Although you may think acid reflux disease and your child’s dental health are unrelated, but recent studies have suggested the close relations.
Recent studies have linked acid reflux and dental erosion.
Acid reflux disease, defined as chronic symptoms or mucosal damage produced by the abnormal reflux in the esophagus, is nothing short of painful and distracting. When occurring in children, the symptoms can be even more painful and difficult to handle. Just nine days ago, the Pediatric Academic Society released findings of a study conducted by the University of California San Francisco stating children who have severe acid reflux have a much higher risk – up to six times the risk – of dental erosion and gum disease than those without acid reflux disease (or GERD). This is a unique finding and although it should be researched more before being considered fact, if your child suffers from acid reflux, be sure to keep an eye on his or her dental health!
Dental decay, erosion and sensitivity are a result of an overly acidic oral environment, and can often be quite painful and difficult for young children to handle, just like acid reflux. Regular hygiene (like brushing and flossing twice daily and after meals) is important as are regular checkups with your dental professional twice yearly, but what other things can you do to neutralize your child’s acid reflux, and in turn prevent dental and gum erosion? Besides healthy diet that consist of fresh vegetable and fruits, avoid greasy fried food , stay off sugary carbonated beverage,one physician who was a part of the aforementioned study has recommended children with acid reflux disease (even at early stages) should be started on a dental hygiene regiment, to be overlooked by a dental professional regularly, just as medical checkups are. Good dental home care program includes fluoride treatment might be suggested.
Dental erosion can be uncomfortable and potentially hazardous to your child’s oral health, which is why prevention, early detection and adequate protection are always the best keys to health. By taking the right steps early in your child’s life (especially if your child suffers from acid reflux), you can assure your child has a better chance to live his or her life with a happy, healthy smile!
Counterfeit Toothbrushes? You’ve heard of counterfeit DVDs and handbags, but toothbrushes? Believe it or not, brand name toothbrushes are a hot commodity, and some unethical business people are trying to bank on naive consumers. So be careful what you buy and what you use for your dental health.
Watch out for counterfeit brushes!
In February, grocery stores and pharmacies across Ottawa were surprised to find their suppliers had been conned into buying massive shipments of fake Colgate toothbrushes, and they were supplied to the stores to be bought by general public . The brushes that were affected include the Colgate Massager, Colgate Navigator, Oral B Classic 40, Oral B Contura and Colgate 360. These toothbrushes were not made by Colgate! Canadian health officials have released the following statement: “If an imitation is suspected, consumers should stop using them immediately, as the quality, safety and effectiveness of counterfeit products cannot be assured.”
It is true that most of the burden to check for false brushes is on the back of the retailer, but it is still important to be vigilant about your toothbrush – only buy from reputable dealers (like big chain grocery stores) and if your brush looks suspicious – jagged packaging, poorly printed logos or something similar, take it back to the store from whence it came. A counterfeit toothbrush is not made to the same quality control standards as true brand-name brushes: counterfeit brushes (which usually originate in China) have been known to have bristles which fall out quickly, leading to throat irritation and, in a more extreme case, a possible choking hazard for young mouths. A toothbrush’s quality can be measured by specific features such as a well designed handle and thorough rows of columns of properly spaced tufts of end-rounded bristles.
Genuine Colgate toothbrushes will have instructions and labeling printed in English and French only, and should say “Distr. by/par: Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc” on the packaging. In addition, the Colgate logo should be embossed into the toothbrush handle itself, just under the brush head. These counterfeit brushes have not been detected in the United States as of yet, but due to the globalization of most large corporate supply chains (including those of Proctor & Gamble, the parent company of Colgate), these brushes could easily find their way into American grocery stores and convenience shops. Be vigilant about your toothbrush purchases to ensure you are using a high quality brush – you can only clean your mouth properly with the proper tools, and a genuine toothbrush is an important one!
It’s no surprise that people are hurting financially, given the sheer amount of job losses in America. The stress many of us are under becomes evident even in our oral health! When people become overly stressed, they tend to lapse into bad eating and drinking habits, may start smoking, and often do not take proper care of their oral environment (brushing and flossing twice daily, and after meals). This does not mean, however, that visits to the dentist for serious tooth-related problems should be avoided!
The economy has driven some people to extreme measures regarding dental work, even inducing people to use superglue to fix broken teeth instead of visiting the dentist. Not only is this practice ineffective in properly restoring damaged teeth, the chemical compounds found in adhesives like superglue – which are not designed or manufactured for use or placement within the body – can be dangerous and cause adverse health problems depending on the type of glue. The mouth is a core functioner within the human body, and many problems that originate in the mouth are systemic and eventually affect other aspects of your health. The same is true when it comes to abusing or not properly caring for your mouth.
Applying toxic substances like superglue to the inside of the mouth could have long-lasting systemic side effects far graver than the price of visiting your dental professional and receiving the proper dental care your mouth needs. Of course, prevention is always the best medicine for dental problems, but if they do arise, be sure to at least make a call to your dental professional and speak with someone. The problem could be more serious than you think, and fixing something early on is a healthier, less expensive treatment path than waiting until it is a bigger problem!
A patient of mine recently sent me this message – I was briefly shocked for a brief second, but then agreed! It is known that alcoholic mouthwash can pose a health risk to your body (and even cause cancer), but I never thought a product marketed as “safe” would actually kill mosquitoes!
“Dr. Sun, I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. The host at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila!”
This little anecdote really makes you think twice about using alcoholic mouthwash! Ethanol contained in some mouthwash rinses dramatically increase the ability of cancer-causing substances to penetrate the lining of your mouth, and other harmful chemicals such as Acetaldehyde – which forms in a person’s mouth after using alcoholic mouthwash – are suspected to be carcinogenic. These chemicals are not only harmful to the body, but as we’ve learned, are strong enough to kill certain organisms, which should make you think twice about using alcoholic mouthwash!
If you are concerned about cleaning your mouth with a rinse, try a non-alcoholic alternative which is often natural, safe and just as effective as an alcoholic mouthwash. My favorite is Tooth & Gum Tonic. If you have any questions about mouthwash or how to find an effective and safe rinse, consult with your dental professional!
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most fundamental rules of good health. Getting 7 to 8 hours every night not only rejuvenates you for tomorrow’s activities, but sleep is essential for a well functioning immune system! Improper sleeping habits can also affect your oral health, including grinding and jaw problems which can lead to severe issues down the road.
A good night's sleep is essential for your health!
When trying to understand your sleeping habits, it is essential to understand the difference between REM and non-REM sleep. REM, which is short for rapid eye movement, accounts for about 1/5 to 1/4 of a typical person’s total sleep in a night, and is characterized by a rapid flickering of the eyes, irregular breathing, major voluntary muscle paralysis and decrease in body temperature. It is high in brain activity and it is when most of our dreaming occurs. REM sleep is the fifth and last stage of sleep that occurs in the sleep cycle, which repeats itself about five times throughout a period of sleep. It is preceded by four stages of non-REM sleep. The 3rd and 4th stages of NREM sleep are the deep sleep stages, there is evidence that brain cells reset their sodium and potassium level during this deep sleep, and in fact the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bones and muscle, and strengthen the immune system during this stage!
Usually the deep sleep represented with Delta waves in brain activity are long, slow undulating waves. Certain frequencies in the Delta range trigger the release of Human Growth Hormone and are thus beneficial to healing and regeneration. Quality sleep by definition must include deep sleep, which is the deepest, first cycle of your sleep – synchronizing your sleep with your body’s natural sleep cycle will help you obtain better quality sleep. For most of people, going to bed before 11 PM would follow the body’s natural biological rhythms. Your body’s call for sleep is essential, we need it to stay healthy.
Bruxism (grinding and clenching your teeth during sleep) is brought up with the contraction of your jaw muscles, which most intensively happens at the 2nd NREM sleep cycle stage, moving in and out of the REM cycles. If you don’t go to bed on time every night, or your sleep pattern gets interrupted repeatedly, you will not be able to get into the restful stage 3 and stage 4 sleep that your body needs. You will end up getting more of the shallower stages of sleep, and going through more clenching and grinding. As we have learned, the consequences of excessive force bought up with clenching and grinding of the teeth can lead to excessive wear on our teeth, breaking up dental restorations, overloading the mouth’s supporting structure, gum recession and even TMJ symptoms, if these destructive forces are not properly managed. Of course, we should all work on establishing healthier lifestyles, and better rest. We can also work on better diet and cutting back on stimulants at night that can interrupt your sleep cycle. Having a custom-fitted nightguard made from your dentist might also be an idea worth exploring – consult with your dental professional, and stay healthy!
Do you enjoy scuba diving? Deep sea exploration is certainly a fun and exciting sport, especially in an exotic location! Before any big diving trip, most enthusiasts gear up on wetsuits, goggles, oxygen tanks and other equipment, but have you ever thought that mouth piece you’re wearing to get your oxygen can cause you dental problems?
This person was properly fitted for her mouthpiece!
Scuba diving is a sport enjoyed by over 4 million people a year, and if you dive, get yourself a proper fitting mouth piece to prevent jaw, teeth and gum problem! If you have a mouthpiece that is not fitting right for you plus the pressure changes from diving, you could suffer from what’s known as “diver’s mouth syndrome,” a painful condition caused by a ill-fitting mouthpiece that irritate your mouth, or you have been clenching your jaw very hard combined with the drop in air pressure as you explore beneath the ocean’s surface.
The mouthpiece that regulates oxygen flow from your oxygen tank to your lungs not only delivers fresh air, but it protects your teeth while diving. The tendency to clench your teeth while diving is very common, and because most standard scuba-diving mouthpieces will not really fit your mouth perfectly, the mouthpiece tends to put unnecessary pressure on the gum and jawbone. So biting hard into the mouthpiece, your gum could be full of lacerations and you could suffer from jaw joint pain or toothache as well after your trip is finished. If the pain lasts for over several days, you could even have a TMJ problem, which will take time to recover.
The best prevention is to make sure you are in good dental health before the trip, and to visit your dental professional who can evaluate how well your mouthpiece fits. Also, if you have recently undergone orthodontic treatment or have an extracted tooth (or temporary fillings), you must be extra careful and see your dentist before diving! Enjoy the under water world and be safe!
What do Olympic divers, your local swim instructor and you – if you’re a swimmer – all have in common? Apart from a love for the water, exercise and the sport, there is a common risk of developing dark yellow or brown stains on the teeth of all avid swimmers who spend at least six hours a week in the pool!
The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) has recently concluded a study on athletic swimmers who swim laps more than six hours a week, which has shown that exposure to chemically treated pool water can cause organic deposits to form on the teeth of these swimmers. Pool water is routinely treated with chemicals to keep the water clean for swimming, but these chemicals inadvertently raise a pool’s pH level to a level more basic than saliva (higher pH). By opening the mouth and exposing your teeth to pool water which contains antimicrobial chemicals, the water causes salivary proteins to break down and form deposits on teeth.
Why does this matter? Unfortunately, as deposits are formed on swimmer teeth, calculus buildup – hard, brown tartar deposits – appear predominantly on the front teeth and can be difficult to remove. Apart from keeping the mouth closed while swimming, avid swimmers should have their teeth professionally cleaned up to twice as often as non-swimmers (approximately four times a year). In addition to calculus deposits, the pool area can be a dangerous place for the mouth. When coming to the surface of a pool, rise gracefully! Many people hit their front teeth on a pool ledge, which can cause serious damage to the teeth and supporting jaw. Slippery pool decking can also cause falls which often chip , break or severly damage your teeth or mouth. Take precaution, be safe and healthy, but enjoy and have fun with swimming – it’s a great exercise and a lifetime sport that benefits the body and the whole person !
If you’re an athlete, you should wear a mouth guard. No matter what type of contact sport is at hand, sports-related dental injuries are extremely common, accounting for more than 600,000 emergency room visits each year alone! Chipped and broken teeth, jaw bone injuries and concussions to the brain are just a few of the many serious injuries athletes face which can be prevented with the use of a mouth guard. If you’re one of 4 million scuba diving enthusiasts, a good fitting mouth piece could prevent jaw joint pain, toothache or gum irritation when coming to the surface. For ultimate performance, a mouth guard will reposition the jaw to properly open the airway and increase the oxygen intake, which can be very beneficial for athletes who posses deep bite issues.
Always wear a mouth guard during sports!
Besides preventing sports injuries [and other benefits of wearing a properly fitted mouth guard], one should look into other aspects of the mouth guard. In particular, the proper cleaning and storing of your mouth guard will prevent it from growing harmful bacteria and mold which could be life-threatening. Noted in a recent dental publication in the September/October 2007 issue of General Dentistry, mouth guards “harbor large numbers of bacteria, yeasts and molds that can possibly lead to life and/or health-threatening infectious/inflammatory diseases.”
The material used in mouth guard construction is not completely solid – like most plastics, the surface of a mouth guard is porous, and can harbor microscopic bacteria if not cleaned and stored properly. If these tiny organisms are allowed to grow and multiply, the mouth guard which is meant to protect you could actually be harming your teeth, gums and bodily health.
To assure a clean and properly functioning mouth guard, both your mouth and the mouth guard should be clean before wearing it. Be sure not to share guards between team members. Once you are finished with the mouth guard, brush it with toothpaste and rinse it under running water. Once the guard has been properly cleaned, store it in an open air container – a sealed space will promote bacterial growth.
Getting your mouth guard over the counter might work for some of you, but it would be best to bring it into your dentist’s office and have it checked for a proper fit – you may need to have a custom piece made. A poorly fitting mouth guard is useless, and your health is invaluable.
Swine Influenza H1N1, more commonly known as Swine Flu, has continued to grow and expand worldwide over the past week, and concerns are (rightly) high about how we can stay healthy and safe. The World Health Organization may even declare swine flu a pandemic! Apart from not gathering in large groups and washing your hands, is there any way you can stay safe?
Transmission of the virus is from human-to-human contact, and all reported cases worldwide have stemmed from some sort of exterior human interaction. A high-running fever (over 100* Fahrenheit), fatigue, headache, vomiting, diarrhea and respiratory problems are among the most common symptoms of having the virus. In attempting to prevent transmission of this virus, be sure to wash your hands frequently and always cover your mouth, preferably with tissues or your forearm instead of your hands when coughing or sneezing (especially if you are in a doctor or dentist office).
Now, how to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting the swine flu or any flu: prevention rules.
1. The first step to fight any flu is prevention. Stay away from people who have caught any disease or have symptoms of it. Avoid public restrooms at all costs. Wash your hands after you touch any public door knobs or hand rails, and wash your hands before you touch your toothbrushes or contact lenses. Use hand sanitizer.
2. Boost your immune system. A healthy lifestyle is always beneficial for your overall health. Eat a proper diet rich in fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, keep yourself well hydrated, exercise, get a good night’s sleep, and keeping a positive attitude are all important. Regarding alternative remedies to boost the immune system and against flu, consider garlic. Cooked garlic has less odor, or you can cut up small pieces and swallow like a pill, or take it in a pill form. Cloves, oregano oil, zinc, echinacea, and vitamin c are few suggestions.
If you are noticing any respiratory problems or prolonged flu symptoms and are running a temperature, schedule a visit with your primary health care physician. Brush and floss twice daily, and after meals (a clean mouth prevents introducing pathogens into your system). If you have a sore throat, gargle with warm salt water and increase your vitamin c intake to around 2000 mg/day. Limit your bad habits like alcohol drinking, smoking as well as your soda intake! Treat your body well and it will do its best to fight outside invaders.
Most people are well aware of soda’s detrimental effects on the teeth (including erosion and bone loss) – but it also is addictive?
The allure of diet soda is obvious for people who are conscious about their figure: it tastes great, it’s refreshing, and has few or no calories. Unfortunately, most of us don’t realize how dangerous the other ingredients in soda really are, even with no sugar. Many diet cola drinkers have a false sense of security that their diets will be successful drinking diet soda, and actually consume more calories because of it. Putting aside the acidic problems with soda and the havoc they wreak on your teeth, gum and bone, let’s look at the caffeine aspect of cola. All dark colas are full of artificial chemicals which can degrade your skin and internal organs over time, but those which are caffeinated present an addictive factor as well. Caffeine addiction can make a person feel downright ill if they don’t receive their “soda fix” – muscle pains, headaches and nervousness are common among soda addicts, and are known as symptomatic withdrawal. Even though withdrawal symptoms are most commonly associated with tobacco and hard drugs, caffeine falls into the addictive drug category as well. Johns Hopkins University, the authoritative leader on mental disorders in the medical world recognized “Caffeine Withdrawal” as an official disorder in 2004. Symptoms usually occur within 12 – 24 hours of halting caffeine intake, and can last for days.
In addition to the caffeine addiction problem with all soda, recent studies have shown that drinking even just one soda a day can raise a person’s risk of developing metabolic syndrome by 48%. Metabolic syndrome drastically increases the likelihood for heart disease and diabetes. Phosphoric acid found in any dark cola is another leading contributor to bone loss among soda drinkers. Combined with the high withdraw rates of caffeine addiction and the problems associated with caffeine withdraw (disturbed eating and sleeping patterns, anxiety and restlessness), drinking even moderate amounts of soda in a day-to-day routine can produce drastically negative effects on a person’s health. This does not even address the detrimental effects of cola acidity on oral health.
In North America, a continent in which 80 – 90% of all adults drink some form of caffeine on a regular basis, this epidemic of sorts has reached maximum capacity. Save your body and your mind – kick the soda habit! You will feel more rested and relaxed throughout your day, your concentration ability will increase and you will be doing a great service to your osteo (bone) and oral health. Drinking diet soda does not guarantee your diet will be successful, and in the long run, will in fact make your body’s health deteriorate. If you must drink diet cola, be sure to drink in moderation! Small amounts, 8oz or less, only once a day! Think about the chemicals and caffeine in the cola you drink, you might think twice!
Be the First to Comment 
treatment might be suggested.
