“What about eating disorders?”

Posted by drgracesun on February 18, 2009 under Healthy Smile, Smart Smile | Be the First to Comment

“I am scared! Am I going to loose my teeth?”

I looked at Jenny, as I have with many similar pretty young ladies, and really felt for her.

“Jenny, you will be fine – you are here to make sure you can have a healthy and beautiful smile. It is challenging, but work with me – together we can get your mouth back in shape.” And we did.

Jenny is not alone. Among the susceptible figure-conscious young female group, eating disorders are quite common, and teeth erosion is a side effect of the acidic oral environment resulting from either purging or a poor diet.

Eating disorders, including bulimia (binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting), anorexia and poor dieting habits carry side effects which are detrimental to your bodily and mental well being – they can also rot your teeth. Studies have shown that up to 2.1% of males and 7.3% of females purge (self-induced vomiting) at least once a week, and the numbers are even higher for adolescents.

Tooth surface loss from erosion caused by chemicals such as dietary, gastric or environmental acids typically wear away tooth enamel, which leads to sensitive teeth, caries or gum disease. If untreated, these effects can exacerbate leading to teeth grinding and gastric reflux disease. Soft tissue lesions, malnutrition,  a suppressed immune system, low self-esteem, an addictive personality (smoking, drinking or drugs), peptic ulcers and esophagitis are common among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia. Oral damage from such disorders can include a severe breakdown of the teeth or their supporting structures which can affect the facial muscular system, negatively affecting your daily quality of life; the effort to restore a damaged mouth can become extremely challenging and costly.

Treatment of the problem, besides education and being supportive to the person suffering from the disorder, involves precise dental management; controlling the oral environment, drinking water or healthier juice instead of diet soda, eating healthier (as opposed to binge eating and purging) are all part of the solution. Getting prescription strength fluoride from your dentist to harden and desensitize your teeth and maintaining your oral hygiene by brushing and flossing at least twice a day is also crucial. if you regurgitate or vomit, rinse your mouth out right away. Adding baking soda to your brushing can also neutralize the acidic environment.

Regarding dental treatment, additive composite bonding to cover exposed dentin or to replace lost tooth surface is a possibility. Getting a custom-fitted night guard to prevent further loss of tooth structure from bruxism and maybe veneers or crowns to restore your mouth to ideal health are other possibilities. Of course, a professional assessment would be the first step of the process. The earlier you start treating the problem the better. A healthy mouth is essential for a healthy life.

“Do I Have Gum Disease?”

Posted by drgracesun on February 7, 2009 under Healthy Smile | Be the First to Comment

Gum disease is silent – it creeps up on you slowly, gives no symptoms apart from little signs, and does not hurt – by the time you feel something, it could be very bad news!

Gingivitis , the first stage of gum disease causing inflammation around the gums affects over 50% of America’s population! See blood when rinsing your mouth after brushing? If so, you’ve got gingivitis. Bacterial biofilms, also known as plaque, as well as tartar adhere to tooth surfaces throughout the day. These bacterial substances build up in the small gaps between your teeth and produce toxins that cause the periodontal tissues like the gum and supporting bone to inflame. Over the years, this inflammation can cause deep pockets between the teeth and gums and loss of bone around the teeth, which is when gingivitis progresses to periodontitis. Gingivitis is reversible, but periodontitis can only be managed after treatment. Early detection, treatment and prevention is the key to save your teeth!

The loss of bone around the teeth can cause serious structure issues within the jaw; eventually leading to tooth loss. The signs of gum disease include red and swollen gums, blood appearing when brushing or flossing, mouth sores, bad breath, loose teeth and gum recession .

The causes of gum disease, besides the bacterial factors, are systemic and host resistance which needs to be revealed, such as stress, medication, hormonal changes, illness, bad habits (smoking, poor hygiene, poor diet), genetic history, etc… There are different approaches to treat the disease.

The mouth-body connection has been a hot topic for the past decade. We have learned about the association of gum disease with other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and alzheimer’s disease. Believe it or not, gum disease can even cause your physical health to deteriorate into a stroke, endangering a pregnancy.

So be kind to yourself! Treat those bleeding gums! Cosult with your dental professional. Treatments provided from a dental professional include cleaning up the “bad stuff” through deep scaling , root planning, laser gum treatment, medication applied locally or systemically, home care education and home care programs. Please take action to treat bleeding gums!