Self-reliance is a good virtue, but not when it comes to our teeth. We might feel untouchable and cool, tearing packaging tapes without using scissors. Teeth are like glass; like our windshield, micro cracks will definitely happen. But unlike our windshields, we cannot see the little signs. The first symptom you will have, if you get unlucky, is pain. Some cases may only lead to wear and chips, but worst cases are split teeth that may lead eventually to tooth loss.
It is true that lemon-water is good for our gut; however, like any other health advises there are pros and cons. And, it is better to be in the middle.
If we do drink this, it is better that it is only once a day and we finish the glass of flavoured water all at once, instead of sip by sip throughout the day. You see, things other than water, can release acids. Sugars have acid by-products too. The environment in the mouth cannot be acidic for the whole day, or else it will make our teeth brittle, and hello cavities, white spots and worn teeth!
This is the same with chew-able acidic vitamins, if we can take it with water; the better it is for our teeth. We are only talking about the acidic vitamins. Please follow the instructions provided by your doctor when placing emergency medicine under the tongue or around the inside of the mouth.
Just imagine your teeth as a high-gloss kitchen tiles/counter. You don’t want to brush it with a steel-brush nor harmful gritty cleaners right? It’s the same thing with our teeth; we need to exercise our tender-loving-care, with gentle, longer strokes. When it is already sharp at the tips, or splayed, or it has been 3 months, time to change!
Letting your toothbrush dry is not allowing the bacteria to grow. Anything that is moist all the time, invites germs. You do not want to reintroduce these.
For bamboo toothbrushes, we do recommend wiping the handles with towels after every use to allow it to dry quicker and not letting it develop mold.
Remember, when I told you sugars turn to acid somehow when breaking, it is our saliva in the rescue. Let the ambulance of saliva save you, allow 30 minutes at least. However, if you had eaten something sticky at it rests from the chewing tables of your back teeth, oh, that is the gray side, brush now but gently, just take off those sticky ones.
Sports are way to be energetic and be healthy but to protect ourselves too with a mouth guard. There are two types, the custom-made and the over-the-counter ones. The custom-made fits better and are more protective. However, for growing individuals or patients undergoing braces or aligners, the over-the-counter ones are advisable as your teeth keep changing positions.
Oh, no, this is like saying that the front wheels of a car are the only ones we need to drive and forget about the back. Everything is created for a reason. The front is to show our nice smile, and the back to chew our food. If we chew using our front teeth, we may not have anything to show off when we smile after a period of time.
Visiting a dentist regularly is part of self-care believe it or not. It is not only about professional cleaning, but the examination is equally important. Checking the whole mouth for any signs of abnormalities is very essential as is screening for oral cancer, growths and others. A sleep apnea risk assessment is done too.
Blog by: Dr Beverly San Pablo
This is not an uncommon question which most of us have to answer when we visit a dentist.
With dentistry evolving at such a high pace and with so many technological advances in dentistry, we have more and more options available now.
Although it is hard to explain all the differences between the different materials available, we can touch base on three main materials available to make the choice easy for you.
Amalgam
Amalgam (silver-coloured) dental fillings have been around for a very long time. It was first invented by English chemist Bell in 1819. Later on, it had some changes with mixing of other metals.
Amalgam is made up of a metal alloy of mercury, silver, tin and copper. It is mixed as a soft filling material that is placed into a prepared tooth and hardens over a short period of time.
It is a very reliable and durable material that was used for many years for dental fillings due to its success in a moist environment. However, due to its un-aesthetic nature with the dark colour, its use of mercury and some doubts in relation to release of mercury has led a quest to find an alternative filling material.
Although a lot of people have reservations about its release of mercury and effects on general health, it is not proven yet.
Composite
Another very popular material is composite which has almost replaced amalgam and is widely used at present.
It is made up of glass particles mixed with an acrylic resin. It comes in different viscosities, each chosen by the dentist for different reasons.
It is used as soft material then hardened with help of light. It is chosen due to the following benefits:
It is not as hard as amalgam and has issues with longevity in large cavities due to wear, chipping margins, porosity and shrinkage. This leads us to another material; ceramic or porcelain.
Porcelain/Ceramic
In terms of terminology, porcelain fillings are often called inlays, onlays, ceramic or CEREC restorations whereas Composite or resin restorations are referred to as plastic white fillings. Composite Resin is placed in soft and set hard with the curing light, which leads to its shrinkage whereas the porcelain restoration is a hard prefabricated filling that is bonded into the cavity. When a filling is on the larger side, requiring corners or cusp replacements, composite restoration does not last long and porcelain has more longevity due to its lack of shrinkage, hardness and wear resistance and it is recommended to have porcelain reconstruction of the tooth to ensure that you are not back in the dental chair fixing the same tooth again any time soon.
The porcelain filling is no doubt more expensive, but when you consider you may have to replace a plastic resin filling over and over, the cost differential may prove to be a lot less than first envisaged.
After a thorough check-up and diagnosis, your dentist will discuss which of these materials is best suited to you. The decision will be based upon your oral health and what material will be best suited to the type of work needed, both for restoration’s optimum function and appearance.
It’s highly recommended to visit your dentist twice a year. Is there a logic behind it? Why is it recommended to go to the dentist twice a year?
Six monthly checkups are recommended to the majority of the population, but it can be more or less frequent depending on multiple factors, such as, oral hygiene, dietary habits, general wellbeing, habits of smoking and many other factors. Your dentist will be best to advise the frequency of checkups.
The reason to attend regular appointments is that some serious problems can go undetected, if there are longer gaps between checkups. There is a strong need for regular checkups to reduce the chances of a dental problem going unnoticed. Within six months, a majority of people will produce enough plaque and calculus build up to cause inflammation and damage of the gums. This calculus needs to be cleaned off regularly to prevent gum damage, gum disease and bone loss. The bone loss starts off slowly but will accelerate if left undiagnosed leading to loosening of teeth and eventually tooth loss.
Failure to treat a dental problem in time can lead to some irreversible conditions. For example: Decay left untreated will worsen the cavity to the point of needing root canal treatment. To avoid the occurrence of such a problem, it is advisable to see your dentist at least twice a year. Also, having your mouth checked regularly can help detect any oral cancers at an early stage.
Sometimes there is a factor of finances. There are many patients who would want to receive dental treatment, but they fear the financial aspect which goes along with the treatment. Many people chose to totally forgo their regular treatment on the issue of finances. This makes it impossible for them to have the check up twice a year. Call our surgery to find out how we can help with this.
Regular 6 monthly checkups or even sometimes at 3-4 monthly are recommended for:
Sticking to your 6 monthly dental check up, will ensure dental treatment can be done at the right time. Solving the problem in its early stages helps in treating the problem in the least invasive manner as possible. An act that saves you time, money and pain. Make the smart choice today – visit your dentist. It only takes an open mind!
Do you have an achy tooth? Your tooth, as well as gum, can cause severe pain, which must not be avoided or taken for granted. Rather, immediate treatment or medical assistance is required. You should not falter in communicating with your dentist.
The best way to avoid any extractions is to prevent the tooth from reaching the condition where it needs emergency tooth extraction. If the tooth has gone beyond scope of restoration, you can discuss with your dentist an alternative option like root canal treatment , periodontal treatment or you can seek a second opinion.
If the tooth can not be saved with any treatment and is advised extraction, it could have some possible complications of keeping the tooth.
Before things move out of your hand and vision, take proper care of your dental issues and do frequent check-ups.
Are you wondering why it is necessary to do emergency tooth extraction? Here are some reasons for you. Let’s have a look at them!
Keeping the tooth can lead to emergencies like facial swelling, abscess, severe pain. This can happen at any time like during office hours, late at night at home or during holidays. etc.
Thus, it is necessary to have an emergency tooth extraction to avoid extra cost, pain, swelling, and much more. Isn’t it true? Moreover, having broader idea on the situation with intense knowledge is necessarty before taking a decision.
Leaving an infected tooth in the mouth can affect the health of other teeth and also it is not healthy to have infected teeth in your mouth for your general well-being. Evidence suggests that poor oral health is a risk factor for heart conditions, stroke, low birth weight babies etc.
Whenever you are observing any signs of a toothache or infection, you immediately need to head over to a relevant dentist or surgeon right away. Sometimes emergency tooth extraction can be painful and tedious work, but it is necessary to perform such activities to eliminate or reduce the infection quickly. After this, you will have a peaceful sleep at night without any tension and stress.
In this technology-prone era, accidents are happening abruptly, which further leads to severe consequences like dental problems, and much more. Thus, the victim needs to seek medical assistance to fix the issues. And if the problem is serious,and the tooth can not be saved, then the dentist will perform emergency tooth extraction.
Due to your negligence and careless attitude, you confront such situations to eliminate infection from the mouth, as well as to prevent it from spreading. The dentist aims to reduce the chances of additional problems, which can further cause serious issues in the future. There are various possibilities of having an infection in the tooth, which often requires emergency tooth extraction.
Trauma or excessive decay could lead to serious consequences like tooth extraction. In most of the cases, damage and decay in the centre portion of your tooth can be troublesome and leads to pain and agony. Bacteria can move deep into the pulp and can cause you an infection. If the response of medicine is not impressive, then tooth extraction is a must.
There is an old saying that you should expect to lose a tooth for every baby born which is more a myth than the truth. Women generally complain that the baby has taken calcium from their teeth and has caused holes in the teeth. This is not true. Although there can be problems for teeth and gums during pregnancy, a baby taking calcium from their mother’s teeth is far from true. A baby can take calcium from their mother’s bones but certainly not from teeth.
For bone strength, it is essential to include calcium-rich foods in your diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, be reassured that babies do not draw the calcium out from your teeth although there is some teeth problem which can happen during pregnancy. So there is an element of truth as well in the concern but due to mostly different reasons than customarily believed.
The body goes typically through many changes during pregnancy which can affect mother’s oral health. The main differences which can affect the oral health are:
You are less likely to have dental problems during pregnancy if you maintain good oral hygiene habits. Suggestions include:
Things to remember:
Most people clench and/or grind their teeth unconsciously during the day or in their sleep which is medically known Bruxism.
As per the surveys, 9/10 kids are suffering from dental problems in Australia. Moreover, the consumption of chocolates and soft drinks are also reaching heights. In today’s time, it becomes a major problem that could not be ignored.
When you decide to go travelling, whether it be a quick trip or a long haul, there are lots of things that enter your mind.
While you start to think about planning, packing, exploring and having fun, it’s easy to put a few simple habits at the bottom of your list of priorities. This often includes looking after your teeth and oral hygiene. While the idea of looking after your teeth might sound easy, there’s more to keeping your mouth and teeth healthy while travelling than just brushing and flossing. Check out these handy tips to make sure your smile is as healthy as ever on your next trip!
The last thing you want is to arrive at your destination only to find that you need an emergency dental procedure! That’s why you should book an appointment before you go away and get a general check-up. At smile Craft Dental, we can ensure that your teeth are in tip-top shape before you leave. It’s also a great idea to book it early enough that you can also attend a follow-up appointment if any treatments or procedures are needed.
You probably haven’t given the hygiene of your toiletry bag, much thought. Before you pack your toothbrush, make sure you clean out your toiletries bag and disinfect it well. Bacteria breeding on your brush can lead to possible infections and have a negative impact on your oral health. Additionally, you should try not to pack your brush into a closed environment where it stays wet as this allows for more bacterial growth. Otherwise, just ensure that you clean it as best you can and as often as you can while you are on your trip.
When you’re used to cleaning drinking water on tap, you can forget that even brushing your teeth or rinsing your toothbrush with contaminated water could make you extremely ill. The quality of tap water is different all over the world. Make sure you find out about local water quality, and if you need to drink bottled water in the country you’re visiting, be sure to also brush your teeth and rinse your toothbrush with bottled water as well!
If you’re on holiday, it’s very easy to splurge and indulge yourself in as many delicious treats as possible. By all means, you absolutely should enjoy a whole range of culinary delights while you are on holiday, but it is essential that you still maintain your teeth simultaneously. Remember what sugary snacks do to your teeth and regularly brush and floss to minimize bacteria from growing.
It’s important to remember to be kind to your teeth at all times, especially while you are traveling. While a holiday lasts only a short time, your teeth must remain strong and healthy for the rest of your life! Keep up your oral health routine, and take extra steps to keep your teeth beautiful, clean and robust. Contact Smile Craft Dental today to book a check-up before you leave or to find out how else you can look after your teeth while you’re away!