What Can I Do To Protect My Child’s Teeth During Sporting Events?

As a parent, you are used to taking your child to the dentist for regular checkups or when he/she has a toothache. But what every mother and father want to avoid is having to rush to a dentist or emergency room when their child has lost teeth because of an accident, such as frequently occurs when kids play sports.

Every year, approximately 5 million teeth are accidentally knocked out in the United States. Teeth can be avulsed (the technical term) whether a child engages in a solo sports activity such a roller skating, a one-on-one sport such as wresting, or a team sport such as soccer or baseball.

The level of physical contact in some sports immediately raises a red flag for parents, who make sure their child wears a helmet and/or padded guards for their knees and elbows. In fact, such protective devices are typically required by schools and organized sports teams.

But what about your child’s teeth? Your dentist is as concerned about your child’s dental health as you are. That includes taking the necessary steps to ensure that when your child engages in sporting events, his or her teeth and smile are properly protected.

So what can you do? Here are some suggestions:

• Talk to your dentist about getting a mouth guard for your child. A properly fitted mouth guard, which covers the top teeth only, can help prevent injury to your child’s teeth, lips, face and tongue. A dentist can help you choose the most appropriate mouth guard or make a custom model for your child.

• Make sure your child does not wear any removable dental appliances while participating in contact sports. Some parents also choose to have their child not wear their retainers while roller skating, skateboarding, or participating in other noncontact sports that carry a significant risk of injury.

• Maintain a healthful diet that promotes strong teeth and gums. That means limiting or eliminating the use of sports and energy beverages, soft drinks, and sugary foods that promote tooth decay. Children who do consume these products should immediately swish their mouth with water and spit it out to help remove any sugars and acids.

• Take your child to the dentist twice a year for checkups and cleanings. It’s always better to catch a potential problem before it can take root.

• Encourage good hygiene at home. Brushing after every meal and snack (or at least swishing out the mouth with water) plus flossing daily are habits that are good for the entire family.

If you have any questions about how to protect your child’s teeth against injury, talk to your dentist. You can be sure to get the answers and solutions you need to help preserve your child’s smile for life.

A Family Dental Care Center

2030 W. Main St.

Jeffersonville, PA 19403

What Is A Deep Cleaning And Why Is It Done?

There is some confusion about the difference between ordinary cleaning and deep cleaning. These processes are also referred to as root planing and scaling. The procedure of extracting dental tartar from the layers of the teeth is called scaling. Root planing is the procedure of smoothening the root surfaces. It also removes any infected tooth structure. The gum pockets around the teeth would have deepened if you have gum disease or gum pocketing. This lets tartar deposits form under the gum line. These two processes seem very similar when it comes to the cleaning process. The dental worker scales away tartar. At the same time, the dentist performs any essential root planing. If there is any unevenness, it can be planed away. The result of this is a silky, smooth surface.

If tartar and plaque are left on the teeth, it supplies the right conditions for bacteria to thrive. The bacteria irritates the gums. This means that they bleed more easily. You may notice that if you are eating or brushing your teeth, sometimes your gums may bleed. This is the early stage of gum disease known as gingivitis. Your hygienist or dentist will clean your teeth by polishing and scaling them if you have gingivitis. They may also suggest an antiseptic mouthwash that includes chlorhexidine. Your dentist will show you how to floss and brush your teeth efficiently. Most adults have some degree of gum disease. If gingivitis is not treated and nothing is being done about it, the inflammation will work its way down towards the foundations of the tooth. This causes a periodontal pocket. In the confines of the pocket, the bacteria can cause more damage.

The support of bone structures of the teeth can be broken down by gum disease. Eventually, they will become loose. The person often has no symptoms until it becomes serious. The damage to the support structures of the teeth cannot be reversed. If gum disease is caught in time, the progression can be halted and improved. Your dentist may suggest a deep cleaning or periodontal therapy to stop gum disease from progressing. This gets rid of the bacteria in the pocket. It provides the essential conditions for healing to occur.

Why A Deep Cleaning Is Needed

A deep cleaning is necessary if calculus is detected under the gum line and there are signs of bone loss. A deep cleaning removes the deposits that form on the surface of the tooth’s root. This helps with the stability and the health of the teeth.

A Family Dental Care Center

2030 W. Main St.

Jeffersonville, PA 19403

Should vegetarians be concerned about oral health?

Oral health affects all people to one degree or another, but vegetarians are at a higher risk of tooth decay than their omnivorous counterparts. Numerous long-term studies have indicated that the higher sugar and grain contents found in the diets of vegetarians make them more susceptible to tooth decay. This is because the body often signals the teeth to begin shedding minerals especially in the enamel. Once you lose the enamel in your teeth, you are well on the way to rapid tooth decay. Vegetarians should pay critical attention to how much fruit and grain they consume on a daily basis.

Have you ever noticed that your teeth become sensitive when you eat a lot of sugary snacks? This happens every time your body ingests a lot of sugar. You can still eat sugar in moderation if your diet includes plenty of soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin K2. It just so happens that vegetarians often lack vitamin D because they aren’t eating the foods that contain rich amounts of it. Vitamin A is another vitamin that vegetarians need to get more of in their daily diets. These are good not just for your teeth, but for the overall health of the entire body.

Vegetarian diets are always perceived among popular opinion as being healthier than traditional diets that include meat. This definitely is a myth when it comes to the immune system. The reality is that tooth decay points to a weaker immune system than what you would find in people with good oral health. That’s why vegetarians need to keep oral health in mind as they go about their daily lives. This doesn’t mean that they have to eat meat, but they may have to bend the rules of their diet to achieve maximum oral health.

Vegetarians should ask their dentists about certain vitamins they can take and extra measures they can take to achieve the best oral health. Most dentists will know how to help if they can assess your diet, oral hygiene practices, and maybe even your family history. It may be wise to take extra care of your teeth if you are eating a vegetarian diet now or if you plan to make a switch in the near future. It will be easier than you think to make the right adjustments. You don’t have to abandon your lifestyle to have good oral health, but you do need to be aware of oral health.

A Family Dental Care Center

2030 W. Main St.

Jeffersonville, PA 19403

Worst Beverages for Your Teeth

Everyone is wary of the kind of tooth damage that is immediately evident. People whose teeth are chipped or cracked usually seek immediate care from a dentist. However, most people do not realize that no matter how well they take care of their teeth, minor damage and weaknesses will gradually accumulate. No one notices their teeth yellowing from day to day, but it is obvious in photos spanning several years that changes have taken place. One way to keep one’s teeth white and strong is to eliminate beverages that weaken or stain tooth enamel.

Coffee is the biggest offender when it comes to staining teeth. Most adults consume coffee on a fairly regular basis, with many of them drinking at least one full cup every single morning. Giving up caffeine cold turkey is not something that is possible for a lot of people. To mitigate the damage, one could start drinking her coffee through a straw. As silly as this would look, drinking through a straw would send the coffee straight to the back of her mouth, preventing her teeth from being constantly exposed to it. Adding a little bit of milk or cream to plain black coffee would be helpful as well. The calcium in milk fortifies the teeth, and dairy in general acts as a buffer against acidic substances.

Coffee drinkers should consider replacing one of their daily cups of coffee with a cup of white or green tea. Tea has a decent amount of caffeine and freshens the whole mouth. Black tea stains teeth, though not as badly as coffee does, so it is not a good substitute for coffee.

Orange juice is extremely acidic. It slowly dissolves the top layers of tooth enamel, wearing away the shiny top layers. The rough, underlying layers of the teeth are especially susceptible to staining. All citrus fruits have this effect on teeth. If one must drink fruit juice in the morning, she should not brush her teeth immediately after breakfast. Brushing right after the teeth have been weakened by fruit acid sweeps away more enamel.

Soda is another acidic beverage that settles into the teeth and damages the enamel. The chemicals that create carbonation cause this damage. The dark coloring in colas stains teeth very easily. Women who drink diet colas regularly are at risk for both weakened enamel and dark surface stains.

White wine is a surprising source of tooth damage. Like other acidic beverages, it softens and erodes enamel. Red wine does not cause this kind of damage, so wine drinkers could make the switch without too much trouble.

Anyone who is worried about tooth damage should visit a dentist. Whitening treatments could easily remove stains, and teeth could be strengthened with fluoride. While lost enamel cannot be replaced, there are ways to repair existing damage and prevent more damage from occurring in the future.

A Family Dental Care Center

2030 West Main St.

Jeffersonville, PA 19403

Bad Breath: The Causes and How you can Solve the Problem

A smile with straight, white teeth is always attractive, but even the most beautiful smile becomes a turn off when bad breath is involved. Bad breath, which is medically referred to as halitosis, is a very embarrassing condition that affects millions each year. Dealing with bad breath is truly frustrating and can lead to embarrassment. Simply brushing your teeth, despite popular belief, is not enough to rid yourself of bad breath.

What are the Causes of Bad Breath?

Bad breath is triggered by odor-producing bacteria. People who don’t brush or floss their teeth on a regular basis accumulate more bacteria that makes them prone to halitosis. To avoid this problem, you need to be strict with your dental hygiene. Brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing after meals and using mouthwash will ensure maximum dental health. However, lack of dental hygiene isn’t the only cause of bad breath. Ingesting foods with foul odor like onions, garlic and pickles can also cause your breath to stink. In order to avoid bad breath, it’s best to avoid foods that have pungent oils that can trigger foul odor. 

A person can tell a lot about their health by the condition of their mouth. Halitosis is usually a symptom of a more severe problem. Gum disease, which is an inflammatory disease, and tooth decay, which is caused by bacteria, can provoke or worsen bad breath. If you notice red, inflamed gums, bad odor or rotting teeth, it is best to visit a dentist to have that checked out. Other common causes of halitosis include the following examples: diabetes, digestive problems, sinusitis, respiratory track problems and infections.

How to Treat Bad Breath

Bad breath can be a troublesome and embarrassing problem. If you have this condition, you don’t have to worry because there are several ways you can address the problem. The first thing that you need to do is regularly brush and floss your teeth because doing so will reduce the amount of odor-causing bacteria in your mouth. When you brush your teeth, don’t forget to scrub your tongue because a lot of bacteria accumulates there.

A great way to improve your breath is to regularly chew on breath mints or gum. However, you shouldn’t rely solely on breath mints or gum; you also need to use mouthwash and floss. Another thing you need to do if you want to rid yourself of bad breath is quit smoking. In addition to causing heart disease and lung cancer, the nicotine and chemicals in cigarettes contribute to a smelly mouth. Cigarettes are also one of the main causes of oral and gum infections, not to mention the leading cause of oral cancer.

Lastly, if your bad breath doesn’t seem to go away no matter what you do, your best bet is to visit a dentist. They can do a thorough examination of your mouth and pinpoint the cause of your halitosis. You can also get a deep cleaning from your dentist that can eliminate unwanted odor.

A Family Dental Care Center: Dr. Seth Rosen

2030 West Main St.

Jeffersonville, PA 19403

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