Why Is Fluoride Good for Teeth?

If our teeth are made mostly of calcium, why do we use fluoride to keep them healthy? Quick Questions explains why, and how we finally figured it out.

What Is Causing Tooth Pain After My Filling?

The first few days after a tooth filling, it is normal to have some pain in the surrounding area. If after a few days, the pain has not subsided, there may be an underlying issue with the tooth or filling. If this is the case, it is important that you schedule a follow-up appointment with your dentist immediately.

10 Causes of Bleeding Gums

You noticed a little pink in the sink after brushing your teeth. Or maybe you noticed blood in your mouth after flossing. What caused your bleeding gums? And is it serious? Gums bleed for many reasons. Some reasons, like gum disease, are serious and warrant a call to your dentist sooner rather than later. Other causes for bleeding gums are less serious. In some cases, you can stop bleeding gums with simple changes to your daily brushing and flossing routine.

Besides serious gum disease, here are ten other reasons gums bleed and how to stop bleeding gums before the problem becomes a bigger issue.

Bleeding Gums Reason #1: Gingivitis
Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease. Symptoms include tender and swollen gums, and in some cases bleeding gums during brushing and floss.

Gingivitis happens when plaque along your gum line isn’t properly removed. This sticky plaque breeds all sorts of nasty bacteria that infect the gums, causing bleeding and sensitivity. At this early stage, gingivitis can be stopped and reversed before it turns to more serious gum disease.

Prevent or stop bleeding gums caused by gingivitis with proper oral care. Brush and floss regularly and stay on top of your routine dental check-ups.

Bleeding Gums Reason #2: Medications
Another possible cause of bleeding gums is blood thinning medication. Blood thinning medications decrease the blood’s ability to clot, leading to easier bleeding, including at the gumline. Every time you visit your dentist, let her know about any new medications. This helps the dentist identify the cause of bleeding gums and other oral problems.

Your dentist might recommend a different oral care routine to help minimize or stop gum bleeding caused by medication.

Bleeding Gums Reason #3: New Flossing Routine
If your gums bleed after flossing, when they’ve never bled before, the flossing itself could be the cause. If you took a few days off from flossing or increased the rate per week at which you floss, you might notice minor gum bleeding. This gum bleeding should stop on its own after a couple of flossing sessions. If your gums bleed frequently, or every time you floss, visit your dentist.

Bleeding Gums Reason #4: New Toothbrush
A new type of toothbrush can also cause gum bleeding. If you switch from soft bristles to hard bristles, bleeding is sometimes your gums’ way of telling you to take it down a notch. Most dentists recommend a soft bristled toothbrush, specifically because it is easier on gums. So, if your gums bleed from a hard-bristled toothbrush, heed the warning. After switching back to soft bristles, bleeding along the gumline should stop within a few brushing sessions.

Bleeding Gums Reason #5: Pregnancy Gingivitis
Yep, it's a thing. Increased hormones during pregnancy cause increased blood flow to your gums, making them extra sensitive to plaque and bacteria. This in turn often leads to tender gums and gum bleeding during brushing. Pregnancy gingivitis, and any associated gum bleeding, usually stops shortly after pregnancy.

Bleeding Gums Reason #6: Poor Oral Hygiene Habits
You might be surprised to learn that even a temporary lapse in otherwise stellar oral hygiene sometimes causes bleeding gums. Research shows healthy gums can become bleeding and diseased gums with just one day off proper oral care. Yikes!

Prevent or stop bleeding gums with daily hygiene habits. Brush for two minutes, twice a day and floss daily to keep plaque at bay and prevent swollen, bleeding gums.

Bleeding Gums Reason #7: Poor Diet
Some ingredients in processed foods irritate gums and cause minor gum bleeding. Opt for healthier alternatives instead. Fruits and veggies, along with calcium, vitamins C and D, and magnesium are critical components of oral health. Make sure you get your daily recommended allowances of these nutrients

Bleeding Gums Reason #8: Stress
Living in a constant state of agitation and anxiety compromises your immune system, making it harder to ward off any number of issues, including bleeding gums and gum disease. Stress also causes inflammation in the blood vessels. This breaks down soft tissues in your mouth, further slowing the healing process for bleeding gums. Try reducing your stress levels whenever possible.

Bleeding Gums Reason #9: Misaligned Bite
If your teeth aren’t properly aligned you may develop “bite disease,” which is yet another possible cause of bleeding gums. If your teeth are misaligned, the wrong type of pressure is applied to the wrong places when you bite down or grind your teeth.

These destructive forces affect your teeth, as well as the supporting tissue and bone. If you apply repeated pressure in one spot, the gums recede and the bone deteriorates, creating a prime spot for gum disease and bleeding gums. Talk to your dentist about solutions for an unbalanced bite.

Bleeding Gums Reason #10: Smoking or Vaping
It’s true. Both smoking and vaping increase your risk for oral health problems, including sensitive, diseased, and bleeding gums. Once gum bleeding starts, dangerous bacteria trapped between the teeth and the gumline can get into the bloodstream, causing further complications.

If you are worried about how smoking or vaping affects your oral health, talk to your dentist or doctor about alternatives or programs to help you quit.

Visit Your Dentist for Persistent or Serious Gum Bleeding
These ten reasons for gum bleeding are meant as a guideline. But as with anything related to your oral health, nothing substitutes regular dental checkups. At routine dental appointments, your dentist checks for signs of gum disease and screens for other oral health issues. He helps identify if your gums are bleeding, the causes for your bleeding gums, and a plan to stop it.

If your gums bleed persistently or if you experience ongoing pain association with bleeding gums, don’t wait for your next checkup. When left untreated, bleeding gums leads to more serious oral health problems, so make an appointment with your dentist now if you are concerned.

Article Source: https://www.deltadentalwa.com/blog/entry/2018/08/causes-bleeding-gums

Throwback Toothday: Captain Cuspid’s Treasure

Learn the secret to the Captain’s strong smile! Join us as we celebrate 160 years of driving dentistry forward by taking a trip through the ADA’s video archive. #ADA160

How to Select the Best Dental Floss for You

Are you a dental floss connoisseur? Didn’t think so. But walk into a drugstore, and you have choices to make. It’s not just waxed or unwaxed anymore. There’s super floss. Dental tape. Electric flossers and water flossers. Green options include natural floss and biodegradable floss.

Don’t fret. Dental hygienists say the best floss is the one you find easiest to use—and therefore habit forming.

But if you are like many new mothers, you want all the information about getting dental x-rays while pregnant and breastfeeding, before making a decision.

Unwaxed floss: Best for tight spaces
Are your teeth set close together? Traditional, unwaxed floss is made of thin nylon strands and fits into tight spaces. Its non-slip grip makes it easy to hold. Some dentists believe that unwaxed floss cleans better by absorbing more plaque and food particles. Unfortunately, unwaxed floss can fray or break. If that becomes a problem, you can switch to the sturdier waxed floss.

Waxed floss: Best for rough edges
For teeth with rough or irregular edges, waxed floss is the ticket. The waxed coating allows floss to slide rather than snag and it strengthens the material, preventing the floss from fraying or breaking in use. Additional benefits: waxed floss comes in flavors including cinnamon and mint, as well as whitening options, welcome incentives to floss. More importantly, you can also find fluoride-coated floss, allowing you to strengthen your enamel as you clean your teeth and gums. Fluoride-coated floss is particularly recommended for people living in rural areas or who drink bottled water regularly.

Dental tape: Best for larger gaps
Do you have larger gaps between your teeth? Try dental tape. It’s wider and flatter than regular floss and is sold in both waxed and unwaxed versions. Because it glides between teeth at their full height, it’s very effective in removing bits of leftover food.

Water flossers: Best for gentle care
If your teeth or gums need gentle care, try a water flosser. This electric wand shoots a thin stream of water between teeth and around the gum line. Water flossers are quite effective, removing food particles and plaque with ease. Of course, they’re more expensive than other dental floss options and they aren’t as portable.

Super floss: Best for braces and bridges
Water flossers are also good for maneuvering around braces, bridges, and implants. You can try super floss, too. Super floss is a pre-threaded flosser that comes in pre-cut segments. It has a stiff end that helps guide it through tight spaces and hard-to-reach areas.

Electric flossers: Best for when you need a helping hand
If you have arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or for any reason find it difficult to maneuver dental floss by hand, consider trying an electric flosser. Electric flossers use a sturdy fishing line-like nylon that vibrates between the teeth in an oscillating motion. Don’t overdo it, though. Overzealous use of an electric flosser can wear down your gum line.

Natural and biodegradable floss
Some brands make dental floss out of silk, which will biodegrade in a landfill or even your back yard. However, silk floss isn’t as strong as other floss.

PTFE floss: Not recommended
PTFE floss, made of polytetrafluorethylene, slides with ease between crowded teeth and through complicated dental work. However, PTFE contains suspected carcinogens as well as compounds that may disrupt hormone levels and compromise the immune system. Many oral health professionals recommend selecting a non-PTFE floss. Read package labels before you buy.

Talk to your dentist and try different dental floss options until you find the one that works best for you. If you’re not sure, start by looking for products with the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance. That way, you’ll know it’s safe for your teeth and will get the job done

Article Source: https://www.deltadentalwa.com/blog/entry/2019/how-to-select-the-best-dental-floss

Do Bad Teeth Run In the Family?

“Bad teeth don’t necessarily run in the family, but bad dental habits do,” says ADA dentist Dr. Ana Paula Ferraz-Dougherty.

White Spots on Teeth: Causes and Treatment

If you’ve ever wondered about those tiny white spots on your teeth, you aren’t alone. White spots on your teeth are a form of acute discoloration known as decalcification. It sounds a bit scary, but it’s actually a common cosmetic dental problem that most people will experience at some point in there life. Here, we’ll explain the common causes and treatment for those pesky little white spots on your teeth and how you can prevent them in the future.

What Causes White Spots on Teeth?
White spots on teeth can happen to anyone. In general, these spots are primarily caused by the process of decalcification. Decalcification, also known as demineralization, is a process where important minerals like calcium and phosphorus are removed from the structure of your teeth because of acids formed by bacteria. During this process, bacteria dissolves tooth enamel and leaves you with unwanted, chalky white spots that can appear permanently on your teeth. The most common cause of white spots on your teeth include:

Bacteria Overgrowth
The presence of too much bacteria in your mouth can contribute to the formation of white spots on your teeth. It’s because bacteria’s favorite place to grow is on our teeth. This is mostly due to the fact that our mouths check all the boxes that bacteria need to thrive - specifically a highly acidic environment that becomes even more acidic each time we eat or drink something.To avoid bacteria overgrowth in your mouth, make sure that you’re brushing and flossing every single day. It only takes 12-24 hours for plaque to start building up enough to support bacteria growth, making brushing and flossing even more important if you want to avoid white spots.

Too Much Fluoride
Exposing your mouth to too much fluoride can cause white spots to develop on your teeth. The technical term for this is fluorosis, and it typically occurs in children during the time when their teeth and tooth enamel are still forming, between the ages of one and eight years old. The end result of fluorosis is enamel hypoplasia, a defect of tooth enamel that only occurs while teeth are still developing. A child affected by enamel hypoplasia may have permanent, discolored teeth with white spots or deep grooves. Common causes of fluorosis include drinking too much fluoridated water, swallowing fluoride toothpaste, and taking certain medications.

Your Diet
Your diet can cause white spots to appear on your teeth. This is especially true if you have a diet low in foods containing calcium. As we learned earlier in this post, calcium is the foundation of teeth. When our teeth are deprived of that calcium, they don’t have the nutrients needed to build strong, healthy tooth enamel. Foods rich in calcium that may help you build tooth enamel include cheese, almonds, and leafy greens. Avoiding super acidic foods can also help reduce the chance you will develop white spots on your teeth, as acid reflux can trigger acid production and breakdown enamel.

Medications
Some medications may cause white spots on your teeth. Specifically, studies show that antibiotics like amoxicillin can impact the way your mouth builds tooth enamel, making it easier for bacteria to eat through tooth enamel. This happens because antibiotics have the potential to interfere with the way your body absorbs nutrients. Children are the most at-risk group when it comes to the impact of medications on tooth enamel.

Smoking While Pregnant
Smoking tobacco during pregnancy can cause white spots to appear on your child’s teeth. This happens because smoking tobacco during pregnancy can accelerate and promote the process of enamel hypoplasia. As discussed above, enamel hypoplasia ultimately thins the protective enamel on children’s teeth, making them vulnerable to infection and discoloration.

High Fevers
High fever can cause white spots on your teeth, although children are the most susceptible. This is because when you have a fever and feel dehydrated, your mouth and teeth usually take a back seat to feeling better. That means during the spell of a fever, acid has an opportunity to take advantage of a dry mouth and cause damage in the form of white spots on teeth. The best way to avoid this is to ensure your kiddo stays hydrated during a fever and to double down on oral care during their battle with whatever may be causing their fever.

Braces
Having braces can cause white spots on your teeth. If you have had braces at any point in your lifetime, you may notice faint white spots or thing white lines around the edges of where the brackets were glued to your teeth. This happens when minerals are stripped from the tooth due to a high amount of acidity present in the mouth. To avoid white spots popping up, it’s crucial to remove all food particles and debris from your braces as often as possible. In general, good oral hygiene can help reduce the chances of you being left with white spots on your teeth once your braces are removed.

How to Get Rid of White Spots on Teeth
Treating white spots on your teeth can only be done with the help of your dentist. Luckily, there is more than one way to get rid of these annoying little spots.

Enamel Microabrasian
An enamel microabrasion treatment can help you get rid of white spots on your teeth. A microabrasion treatment on your teeth is a process that has similar results to teeth whitening, except the treatment is executed mechanically versus chemically. The process typically involves the use of tools including a rubber cup and a rotary mandrel. It sounds scary, but it’s a common process that dentists use to remove these white spots with the least amount of enamel loss.

Teeth Bleaching
Bleaching your teeth, also known as whitening, can help get rid of white spots on your teeth. The teeth whitening process is pretty straightforward. Essentially, your dentist will use one of two bleaches that are safe for your teeth - hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. The way it works is that these bleaches will break up your white spots into smaller stains, making them less noticeable and your teeth brighter. Teeth whitening is unique because that is more than one way to get it done. For example, you could try over-the-counter teeth whitening strips. You can also try over-the-counter whitening toothpaste and mouthwash. However, the best way to get your teeth bleached and whitened is to talk with your dentist.

Porcelain Veneers
Veneers can help get rid of white spots on your teeth. Dental veneers, also known as porcelain veneers or porcelain laminates, are wafer thin protective coverings for your teeth that can conceal white spots and stains. They work because a dentist will create a customized veneer designed especially for your tooth color and shape. To adhere the veneer, your dentist will bond them using specialized dental tools. In order to get veneers, a person will usually have to go through three different visits to the dentist to first get a consultation, get fitted for dentures, and then another so the veneering process can be applied.

Article Source: https://www.deltadentalwa.com/blog/entry/2019/11/white-spots-on-teeth