A Definitive guide to Dental Health
Bad breath is normal to everyone and it occurs when you ingest certain foods that give off an unpleasant smell, when you don’t eat enough and during the morning before brushing teeth. Having bad breath is perfectly normal but if it doesn’t go away despite brushing your teeth, then that could be an oral problem known as halitosis.
Halitosis simply means bad breath and this could either be acute or chronic depending on what causes it. For mild cases, it might simply mean that a patient would need to brush his teeth more and as for severe cases, this could indicate gum disease or intestinal problems.
You Have Halitosis When
As stated earlier, bad breath will happen to everyone at certain points of time but if the stench is out of control, then that is one sure sign that you have halitosis. You know that it is out of control when you can actually taste the smell frequently in your mouth and if a lot of people have given you bad comments about how your breath smells. This is also manifested if you have thick saliva often and no matter what you do, nothing seems to improve it.
As for the social matter, you will know you have halitosis when you feel embarrassed about your breath when talking to people so much that it would actually interfere with your day to day life. To clear things up, halitosis is when your bad breath is beyond your control.
What Causes It?
Halitosis is most commonly caused by poor oral hygiene. People who do not brush and floss regularly are very likely to have this in contrary to people who brush regularly. This is also caused by food that is retained in gaps in the mouth or in the throat.
The smell from halitosis would most of the time come from the gums and the tongue which is caused by bacteria which is brought about by the decaying food particles that are left in gaps in the mouth. The decay and other debris left in your mouth would then produce a sulfur compound that would cause a bad odor.
Other known causes of halitosis are diabetes, drug use, infection, tooth decay, lack of food, incorrect diet, smoking, heavy metal accumulation and stress.
Preventing Halitosis
Since halitosis is an oral problem, one of the best things you can do is to have excellent oral hygiene. With this, you have to make sure that you brush and floss your teeth regularly making sure that your mouth is free of any debris that can cause it. If you are a smoker, it would really do a lot if you stopped smoking as that is one heavy cause of halitosis.
As much as possible, you should also try to avoid food that can cause bad breath or can get stuck in your teeth such as alcoholic drinks, smelly cheese or tough meat. Since stress is also a major cause of halitosis, you need exercise and sleep to help you with that.
Other Things You Should Know
The reason why your breath is foul when you just wake up is because the production of bacteria in your mouth slows down while you are sleeping. Saliva is the mouth’s natural way of fighting bacteria which is the main cause of bad breath. Since there isn’t much saliva produced while you are sleeping, there are a lot of bacteria in your mouth when you wake up.
Seeking Help
When it comes to this condition, there is no other that could help you more than an expert. You can seek either a dentist or an ear, nose and throat expert on this as both professions deal largely with problems that are directly related to this. They would help you know the cause of your condition and as well as what to do to help you with it.
If the problem is with your teeth, dentists can fix that instantly. You’ll be delighted with the results once you get professional help with your condition.
Cavities and What Causes Them
What Are Cavities?
Cavities are synonymous with tooth decay and this happens when bacteria damages the teeth. The tissues would progressively break down thus bringing about holes in the teeth. There are two types of bacteria that are responsible for this, which are Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli. If this condition is left untreated, it can cause a lot of pains such as toothaches, tooth loss, infection and even death in severe cases.
The reason why people have cavities is mainly because of their lifestyles, people who have it might not have proper oral hygiene which is why kids are more vulnerable to it. While kids are at larger risks of developing this, adults can also have them.
The General Cause Of Cavities
Cavities are generally cause by bacteria that is brought about by food particles left in the mouth because of improper hygiene, lack of saliva which is the body’s way of fighting off bacteria in the mouth and if there is an infection from within that bacteria could come from. If these bacteria would get into the teeth, being bad as they are, they would bore holes in the teeth.
This would seem harmless at first but as it develops, it can cause a lot of pain. If the holes are deep enough, nerves can be exposed and you can feel pain if anything would get contact with these nerves. It would start with a tingling feeling you would get if you see metal rubbed against each other of if metal would get in contact with your teeth. As it develops, you will feel more pain.
Types Of Cavities
The most common form of cavities is coronal cavities. This can occur in both children and adults. These would usually appear on the surfaces of the teeth we use for grinding. Because these teeth are used a lot, some wear and tear would eventually happen, that of which is in the form of cavities.
Another type of cavity is root cavities and this is known to be the most painful type since nerves are largely involved here. This happens as we age since the gums that are covering the sensitive parts would eventually recede causing parts of the roots of our teeth exposed. Since there is no enamel protecting those parts, these parts are very prone to decaying.
Even if you see your dentist often and get the fillings for cavities that you need, you can still have cavities. This form is known as recurrent decay and this is because areas that have fillings have a great tendency to accumulate plaque.
Preventing Cavities
The most basic thing you can do to prevent from having cavities is to brush and floss your teeth after every meal as you would want your mouth to be as clean as possible at all times. It is best that you would use toothpaste that has a good measurement of fluoride as this element would strengthen the surfaces of your teeth, thus making it more resistant to bacteria.
If your teeth are naturally weak, you can increase your calcium intake for them to be stronger, milk is an excellent source of calcium that is advised if you want your teeth to be stronger. It would also help if you chew gum from time to time as this stimulates the production of saliva which would fight off bacteria in your teeth.
If You Already Have Them
Do not think twice. Once you are sure you have them you have to see your dentist as soon as possible and make sure you have a filling in the cavity no matter how shallow it is since that small cavity can provide space for food and bacteria to come in, thus it can get larger in no time.
Also make sure that you see your dentist at least twice a year. There are some things going on with your teeth that you will not know unless you really see an expert. Also have the dentist clean your teeth every time you visit or as it’s more professionally known as prophylaxis.
Do Not Take Cavities Lightly
While these are very common and are only manifested through holes in the teeth, you must never take this issue lightly. Cavities will cause you a lot of pain if it gets to the point wherein the nerves are already openly exposed and if it gets really severe, it could cause a very serious mouth infection which in turn could cause death.
With that, you should take every effort to prevent cavities and maintain excellent oral health.
Gum Disease and How to Prevent It
What Is Gum Disease?
If you are thinking that gum disease can only happen to older people, better think again. Anyone can have gum disease and this can cause a lot of problems from mild ones such as bad breath and small cavities to really serious ones like tooth loss and a lot of pain.
Gum disease is more professionally known as periodontal disease and is an infection of the bones and tissues that hold your teeth in. If not treated immediately, gum disease can get really serious and could slowly cause your teeth to loosen and eventually fall out. Gum disease is also the leading cause of why people loose their teeth everywhere in the world.
What Causes Gum Disease?
Gum disease is caused by plaque, an invisible layer of germs that are naturally in your mouth. Since this is bacteria, it is destructive as it will irritate and damage the gums. Chances are increased for people with poor oral hygiene since there would be more bacteria in the mouth that would cause it.
Another factor is having leftover food that you might not notice that would be left in some gaps in your mouth. When it decays, this would bring about bacteria too and that bacteria produced would be very harmful to your oral health. Basically, what really causes gum disease is poor oral health or having significant amounts of bacteria in your mouth.
Different Types Of Gum Disease
Gum disease is not limited to just one type in fact; there are a lot of types.
The mildest form of gum disease is gingivitis. This is considered mild since a victim of it would commonly experience little or no discomfort at all. If this happens, your gums would be redder than usual, swollen and would easily bleed with normal activities such as brushing your teeth. This is often caused by poor oral hygiene.
If gingivitis is untreated, it would evolve to a more serious case known as periodontitis. This happens when plaque spreads all over your mouth to the point that it reaches below the gum line, that part which is more vulnerable to bacteria. If this happens, the tissues and bones that support that affected tooth would be damaged causing it to eventually break down. This would lead to cases wherein the affected tooth would have to be removed.
Different Types Of Periodontitis
For patients who are considerably clinically healthy but still have this condition, that case would most likely be aggressive periodontitis. This would make a patient lose teeth easily. Another form of periodontitis is chronic periodontitis and this is manifested by inflammations in the area of which the teeth are directly connected to the gums which is underneath. This is the most common type of the condition and is more prevalent in adults, though it could occur at any age.
Preiodontitis could also be a manifestation of systemic diseases. Conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory disease can bring about this condition. One of the most known severe forms of the disease is necrotizing periodontal disease and happens when the gingival tissues necrotize. This is caused by malnutrition, HIV infection and immunosuppression.
What You Can Do To Prevent It
Preventing gum disease is just as basic as preventing any other oral problems, and involves having excellent oral hygiene which also means that you would have to brush and floss your teeth as much as you can as this would remove the factors that would cause it as well as many other health problems.
While hygiene is basic, it is also important that you live healthily. Excessive smoking would greatly multiply the chances of you having gum disease. It would also help if you live on a healthy diet as your gums need nutrients in order for them to be healthy.
When You Already Have It
If you are showing symptoms of it no matter how mild those may be, you have to see your dentist immediately. If the case is mild, then the dentist would just treat the area and tell you what you should do to get better.
If the case is already severe, then you might be undergoing dental surgery. What will be done here is that the dental surgeon would remove the affected tooth and stop the disease from spreading.
Although gum disease is a rather big issue, it can be controlled and treated effectively.
Oral Cancer
What Is Oral Cancer?
Oral problems are very common. However, cases are not mild at all times. In severe cases, oral problems can be so severe that it can actually lead to death. One of the most notorious forms of this would be oral cancer.
Oral cancer is the presence of any cancerous tissue anywhere in the mouth. It may start as a lesion in any part of the mouth and if the condition gets worse, it would bring about a lot of pain. This can be in the form of many histologic types such as adenocarcinoma, teratoma, or derived from a major or minor salivary gland. The most common form of oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma of where the cancerous tissues would be in the linings of the mouth and of the lips.
Symptoms Of Oral Cancer
The most visible symptoms would be lumps, skin lesions, or ulcer on various areas all over the mouth area such as the gums, the tongue or the lips. These manifestations are usually small and more often pale colored but they can also be dark or discolored. This can start as painless but if it develops, the one having it would feel a burning sensation where the tumor is.
Some other symptoms that could be associated with the disease are having difficulty in swallowing, mouth sores that do not go away in time and tongue problems. If the condition advances, symptoms would be paraesthesia and pain.
Factors That Could Increase Risk
Of all individuals who are diagnosed with the disease, around 66% of all of those have been diagnosed late, so much that the disease has gone to stage 3 or four at most times. This is because public awareness is low of these symptoms unfortunately; the disease can be diagnosed even if it hasn’t progressed much.
Smoking is one of the leading causes of oral cancers and is associated with around 75% of all cases of cancer. This is because cigarettes alone would contain a lot of carcinogens and to think that it would get in direct contact with the mouth, which would impose a great risk factor. Medical experts have also seen a connection between excessive alcohol intake as people who drink and smoke a lot are at high risk of developing the disease.
How To Know If You Have It
While you know the symptoms to the disease, it would help greatly if you would get tested as this is the best and the most accurate way of telling if you really do have the disease. In order to get tested, just approach any doctor or any professional who offers testing for cancerous cells.
There are some devices that are made to assist doctors in telling if a patient has cancerous cells such as the Velscope and the Vizilite. While the professional handling the case may suspect cancer, the only way of making an official diagnosis is when a biopsy is made.
Treatment For Oral Cancer
If the tumor is small enough, this can be removed through an incision. Most of the time, surgery would result to very satisfactory results. If the tumor cannot be operated on, radiation therapy can be used although this can also be used in conjunction to surgery depending on the case.
Other operational procedures would include the removal of the affected part or the ones that could worsen the condition. As this could be demanding at times considering that it can change the total appearance of a victim, reconstructive surgery can be done to restore original appearances.
For other cases, chemotherapy can also be used and is effective when used in combination with other treatments such as radiation therapy.
Other Things You Should Know
This serious condition can lead to disfigurement of the face, neck or the head as treating it, especially with surgery can alter the appearance. Radiation therapy may also have some undesirable side effects, the most common of those having a dry mouth and difficulty in swallowing.
If the case is not treated successfully, the cancer can spread to other body parts. Cancer behaves that way and oral cancer is no exception to that.
What is TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorder)?
TMJ Means Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorder
The temporo-mandibular joint is the area in front of both ears where the upper jaw and the lower jaw meet. Within this joint, there are movable parts that function all together in order for the lower jaw to move, this action which happens all the time when we chew, talk or any activity which would involve having us open our mouths. Being that, this joint is one of the most used joints in the body.
The temporo-mandibular joints are multifaceted parts that are made up of muscles, tendons and bones. Each element that makes it up contributes to the operation of it which is basically manifested by us opening our mouths. If things are all smooth, we are able to talk, chew and open our mouths without feeling any pain.
What Are Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorders?
Temporo-mandibular joint disorders would compose a group of problems that directly refer to the joint. This can lead to several problems that basically interfere with the ability of you being able to open your mouth and do day to day things such as eat, talk or yawn.
This is also known as myofacial pain dysfunction of Costen’s syndrome. Since the muscles, tendons and bones work together when you move this joint, a problem with any of those can lead to difficulties in using the whole joint which would later lead to stiffness, headaches, bite problems, ear pains, or locked jaws at certain times.
What Are The Symptoms Of These?
TMJ would usually occur because of stress of the joint or engaging in activities that would push the capacities of the joint to the limit. With that some of the symptoms include headache which is manifested in over 80% of all cases of this problem. Patients would commonly complain about facial pain, particularly in the ear area where the joint is. Being exposed to cold weather can worsen the pain felt by the patient.
Another symptom would be clicking sounds when a patient would use the joint. These sounds may or may not be accompanied by pain. Patients of this condition would also report hearing problems since they would feel as if their ears are stuffed. This is because the condition can lead to a dysfunction in the Eustachian tube, the one responsible for regulating pressure in the ear.
How Is This Caused?
The main causes of temporo-mandibular joint disorders are basically unhealthy mannerisms that involve having you use the joint.
Grinding your teeth often, since this is hard on the joint would increase the wear and tear directly on the joint. This is an unhealthy habit and some people might not know that they are doing this unless a dentist would tell them. Dental problems can also be another cause. A problem with teeth alignment that would lead an individual to chewing either just on the left side or the right side of the jaw can lead to this.
Previous trauma to the bones or the parts directly involved in using this joint are also some causes of this condition.
Getting Diagnosed With TMJ
In order for an individual to get diagnosed with TMJ, a complete and detailed dental evaluation is necessary. If the dentist would then see symptoms that can be heard by popping or clicking sounds in the jaw, limited ability of the patient to open the mouth and even the appearance of teeth can be used in diagnosing in the form of ridges, smooth areas and bumps.
For a complete diagnosis, an x-ray is necessary. Through this, the dentist would be able to see what the temporo-mandibular joint looks like and with that, the dentist would know what approaches to take to treat the condition.
Treatment
Some approaches that would be recommended for the treatment of TMJ would be to lessen the activities of the joint that would include a soft diet and refraining from activities that stress it such as chewing gum or grinding teeth. For rehabilitation purposes, some would recommend placing hot or cold compress occasionally directly on top of the area.
If the case is severe, then surgery might be required. This will be done if therapy would fail, however this is only done as a last resort. For most cases, physical therapy and rehabilitation is usually the case and these may require the use of dental devices similar to braces that would correct what has to be corrected.
What Are Crowns
Definition
When our teeth get damaged, we would need restoration processes in order to restore our teeth to normal function. If the top part of a tooth would have cavities or is already heavily damaged, that would normally be covered with a filling however, fillings are only limited to covering a small part. Rather than just cover a small part, dental crowns actually cover the tooth’s entire surface.
These are usually made of porcelain however; they can also be made up of metals. Some would even use gold as dental crowns. Dental crowns are also known as tooth caps or dental caps.
Why Do I Need Dental Crowns?
You may need dental crowns for several reasons. One reason is that a dental crown would restore a tooth to its original condition as damage to it can limit its function. A damaged molar may not allow you to chew as well; this problem can be fixed by dental crowns. Another is that damaged teeth may not look to pleasing, dental crowns would restore the normal appearance of a damaged tooth.
If some teeth are weak, these can be strengthened by dental crowns. You don’t actually have to wait before your teeth are completely messed up before you get one, you should have it when your dentist advises it.
How Do I Get Dental Crowns?
First of all, the dentist would assess the damage on your tooth and see what dental crown you need. The dentist will observe from all angles using different methods and from this, the dentist would get the basis on how your dental crown should look like. After that, the dental crown is sculpted and later glued on top of the tooth.
If there is no damage done, the dental crown would first be sculpted based on what the dentist thinks is right for you and then glued on top of the damaged part. This is usually the case if a person has weak teeth.
Dental Crowns For Restoring A Tooth’s Original Function
Some of your teeth can get damaged for many reasons. Fortunately, the dental cap can easily and quickly restore that damaged tooth to its original capacity, that of practically is one of its main purposes. Since a dental crown would be sculpted and glued to place, it would be easy to imagine how it would look.
For small cavities, a dental filling might be more ideal as these are easy to do and would not take so much time. Dental crowns on the other hand would still have to be fabricated outside your mouth by a dental technician and when that it done, that is when it will be glued in place. Being that, dental crowns can also be better.
Dental Crowns For Cosmetic Purposes
Since a dental crown is customized just for the user, it can be used in a way to make teeth actually look better. Dental crowns that are mainly used for cosmetic purposes are made up of porcelain so you can imagine how clean looking that is. However, this may not be the ideal choice at all times if your sole purpose of getting a dental crown just for the sake of having that “porcelain smile”.
This is said because dental crowns are somewhat a hassle. A dentist might have to grind certain portions of the teeth to be capped in order for a dental cap to fit in. If you just want your teeth to look better, you can ask your dentist for a whole lot of other alternatives. Dental caps are not always the ideal choice for this kind of situation.
Other Uses Of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns will give a person many benefits aside from its cosmetic and dental benefits. If you are using a dental bridge, a dental cap can be used to cover this up. Same as if your teeth are badly discolored, you can also have that covered with dental caps. If you have dental implants, a dental cap can also be used to cover that up.
Take note that teeth need not to be broken for you to have a dental cap; you can practically have it anytime you want it. Just be aware of other options that might be available to fix your problem.
What is a Cleft Palate
Definition
A cleft palate is more professionally known as palatoschisis and can occur along with having a cleft lip. Having these two conditions simultaneously would colloquially be termed as harelip but since this term is derogatory, the use of this term is discouraged. More commonly, this condition is known as cleft lip and palate.
Clefts can occur not only to the lip and the palate but rather on several parts of the face such as the eyes, ears, forehead, cheeks and nose however, the cleft lip and palate are the most common cases. This condition is quite uncommon as it would only occur in one out of about every 700 births.
What Causes This?
Cleft lip and palates are one of the several forms of congenital deformity that is caused by abnormal facial development during the development of an embryo. The cleft would form somewhere during the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy when the facial features would begin to develop. During this stage, tissues will start to meet one another across the embryo’s face. If some tissues would fail to meet, then that is the formation of a cleft.
The result will be seen during birth. Most of the time, clefts would only occur in one part such as the lips and palates only, the ears or just the cheeks but severe cases can actually lead to the actual deformity of the face.
Risk Factors
There are several factors that have been known to increase the risk of having an infant with clefts.
Some medical experts say that this could be environmental. If the mother would be exposed to certain elements such as pesticide, drugs and alcohol, the risk of having a baby that has a cleft would be increased. Other environmental factors are having a poor maternal diet, wrong vitamin intake and engaging in too much stressful activities during the course of pregnancy.
Some would also say that the development of clefts is genetic. A person who has one puts the next generation at risk of also developing it. Research is currently being done to see if folic acid actually has and effect on the development of clefts in infants.
Connection With Races
Medical experts have observed a significant connection between races and the development of cleft palates as it is prevalent in some races more than other races. While this is not actually a risk factor, the connection between race and the likeliness of developing this condition is still being researched.
The races that are more likely to have this which is based on observation are Native Americans and Asians although there also has been a significant likeliness for Latin American and Caucasians to have this condition.
There also has been a recent observation that clefting is also prevalent among Jordanians just as they are in the races stated above.
Treatment
Cleft lip and palate is very treatable although the treatment would vary depending on the overall condition. Generally, the treatment for this would be reconstructive surgery which is done during infanthood around 2 to 3 months of age. During this surgery, the doctor closes the gap. This closure does not mean simply stitching both ends of the gap together but rather to connect muscles and tissues involved while making the wound less visible as possible.
Most issues of cleft palate have been treated successfully as this condition is very curable and a lot of doctors would know how to handle it. In developing countries, cleft palate surgeries may even be free.
Living Normally After Surgery
After surgery, a patient can live just as if he or she never experienced having a cleft lip. Sooner or later after the surgery, the patient would gain full control over the upper lip and the scar would even disappear while the patient ages. Having complications after surgery is very unlikely and rarely happens.
A baby born with a cleft would live normally just as people born without them after treatment in fact, some famous people are born with a cleft. History would even tell us that Tutankhamen was born with one.
Since function and appearance is fully normal after reconstructive surgery, a person would be fully normal after it. Some might not even remember having the condition.
Smoking and Dental Health
Contrary To One Another
In order for you to keep your teeth healthy, what would be some of the day to day things you do to maintain the health of your teeth? Those might include brushing your teeth and flossing them as much as you can. In contrary to that, what are some things you do that destroy your teeth? Since you use your teeth a lot, just using them causes wear and tear but one of the worst things you can do for your teeth is smoking.
Smoking damages teeth directly as the many substances in it can damage your teeth in many ways. Smoking is one sure way to have a lot of tooth and oral problems and as well as a lot of health issues. With that, smoking and dental health are truly contrasting to one another.
Bad Things It Can Cause
Smoking can cause you a lot of dental problems. The first signs would be bad breath and having yellowish teeth and these could get worse the more you smoke. Smoking makes your teeth weaker with that, your teeth are at greater risks of developing cavities or having them fall out of place. While this can damage your teeth, this can also lead you to losing bone mass in your jaw.
Smoking is also one of the leading causes of several gum diseases, all of which involve having direct involvement with your overall oral health. If a smoker would undergo dental procedures, he or she is at a decreased risk of having success with it. Smoking is also one of the leading causes of oral cancer and as well as many other cancers.
Are Cigarettes More Destructive Than Pipes?
Any activity which would put tobacco smoke into your mouth would just be as destructive as others while of course, the ones with higher nicotine content would be more destructive as nicotine itself would be. Just as these are, cigars, cigarettes and pipes are all as destructive as one another.
A study proved this. Medical experts have observed and seen those smokers, no matter what they commonly smoke all develop similar symptoms later on; these symptoms which would involve tooth loss and bone loss in the bones supporting the mouth. Just as these are equal in producing oral health problems, all these forms of smoking would also cause the same amount of health problems.
Lose The Habit
Considering the many pains that smoking would bring you, the best and the most reasonable thing you can do if you smoke is to lose the habit. Smoking alone would give you more than enough illnesses and pains than others would and if you lose the habit, you are sure to be delighted with the changes that would happen.
While this may be tough, this is very possible. You can start of by cutting back on a few sticks per day until you do not smoke at all anymore. Do this together with having excellent oral hygiene; that which would mean you would brush and floss your teeth more often. If this is done, your oral health should improve.
What You Should Do To Fight This Off
You can start off by a mindset. Make it clear to you that you want to lose your habit for health’s sake and you would do whatever it takes to achieve it. Like stated above, you should begin by cutting back on a few sticks per day and having an increased awareness over your oral health. Brushing and flossing regularly are the most basic things you can do for this.
It would also help if you would see you dentist every once in a while. Nowadays, dentists can remove thick concentrations of plaque on your teeth when you need them taken out.
When Nothing Works
For some people, it is just impossible not to smoke. Not that they just do not want to but if they stop smoking, some of them would actually feel ill. This is because their systems have already fully adjusted to what smoking gives them. While smoking would give them comfort unfortunately, this is still not a healthy habit.
If this is the case, then you definitely have to see a doctor for advice. You can also go for rehabilitation for smokers which is quite popular nowadays. With the many benefits you can get if you stop smoking, it is the best thing you can do to help yourself.
How Meds for Osteoporosis Lead to Jaw Bone Disease
How Likely Meds For Osteoporosis Would Cause Jaw Bone Disease
For osteoporosis, some of the meds patients might take would be oral biphosphonate. Although that has been proven by some to alleviate the symptoms of osteoporosis, it has recently caused a big issue due to its side effects. Recent studies have shown that this drug increases the chances of having a patient who is taking it develop another condition which is known as osteonecrosis or the gradual decaying of the jaw bone.
Just as a lot of medicines that are used to cure serious cases, meds for osteoporosis would also have its side effects, although this is quite uncommon as it is only likely to happen in around 1 out of every 1,400 cases. While preliminary studies have shown that data little is still known of it and studies are currently being conducted to know more about how oral biphosphonates would lead to osteonecrosis.
What Are Oral Biphosphonates?
There are many meds used to treat osteoporosis which would include estrogen, calcium, vitamin D, and several others. Of all those medicines, one of the most popular would be oral biphosphonates. The main use of this drug is to preserve or toughen bone mass and is recommended to be given to post menopausal women. This medicine is advised to be taken only once a month or once a week depending on the condition and should be taken with an empty stomach.
While the main purpose of this is to treat osteoporosis, medical experts have recently pressed issues against this drug as several studies have suspected that this drug can lead to the decaying of the jaw bone, which is a bad side effect for the drug. While that is so, little is still known if there really is a connection between the use of this drug and jaw bone disease. Up to now, doctors still prescribe this medicine for osteoporosis patients.
What Is Osteonecrosis
Osteonecrosis happens if a particular bone; particularly the jaw in this case, would lose its blood supply eventually leading it to gradual decaying. This would then lead to the bones collapsing which would lead to pain and several other problems with your bones. While the situation is with the jaw in this case, it can also happen to your knees, ankles and shoulders.
This disease can happen anytime, although it is most likely to happen during your forties, fifties or sixties. During the early course of the disease, symptoms are barely noticeable although these would cause a lot of pain later on if it gets worse.
Symptoms Of Osteonecrosis
There are a lot of symptoms of osteonecrosis of the jaw that can lead a doctor in officially diagnosing this considerably rare disease. Early on during the course of the disease, symptoms may not be felt yet. A patient might still have to wait weeks before symptoms of the disease would start showing up.
If osteonecrosis develops, some symptoms would include swelling of the gums, tooth loss, numbness of the jaw and gum loss which would lead to having the bone exposed. These symptoms are associated with pain.
Management Of The Condition
This is a rather rare disease but even if it is, you must take effort in order for it not to happen to you. If it is possible, try to ask your doctor for alternative meds that you can take in place of biphosphonates that would cure your condition.
If osteoporosis sounds complicated, this disease is much rarer than that. Also take note of other risk factors of this disease such as joint injuries and alcohol and drug abuse. The medicine for osteoporosis is not the only one that can cause this.
More Help Coming
Little is known of the correlation of oral biphosphonates and osteonecrosis. With that, medical experts have been putting in a lot of effort lately for them to be able to know more about this.
The suspicion that oral biphosphonates can increase the risk of developing osteonecrosis is still being proven nowadays by a lot of medical experts in America. A lot of research and testing has been done lately and very soon, their results will be published for everyone to know.
All About Dental Implants
What Is A Dental Implant?
If you loose a tooth, it either will grow back again if you are under 10 or if you are not that young, you would have to get a dental implant. Having it is quite easy and convenient and you should have it as much as possible if you lose one of the most visible teeth you have such as one of your two front teeth. Because they work and look exactly like teeth and even better at times, these are the next best thing aside from the original tooth.
Dental implants are artificial teeth that are custom fitted to replace a lost tooth or a set of teeth. There are several types of dental implants and it can be made out of different materials or a fusion of materials. If the process of having the implant is successful, the implant would then actually be a part of the set of teeth just as if it is directly connected to the jaw.
Who Needs Dental Implants?
Basically, everyone who has lost a tooth and has no chances of it growing back would need dental implants, the more for those who have lost the most visible teeth. Since teeth work together, they have to be complete as much as possible and as human as we all are, losing a tooth or a set of them is very likely for us. Fortunately, dental implants are widely available although this may not be what you need exactly.
Dental implants are more expensive than typical dentures but the good thing about this is that it not only serves as a substitute or something just to plainly fill in the gaps rather, it becomes a part of your body as it would connect to the jaw if it is successfully done.
How Are Dental Implants Done?
Having dental implants is a delicate process fortunately, a lot of dentists know how to do this so much in fact that this has become one of their key functions.
In the first step, the jaw has to be prepared for the implant. This is important because the main goal here is to make the implant connected to the jaw. In this step, the dentist would drill a hole in the empty slot where the implant should be placed right into the bone. This is a very delicate step and simple miscalculations can lead to actually splitting the jaw.
After the hole is made, it is made a little larger for a titanium screw to fit in. It is expected that bone should grow on the screw and integrate it into the system. After the screw is placed, the dentist would then place a permanent cap where it should be. At this point, the former appearance of you having complete teeth is fully restored, although it would still take around 3 to 6 weeks before one could tell if the implant is successful.
How To Tell If It Would Succeed
During the first few weeks after having the implant, the function of the tooth is still considerably limited. You would gain full function of it after 3 to 6 weeks. If the transplant is successful, bone would grow around and your jaw would fully accept the implant, making it officially a part of it. At this point, it would be like having a new permanent tooth.
If the implant fails, the implant might just fall off in time. It is perceived that lower jaw implants have higher success rates than upper jaw implants because the lower jaw has more mass and is able to receive foreign substances.
Things To Do For Higher Success Rates
Smoking is known to greatly increase the chances of failures in implants so if you are seriously considering having one, you should definitely stop beforehand as it would be useless. Smoking defeats all your efforts of trying to improve oral health.
It would also help if you would have a diet that would support bone growth or one that is rich in calcium. Meat, eggs and milk are good sources of it.
New Discoveries
It has been recently discovered that if you have a tooth extracted and immediately have a dental implant immediately, success rates are higher and the entire process takes less to be finished.
Although having a dental implant can be painful physically and for your budget, you are sure to be delighted with the many benefits you would be able to get from it. Only with dental implants would you be able to achieve a full smile again, if you’ve lost it.
What Are Hypodontia and Oligodontia?
What Is Hyperdontia?
Normally, an adult would have 32 teeth. If a person has more than this, that would be hyperdontia. The teeth that would appear in excess of the normal 32 are called as supernumerary teeth and would commonly appear at the premaxillary area, although it could appear anywhere on the layer of the teeth.
Most of the time, this condition would not affect the day to day life of a person but at times, this would cause all the other teeth to stir up since it would mess up with the arrangement. In severe cases, not just one tooth appears below but rather and entire set of teeth. This would cause the normal layer to be pushed out that would make teeth appear messed up.
What Is Oligodontia?
Oligodontia, also known as hypodontia, is a condition wherein an individual would have fewer teeth than the normal. Since tooth loss is not so unusual, this condition is defined when an individual has lost more than 6 teeth not including all the wisdom teeth which would be removed. If all teeth are lost, this condition would be known as anodontia.
Oligodontia is commonly associated with other conditions that could lead to it such as gum disease, Down syndrome and ectodermal dysplasia. There also has been a recent observation that women with ovarian cancer are much more likely to have oligodontia that those who do not have the condition in fact, women with ovarian cancer are around 8 times more likely to have the condition.
What Are The Causes Of Hyperdontia And Oligodontia?
One cause of hypodontia could be that it is genetic. A person with this condition puts his children at risk of also developing the condition as observed in a recent study. Or even if a person does not have this condition, his children can still develop this condition as it can be caused by defective genes which causes more teeth to appear than the usual.
Environmentally, there is still no known cause of this disease while a lot of research is undergoing so that dental experts may know more about it. With that, nobody can discuss what really causes this condition without having any solid scientific backup.
Oligodontia has similar causes, largely associated with genetics.
Treatment For Hyperdontia
If the case of hyperdontia becomes a nuisance for the person with it, that person should approach a qualified dentist for it to be corrected. There are several ways on how hyperdontia would be corrected. The first step in all those would be for the dentist to assess what has to be done. While that would be followed by having the extra teeth removed, the dentist still has to plan carefully what to do next.
For severe cases of the condition, hyperdontia can actually lead to very serious illnesses such as disease and cancer. These cases are fatal, that is why it is very important for you to see your dentist often if you have a case of hyperdontia.
Treatment For Oligodontia
This would also begin with having the dentist assess what has to be done. Since some teeth are missing, the common approaches to this would be to have dental implants in a way that they would greatly contribute to the total appearance and function of the entire set of teeth.
If the implants are successfully done, then the entire set of teeth would be back as how it used to be. At this point, you would feel as though the implants are your own new set of teeth.
Management Of Both Conditions
Both conditions can be difficult. While they are treatable in most cases, you still would have to see your dentist every once in a while. More than that, you would have to be more conscious of your oral health as your condition could progress into a more serious case if you do not take care of it.
Take note that lifestyle would have a large influence on the development of this condition. Depending on what you do, your condition would just go with the flow. That is why clean living, which would involve a healthy diet, enough exercise and rest, is advised even for this condition.
Orthodontics
What Are Orthodontics?
You probably have heard of this if you visit your dentist often, the more if you have braces or if you know someone who has them. Basically, orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that refers to the study of improper bites and the factors that may cause it such as misalignment of teeth, jaw problems or both at the same time. The main concern of orthodontics is to restore a lost function by means of correction however; people have it for purely aesthetic reasons.
The word itself actually explains what it really means as ortho in Greek means correct and odons means teeth. With that, the main approach of orthodontics is to correct teeth for whatever purpose it may be. It is not limited to just changing teeth but at times, it is also geared towards changing the total appearance of a person’s face.
How It Came To Be
Orthodontics is actually an old study and has been there since around 1000 B.C. Irregular teeth have always caused problems for people ever since and with that, some instruments have been found in ancient Greek and Estrucan civilizations. These instruments, although primitively designed, have helped the people of their time correct misalignments with their teeth.
With that, orthodontics has improved from that to what it is know. Generally, the concepts still remain which practically deals with altering or controlling growth. Edward Angle is the first known orthodontist as he limited his studies only in this field. He is regarded to as the father of modern orthodontics.
Orthodontic Approaches
The main approach of orthodontics is by correcting misalignments through the use of instruments, the most common of these being the dental braces although there are several instruments that can be used and a wide variety of braces that would be used to treat misalignments.
Some other instruments that can be used in orthodontics are chin cups, headgears and facemasks. These are used from childhood to adolescence and are all geared to giving an adolescent person more functionality and better appearance later on.
Conditions Which Orthodontics Are Used To Cure
Practically, all cases of misalignment of teeth are all cured by orthodontics. If any of the teeth grow towards the outside or the inside of the layer, then braces would be used to cure that. Most commonly, the front teeth are the ones that tend not to grow in place and braces have been used to treat and manage this condition for years.
The most common condition which orthodontics would be used to cure is the crowding of teeth on one side and anteroposterior discrepancies.
Basically, if teeth are not where they are supposed to be, that would be cured by orthodontics.
Orthodontic Diagnosis
Orthodontic treatments always begin with a diagnosis for the dentist to know what approach to take. First of all, the dentist should be able to observe the various elements of malocclusion of dentofacial deformity. After that, the dentist should know what the nature of the problem is as well as factors that might have led to the condition.
Once the steps are done, the dentist should know what treatment the patient should undergo. The treatment done should be based on the needs of the patient as to what has been identified earlier. Once that is done, the doctor should make the patient aware of what will be done in a way that the patient would fully understand the process.
Orthodontic Technology
When talking about all the instruments that will be used in orthodontics processes, this would be referred to as orthodontic technology. This would include all types of braces as well as everything else that would be used to treat malocclusions of dentofacial deformity. There are three main types of dental technology and these are active, passive and functional. These technologies can either be fixed or removable.
An active appliance is one that uses force to the tooth which it will correct to change the relationship or the direction of teeth. Passive appliances are usually used by a patient after he or she has used an active appliance. The main goal of passive appliances is to retain what changes have been done. Some examples of these are retainers and maintainers. Functional appliances on the other hand refer to appliances that make use of muscle action to produce forces that would in turn, correct the malocclusion.
Tooth Whitening
Why Have It?
As time goes by, our teeth would lose its whiteness because of several factors. While this is quite normal since a lot of food that we eat discolor our teeth, the process of having your teeth go yellow would be hastened if you drink coffee, smoke and if you drink tea. Since having white teeth is an aesthetic standard, if you don’t take care of your teeth well, you will eventually lose whiteness.
Not that white teeth would look unexceptionally nice but if the discoloration of your teeth would get at the point where it is deep yellow, then that would not look very presentable. This can affect how you live. You may lose confidence because of your appearance and in turn, it may affect the way you do your job, the way you relate to people and many other things which involve having your teeth exposed. Fortunately, a lot of teeth whitening options are available for you.
What Is Tooth Whitening?
Tooth whitening is a widely practiced procedure by most dentists which involve having them remove stains and discoloration, thus restoring your teeth to their former glory, which is how white they really should be. Since this would greatly affect appearance, tooth whitening has become one of the most popular and most practiced dental procedures around.
While stains are most commonly found on the surface of the teeth, these can also be found inside the teeth. If that is the situation, then this type of stain is called as intrinsic stain. This can be caused by too much exposure to fluoride as a child which would affect how the teeth would grow as they are developing.
If you are considering tooth whitening, take note that it is mostly effective for removing stains.
Getting Prepared
First of all, cavities would have to be treated before the main process. This is because the certain bleach that will be used on your teeth can reach into your teeth if you have cavities and this will make your teeth more sensitive. Likewise, receding gums which would lead to parts of teeth that do not have an enamel layer exposed cannot be treated by tooth whitening.
Afterwards, the dentist would examine your teeth from every angle possible. This would involve having your dentist taking close looks at your teeth as well as asking you a wide variety of questions that would lead him to know how you got those stains. Once the examination is complete, the dentist can immediately begin with the main process of tooth whitening.
The Main Process
There are two main approaches of tooth whitening. The first approach is called non-vital whitening and this is used on teeth that have had root canal procedures, since these types cannot be treated by the other approach. In this process, the dentist will place a whitening solution inside the tooth and cover it with a temporary filling. This can be done only once or until the desired whiteness is achieved.
The other process is vital whitening and is the more common approach to tooth whitening. This would involve the use of a gel of which you would put in a tray that would resemble a mouth guard that you will place on your mouth from an hour, two or overnight.
Whatever approach you wish to take, make sure to consult your dentist beforehand.
Maintenance
When you have reached the desired shade, not everything is done yet. Your dentist might still want to check up on you to see how your teeth are doing after undergoing the process, since the agent that you will be applying on your teeth can cause irritations if you don’t apply it correctly. Your dentist would also like to see how much your teeth have improved as being one of the most concerned with your teeth.
Risks Involved
Tooth whitening procedures are very unlikely to cause any serious side effects, although it has been said that improper usage of it can make teeth more sensitive and as well as make gums irritated. It is also not advisable for pregnant women to undergo the process as effects of the agent on the fetus are unknown.
Practically, tooth whitening is a safe process if done correctly.
The Dangers of Oral Piercing
Purely Aesthetical
Tongue piercing cannot be intelligently associated with any useful purposes rather; the use of it is purely aesthetical. Most commonly, this is worn by rock enthusiasts, masochists and taboo fanatics. It is very unlikely to see a wholesome and intelligent people with any oral piercings. Oral piercings would include tongue piercings, upper and lower lip piercings and virtually piercings that can be place anywhere in the mouth.
While this may look good for some people, a lot of them are not actually aware of the dangers that tongue piercing can bring. Some would say that this is purely safe and having this would just be like having piercings anywhere else on the body but that is totally wrong. Tongue piercings can go bad at times and would cause a person pain.
Nerve Damage
The tongue, unlike any other body parts is not coated by a thick layer of skin rather; it is more like pure muscle that is full of nerves. Because it is such, having a tongue piercing can really hurt during the process of having it and more than that, it can also cause nerve damage. Since the tongue is always moving whenever you use it, which would be most of the time, it could take a long time for the wound to heal.
Because of those factors, swelling has also become a common effect of tongue piercing. Some cases have reported that swelling brought about by tongue piercing can be so serious that it can actually block the air from passing through the mouth at times.
Possibility Of Infection And Disease
Since the mouth deals with a lot of bacteria, having an open wound in it would make it very vulnerable for bacteria to come in and attack it. If this would happen, the most common thing that could be brought about would be infection. Handling the jewelry in the tongue or exposure to more bacteria increases the risk of developing it.
Aside from that, medical experts have also seen a vivid connection between having tongue piercings and various diseases such as hepatitis B, C, D and G. If the process is faulty, that can also lead to tuberculosis and tetanus. It has also been concluded that tongue piercings would place a person at a greater risk of catching sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, syphilis, and many others.
Dangers Of Tongue Piercing After The Process
If the piercing process is a success, it might be thought that this stage would be safe however, that is not the case. Anyone who has a tongue piercing is at constant risk of various dangers even after the process of having their tongues pierced. One of those is the danger of swallowing the barbell. The barbell is not that well fixed on the tongue, a person who has it can make a barbell lose its grip if he knows how to. That could lead to having a person swallow it which would later lead to a lot of other problems.
If a person with a piercing would move his tongue too much, then that person could be damaging his gums. If the case is very serious, the damages would be so severe that gum surgery would be required.
Severe Dangers
Some cases of fallbacks brought about by tongue piercings have been so severe that some of these have led to facial disfigurement, disability and even death. The infection could spread so fast that it would go to other parts of the face. In one case, a person had to have a part of his skull remove because of a brain abscess brought about by a tongue piercing.
In some cases, people have also died of diseases and infections that were also largely associated with tongue piercings.
Social Dangers
While your health would be at stake if you have your tongue pierced, your social life could be in danger too. While this might be a result of rapid hormones in action during adolescence, just think about how most people would look at you. You may look respectable for a lot of people who are into that stuff but parents, school officials or anyone professional would not like it. Therefore, you would not look presentable to them.
Having a tongue pierced for aesthetical purposes might actually even make you lose confidence instead of gaining it if you find out later that you don’t really want it.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Why It Is So Important
People have commonly associated a lot of features with beauty some of those being the eyes, nose, lips, chin, figure and in this case, the teeth. With that, you know that not all people have naturally perfect teeth and you might also be aware that perfect teeth would really look good. So the approach on making not so perfect teeth into perfect teeth is what is known as cosmetic dentistry.
While cosmetic dentistry is largely associated for aesthetic purposes, it can do more than just that. Cosmetic dentistry can also restore teeth some functions and even improve dental health. Considering that you get all that plus it would make your teeth look better, this area of dentistry might be something you might want to heavily consider.
The main prospect of cosmetic dentistry is to apply art and science to make your teeth the best they could be. With that, there are several approaches depending on what case you have with your teeth.
Tooth Whitening
One of the things most people would consider beautiful in a set of teeth would be how white they are. Unfortunately, since most people are busy and since yellowing of teeth is practically normal, not a lot of people have this. Fortunately, whiter teeth are very much possible now with some approaches of tooth whitening. Because of its effects, tooth whitening now is one of the most sought after and the most practiced dental procedures.
There are two main approaches for tooth whitening. The more common process would involve placing gel into a mold that is shaped like a mouth guard. This mold would then be placed on your mouth for hours, depending how long you need it. As for those who have undergone delicate processes with their teeth such as root canals, there is another whitening process of which a dentist would directly handle.
Bonding
This is one of the most basic dental functions as the people needing this are very likely to visit a dentist immediately. If a person’s tooth would get chipped to the point that it would only be half the original size, there is still an effective way to fix this, this process which is known as bonding. If a significant portion of the tooth is still left, the dentist could create a mold of which would be later glued in replacement of the lost chip of tooth.
After the substitute is glued in place, it is then polished to a perfect finish. After this, the tooth would look as if nothing had happened to it as color, shape and size are all perfectly normal at this point.
Enamel Shaping And Contouring
If a part of some teeth are chipped off, cracked or overlapping, there are some approaches that can be used to correct this. The more popular approach would be enamel shaping which would involve removing parts of the contouring enamel to improve the shape of the tooth. While that is more common, a more effective approach would be contouring although this concept is not yet that popular among dentists.
Under certain circumstances, contouring may even be a substitute for braces as some approaches of this are also some approaches of having braces. This approach is commonly used to change the positioning, shape, width, and length of teeth.
Dental Bridges
When talking about cosmetic dentistry, this might be some of the first things that would come in mind as these are some of the most popularly used approaches. If a patient would lose a tooth or an entire set of teeth, the obvious way of fixing that is by dental bridges or more popularly known as false teeth. Since crowns are placed in a way that it would be fixed on your teeth, false teeth are fixed and cannot be removed.
Aside from the fact that dental bridges are the next best thing if you have lost an original set of teeth, there are more benefits to it than just those. These can reduce the risk of developing gum disease, help improve speech and could even correct bite problems.
Gum Procedures
Cosmetic dentistry not only deals with the teeth but at times, it would also deal with the gums. There is this process called gum lift in which a dentist would sculpt the gum line in order to make teeth look longer and more symmetrical.
Since cosmetic dentistry is only handled by expert dentists, all procedures are completely safe.
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Halitosis simply means bad breath and this could either be acute or chronic depending on what causes it. For mild cases, it might simply mean that a patient would need to brush his teeth more and as for severe cases, this could indicate gum disease or intestinal problems.
You Have Halitosis When
As stated earlier, bad breath will happen to everyone at certain points of time but if the stench is out of control, then that is one sure sign that you have halitosis. You know that it is out of control when you can actually taste the smell frequently in your mouth and if a lot of people have given you bad comments about how your breath smells. This is also manifested if you have thick saliva often and no matter what you do, nothing seems to improve it.
As for the social matter, you will know you have halitosis when you feel embarrassed about your breath when talking to people so much that it would actually interfere with your day to day life. To clear things up, halitosis is when your bad breath is beyond your control.
What Causes It?
Halitosis is most commonly caused by poor oral hygiene. People who do not brush and floss regularly are very likely to have this in contrary to people who brush regularly. This is also caused by food that is retained in gaps in the mouth or in the throat.
The smell from halitosis would most of the time come from the gums and the tongue which is caused by bacteria which is brought about by the decaying food particles that are left in gaps in the mouth. The decay and other debris left in your mouth would then produce a sulfur compound that would cause a bad odor.
Other known causes of halitosis are diabetes, drug use, infection, tooth decay, lack of food, incorrect diet, smoking, heavy metal accumulation and stress.
Preventing Halitosis
Since halitosis is an oral problem, one of the best things you can do is to have excellent oral hygiene. With this, you have to make sure that you brush and floss your teeth regularly making sure that your mouth is free of any debris that can cause it. If you are a smoker, it would really do a lot if you stopped smoking as that is one heavy cause of halitosis.
As much as possible, you should also try to avoid food that can cause bad breath or can get stuck in your teeth such as alcoholic drinks, smelly cheese or tough meat. Since stress is also a major cause of halitosis, you need exercise and sleep to help you with that.
Other Things You Should Know
The reason why your breath is foul when you just wake up is because the production of bacteria in your mouth slows down while you are sleeping. Saliva is the mouth’s natural way of fighting bacteria which is the main cause of bad breath. Since there isn’t much saliva produced while you are sleeping, there are a lot of bacteria in your mouth when you wake up.
Seeking Help
When it comes to this condition, there is no other that could help you more than an expert. You can seek either a dentist or an ear, nose and throat expert on this as both professions deal largely with problems that are directly related to this. They would help you know the cause of your condition and as well as what to do to help you with it.
If the problem is with your teeth, dentists can fix that instantly. You’ll be delighted with the results once you get professional help with your condition.
Cavities and What Causes Them
What Are Cavities?
Cavities are synonymous with tooth decay and this happens when bacteria damages the teeth. The tissues would progressively break down thus bringing about holes in the teeth. There are two types of bacteria that are responsible for this, which are Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli. If this condition is left untreated, it can cause a lot of pains such as toothaches, tooth loss, infection and even death in severe cases.
The reason why people have cavities is mainly because of their lifestyles, people who have it might not have proper oral hygiene which is why kids are more vulnerable to it. While kids are at larger risks of developing this, adults can also have them.
The General Cause Of Cavities
Cavities are generally cause by bacteria that is brought about by food particles left in the mouth because of improper hygiene, lack of saliva which is the body’s way of fighting off bacteria in the mouth and if there is an infection from within that bacteria could come from. If these bacteria would get into the teeth, being bad as they are, they would bore holes in the teeth.
This would seem harmless at first but as it develops, it can cause a lot of pain. If the holes are deep enough, nerves can be exposed and you can feel pain if anything would get contact with these nerves. It would start with a tingling feeling you would get if you see metal rubbed against each other of if metal would get in contact with your teeth. As it develops, you will feel more pain.
Types Of Cavities
The most common form of cavities is coronal cavities. This can occur in both children and adults. These would usually appear on the surfaces of the teeth we use for grinding. Because these teeth are used a lot, some wear and tear would eventually happen, that of which is in the form of cavities.
Another type of cavity is root cavities and this is known to be the most painful type since nerves are largely involved here. This happens as we age since the gums that are covering the sensitive parts would eventually recede causing parts of the roots of our teeth exposed. Since there is no enamel protecting those parts, these parts are very prone to decaying.
Even if you see your dentist often and get the fillings for cavities that you need, you can still have cavities. This form is known as recurrent decay and this is because areas that have fillings have a great tendency to accumulate plaque.
Preventing Cavities
The most basic thing you can do to prevent from having cavities is to brush and floss your teeth after every meal as you would want your mouth to be as clean as possible at all times. It is best that you would use toothpaste that has a good measurement of fluoride as this element would strengthen the surfaces of your teeth, thus making it more resistant to bacteria.
If your teeth are naturally weak, you can increase your calcium intake for them to be stronger, milk is an excellent source of calcium that is advised if you want your teeth to be stronger. It would also help if you chew gum from time to time as this stimulates the production of saliva which would fight off bacteria in your teeth.
If You Already Have Them
Do not think twice. Once you are sure you have them you have to see your dentist as soon as possible and make sure you have a filling in the cavity no matter how shallow it is since that small cavity can provide space for food and bacteria to come in, thus it can get larger in no time.
Also make sure that you see your dentist at least twice a year. There are some things going on with your teeth that you will not know unless you really see an expert. Also have the dentist clean your teeth every time you visit or as it’s more professionally known as prophylaxis.
Do Not Take Cavities Lightly
While these are very common and are only manifested through holes in the teeth, you must never take this issue lightly. Cavities will cause you a lot of pain if it gets to the point wherein the nerves are already openly exposed and if it gets really severe, it could cause a very serious mouth infection which in turn could cause death.
With that, you should take every effort to prevent cavities and maintain excellent oral health.
Gum Disease and How to Prevent It
What Is Gum Disease?
If you are thinking that gum disease can only happen to older people, better think again. Anyone can have gum disease and this can cause a lot of problems from mild ones such as bad breath and small cavities to really serious ones like tooth loss and a lot of pain.
Gum disease is more professionally known as periodontal disease and is an infection of the bones and tissues that hold your teeth in. If not treated immediately, gum disease can get really serious and could slowly cause your teeth to loosen and eventually fall out. Gum disease is also the leading cause of why people loose their teeth everywhere in the world.
What Causes Gum Disease?
Gum disease is caused by plaque, an invisible layer of germs that are naturally in your mouth. Since this is bacteria, it is destructive as it will irritate and damage the gums. Chances are increased for people with poor oral hygiene since there would be more bacteria in the mouth that would cause it.
Another factor is having leftover food that you might not notice that would be left in some gaps in your mouth. When it decays, this would bring about bacteria too and that bacteria produced would be very harmful to your oral health. Basically, what really causes gum disease is poor oral health or having significant amounts of bacteria in your mouth.
Different Types Of Gum Disease
Gum disease is not limited to just one type in fact; there are a lot of types.
The mildest form of gum disease is gingivitis. This is considered mild since a victim of it would commonly experience little or no discomfort at all. If this happens, your gums would be redder than usual, swollen and would easily bleed with normal activities such as brushing your teeth. This is often caused by poor oral hygiene.
If gingivitis is untreated, it would evolve to a more serious case known as periodontitis. This happens when plaque spreads all over your mouth to the point that it reaches below the gum line, that part which is more vulnerable to bacteria. If this happens, the tissues and bones that support that affected tooth would be damaged causing it to eventually break down. This would lead to cases wherein the affected tooth would have to be removed.
Different Types Of Periodontitis
For patients who are considerably clinically healthy but still have this condition, that case would most likely be aggressive periodontitis. This would make a patient lose teeth easily. Another form of periodontitis is chronic periodontitis and this is manifested by inflammations in the area of which the teeth are directly connected to the gums which is underneath. This is the most common type of the condition and is more prevalent in adults, though it could occur at any age.
Preiodontitis could also be a manifestation of systemic diseases. Conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory disease can bring about this condition. One of the most known severe forms of the disease is necrotizing periodontal disease and happens when the gingival tissues necrotize. This is caused by malnutrition, HIV infection and immunosuppression.
What You Can Do To Prevent It
Preventing gum disease is just as basic as preventing any other oral problems, and involves having excellent oral hygiene which also means that you would have to brush and floss your teeth as much as you can as this would remove the factors that would cause it as well as many other health problems.
While hygiene is basic, it is also important that you live healthily. Excessive smoking would greatly multiply the chances of you having gum disease. It would also help if you live on a healthy diet as your gums need nutrients in order for them to be healthy.
When You Already Have It
If you are showing symptoms of it no matter how mild those may be, you have to see your dentist immediately. If the case is mild, then the dentist would just treat the area and tell you what you should do to get better.
If the case is already severe, then you might be undergoing dental surgery. What will be done here is that the dental surgeon would remove the affected tooth and stop the disease from spreading.
Although gum disease is a rather big issue, it can be controlled and treated effectively.
Oral Cancer
What Is Oral Cancer?
Oral problems are very common. However, cases are not mild at all times. In severe cases, oral problems can be so severe that it can actually lead to death. One of the most notorious forms of this would be oral cancer.
Oral cancer is the presence of any cancerous tissue anywhere in the mouth. It may start as a lesion in any part of the mouth and if the condition gets worse, it would bring about a lot of pain. This can be in the form of many histologic types such as adenocarcinoma, teratoma, or derived from a major or minor salivary gland. The most common form of oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma of where the cancerous tissues would be in the linings of the mouth and of the lips.
Symptoms Of Oral Cancer
The most visible symptoms would be lumps, skin lesions, or ulcer on various areas all over the mouth area such as the gums, the tongue or the lips. These manifestations are usually small and more often pale colored but they can also be dark or discolored. This can start as painless but if it develops, the one having it would feel a burning sensation where the tumor is.
Some other symptoms that could be associated with the disease are having difficulty in swallowing, mouth sores that do not go away in time and tongue problems. If the condition advances, symptoms would be paraesthesia and pain.
Factors That Could Increase Risk
Of all individuals who are diagnosed with the disease, around 66% of all of those have been diagnosed late, so much that the disease has gone to stage 3 or four at most times. This is because public awareness is low of these symptoms unfortunately; the disease can be diagnosed even if it hasn’t progressed much.
Smoking is one of the leading causes of oral cancers and is associated with around 75% of all cases of cancer. This is because cigarettes alone would contain a lot of carcinogens and to think that it would get in direct contact with the mouth, which would impose a great risk factor. Medical experts have also seen a connection between excessive alcohol intake as people who drink and smoke a lot are at high risk of developing the disease.
How To Know If You Have It
While you know the symptoms to the disease, it would help greatly if you would get tested as this is the best and the most accurate way of telling if you really do have the disease. In order to get tested, just approach any doctor or any professional who offers testing for cancerous cells.
There are some devices that are made to assist doctors in telling if a patient has cancerous cells such as the Velscope and the Vizilite. While the professional handling the case may suspect cancer, the only way of making an official diagnosis is when a biopsy is made.
Treatment For Oral Cancer
If the tumor is small enough, this can be removed through an incision. Most of the time, surgery would result to very satisfactory results. If the tumor cannot be operated on, radiation therapy can be used although this can also be used in conjunction to surgery depending on the case.
Other operational procedures would include the removal of the affected part or the ones that could worsen the condition. As this could be demanding at times considering that it can change the total appearance of a victim, reconstructive surgery can be done to restore original appearances.
For other cases, chemotherapy can also be used and is effective when used in combination with other treatments such as radiation therapy.
Other Things You Should Know
This serious condition can lead to disfigurement of the face, neck or the head as treating it, especially with surgery can alter the appearance. Radiation therapy may also have some undesirable side effects, the most common of those having a dry mouth and difficulty in swallowing.
If the case is not treated successfully, the cancer can spread to other body parts. Cancer behaves that way and oral cancer is no exception to that.
What is TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorder)?
TMJ Means Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorder
The temporo-mandibular joint is the area in front of both ears where the upper jaw and the lower jaw meet. Within this joint, there are movable parts that function all together in order for the lower jaw to move, this action which happens all the time when we chew, talk or any activity which would involve having us open our mouths. Being that, this joint is one of the most used joints in the body.
The temporo-mandibular joints are multifaceted parts that are made up of muscles, tendons and bones. Each element that makes it up contributes to the operation of it which is basically manifested by us opening our mouths. If things are all smooth, we are able to talk, chew and open our mouths without feeling any pain.
What Are Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorders?
Temporo-mandibular joint disorders would compose a group of problems that directly refer to the joint. This can lead to several problems that basically interfere with the ability of you being able to open your mouth and do day to day things such as eat, talk or yawn.
This is also known as myofacial pain dysfunction of Costen’s syndrome. Since the muscles, tendons and bones work together when you move this joint, a problem with any of those can lead to difficulties in using the whole joint which would later lead to stiffness, headaches, bite problems, ear pains, or locked jaws at certain times.
What Are The Symptoms Of These?
TMJ would usually occur because of stress of the joint or engaging in activities that would push the capacities of the joint to the limit. With that some of the symptoms include headache which is manifested in over 80% of all cases of this problem. Patients would commonly complain about facial pain, particularly in the ear area where the joint is. Being exposed to cold weather can worsen the pain felt by the patient.
Another symptom would be clicking sounds when a patient would use the joint. These sounds may or may not be accompanied by pain. Patients of this condition would also report hearing problems since they would feel as if their ears are stuffed. This is because the condition can lead to a dysfunction in the Eustachian tube, the one responsible for regulating pressure in the ear.
How Is This Caused?
The main causes of temporo-mandibular joint disorders are basically unhealthy mannerisms that involve having you use the joint.
Grinding your teeth often, since this is hard on the joint would increase the wear and tear directly on the joint. This is an unhealthy habit and some people might not know that they are doing this unless a dentist would tell them. Dental problems can also be another cause. A problem with teeth alignment that would lead an individual to chewing either just on the left side or the right side of the jaw can lead to this.
Previous trauma to the bones or the parts directly involved in using this joint are also some causes of this condition.
Getting Diagnosed With TMJ
In order for an individual to get diagnosed with TMJ, a complete and detailed dental evaluation is necessary. If the dentist would then see symptoms that can be heard by popping or clicking sounds in the jaw, limited ability of the patient to open the mouth and even the appearance of teeth can be used in diagnosing in the form of ridges, smooth areas and bumps.
For a complete diagnosis, an x-ray is necessary. Through this, the dentist would be able to see what the temporo-mandibular joint looks like and with that, the dentist would know what approaches to take to treat the condition.
Treatment
Some approaches that would be recommended for the treatment of TMJ would be to lessen the activities of the joint that would include a soft diet and refraining from activities that stress it such as chewing gum or grinding teeth. For rehabilitation purposes, some would recommend placing hot or cold compress occasionally directly on top of the area.
If the case is severe, then surgery might be required. This will be done if therapy would fail, however this is only done as a last resort. For most cases, physical therapy and rehabilitation is usually the case and these may require the use of dental devices similar to braces that would correct what has to be corrected.
What Are Crowns
Definition
When our teeth get damaged, we would need restoration processes in order to restore our teeth to normal function. If the top part of a tooth would have cavities or is already heavily damaged, that would normally be covered with a filling however, fillings are only limited to covering a small part. Rather than just cover a small part, dental crowns actually cover the tooth’s entire surface.
These are usually made of porcelain however; they can also be made up of metals. Some would even use gold as dental crowns. Dental crowns are also known as tooth caps or dental caps.
Why Do I Need Dental Crowns?
You may need dental crowns for several reasons. One reason is that a dental crown would restore a tooth to its original condition as damage to it can limit its function. A damaged molar may not allow you to chew as well; this problem can be fixed by dental crowns. Another is that damaged teeth may not look to pleasing, dental crowns would restore the normal appearance of a damaged tooth.
If some teeth are weak, these can be strengthened by dental crowns. You don’t actually have to wait before your teeth are completely messed up before you get one, you should have it when your dentist advises it.
How Do I Get Dental Crowns?
First of all, the dentist would assess the damage on your tooth and see what dental crown you need. The dentist will observe from all angles using different methods and from this, the dentist would get the basis on how your dental crown should look like. After that, the dental crown is sculpted and later glued on top of the tooth.
If there is no damage done, the dental crown would first be sculpted based on what the dentist thinks is right for you and then glued on top of the damaged part. This is usually the case if a person has weak teeth.
Dental Crowns For Restoring A Tooth’s Original Function
Some of your teeth can get damaged for many reasons. Fortunately, the dental cap can easily and quickly restore that damaged tooth to its original capacity, that of practically is one of its main purposes. Since a dental crown would be sculpted and glued to place, it would be easy to imagine how it would look.
For small cavities, a dental filling might be more ideal as these are easy to do and would not take so much time. Dental crowns on the other hand would still have to be fabricated outside your mouth by a dental technician and when that it done, that is when it will be glued in place. Being that, dental crowns can also be better.
Dental Crowns For Cosmetic Purposes
Since a dental crown is customized just for the user, it can be used in a way to make teeth actually look better. Dental crowns that are mainly used for cosmetic purposes are made up of porcelain so you can imagine how clean looking that is. However, this may not be the ideal choice at all times if your sole purpose of getting a dental crown just for the sake of having that “porcelain smile”.
This is said because dental crowns are somewhat a hassle. A dentist might have to grind certain portions of the teeth to be capped in order for a dental cap to fit in. If you just want your teeth to look better, you can ask your dentist for a whole lot of other alternatives. Dental caps are not always the ideal choice for this kind of situation.
Other Uses Of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns will give a person many benefits aside from its cosmetic and dental benefits. If you are using a dental bridge, a dental cap can be used to cover this up. Same as if your teeth are badly discolored, you can also have that covered with dental caps. If you have dental implants, a dental cap can also be used to cover that up.
Take note that teeth need not to be broken for you to have a dental cap; you can practically have it anytime you want it. Just be aware of other options that might be available to fix your problem.
What is a Cleft Palate
Definition
A cleft palate is more professionally known as palatoschisis and can occur along with having a cleft lip. Having these two conditions simultaneously would colloquially be termed as harelip but since this term is derogatory, the use of this term is discouraged. More commonly, this condition is known as cleft lip and palate.
Clefts can occur not only to the lip and the palate but rather on several parts of the face such as the eyes, ears, forehead, cheeks and nose however, the cleft lip and palate are the most common cases. This condition is quite uncommon as it would only occur in one out of about every 700 births.
What Causes This?
Cleft lip and palates are one of the several forms of congenital deformity that is caused by abnormal facial development during the development of an embryo. The cleft would form somewhere during the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy when the facial features would begin to develop. During this stage, tissues will start to meet one another across the embryo’s face. If some tissues would fail to meet, then that is the formation of a cleft.
The result will be seen during birth. Most of the time, clefts would only occur in one part such as the lips and palates only, the ears or just the cheeks but severe cases can actually lead to the actual deformity of the face.
Risk Factors
There are several factors that have been known to increase the risk of having an infant with clefts.
Some medical experts say that this could be environmental. If the mother would be exposed to certain elements such as pesticide, drugs and alcohol, the risk of having a baby that has a cleft would be increased. Other environmental factors are having a poor maternal diet, wrong vitamin intake and engaging in too much stressful activities during the course of pregnancy.
Some would also say that the development of clefts is genetic. A person who has one puts the next generation at risk of also developing it. Research is currently being done to see if folic acid actually has and effect on the development of clefts in infants.
Connection With Races
Medical experts have observed a significant connection between races and the development of cleft palates as it is prevalent in some races more than other races. While this is not actually a risk factor, the connection between race and the likeliness of developing this condition is still being researched.
The races that are more likely to have this which is based on observation are Native Americans and Asians although there also has been a significant likeliness for Latin American and Caucasians to have this condition.
There also has been a recent observation that clefting is also prevalent among Jordanians just as they are in the races stated above.
Treatment
Cleft lip and palate is very treatable although the treatment would vary depending on the overall condition. Generally, the treatment for this would be reconstructive surgery which is done during infanthood around 2 to 3 months of age. During this surgery, the doctor closes the gap. This closure does not mean simply stitching both ends of the gap together but rather to connect muscles and tissues involved while making the wound less visible as possible.
Most issues of cleft palate have been treated successfully as this condition is very curable and a lot of doctors would know how to handle it. In developing countries, cleft palate surgeries may even be free.
Living Normally After Surgery
After surgery, a patient can live just as if he or she never experienced having a cleft lip. Sooner or later after the surgery, the patient would gain full control over the upper lip and the scar would even disappear while the patient ages. Having complications after surgery is very unlikely and rarely happens.
A baby born with a cleft would live normally just as people born without them after treatment in fact, some famous people are born with a cleft. History would even tell us that Tutankhamen was born with one.
Since function and appearance is fully normal after reconstructive surgery, a person would be fully normal after it. Some might not even remember having the condition.
Smoking and Dental Health
Contrary To One Another
In order for you to keep your teeth healthy, what would be some of the day to day things you do to maintain the health of your teeth? Those might include brushing your teeth and flossing them as much as you can. In contrary to that, what are some things you do that destroy your teeth? Since you use your teeth a lot, just using them causes wear and tear but one of the worst things you can do for your teeth is smoking.
Smoking damages teeth directly as the many substances in it can damage your teeth in many ways. Smoking is one sure way to have a lot of tooth and oral problems and as well as a lot of health issues. With that, smoking and dental health are truly contrasting to one another.
Bad Things It Can Cause
Smoking can cause you a lot of dental problems. The first signs would be bad breath and having yellowish teeth and these could get worse the more you smoke. Smoking makes your teeth weaker with that, your teeth are at greater risks of developing cavities or having them fall out of place. While this can damage your teeth, this can also lead you to losing bone mass in your jaw.
Smoking is also one of the leading causes of several gum diseases, all of which involve having direct involvement with your overall oral health. If a smoker would undergo dental procedures, he or she is at a decreased risk of having success with it. Smoking is also one of the leading causes of oral cancer and as well as many other cancers.
Are Cigarettes More Destructive Than Pipes?
Any activity which would put tobacco smoke into your mouth would just be as destructive as others while of course, the ones with higher nicotine content would be more destructive as nicotine itself would be. Just as these are, cigars, cigarettes and pipes are all as destructive as one another.
A study proved this. Medical experts have observed and seen those smokers, no matter what they commonly smoke all develop similar symptoms later on; these symptoms which would involve tooth loss and bone loss in the bones supporting the mouth. Just as these are equal in producing oral health problems, all these forms of smoking would also cause the same amount of health problems.
Lose The Habit
Considering the many pains that smoking would bring you, the best and the most reasonable thing you can do if you smoke is to lose the habit. Smoking alone would give you more than enough illnesses and pains than others would and if you lose the habit, you are sure to be delighted with the changes that would happen.
While this may be tough, this is very possible. You can start of by cutting back on a few sticks per day until you do not smoke at all anymore. Do this together with having excellent oral hygiene; that which would mean you would brush and floss your teeth more often. If this is done, your oral health should improve.
What You Should Do To Fight This Off
You can start off by a mindset. Make it clear to you that you want to lose your habit for health’s sake and you would do whatever it takes to achieve it. Like stated above, you should begin by cutting back on a few sticks per day and having an increased awareness over your oral health. Brushing and flossing regularly are the most basic things you can do for this.
It would also help if you would see you dentist every once in a while. Nowadays, dentists can remove thick concentrations of plaque on your teeth when you need them taken out.
When Nothing Works
For some people, it is just impossible not to smoke. Not that they just do not want to but if they stop smoking, some of them would actually feel ill. This is because their systems have already fully adjusted to what smoking gives them. While smoking would give them comfort unfortunately, this is still not a healthy habit.
If this is the case, then you definitely have to see a doctor for advice. You can also go for rehabilitation for smokers which is quite popular nowadays. With the many benefits you can get if you stop smoking, it is the best thing you can do to help yourself.
How Meds for Osteoporosis Lead to Jaw Bone Disease
How Likely Meds For Osteoporosis Would Cause Jaw Bone Disease
For osteoporosis, some of the meds patients might take would be oral biphosphonate. Although that has been proven by some to alleviate the symptoms of osteoporosis, it has recently caused a big issue due to its side effects. Recent studies have shown that this drug increases the chances of having a patient who is taking it develop another condition which is known as osteonecrosis or the gradual decaying of the jaw bone.
Just as a lot of medicines that are used to cure serious cases, meds for osteoporosis would also have its side effects, although this is quite uncommon as it is only likely to happen in around 1 out of every 1,400 cases. While preliminary studies have shown that data little is still known of it and studies are currently being conducted to know more about how oral biphosphonates would lead to osteonecrosis.
What Are Oral Biphosphonates?
There are many meds used to treat osteoporosis which would include estrogen, calcium, vitamin D, and several others. Of all those medicines, one of the most popular would be oral biphosphonates. The main use of this drug is to preserve or toughen bone mass and is recommended to be given to post menopausal women. This medicine is advised to be taken only once a month or once a week depending on the condition and should be taken with an empty stomach.
While the main purpose of this is to treat osteoporosis, medical experts have recently pressed issues against this drug as several studies have suspected that this drug can lead to the decaying of the jaw bone, which is a bad side effect for the drug. While that is so, little is still known if there really is a connection between the use of this drug and jaw bone disease. Up to now, doctors still prescribe this medicine for osteoporosis patients.
What Is Osteonecrosis
Osteonecrosis happens if a particular bone; particularly the jaw in this case, would lose its blood supply eventually leading it to gradual decaying. This would then lead to the bones collapsing which would lead to pain and several other problems with your bones. While the situation is with the jaw in this case, it can also happen to your knees, ankles and shoulders.
This disease can happen anytime, although it is most likely to happen during your forties, fifties or sixties. During the early course of the disease, symptoms are barely noticeable although these would cause a lot of pain later on if it gets worse.
Symptoms Of Osteonecrosis
There are a lot of symptoms of osteonecrosis of the jaw that can lead a doctor in officially diagnosing this considerably rare disease. Early on during the course of the disease, symptoms may not be felt yet. A patient might still have to wait weeks before symptoms of the disease would start showing up.
If osteonecrosis develops, some symptoms would include swelling of the gums, tooth loss, numbness of the jaw and gum loss which would lead to having the bone exposed. These symptoms are associated with pain.
Management Of The Condition
This is a rather rare disease but even if it is, you must take effort in order for it not to happen to you. If it is possible, try to ask your doctor for alternative meds that you can take in place of biphosphonates that would cure your condition.
If osteoporosis sounds complicated, this disease is much rarer than that. Also take note of other risk factors of this disease such as joint injuries and alcohol and drug abuse. The medicine for osteoporosis is not the only one that can cause this.
More Help Coming
Little is known of the correlation of oral biphosphonates and osteonecrosis. With that, medical experts have been putting in a lot of effort lately for them to be able to know more about this.
The suspicion that oral biphosphonates can increase the risk of developing osteonecrosis is still being proven nowadays by a lot of medical experts in America. A lot of research and testing has been done lately and very soon, their results will be published for everyone to know.
All About Dental Implants
What Is A Dental Implant?
If you loose a tooth, it either will grow back again if you are under 10 or if you are not that young, you would have to get a dental implant. Having it is quite easy and convenient and you should have it as much as possible if you lose one of the most visible teeth you have such as one of your two front teeth. Because they work and look exactly like teeth and even better at times, these are the next best thing aside from the original tooth.
Dental implants are artificial teeth that are custom fitted to replace a lost tooth or a set of teeth. There are several types of dental implants and it can be made out of different materials or a fusion of materials. If the process of having the implant is successful, the implant would then actually be a part of the set of teeth just as if it is directly connected to the jaw.
Who Needs Dental Implants?
Basically, everyone who has lost a tooth and has no chances of it growing back would need dental implants, the more for those who have lost the most visible teeth. Since teeth work together, they have to be complete as much as possible and as human as we all are, losing a tooth or a set of them is very likely for us. Fortunately, dental implants are widely available although this may not be what you need exactly.
Dental implants are more expensive than typical dentures but the good thing about this is that it not only serves as a substitute or something just to plainly fill in the gaps rather, it becomes a part of your body as it would connect to the jaw if it is successfully done.
How Are Dental Implants Done?
Having dental implants is a delicate process fortunately, a lot of dentists know how to do this so much in fact that this has become one of their key functions.
In the first step, the jaw has to be prepared for the implant. This is important because the main goal here is to make the implant connected to the jaw. In this step, the dentist would drill a hole in the empty slot where the implant should be placed right into the bone. This is a very delicate step and simple miscalculations can lead to actually splitting the jaw.
After the hole is made, it is made a little larger for a titanium screw to fit in. It is expected that bone should grow on the screw and integrate it into the system. After the screw is placed, the dentist would then place a permanent cap where it should be. At this point, the former appearance of you having complete teeth is fully restored, although it would still take around 3 to 6 weeks before one could tell if the implant is successful.
How To Tell If It Would Succeed
During the first few weeks after having the implant, the function of the tooth is still considerably limited. You would gain full function of it after 3 to 6 weeks. If the transplant is successful, bone would grow around and your jaw would fully accept the implant, making it officially a part of it. At this point, it would be like having a new permanent tooth.
If the implant fails, the implant might just fall off in time. It is perceived that lower jaw implants have higher success rates than upper jaw implants because the lower jaw has more mass and is able to receive foreign substances.
Things To Do For Higher Success Rates
Smoking is known to greatly increase the chances of failures in implants so if you are seriously considering having one, you should definitely stop beforehand as it would be useless. Smoking defeats all your efforts of trying to improve oral health.
It would also help if you would have a diet that would support bone growth or one that is rich in calcium. Meat, eggs and milk are good sources of it.
New Discoveries
It has been recently discovered that if you have a tooth extracted and immediately have a dental implant immediately, success rates are higher and the entire process takes less to be finished.
Although having a dental implant can be painful physically and for your budget, you are sure to be delighted with the many benefits you would be able to get from it. Only with dental implants would you be able to achieve a full smile again, if you’ve lost it.
What Are Hypodontia and Oligodontia?
What Is Hyperdontia?
Normally, an adult would have 32 teeth. If a person has more than this, that would be hyperdontia. The teeth that would appear in excess of the normal 32 are called as supernumerary teeth and would commonly appear at the premaxillary area, although it could appear anywhere on the layer of the teeth.
Most of the time, this condition would not affect the day to day life of a person but at times, this would cause all the other teeth to stir up since it would mess up with the arrangement. In severe cases, not just one tooth appears below but rather and entire set of teeth. This would cause the normal layer to be pushed out that would make teeth appear messed up.
What Is Oligodontia?
Oligodontia, also known as hypodontia, is a condition wherein an individual would have fewer teeth than the normal. Since tooth loss is not so unusual, this condition is defined when an individual has lost more than 6 teeth not including all the wisdom teeth which would be removed. If all teeth are lost, this condition would be known as anodontia.
Oligodontia is commonly associated with other conditions that could lead to it such as gum disease, Down syndrome and ectodermal dysplasia. There also has been a recent observation that women with ovarian cancer are much more likely to have oligodontia that those who do not have the condition in fact, women with ovarian cancer are around 8 times more likely to have the condition.
What Are The Causes Of Hyperdontia And Oligodontia?
One cause of hypodontia could be that it is genetic. A person with this condition puts his children at risk of also developing the condition as observed in a recent study. Or even if a person does not have this condition, his children can still develop this condition as it can be caused by defective genes which causes more teeth to appear than the usual.
Environmentally, there is still no known cause of this disease while a lot of research is undergoing so that dental experts may know more about it. With that, nobody can discuss what really causes this condition without having any solid scientific backup.
Oligodontia has similar causes, largely associated with genetics.
Treatment For Hyperdontia
If the case of hyperdontia becomes a nuisance for the person with it, that person should approach a qualified dentist for it to be corrected. There are several ways on how hyperdontia would be corrected. The first step in all those would be for the dentist to assess what has to be done. While that would be followed by having the extra teeth removed, the dentist still has to plan carefully what to do next.
For severe cases of the condition, hyperdontia can actually lead to very serious illnesses such as disease and cancer. These cases are fatal, that is why it is very important for you to see your dentist often if you have a case of hyperdontia.
Treatment For Oligodontia
This would also begin with having the dentist assess what has to be done. Since some teeth are missing, the common approaches to this would be to have dental implants in a way that they would greatly contribute to the total appearance and function of the entire set of teeth.
If the implants are successfully done, then the entire set of teeth would be back as how it used to be. At this point, you would feel as though the implants are your own new set of teeth.
Management Of Both Conditions
Both conditions can be difficult. While they are treatable in most cases, you still would have to see your dentist every once in a while. More than that, you would have to be more conscious of your oral health as your condition could progress into a more serious case if you do not take care of it.
Take note that lifestyle would have a large influence on the development of this condition. Depending on what you do, your condition would just go with the flow. That is why clean living, which would involve a healthy diet, enough exercise and rest, is advised even for this condition.
Orthodontics
What Are Orthodontics?
You probably have heard of this if you visit your dentist often, the more if you have braces or if you know someone who has them. Basically, orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that refers to the study of improper bites and the factors that may cause it such as misalignment of teeth, jaw problems or both at the same time. The main concern of orthodontics is to restore a lost function by means of correction however; people have it for purely aesthetic reasons.
The word itself actually explains what it really means as ortho in Greek means correct and odons means teeth. With that, the main approach of orthodontics is to correct teeth for whatever purpose it may be. It is not limited to just changing teeth but at times, it is also geared towards changing the total appearance of a person’s face.
How It Came To Be
Orthodontics is actually an old study and has been there since around 1000 B.C. Irregular teeth have always caused problems for people ever since and with that, some instruments have been found in ancient Greek and Estrucan civilizations. These instruments, although primitively designed, have helped the people of their time correct misalignments with their teeth.
With that, orthodontics has improved from that to what it is know. Generally, the concepts still remain which practically deals with altering or controlling growth. Edward Angle is the first known orthodontist as he limited his studies only in this field. He is regarded to as the father of modern orthodontics.
Orthodontic Approaches
The main approach of orthodontics is by correcting misalignments through the use of instruments, the most common of these being the dental braces although there are several instruments that can be used and a wide variety of braces that would be used to treat misalignments.
Some other instruments that can be used in orthodontics are chin cups, headgears and facemasks. These are used from childhood to adolescence and are all geared to giving an adolescent person more functionality and better appearance later on.
Conditions Which Orthodontics Are Used To Cure
Practically, all cases of misalignment of teeth are all cured by orthodontics. If any of the teeth grow towards the outside or the inside of the layer, then braces would be used to cure that. Most commonly, the front teeth are the ones that tend not to grow in place and braces have been used to treat and manage this condition for years.
The most common condition which orthodontics would be used to cure is the crowding of teeth on one side and anteroposterior discrepancies.
Basically, if teeth are not where they are supposed to be, that would be cured by orthodontics.
Orthodontic Diagnosis
Orthodontic treatments always begin with a diagnosis for the dentist to know what approach to take. First of all, the dentist should be able to observe the various elements of malocclusion of dentofacial deformity. After that, the dentist should know what the nature of the problem is as well as factors that might have led to the condition.
Once the steps are done, the dentist should know what treatment the patient should undergo. The treatment done should be based on the needs of the patient as to what has been identified earlier. Once that is done, the doctor should make the patient aware of what will be done in a way that the patient would fully understand the process.
Orthodontic Technology
When talking about all the instruments that will be used in orthodontics processes, this would be referred to as orthodontic technology. This would include all types of braces as well as everything else that would be used to treat malocclusions of dentofacial deformity. There are three main types of dental technology and these are active, passive and functional. These technologies can either be fixed or removable.
An active appliance is one that uses force to the tooth which it will correct to change the relationship or the direction of teeth. Passive appliances are usually used by a patient after he or she has used an active appliance. The main goal of passive appliances is to retain what changes have been done. Some examples of these are retainers and maintainers. Functional appliances on the other hand refer to appliances that make use of muscle action to produce forces that would in turn, correct the malocclusion.
Tooth Whitening
Why Have It?
As time goes by, our teeth would lose its whiteness because of several factors. While this is quite normal since a lot of food that we eat discolor our teeth, the process of having your teeth go yellow would be hastened if you drink coffee, smoke and if you drink tea. Since having white teeth is an aesthetic standard, if you don’t take care of your teeth well, you will eventually lose whiteness.
Not that white teeth would look unexceptionally nice but if the discoloration of your teeth would get at the point where it is deep yellow, then that would not look very presentable. This can affect how you live. You may lose confidence because of your appearance and in turn, it may affect the way you do your job, the way you relate to people and many other things which involve having your teeth exposed. Fortunately, a lot of teeth whitening options are available for you.
What Is Tooth Whitening?
Tooth whitening is a widely practiced procedure by most dentists which involve having them remove stains and discoloration, thus restoring your teeth to their former glory, which is how white they really should be. Since this would greatly affect appearance, tooth whitening has become one of the most popular and most practiced dental procedures around.
While stains are most commonly found on the surface of the teeth, these can also be found inside the teeth. If that is the situation, then this type of stain is called as intrinsic stain. This can be caused by too much exposure to fluoride as a child which would affect how the teeth would grow as they are developing.
If you are considering tooth whitening, take note that it is mostly effective for removing stains.
Getting Prepared
First of all, cavities would have to be treated before the main process. This is because the certain bleach that will be used on your teeth can reach into your teeth if you have cavities and this will make your teeth more sensitive. Likewise, receding gums which would lead to parts of teeth that do not have an enamel layer exposed cannot be treated by tooth whitening.
Afterwards, the dentist would examine your teeth from every angle possible. This would involve having your dentist taking close looks at your teeth as well as asking you a wide variety of questions that would lead him to know how you got those stains. Once the examination is complete, the dentist can immediately begin with the main process of tooth whitening.
The Main Process
There are two main approaches of tooth whitening. The first approach is called non-vital whitening and this is used on teeth that have had root canal procedures, since these types cannot be treated by the other approach. In this process, the dentist will place a whitening solution inside the tooth and cover it with a temporary filling. This can be done only once or until the desired whiteness is achieved.
The other process is vital whitening and is the more common approach to tooth whitening. This would involve the use of a gel of which you would put in a tray that would resemble a mouth guard that you will place on your mouth from an hour, two or overnight.
Whatever approach you wish to take, make sure to consult your dentist beforehand.
Maintenance
When you have reached the desired shade, not everything is done yet. Your dentist might still want to check up on you to see how your teeth are doing after undergoing the process, since the agent that you will be applying on your teeth can cause irritations if you don’t apply it correctly. Your dentist would also like to see how much your teeth have improved as being one of the most concerned with your teeth.
Risks Involved
Tooth whitening procedures are very unlikely to cause any serious side effects, although it has been said that improper usage of it can make teeth more sensitive and as well as make gums irritated. It is also not advisable for pregnant women to undergo the process as effects of the agent on the fetus are unknown.
Practically, tooth whitening is a safe process if done correctly.
The Dangers of Oral Piercing
Purely Aesthetical
Tongue piercing cannot be intelligently associated with any useful purposes rather; the use of it is purely aesthetical. Most commonly, this is worn by rock enthusiasts, masochists and taboo fanatics. It is very unlikely to see a wholesome and intelligent people with any oral piercings. Oral piercings would include tongue piercings, upper and lower lip piercings and virtually piercings that can be place anywhere in the mouth.
While this may look good for some people, a lot of them are not actually aware of the dangers that tongue piercing can bring. Some would say that this is purely safe and having this would just be like having piercings anywhere else on the body but that is totally wrong. Tongue piercings can go bad at times and would cause a person pain.
Nerve Damage
The tongue, unlike any other body parts is not coated by a thick layer of skin rather; it is more like pure muscle that is full of nerves. Because it is such, having a tongue piercing can really hurt during the process of having it and more than that, it can also cause nerve damage. Since the tongue is always moving whenever you use it, which would be most of the time, it could take a long time for the wound to heal.
Because of those factors, swelling has also become a common effect of tongue piercing. Some cases have reported that swelling brought about by tongue piercing can be so serious that it can actually block the air from passing through the mouth at times.
Possibility Of Infection And Disease
Since the mouth deals with a lot of bacteria, having an open wound in it would make it very vulnerable for bacteria to come in and attack it. If this would happen, the most common thing that could be brought about would be infection. Handling the jewelry in the tongue or exposure to more bacteria increases the risk of developing it.
Aside from that, medical experts have also seen a vivid connection between having tongue piercings and various diseases such as hepatitis B, C, D and G. If the process is faulty, that can also lead to tuberculosis and tetanus. It has also been concluded that tongue piercings would place a person at a greater risk of catching sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, syphilis, and many others.
Dangers Of Tongue Piercing After The Process
If the piercing process is a success, it might be thought that this stage would be safe however, that is not the case. Anyone who has a tongue piercing is at constant risk of various dangers even after the process of having their tongues pierced. One of those is the danger of swallowing the barbell. The barbell is not that well fixed on the tongue, a person who has it can make a barbell lose its grip if he knows how to. That could lead to having a person swallow it which would later lead to a lot of other problems.
If a person with a piercing would move his tongue too much, then that person could be damaging his gums. If the case is very serious, the damages would be so severe that gum surgery would be required.
Severe Dangers
Some cases of fallbacks brought about by tongue piercings have been so severe that some of these have led to facial disfigurement, disability and even death. The infection could spread so fast that it would go to other parts of the face. In one case, a person had to have a part of his skull remove because of a brain abscess brought about by a tongue piercing.
In some cases, people have also died of diseases and infections that were also largely associated with tongue piercings.
Social Dangers
While your health would be at stake if you have your tongue pierced, your social life could be in danger too. While this might be a result of rapid hormones in action during adolescence, just think about how most people would look at you. You may look respectable for a lot of people who are into that stuff but parents, school officials or anyone professional would not like it. Therefore, you would not look presentable to them.
Having a tongue pierced for aesthetical purposes might actually even make you lose confidence instead of gaining it if you find out later that you don’t really want it.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Why It Is So Important
People have commonly associated a lot of features with beauty some of those being the eyes, nose, lips, chin, figure and in this case, the teeth. With that, you know that not all people have naturally perfect teeth and you might also be aware that perfect teeth would really look good. So the approach on making not so perfect teeth into perfect teeth is what is known as cosmetic dentistry.
While cosmetic dentistry is largely associated for aesthetic purposes, it can do more than just that. Cosmetic dentistry can also restore teeth some functions and even improve dental health. Considering that you get all that plus it would make your teeth look better, this area of dentistry might be something you might want to heavily consider.
The main prospect of cosmetic dentistry is to apply art and science to make your teeth the best they could be. With that, there are several approaches depending on what case you have with your teeth.
Tooth Whitening
One of the things most people would consider beautiful in a set of teeth would be how white they are. Unfortunately, since most people are busy and since yellowing of teeth is practically normal, not a lot of people have this. Fortunately, whiter teeth are very much possible now with some approaches of tooth whitening. Because of its effects, tooth whitening now is one of the most sought after and the most practiced dental procedures.
There are two main approaches for tooth whitening. The more common process would involve placing gel into a mold that is shaped like a mouth guard. This mold would then be placed on your mouth for hours, depending how long you need it. As for those who have undergone delicate processes with their teeth such as root canals, there is another whitening process of which a dentist would directly handle.
Bonding
This is one of the most basic dental functions as the people needing this are very likely to visit a dentist immediately. If a person’s tooth would get chipped to the point that it would only be half the original size, there is still an effective way to fix this, this process which is known as bonding. If a significant portion of the tooth is still left, the dentist could create a mold of which would be later glued in replacement of the lost chip of tooth.
After the substitute is glued in place, it is then polished to a perfect finish. After this, the tooth would look as if nothing had happened to it as color, shape and size are all perfectly normal at this point.
Enamel Shaping And Contouring
If a part of some teeth are chipped off, cracked or overlapping, there are some approaches that can be used to correct this. The more popular approach would be enamel shaping which would involve removing parts of the contouring enamel to improve the shape of the tooth. While that is more common, a more effective approach would be contouring although this concept is not yet that popular among dentists.
Under certain circumstances, contouring may even be a substitute for braces as some approaches of this are also some approaches of having braces. This approach is commonly used to change the positioning, shape, width, and length of teeth.
Dental Bridges
When talking about cosmetic dentistry, this might be some of the first things that would come in mind as these are some of the most popularly used approaches. If a patient would lose a tooth or an entire set of teeth, the obvious way of fixing that is by dental bridges or more popularly known as false teeth. Since crowns are placed in a way that it would be fixed on your teeth, false teeth are fixed and cannot be removed.
Aside from the fact that dental bridges are the next best thing if you have lost an original set of teeth, there are more benefits to it than just those. These can reduce the risk of developing gum disease, help improve speech and could even correct bite problems.
Gum Procedures
Cosmetic dentistry not only deals with the teeth but at times, it would also deal with the gums. There is this process called gum lift in which a dentist would sculpt the gum line in order to make teeth look longer and more symmetrical.
Since cosmetic dentistry is only handled by expert dentists, all procedures are completely safe.
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