Health Tip: Take Care of Your Teeth

(HealthDay News) -- If you've been diagnosed with periodontal disease, you're not alone. Some 80 percent of American adults currently have some form of the gum disease, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Our mouths are full of bacteria, which along with mucus and food particles form a sticky, colorless "plaque" on teeth. Brushing and flossing help get rid of plaque.




Plaque that is not removed can harden and form bacteria-laden "tartar." The longer plaque and tartar are on teeth, the more harmful they become. The bacteria cause inflammation of the gums, which is known as gingivitis.

When gingivitis is not treated, it can advance to periodontitis, characterized by the gums pulling away from the teeth and forming infected pockets. Bacterial toxins and the body's enzymes fighting the infection start to break down the bone and connective tissue that hold teeth in place.

If periodontitis isn't treated, the bones, gums and connective tissue that support the teeth are destroyed. At that point, the teeth may have to be removed.

Health Tip: Help Prevent Cavities

(HealthDay News) -- Tooth decay is among the most common medical conditions, second only to the common cold, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says.
The agency offers these suggestions to help keep your teeth healthy and cavity-free:

• See your dentist every six months and have annual X-rays.
• Brush your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste at least twice a day, and floss every day.
• Avoid snacking on foods that are chewy, sticky or sugary. If you do eat them, be sure to brush right after eating.
• Avoid mints, candy and sugar-laden drinks.
• Ask your dentist if you should use a sealant on your teeth.

No dentist? Oh, no!

By Gary F. Arnet, D.D.S.

Enjoying lunch while looking out over the gorgeous view from your backcountry home, you bite down hard on a nut, hear a loud crack, and immediately feel excruciating pain from a broken tooth. Rare? No, it occurs all the time.

Dental emergencies can occur at home or in the wilderness without warning and can incapacitate a person in an instant. “No problem, I’ll get right over to the dentist,” you think. Hopefully, that is possible, but not always. You may live some distance from a dentist, it may be a night or weekend when it is hard to find one, or there may not be any available.

One of the first things that stop during a disaster is dental care. Major natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, or floods, and human disasters, such as terrorism or riots, close dental offices in a second. Electrical shortages, as seen in California recently, or any disruption of the regional power grids and there is no help since dentists can’t operate without electricity. Hospitals rarely have any dental services, so you could be on your own for hours or days.

Since dental first aid is rarely taught in first aid classes, information presented here is intended to help you in an emergency situation when no professional dental help is available. It is not intended to be a substitute for proper dental care. Continue Reading >>

Tooth Decay

Keep that smile on your face by protecting and strengthening your teeth and gums. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may reduce the number of trips to the dentist:

Protect your pearly whites :

• Try over-the-counter toothpastes (Gel-Tin, Stop) and mouthwashes (ACT, Fluorigard) to help protect your teeth and make them stronger
• Discover xylitol
• Chew gum containing xylitol to reduce the activity of cavity-causing bacteria
• Battle the bad bugs
• Inhibit cavity-causing bacteria by adding lactobacillus GG to children’s milk
• Pass up sticky sweets
• Cut down on cavity-causing bacteria by avoiding sugary foods that stick to your teeth or stay in the mouth for a long time
• Keep an eye on hygiene
• Prevent tooth decay by brushing and flossing regularly, and visiting your dentist's office for fluoride treatments and periodic cleanings Continue Reading >>

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Cavity-Fighting Candy? Give Me a Gummy Bear!

By Theresa Tamkins

I admit I was a bit skeptical when I read the news that gummy bears could fight kids’ cavities. In a new study, researchers fed kids candy at school and found that the chewy little critters cut down on cavity-causing bacteria.
Granted, the bears were sugar-free. But in place of the sugar was low-calorie xylitol, a sugar alcohol sweetener, which can cause diarrhea if consumed in large quantities (our diabetes blogger Sean Kelley found that out the hard way after scarfing down a box of sugar-free Christmas candy).
I had another potential objection: What message does this send to kids? First we tell them candy is bad for their teeth, but now it’s good—eat up! So I took my concerns to Kiet A. Ly, MD, the lead researcher on the study published in BMC Oral Health. Read More