Pregnancy and Your Dental Health
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Pregnancy and Your Dental Health
Click on the link to learn the importance of good dental care while pregnant.
How Teeth Change With Age
Friday, August 6, 2010
How Teeth Change With Age
Your mouth ages over time, just like the rest of you. Click on the link to find out more.
How to Keep Your Kids Cavity-Free - Parenting.com
Friday, July 30, 2010
How to Keep Your Kids Cavity-Free - Parenting.com
Click on the link to help your kids stay cavity-free!
Do You Have Tooth Enamel Erosion?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tooth erosion forms from the process where acidic chemicals erode, or melt away, the enamel from your teeth. It is different from tooth abrasion or tooth attrition which are caused from brushing with too hard of a toothbrush, grinding your teeth, or eating a rough diet of foods. Both processes lead to enamel loss, but the patient with enamel erosion is usually unaware of the cause of the problem, or even that there is a problem.
Acidic chemicals can come into tooth contact from many different avenues such as consuming acidic foods and beverages, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bulimia, and swimming in chlorinated swimming pools, among others.
Let's look at some common foods that are highly acidic.
FOOD | pH |
Lemon/Limes | 1.8-2.4 |
Oranges/Juice | 2.8-4.0 |
Apples | 2.9-3.5 |
Grapefruit | 3.0-3.5 |
Black Coffee | 2.4-3.3 |
Wines | 2.3-3.8 |
Coke | 2.7 |
Vinegar | 2.4-3.4 |
Pickles | 2.5-3.0 |
Your risk for tooth erosion increases if you consume these highly acidic foods often, or in large quantities. If you are concerned that you may be at risk, please have your teeth checked for enamel erosion with your dentist. Enamel erosion can make your teeth sensitive and increase your chances of tooth decay.
Read more...
Gum Disease and Your Overall Health Risks
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Gum disease can impact your overall health status. Now add to that idea the fact that 50% of the population has some form of gum disease. The implications cannot be ignored.
The mechanism that links gum disease to the health of the rest of your body is the bacteria that causes gum disease. This bacteria can enter your bloodstream and can cause some serious medical problems.
Like What?
1. A suspected link to pregnancy and premature births.
Please read the 1-22-2010 news report: "Mother's Gum Disease Linked to Infant's Death"
Bacteria from the mother's gums was traced to the placenta. Her baby was full-term, but stillborn. This is only one case, but a direct link was demonstrated. Dentists has long suspected the possibility of premature births and low birth weight to be correlated with gum disease.
2. A suspected link to cardiovascular disease.
In 2009, the American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of Periodontology acknowledged a strong association between gum disease and heart disease.
This article noted: "those patients with moderate-to-severe periodontitis [gum disease] should be informed that they might be at an increased risk of atherosclerotic CVD [cardiovascular disease]. Cardiologists and family physicians should be sensitive to this and refer CVD patients to their dental care providers for a complete periodontal assessment."
3. A suspected link to diabetes.
While more research is needed, we know that poorly controlled diabetics are more likely to have gum disease than well controlled diabetics or non-diabetics. We also know that diabetic patients with gum disease have a harder time controlling their blood sugar levels.
So, you see, good oral hygiene, and routing dental checkups and cleanings, can do more for your overall health than you thought!
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