, thinking positively, joking with dental staff relieved stress, studies saySource: HealthDayRelated MedlinePlus Pages: Dental Health, Stress (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Source: www.medworm.com

Don’t brush your teeth too hard

In the last blog we talked about tooth abrasion (see picture).

Here we have a patient with a large amount of recession3-4mm. The consequences of this amount of recession are

1) Sensitivity to cold. This can be severe in which case we have to fill the tooth which makes the recession even worse as you can never make the filling as smooth as the tooth.

2) It’s unsightly, cosmetically especially near the front making the teeth look longer, giving a premature aging effect.

3) As the uncovered part is the root and thus softer tooth surface it is more likely to decay and strain.

To complete the picture the patient’s plaque control is very good but that white layer at the side of the back tooth is plaque build up, missed by the tooth brush over a period of time. It is here in between the teeth that is the most important area as it’s here that periodontal disease is at its worst and of course it is here that is the hardest to clean.

Tooth Brushing is easy but getting all the plaque is off is so much harder than we all imagine, which is why it is so very important to regularly see a hygienist. We all need to see a hygienist because

1) She is able to access to plaque several weeks old (we all miss areas).

2) She make sure the home work is done to a good standard

3) She can remove all calculas (the hard areas that are microscopically rough).

4) She is able to polish stains away gently

5) We only employ nice hygienists so it is always a pleasant experience.

Remember, don’t brush too hard but make sure you brush effectively!!

How to choose a Tooth Brush

Over the years the quality of tooth brushes has improved substantially.

The amount of research in bristle technology and tooth brushing techniques has been so great that we now use brushes that although look the same, they really bear no resemblance to the older ones.

The materials and manufacture are now so much better that today’s toothbrushes are more efficient and easier to use.

With the increasingly efficient toothbrushes comes a problem, we are seeing more and more cases of toothbrush abrasion (see picture enclosed). The gums being worn away by the physical over use of the tooth brush.

Understandable really, because we have been conditioned to brush our teeth twice a day, the message that we all make up in our head is that if we brush 3 or 4 times a day- the teeth will be even cleaner or if we brush harder then they will be whiter.

Sadly this is incorrect, many of us are keeping our teeth for longer and over brushing can almost be worse than not brushing at all, this is because brushing harder not only wears away the enamel which is the white part of the tooth, thus making the teeth yellower but also causes premature recession of the gums

So what’s the answer?

1. Be careful! We all need to be taught how to brush! Sounds ridiculous but it’s true. Most of my patients which include several doctors/dentists don’t brush correctly. A session with a hygienist is a must.

2. Brushing too hard is a problem, so ease off!

3. Missing areas (especially the uppers at the back).

4. Missing the gums, we forget the gums!

5. Missing a complete section (the lower molars on the tongue side is a common area).

6. Get a good branded toothbrush- we recommend Colgate or Oral B.

A later blog will discuss the difference between hand and electric toothbrush.

Oral cancer deaths declining among well-educated

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Deaths from mouth and throat cancer have dropped since the early 1990s, according to a new study -- but only among people with at least a high school education. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Source: www.medworm.com

Dental Implants and Numbness

What are the risks of temporary numbness afterwards?

Numbness happens when a nerve is not allowed to work, this can be permanent if the nerve is cut or temporary if there is swelling around the nerve. Once the swelling decreases the numbness decreases.

Chances of numbness depend on where the implant is placed. In the Upper jaw there is very little chance as there are no nerves in the "normal places" where we put the implants.

Higher risk is in the lower jaw so it's really important to take good quality digital x-rays to be able to measure accurately distances from the nerve.

Also to avoid damage to the nerve if there is not much room is to use a piezo surgery unit to do the drilling of the bone. A piezo unit does not cut nerves so with this machine it is relatively safe

Implants in a day – can this be possible?

Many practices advertise this as an eye catching advert. Is this possible with all the

advances in implants? It might be.

Dr Malo of Malo Clinic in Portugal is considered one of the several pioneers of

the “all on 4” technique.

In this way of working all teeth, if present, are removed and 4 implants are placed

and immediately teeth are placed on the four implants (sometimes 5 implants) and the

success rate is higher then expected.

So why don’t we all just rip our teeth out and have these highly successful implants?

No more pain, no more caries, no more periodontal disease! If only life was that

simple! (More of this on another Blog)

As with all implants the success rate of immediate implants is related to the quality

and quantity of bone.

At Smile Dental Implants the percentage of patients we see that could have immediate

implants is very small. All the research shows that failure of immediate implants

is greater than when a period of healing, 8- 12 weeks happens.

I am not if it was me that I would want to swap waiting for eight weeks with a lower success rate.

I can understand that many patients will be wanting to get rid of uncomfortable,

wobbly dentures ASAP but at the expense of something that’s going to take longer

to produce (only 8 Weeks) but will last generally for longer than any other form of

dental treatment? I don’t know!

Who decides? – It has to be the patient after informed

consent of course!

Glossary: - Immediate implants refer to implants placed and loaded for function straight away.

What does your smile say about you?

What does your smile say about you? Comment and let the world know. Try our SmileSign widget to find out even more about your smile type and what it reveals about your personality!

Source: www.colgate.com