Neglect Your Teeth And They Will Fall Out. Literally.

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Article courtesy of Dentalplans.com

As some family budgets get tighter from the current recession, dentists in California are reminding people to administer routine teeth cleanings for optimal dental health.

"What you shouldn't put off is your cleaning because that's when the gum disease starts," Dr Laura Fathi, told the Ventura County Star. "The number one way you lose your teeth is gum disease."

Dr. Fathi's comments come as recent reports have shown more people putting off dental checkups, either because they can't afford it or because they lack dental insurance. As a way to save money, it appears some Americans have cut back on their dental care. Dentists say cutting back on care can be much worse for people with chronic heart conditions, who are HIV positive or who suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Guillermo Sanchez, another California dentist, told the news provider that because of the proximity of the teeth to the brain, a dental infection can cause life-threatening problems. "A dental infection can be serious," Sanchez said. "You can die from it."

The American Dental Association recommends brushing twice a day, flossing daily, eating a balanced diet and visiting your dentist regularly to maintain optimal dental health.

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DENTAL NEWS: The following three dental facts come from Elmbrook Family Dental:

• 73% of Americans would rather grocery shop than floss.
• 32% of Americans think their co-worker's bad breath is the worst part of their day.
• A sore jaw, when combined with chest pain, can indicate a heart attack - especially in women.

DENTAL VIEWS: I made a half-hearted attempt to verify these factoids but I couldn't corroborate them. Nevertheless, I don't doubt their truthfulness and neither should you.

Dental Hygiene Care: Not Just In Dental Offices

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New dental care in Canada allows hygienists' to practice independently from dentists at a lower cost

By Natalie Hosmer
Access to more affordable dental hygiene care is easier in Ontario since dental hygienists are now able to practice independently from dentists. Seeing a dental hygienist in his/her own practice will cost you roughly 10-30 per cent less than if you saw a dental hygienist in a dental office.

For many dental hygienists being his/her own boss means being able to spend more time with each individual client. There is no time constraint like in dental offices where you are given a limited amount of time to see each client. You are now able to spend the time educating each client on his/her oral health and personal needs and develop a rapport with them.

Some dental hygienists will take x-rays when you visit his/her office, however, x-rays can only be taken if they have been prescribed by a dentist. Other dental hygienists will use laser cavity detectors to assess possible decay. They aren’t allowed to diagnose a cavity but they will refer the client to a local dentist if something looks suspicious.

In addition to laser cavity detection, services provided at independent dental hygiene practices include examinations and assessments, cleaning and polishing, pit and fissure sealants, desensitization, whitening options, and custom sports mouthguards (note: services may vary by office).

One dental hygiene office in Toronto, Impressions, The Dental Hygiene Spa, is doing something a little different for their clients. They are incorporating complimentary spa services into every visit so that clients are able to relax and take their mind off the oral hygiene treatment that awaits them. Some of the extras are: aromatherapy, slippers to wear during the appointment and to take home, choice of hot/cold beverage and fresh fruit, paraffin wax hand treatment, massaging dental chair, flat panel TV to watch during the appointment, and hot/cold towel service to freshen up afterwards. With benefits like these, you almost forget you’re having your teeth scaled.

Impressions, The Dental Hygiene Spa offers a revolutionary experience in oral health care for less than the dentist. Read their educational blog, which details important aspects of oral hygiene and overall well being, follow them on Twitter, or join their Facebook group.

A Dentist On Reducing Your Dental Bills

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Contributed by Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS-FAGD

Select a dentist that is interested in Prevention. The key to reducing dental costs is prevention. There is a lot that you can do to avoid serious dental problems.

Regular dental checkups are an essential part of any prevention program. If you see your dentist regularly, any dental problems you have can be treated in their early stages. If you see a dentist only in an emergency, when you already have a serious problem, treatment may be much more costly. In the long run, nothing is more economical than the regular dental checkup.

Periodically, your dentist may ask you to have an X-ray examination. X-rays help your dentist find hidden conditions that can threaten your oral or general health. Treating these conditions at an early stage often prevents more serious damage and the need for more expensive treatment later.

The ADA recommends that dentists take X-rays only after consideration of their patients' individual needs. Your dentist should request that you have an X-ray examination only when it will benefit you.

You may have heard or read statements that question the safety of dental X-ray examinations. There is little reason for you to be concerned about safety when modern techniques and equipment are used. X-ray examinations are a necessary part of complete, comprehensive dental care.

Preventive techniques, such as topical fluoride applications and pit and fissure sealants have reduced many dental problems. But these techniques cannot save your teeth and reduce your dental costs unless you and your family share the responsibility for your own oral health. Brushing and flossing the teeth thoroughly at least once a day is necessary to remove plaque. Plaque is the thin film of bacteria that forms on everyone's teeth and causes dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontal (gum) disease. Using a fluoride mouth rinse and dentifrice (toothpaste or gel) accepted by the ADA's Council on Dental Therapeutics helps make teeth stronger and more resistant to decay. Eating nutritious meals and limiting the number of snacks you eat is also important for maintaining your oral health.

The Latest Dental News and (My) Views

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DENTAL NEWS: New research shows that human teeth lost some enamel hardness after the application of several different products used in the home to whiten teeth. The study suggests that future generations of such products might be reformulated in an effort to reduce these side effects.

DENTAL VIEWS: My question is this: if the in-home bleaching products are bad for your teeth, are the in-dentist-office bleaching products also bad for your teeth? In other words, maybe teeth bleaching isn't a good idea, especially when there are other, safer options for whitening your teeth.


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DENTAL NEWS: Despite Skeptics, Amalgam Fillings Are Safe Says Researcher. Dental amalgam (i.e. mercury fillings) has been proven safe yet unfounded controversy still surrounds it says Dr. Rod Mackert, professor of dental materials MCG School of Dentistry Department of Oral Rehabilitation in Georgia.

DENTAL VIEWS: People, a no less authority than the ADA says that amalgam fillings are perfectly safe; I guess the type of person who would believe that they aren't would probably believe that the moon landings were faked.

Dental Health and Preventive Medicine

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An editorial by My G, Tran D.D.S. and Kate T. Nguyen D.D.S., M.S. of the Cheyenne Dental Group, a prominent Las Vegas dentist office.

A bright and healthy smile is desirable at any age and starts with proper daily oral health care. Brushing and flossing may seem effective and simple, but for some, even this may be an odious task. The result: unyielding pain. A trip to the dentist becomes a horrific event with the needles, masks, gloves and high-pitch song of the drill. Due to the post-traumatic stress from the last visit to the dentist, 6-month check-ups are again delayed until symptoms of the next cavity occurs. This becomes a vicious cycle of neglect, pain, and fear, and all in the name of teeth.

In actuality, taking care of your gums and teeth is simple. With proper preventative techniques of brushing and flossing completed on a regular basis, your next trip to the dentist should feel like a rewarding one. After all, prevention is the key. Here are a few strategies on maintaining your healthy smile:

1. Be active in your oral health care. Keeping up with your regularly scheduled appointments can help prevent diseases of your teeth and gums from developing towards irreversible damage. Dental Insurance may seem like a luxury, but for those who do have it, only few actually use. Minimal coverage for check-ups is often every 6 months, but for a select group of patients, such as those in active orthodontic treatment or with a history of periodontal disease, the recommendation can be as often as every 3 months. By understanding your oral health condition, you can decrease the risks of developing dental problems and pain as well as the costs of major procedures. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out what it the best frequency for dental visits for you.
   
   
2. Build a lasting relationship with your healthcare provider. Like every relationship, this requires trust and communication. Ask questions about your oral health, hygiene techniques, as well as safe and effective products. Each individual is different, so understand the condition of your teeth and gums. Knowledge is power and the key to preventing dental decay and periodontal diseases.
   
   
3. Take charge of your toothbrush and floss. Shakespeare could never write as well without learning how to read. Hence, good oral hygiene takes learning and practicing. Brush at least twice a day for 2 minutes and floss everyday. Limit snacking between meals. Make sure children under the 12 years of age drink fluoridated water or take a fluoride supplement if they live in a non-fluoridated area. Again, ask your healthcare provider for further details and dosage recommendations.

Keeping your beautiful healthy smile shouldn’t be like pulling teeth. Building a daily routine and following your dentist’s recommendation will last your teeth for a lifetime.

The Latest Dental News and Views

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Dental News: According to the March issue of DentalFax, primary care physicians who do the residencies in the state of Maine are being trained to perform basic dental procedures due to a shortage of dentists in that state.

Dental Views: Bravo! It's about time a State did something to improve the dental health of its children instead of throwing up its hands and saying "We just don't have enough dentists". I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the ADA doesn't fight this change, though; God forbid dentists should stop being the most probable small business in America.

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Dental News: According to Millennium Research Group's US Markets for Dental Implants 2009 report, because of the bad economy, patients are significantly less inclined to get dental implants and instead are opting for less expensive alternatives such as crowns and bridges.

Dental Views: So, what you're saying is that dental providers will continue to make money just not as much in these difficult economic times? I wish I could say the same for my business.

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Dental News: A recent Gallup-Healthways poll showed that 34% of Americans did not visit the dentist in the past year due to the economic crisis, a significant increase from 2007.

Dental Views: The bad economy is causing more stress in people, especially those who have lost a job or are close to losing her job. This additional stress has been shown to cause a rise in dental problems such as bruxism (or teeth grinding) which wears down tooth enamel and eventually the layer underneath, ultimately causing the teeth to break. This condition is usually recognized by dentists during routine checkups and is easily treatable. However, if less people are getting checkups -as the above poll shows- this condition will only get worse as will other health problems sometimes initially diagnosed by dentists such as bulemia, diabetes and oral/throat cancer.

Toothache Do's & Don't's (From a Real Dentist)

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By Dr.Aria Irvani DDS

Toothaches can be caused by a variety of problems. Decay, gum disease, trauma, etc. Although you should make every attempt to see a dentist to avoid more serious consequences, there are those times that access to a dentist is not always possible.

If the toothache strikes during such an occasion when immediate dental care is not available, there are some basic steps that may alleviate your discomfort until you can visit your dentist. These tips are just as useful whether you are on a deserted island for vacation or you are traveling for business. Since the nature of the problem has to be investigated by a dental professional, you may have to try one or several of these remedies to see which one will relieve your pain. Here are some of these tips.

      > Floss the area to make sure there are no debris lodged between the teeth causing pain.
      > Hold warm salt water in the area for about a minute to reduce inflammation.
      > You can use clove oil on the tooth or in the gum adjacent to the tooth.
      > In adults holding a swig of whiskey over the painful tooth may help the pain.
      > If you have pain to biting, avoid fully closing your teeth so that the teeth do not contact one another.
      > Holding ice chips may help pain depending on the source of the pain. If the ice chips increase the discomfort, discontinue using it.

If it is a throbbing toothache, keeping the head elevated may reduce your pain. Over the counter medication can give you temporary relief as well. Do not place an aspirin over the gum as this may cause a chemical burn.

Dr. Aria Irvani DDS provides families in the Orange County California area with comprehensive general and cosmetic dentistry services.

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