Tuesday June 5, 2012
Does Bleaching Damage the Teeth?
No. When carbamide peroxide, the active whitening agent, contacts water, hydrogen peroxide is released which whitens the teeth. Bleaching does not soften, demineralize or weaken the teeth.
Do Over-the-Counter Bleaching Products Work?
There is some evidence that over-the-counter bleaching products do whiten teeth, however, many of the products are too abrasive and can damage the teeth with extended use or misuse. Supervision by your dentist is always the safest and most effective way to whiten your teeth.
What Are Porcelain Veneers and Why Are They Used?
Porcelain veneers are ultra-thin shells of ceramic material which are bonded to the front of the teeth. This procedure can be an ideal choice for improving the appearance of the front teeth by masking discolorations, whitening teeth and/or reshaping a smile.
Tuesday May 29, 2012
Salivary Gland Cancer: Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys bandmember, dies of the disease, but what is it?
A member of the iconic Beastie Boys, has passed away after battling cancer of the salivary gland, according to news reports. Yauch, 47, was treated for the cancer in 2009, and in 2011, there were false reports that he had beaten it. But he actually was never cured of the cancer, and he continued to battle the disease.
While Salivary Gland cancer is very rare, it is one of the many types of oral cancers that are hard to treat unless caught early. Visiting your dentist regularly and having them check for any suspicious areas in the mouth is essential to catching and treating oral cancers.
Friday May 25, 2012
Everyone knows the importance of proper nutrition and a good diet when it comes to maintaining physical health. However, the same level of thinking can also help with our dental health, and having good nutritional and eating habits will contribute to healthy teeth and gums.
A good, balanced diet can help to boost and maintain our body's natural immune system; this can help to reduce the likelihood of developing oral complaints, while also helping to maintain healthy gums and strong teeth.
What we eat and drink can have an effect our oral health. Sweets, for instance, can stick to our teeth and leave behind sticky deposits which if not removed can lead to tooth decay. As such, it is important to maintain a good dental health regime to remove sticky residues that may be left behind. Fizzy drinks, such as Pepsi cola, can erode tooth enamel, due to the acidic nature of the beverage.
It's also important to eat regularly, as research has shown that dental health can be affected by how often a person eats. Regular snacking on sweet or starchy foods can increase the activity of bacteria in a person's mouth; this leads to heightened levels of acid in the mouth, which can erode tooth enamel. The more frequently a person eats, the more bacteria is stimulated, and the more acid is produced.
Saliva plays an important part in maintaining our dental health. Saliva can help to neutralize acid caused by eating, so rather than snacking consider combining foods into a larger meal. Saliva is a naturally occurring liquid in the mouth and can wash away food particles which may also be the target of bacteria, as well as helping to replenish teeth with essential nutrients to help withstand acid attacks.
Eating and drinking sensibly, adopting a good dental hygiene regime and making regular appointments with a dentist can all help to ensure that your smile remains healthy and strong, as well as remaining beautiful.
Monday May 14, 2012
Who's most afraid of the dentist?
According to new research, it's not the who you'd most expect. It's women in their 40s.
Ongoing research from the University of Sydney suggests that this demographic is more likely than other age groups to have felt trauma, abuse or oro-facial trauma. These people are also more likely to be depressed, anxious or stressed, researchers found.
"Dental anxiety is very real and complex and it should never be downplayed," study researcher Dr. Avanti Karve, of the University of Sydney Faculty of Dentistry, said in a statement.
Karve explained that people who have a great fear of the dentist wait 17 days, on average, to make an appointment to see the dentist when they are feeling severe pain. Comparatively, the rest of the population who is not as dentalphobic waits just three days.
According to a recent study out of the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, about 5 percent of people have a severe dental fear. Those researchers found five strategies that people use to get over their fear of the dentist; their findings are published in the journal Acta Odontologica Scandinavica.
Their study showed that common coping practices include distracting yourself (counting to yourself or playing mental games so that you think about something else), distancing (telling yourself the pain feels like something else), prayer (praying that the dental treatment will end soon), self-efficacy (telling yourself to be strong), and optimism (telling yourself that everything will be OK after the dental treatment).