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Getting the proper nutrition to keep your body healthy is something that many of us strive for each and every day. But do we ever give a thought of “What’s healthy for our teeth”? Do we ever stop and think, “Hold on, don’t have that, it eats the enamel off my teeth”?

Well here are some foods that you should stop and think about before putting them in your mouth.

• Ice cubes. “That’s not a food” I hear you say. Very true, but it is something that we frequently chew. Chewing on these even though they are sugar free does damage the enamel on your teeth, so it’s probably better to chuck this habit.
• Anything with sugar in it is bad for your teeth. We all know this. But why is sugar so terrible? Sugar feeds plaque which of course builds up from the bacteria in our mouths and settles on our teeth.
• Hard Lollies. So apart from being full of sugar they also dissolve slowly giving bacteria more time to multiply and release their terrible acids that eat away at your teeth. Plus these guys are rock hard and you could chip or crack a tooth if you bit down too hard on one.
• Chewy Lollies. Also full of sugar so, once again, bad for the same reasons as above. But what makes these guys so nasty is that they cling to teeth, enshrouding them in, yes you guessed it, sugar. So now the bacteria in your mouth  has even more time to eat away at your teeth in the crevices between them where chewy candies always seem to get stuck.
• Any type of sticky food is not good for teeth. For example, dried fruits are healthy but can stick to teeth so it is best to rinse after you eat sticky food and should brush and floss regularly.
• Citrus Fruit. Packed full of vitamin C and goodness, how can an orange or a lemon, or the innocent grapefruit be at fault here? They have citric acid as one of their main components and this eats away at tooth enamel. So eat them for their vitamin C but brush your teeth afterwards.
• Starchy Foods. Anything starch that can and usually does get stuck between your teeth is the culprit here. Popcorn, potato chips and their friends are the enemy, and while a movie just isn’t a movie without popcorn, it might be a good idea to take the floss along and clean out those bits that get stuck before they can encourage tooth decay.
• Soft Drinks. So apart from our good old friend, sugar, these guys are full of phosphoric acid and citric acid, both of which eat away your tooth enamel.
• This one is dangerous not only because of the sugars contained in it, but also because of another little side effect, dry mouth. Anything that dries out your mouth is hazardous to your teeth and should be avoided.
• Tea and coffee are alright in moderation but excessive tea and coffee is not good for teeth as can cause drying of mouth, staining of teeth and sugar added to them is also not good for teeth.

The Good Guys

So these are the bad guys that hurt your teeth but there are also a whole host of good guys who promote heathy teeth and gums. We can also give you a few tips on how to survive and keep your teeth healthy:

1. Eat your sugary food during meals. You make more saliva then, helping to wash the acid and sugar away from your teeth.
2. Limit between meal snacks. If you need to eat rather choose fruit and then afterwards chew some sugarless gum to promote more saliva production.
3. Drink more water. After all it washes your mouth clean and some water supplies have added fluoride that helps protect your teeth.

Top Ten Teeth Tips

The only way to have a great smile is with proper oral hygiene and good dietary habits. Here are some tips to help you keep or get that beautiful, bright smile.

1.  Learn to Brush the Right Way

It should normally take two minutes to brush each time. You should be holding the brush at a 45 degree angle while brushing lightly against your teeth and gums. Pressing down too hard could damage the outer shell of the teeth, also known as enamel. Use a soft toothbrush and brush twice a day especially after meals. Don’t neglect the back teeth and tongue.

2. Floss

It is recommended that you floss once a day. Food and plaque can be found between our teeth in those hard to reach spaces that our toothbrush just can’t quite get to. Flossing prevents that leftover food from staying embedded between the teeth and hardening into tartar or calculus. It doesn’t matter whether you floss before or after your meal, just do it.

3.  Limit Sugar in Food

Be careful of the sugars that are hidden in foods. Try to switch out sugary foods and drinks for fruits and water. It’s no secret that sugar is the cause for cavities. According to Colgate.com, each time you consume food and drinks that contain sugars or starches, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack your teeth for twenty minutes or more. That’s more of a reason to ease up on the sugar if you ask me.

4. Avoid Staining Your Teeth

Want pearly whites? Avoid any dark food or drink items which are prone to stain and darken your teeth. Excessive intake of dark food and drink items such as wines, coffee and tea can cause staining of teeth. Red wines produce tooth-discoloring pigments. Red and white wines both contain acid, which can erode enamel and can cause stains from other foods or drinks to penetrate more deeply. Another thing is there is dryness of the mouth due to tannins  present in red wine. Smoking is the other main culprit.

5. Replace Your Toothbrush

Change your toothbrush every three months. Old bristles could be hard and can cause damage to teeth and gums.

6. Prevent Teeth Injuries

Ever use your teeth to open that stubborn package? Well stop! You are at risk of chipping or breaking your teeth. No more opening bottles, chewing ice or anything of that nature. Your teeth should be just for chewing food. Avoid hard or frozen lollies or foods. Also, when participating in sports, wear a mouth guard to protect against trauma to your teeth.

7. See your dentist

Many people fail to see a dentist each year. Most dental diseases can be prevented with regular hygiene appointments and good hygiene practices at home. The earlier a problem is detected, the better. Some other reasons to visit your dentist include sensitive teeth to cold or hot temperatures, persistent bad breath, or spots or sores in your mouth that never seem to heal or go away. However, just going regularly is best because some symptoms aren’t as obvious. Dentist visits should occur at least twice a year.

8. Use Mouthwash

Although not necessary, some mouthwashes can kill or reduce the bacteria in your mouth. Mouthwash also helps to freshen the breath.

9. Watch your diet

Proper nutrition helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. The nutrients and minerals in your diet help can help you fight or resist infections.  Eating more fibrous food like vegetables and fruit is helpful and is best to avoid sugars. When it comes to drinks, water is the best!

10. Limit Alcohol 

Drinking alcohol can lead to a reduction of saliva production by drying out the mouth. Saliva plays an important part in oral hygiene health as it is responsible for bathing the teeth and removing some plaque and bacteria that have accumulated on the surface of the teeth. The less plaque you have the less risk of any bacteria causing teeth decay. Just try to keep water on hand and rinse every so often.

What is teeth whitening?

Despite brushing or cleaning your teeth every day, you may notice your smile begins to lose its shine with the passage of time. Though proper oral hygiene can go a long way in preventing stains; regular intake of several foods, medications, coffee, tea, etc. can contribute to your teeth yellowing or discolouring. If you research the market, you will be amazed to see a number of teeth whitening kits available, claiming to offer desired results. As a general rule, all DIY projects come with a set of risks.

Whitening lightens the colour of your teeth and helps to remove stains and discolouration, making it one of the most popular dental cosmetic procedures on offer. It’s important to know, however, that whitening is not a one-off process. It needs to be repeated over time to maintain brightness.

What is Professional Teeth Whitening?

Professional teeth whitening is a cosmetic solution to remove tough stains and spots from teeth. In the teeth whitening treatment, a whitening gel will be applied on your teeth. The gel will enter the tooth layers, effectively lightening the affected areas. The results of the treatment may vary from person to person depending on the condition of the teeth and type of staining.

One-hour in chair whitening is good if you’re looking for a fast and convenient way to whiten your teeth. We use Zoom Whitening which is safe and very effective. The bleach is activated with a special laser, allowing it to penetrate your teeth more easily and more quickly.

Our customised take home bleaching kits are also a great option, the only difference is the time required to achieve a whiter smile. The most common technique is to use both; wearing your take-home whitening trays for a few hours each day after your in-chair treatment. This allows you to get rapid and long-lasting results.

Even before you make up your mind to get the treatment, we advise you to book a consultation with your dentist who will evaluate the best options for you. You are an ideal candidate for the treatment if you have healthy teeth and gums and you do not suffer from excessively sensitive teeth or receding gums. A teeth whitening method is an ideal way to remove tough and stubborn stains from your teeth and improve your smile.

What about teeth whitening costs?

At Smile Craft Dental we make the cost of teeth whitening affordable. We have a one hour in-chair Philips Zoom special at just $575! Our customised take-home teeth whitening kits start at just $250!

Book a Consultation Today!

Smile Craft Dental offers a wide range of general, cosmetic, preventive and implant dentistry services. Book a consultation with the dentists to know your best options.

Having to pay a large dental bill can be very frustrating and stressful for many people on a low, middle or fixed income. While many people save money to cover medical expenses, dental work often isn’t included in those savings; which puts dental health at the backbench. This further leads to worsening of the situation and loss of teeth, smile, confidence and self-esteem for a person. After the eyes, the smile is considered to be the feature that enhances our facial aesthetics. It should be no more difficult to pay for your dental bill then paying for two coffees per week from a café or your visit to the hairdresser every few months.

So if dental care is managed well, then it should not be expensive. In fact, dentistry is not expensive, neglect is.

Tips to manage dental bills:

• Go to your dentist regularly. As we all know, prevention is cheaper than cure.
• Generally, if a filling of a cavity is detected early the cost can be as little as $200 but if left to decay and rot, the same tooth can cost up to $5000 to save. If the tooth needs extraction then it can cost up to $7000 to replace the tooth. Given a decision between spending $200 or $7000, the answer is pretty obvious.
• Also, there are weekly payment plans available for routine checkup and cleans which generally have huge savings as well. This takes stress away from that cost as well.
• Most dentists will also give some loyalty discounts as well for taking the initiative to look after your teeth. So dentistry is not much strain on your pocket if planned well.

Yes, there would be cases where teeth are already in poor shape due to neglect over a period of time. In that case, just the preventive approach may not fit.

You can finance dental work for both necessary procedures such as cavities  root canals, dentures as well as cosmetic dental work such as teeth whitening.

In a nutshell, the situation is not as hopeless as most of you would think. Most dental surgeries do have payment plans available to help you to bring your oral health on track. With these mostly interest-free payment plans, you can reduce the burden of your dental treatment and pay over regular instalments.

If you have been a long-standing patient at your dental office or if you have a payment history at the dentist that shows you can pay your bills on time, you may be able to arrange a payment plan with your dentist. You can then arrange to pay the remainder of the bill in fixed monthly payments.

Do not lose hope. You can call us today if you need to pay off your dental treatment. We offer Afterpay as well as finance and payment plan options both for preventative check-ups and treatments at all our surgeries in Willoughby East, Elermore Vale, Wingham and Tuncurry.

Why does my mouth feel dry all the time?

We often hear this question asked by a lot of people. Your once well moist mouth suddenly decides to go completely dry and you are left helpless with no idea what to do. Dry mouth is a condition commonly referred to as XEROSTOMIA in the medical field. This condition is experienced when the production of saliva in the mouth is not enough. It could be due to reasons like being agitated or upset. Everyone goes through this problem once or a few times in their lives, but if you are having a dry mouth most of the time, it could be a sign of severe health problems.

Problems Caused by Dry Mouth

We all know that the production of saliva is very important because besides keeping the mouth wet it also helps in digestion of food. It also prevents tooth decay and helps in prevention of infections caused by different bacteria and fungi in the mouth. Having a dry mouth can cause you the following problems:

• Difficulty in tasting and chewing food.
• Difficulty in swallowing food.
• It may cause difficulty in speaking.
• Increase the chances of dental decay and infections caused by bacteria in the mouth.

Symptoms of Dry Mouth

• You feel thirsty frequently.
• Your tongue gets dry, red and raw.
• You feel a burning sensation in your mouth.
• Sores appear at the corners of the mouth and this can be characterised by cracked lips.
• Your breath smells bad.

So what really causes Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth is caused by poor functionality of glands that produce saliva. The following are reasons that can cause these glands to not work properly:

• It could be a side effect of some medication you are taking, e.g. medications for high blood pressure and depression have been known to cause dry mouth.
• It could be a side effect of certain diseases e.g. hyper-tension, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and mumps.
• High frequency radiations can also be a cause of dry mouth.
• Autoimmune diseases like Sjorgen syndrome
• Normal dehydration.
• Mouth breathing

Treatment for Dry Mouth

There are different medications available for dry mouth that can increase the production of saliva. You can follow the following few steps to help with dry mouth.

• Use water regularly

Keeping a water bottle handy is the best thing for dry mouth. keep sipping water at regular intervals and also during meals help keeping the mouth wet.

• Use mouthwash

Try using a mouthwash designed for dry mouth especially the ones containing xylitol like Biotene mouth rinse (Xylitol is a SA/sugar alcohol which is a little eatable carbohydrate that resists starches plus includes fibre). Do not use mouthwashes that contain alcohol because that can cause more dryness.

• Use saliva substitutes

Use of over the counter saliva substitutes can help such as Biotene oral balance.

• Chew sugar free gum

By chewing sugar free gums and hard candies the production of saliva is increased that can prevent from dry mouth. Most sugar free candies contain xylitol that can cause diarrhea on large consumption so consume it as prescribed by the dentist.

• Change in dietary habits

Avoid any drinks with caffeine such as coffee, tea and sodas. Caffeine can make your mouth drier so limit your intake amount of caffeine.

• Stop using tobacco

Tobacco has always been a cause of several minor to fatal health problems, and dry mouth is no exception. With prolonged use, tobacco can cause a mouth disease called leukoplakia, characterised by white patches and oral lesions on cheeks, gums and tongue which can eventually lead to oral cancer.

• Breathe through your nose

Try breathing through your nose as much as possible and avoid using your mouth as mouth breathing increases dryness. It is best to check with a doctor if you are mouth breather as there could be some underlying reason for it.

• Improve oral hygiene

Gently brush your teeth at least twice a day with a toothpaste containing fluoride. You can also use a fluoride rinse or a fluoride gel before going to bed. This is important as dry mouth increases the risk of tooth decay.

• Avoid sugary or acidic food

Try to lessen your intake of sugary foods, acidic foods and sweet candies, as they can cause tooth decay. In case you just consumed some, always brush your teeth immediately afterwards.

If these steps do not help in improving your dry mouth, do not wait any longer. You should visit your dentist for further consultation and treatment immediately.

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:

• Hormonal changes which lead to worsening of gum response to plaque and can result in gum conditions like :
• Gingivitis (gum inflammation) – which has symptoms including swelling of the gums and bleeding, particularly during brushing and flossing between teeth.
• Worsening of pre-existing chronic periodontal disease in pregnancy may exacerbate untreated gum infection and can lead to tooth loss.
• Pregnancy epulis or pyogenic granuloma – a localised enlargement of the gum, which is prone to bleeding. Epulis may require additional professional cleaning, and rarely excision.
• Reflux or morning sickness leading to erosion of teeth and causing sensitivity.
• Changes to dietary habits and sugar cravings leading to increased risk of tooth decay.
• Neglect and poor routine of brushing, due to being occupied with the baby and exhaustion. It’s especially important to keep up your routine, as poor dental health during pregnancy has been associated with premature delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, and preeclampsia.

You are less likely to have dental problems during pregnancy if you maintain good oral hygiene habits. Suggestions include:

• Avoid brushing your teeth immediately for an hour after vomiting.  Reason being that stomach     acids can weaken enamel after vomiting, and the vigorous action of the toothbrush may scratch the tooth enamel.
• Rinse your mouth thoroughly with plain tap water.
• Use a fluoridated mouthwash and fluoridated toothpaste.
• Brush your teeth after having sugary snacks.
• Brush your teeth at least twice daily with fluoridated toothpaste.
• Floss between your teeth.
• Visit your dentist regularly.

Things to remember:

• The demands of pregnancy can lead to particular dental problems in some women.
• You are less likely to have dental problems during pregnancy if you already have good oral hygiene habits.
• With proper dental hygiene at home and professional help from your dentist, your teeth should stay healthy during pregnancy.

Most people clench and/or grind their teeth unconsciously during the day or in their sleep which is medically known Bruxism.

Read More “What can cause teeth grinding?”