Prevention Archives - Page 3 of 4

Foods and drinks that stain your teeth

by Dr. Sonny Lee | May 4, 2018 | Cosmetic Dentistry, Oral Hygiene Care, Prevention, Risk Factors, Signs and Symptoms

Brushing your teeth twice daily and seeing your dentist for a professional clean are two of the best ways to maintain a bright, healthy smile. However, no matter how clean and free of plaque your teeth may be, there is one thing that can prevent your teeth from being the brightest they can be – and that is food and drinks that stain your teeth.

How do foods and drinks stain your teeth?

Foods and drinks that contain coloured compounds called chromogens, have the ability to stain your teeth. Another substance called tannin can increase the staining potential of chromogens, especially when both are present in the same drink or food. For example, black tea or coffee. If acids are also present, the staining or discolouration is further enhanced because acids weaken your tooth enamel, making your teeth easier to stain. The most common teeth-staining foods and drinks

Black tea and coffee
Red wine
Soft drinks and sports drinks
Dark coloured fruit juices and drinks
Dark coloured berries
Tomato-based pasta sauce
Beetroots
Curries containing tumeric
Soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Coloured candy

Should all I avoid consuming all foods and drinks that stain or discolour my teeth? Certainly not. If a food or drink is naturally dark in colour, especially purple and red, they probably contain high levels of antioxidants which provide numerous health benefits. Just eat them in moderation and rinse your mouth with water afterwards to avoid their staining effect. On the other hand, food or drinks that are sweetened and artificially coloured are best avoided altogether since they also contribute to tooth decay.

What can I do to avoid tooth stains and discolouration?

Consume foods and drinks that stain or discolour teeth in moderation.
Rinse your mouth with water after consuming teeth-staining foods and drinks.
Balance off meals with foods high in fibre which can increase saliva and have a natural cleansing effect. For example, apples and celery.
Try using a straw when drinking teeth-staining beverages to bypass your teeth.
Chew Xylitol gum after eating for a saliva-boosting cleansing effect.
Brush and floss twice daily.
Attend regular checkups and cleans with your dentist.

The importance of good oral health for teens

by Dr. Sonny Lee | Oct 7, 2017 | Oral Health Children, Oral Health Education, Oral Hygiene Care, Prevention

The teenage years (12-17) are a crucial time for a person’s physical and mental development. Most teens understand that and the benefits of having a health-focused attitude towards their changing minds and bodies. Even though adolescence can be a challenging and confusing time for teens, most recognise the importance of good nutrition, exercise and skin health care (i.e. no pimples!). Oral health care is also an important health concern for teens, yet it often gets overlooked. Teens can develop a false sense of security about their oral health – and why shouldn’t they? They’ve grown out their baby teeth, and with a brand new set of strong, healthy adult teeth, they think they can eat anything without any oral health consequences.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Most serious oral health conditions experienced by older adults, such as gum disease, recessed gums and tooth loss, are degenerative oral conditions that start with humble beginnings during adolescence. Consider tooth plaque. Plaque – that fuzzy white stuff that can build up on your teeth – might seem harmless enough. It can be scrapped off with your fingernail. But if you allow plaque to remain on your teeth along the gum line for another 10 to 20 years – especially in hard to reach places – it will slowly penetrate the gum line, and move along your tooth roots into your gums.

By then you have a high risk of experiencing periodontal disease – a serious oral health condition that can lead to tooth loss and other health issues. It’s a gradual process that can take decades. So, if you are a teenager, now is the best time to lay the foundations for an oral health care routine that will ensure you keep all your natural teeth for life. Why is this so important? Short answer – you only get one set of natural teeth – and if you lose them, they don’t grow back. Making a strong lifetime commitment to good oral health care and hygiene in your teenage years, is the best investment you can make to ensure that you keep your natural teeth for life – and reduce future health costs by thousands of dollars Ok! Stay tuned for Part 2 – Essential oral health care tips for teens.

Tips for a healthy and beautiful smile

by Dr. Sonny Lee | Sep 11, 2017 | Oral Health Education, Oral Hygiene Care, Prevention

Studies have shown that maintaining healthy, natural and radiant teeth not only benefits your self confidence, but your social and professional interactions as well. If you have a good set of clean, bright teeth with no gaps, you are considered more healthy and attractive – on first impressions. However, a lot of people are under the false impression that to achieve pearly perfect whites, a quick teeth whitening treatment is all you need. While getting your teeth whitened is an invaluable and beneficial cosmetic dental treatment, there’s more to achieving healthy, beautiful teeth than getting them bleached. To keep your teeth in excellent condition, you also need to take care of them with healthy oral habits.

You also need to follow a healthy lifestyle – specific to your age and life stage. Taking a holistic approach to your oral health is the best way to keep your smile going, and your teeth strong and healthy for a lifetime. Here are 10 tips for a healthy and beautiful smile for life:

Review and improve your brushing and flossing routine. A lot of adults have flawed brushing and flossing techniques which enable plaque and decay to develop in hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Your dentist can help you identify the weak links in your home oral health care routine.
Avoid diet soft drinks (as well as sugary soft drinks). Both beverages are highly acidic and cause tooth erosion. Dark-coloured soft drinks can also stain teeth over time. When drinking soft drinks, try using a straw to prevent the soft drink from coming into contact with your teeth.
Stop smoking. Smokers heal slower than non-smokers after gum infections and oral surgery. Smokers are at higher risk of developing periodontal disease.
Relax. You may be tensing your jaw and clenching your teeth if you aren’t. This facial action leads to excessive wear on your teeth and possible chipping and cracking. If you grind your teeth while sleeping, a night mouthguard from your dentist can help prevent further damage. However, learning relaxation techniques is the best way to deal with the stresses of life.
Don’t over bleach your teeth. Over-bleaching may lead to damage to your tooth surfaces and increased sensitivity. Touch-ups are okay once or twice a year.
Eat a healthy, nutritious and well-balanced diet. By giving your body the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that it needs, you can help ensure healthy teeth, bones and gum tissue in your oral cavity. Over-50s need to ensure that their Vitamin D and calcium intake is adequate to prevent bone loss.

Get your dental work checked. Fillings, crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers and bridges can wear out over time. If they crack or chip, oral bacteria can infiltrate the spaces, penetrate the inner tooth, and cause decay. Attending regular dental check-up and cleans can ensure that any worn out or damaged dental work is identified early and repaired.
Drink more water. Keeping your mouth well hydrated prevents it from drying out. A dry mouth condition increases the risk of plaque and tooth decay/erosion. One in four Australians is affected by a dry mouth. If you have a dry mouth condition, try using a mouth wash specially formulated to manage dry mouth symptoms.
40 year milestone. When you reach 40 get a proper check up for any early signs of a potentially serious health condition. Certain oral health conditions, such as gum disease, may be linked to heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Pregnant mothers, be aware. Pregnant women with elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone may be more susceptible to minor gum infections during pregnancy.

Interdental brushes more effective than flossing

by Dr. Sonny Lee | Jan 25, 2017 | News and Research, Oral Hygiene Care, Prevention

The latest interdental brushes have proved to be far more effective at cleaning the interdental spaces between your teeth than flossing – according to new research by Prof. Denis Bourgeois and his research team at the University of Lyon, France. Until recently, interdental brushes were only recommended for cleaning large interdental spaces – while dental floss was more suitable for very small spaces. In fact, dental floss and toothpicks have been the only tools available for most people to clean these spaces. Not anymore.

With the development of interdental brushes that can now access spaces with a width of 0.6 mm, these revamped oral health tools are set to render flossing obsolete. Prof. Bourgeois says, “Dental floss used to be the common tool for narrow spaces. However, dental floss is no longer preferred, as its use is not supported by conclusive scientific evidence. For interdental brushes, we have scientific evidence. Interdental brushes have now become the best tool for cleaning interdental spaces.” Even the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recently removed their recommendation to floss your teeth daily from their Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

And a recent dental report questioned the effectiveness of flossing since there is no actual conclusive clinical evidence to prove it. New generation interdental brushes, on the other hand, were clinically proven in the French study to remove 16 billion bacteria on average from each interdental site (between teeth) alone. So why are the latest interdental brushes so effective? Because they can reach critical areas of bacterial contamination on your tooth surfaces that flossing cannot.

Dental floss is still recommended for use on teeth with one root (incisors and canines), but not for your other teeth with two or three roots (molars). These teeth have hard-to-reach surfaces (within interdental spaces) that aren’t necessarily flat nor curved – often they are irregular. For example, a molar tooth with a concave surface cannot be cleaned thoroughly with dental floss because the floss completely misses the depression. Whereas an interdental brush can access all the nooks and cranies of your molars by completely filling the interdental spaces between them with hundreds of super fine bristles – thus removing almost all plaque.

It’s easy to determine the type of interdental brush that you’ll need. Your dentist simply measures the spaces between your teeth with a special probe after which they can advise you on the correct sized brush to use. The French researchers used the interdental brushes of the Swiss oral health care brand CURAPOX. They also noted that the test patients in the study responded positively to using these brushes. Source: “Access to Interdental Brushing in Periodontal Healthy Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.” PLoS ONE 11(6): e0158252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158252

Oral health education alone for kids is not enough

by Dr. Sonny Lee | Dec 14, 2016 | News and Research, Oral Health Children, Oral Health Education, Oral Safety and First Aid, Prevention

Researchers from the Cochrane Public Health Group recently published a review of 38 evidence-based studies on effective community-centred oral health promotion interventions for preventing tooth decay (caries), cavities and gum disease in children. Researchers reviewed interventions in a number of childhood settings including school, community, healthcare and home environments. The results of the review indicated that there was little evidence to show that oral health education alone made a difference in the level of caries in children. Some study results did show that oral health education improved gum health, oral cleanliness and oral hygiene care behaviours.

However, when oral health education was combined with other types of oral health promotion interventions, the impact on children’s oral health was far more positive. A significant improvement in the reduction of caries in children’s baby teeth occurred when oral health education was combined with supervised tooth brushing using fluoridated toothpaste. Caries in children’s permanent teeth were reduced when oral health education was combined with professional dental checkups and preventative care. Other interventions that benefit children’s oral health (when combined with oral health education) include:

provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste
sugarless non-citric chewing gum
motivational mentoring
professional dental care
application of fluoride varnish and fluoride supplements
training of non-professional educators and caregivers
improved child diet and restrictions on sugar intake

Essentially, the Cochrane Public Health Group’s review concluded that a range of interventions were necessary to ensure the optimal oral health of children – keeping them free from tooth decay and gum disease, as well as preventing the chronic oral conditions that could affect their future adult health. Sources: “Community-based population-level interventions for promoting child oral health.”, Authors: de Silva AM, Hegde S, Akudo Nwagbara B, Calache H, Gussy MG, Nasser M, Morrice HR, Riggs E, Leong PM, Meyenn LK, Yousefi-Nooraie R. Published: 15 September 2016.

What serious health conditions are linked to your oral health?

by Dr. Sonny Lee | Mar 9, 2016 | Diagnosis, Oral Links to General Health, Prevention, Signs and Symptoms

Your oral health might affect or be affected by a number of diseases and health conditions, including:

Diabetes reduces the body’s resistance to infection — putting the gums at risk. At the same time, gum inflammation interferes with your body’s ability to make effective use of insulin. Serious gum disease appears to be more common and severe among people with diabetes. Research also shows that people with gum disease have less control over their blood sugar levels.
Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and porous — periodontal bone loss may be an early indicator.
Heart disease. Research has found that gum inflammation is linked to clogged arteries because of the proportion of dead white blood cells that make up arterial plaque. .
Pregnancy and birth. Gum disease has been linked to premature births and low birth weight.
HIV/AIDS. Mucosal lesions are common in people with HIV/AIDS.
Endocarditis is an infection of the inner lining of your heart (endocardium). Endocarditis typically occurs when bacteria makes its way to the damaged areas of your heart from other from other places in your body. One of those places is your mouth.
Alzheimer’s disease. Losing teeth before the age of 35 may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

Always inform and update your dentist of any other health conditions you have and what medication you are taking – for example, diabetes or a heart condition. World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is on 20 March. It is an international day to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health. Leeming Dental Centre care about your dental health and announce Wold Oral health Day to Perth communities. To protect your oral health, practice good oral care and hygiene, remember to:

Brush your teeth twice a day.
Floss once daily.
Eat a healthy diet and avoid sugary and starchy snacks.
Replace your toothbrush regularly.
Attend regular dental appointments.

Also, contact your dentist as soon you experience an oral health issue. By taking care of your oral health, you are investing in your total health and well-being.