Preventing Decay: Chew Gum !

Who would have thought that one day the dentist would tell you to eat candy to prevent decay! Well almost. Sugarless chewing gum is actually a benefit to the oral dynamic. In previous posts I have mentioned how eating sugars fuels the bacteria in our mouths to make acid, this in turn dissolves the teeth. That dissolving becomes decay. Sugarless chewing gum has the added benefit of stimulating saliva. Just last post I spoke of the repairing quality of saliva.
When we chew gum sugarless or otherwise it causes saliva to flow. Anytime we eat as a matter of fact saliva will flow. (or should) If we chew sugarless especially Xylitol gum we get saliva flow without the negative effect of sugar. So we can prevent decay with gum right?
There is one caveat: if we chew gum too long we will dry the mouth out of saliva and find that the benefit of having sugarless gum is cancelled out.

SO we should chew a bit of Xylitol or Sugarless gum after meals to clean the teeth and get our saliva flowing again but STOP after about 10-15 minutes.
Yes you can have your gum and eat it too!

PS. I noticed some good information on the science behind xylitol at http://www.healthyfellow.com, I cannot comment on other articles that I did not read but the commentary on Xylitol was quite sound!

OH and PPS
Animal lovers and owners. Do NOT let pets eat anything containing Xylitol. It effects them by releasing their stores of insulin and they can die of hypoglycemia. My thinking is that some cake frosting below the tongue of an ill or unconscious animal could save their life but be sure to check with the veterinarian.

The Digital Makeover

The Digital Makeover Term may have been coined by someone else, but I like to think it is my invention...

I majored in Studio Art in my college years. Sculpting in bronze, clay and wax and painting in oil and watercolour I have gained a skill set I believe is perfect for dentistry. In the digital world we live in I am happy to have trained in Photoshop. Merging digital ability to change photographs and knowing the limitations of dentistry I can effectively show my patients realistic before and afters. When we are going to commit much time, energy and finances to a large proceedure I produce a digital mockup of what we should expect. I find this helps patients physically see what I can do for them and not just "trust me"....For the most part it gets us to share the vision and come into agreement on proposed treatments. Above you will see an actual case that we have completed and continues to looking and feeling great two years later. In fact...people think their teeth look better than the Digital Makeover does!

The Antidote, Anesthesia Reversal

Recently I have adopted a new product. Oraverse. Essentially this is the antidote to numbness. Many patients hate to get numb simply because the after-effects are bothersome. Only a handful of people opt not to have anesthesia because the alternative is possible pain. I "unlike the popular belief" do not like pain, nor do I wish to inflict it. So obviously for the most part we will get patients numb BEFORE working. On occassion it is useful to cause the anesthsia wear off faster.

For example I had a patient going to a parent teacher meeting after his appointment. Not wanting to drool and give a bad impression to his son's teacher he opted for the Oraverse.

As we were finishing up his eyes got wide and he touched his face...he gasped "WOW".

I questioned his comment and he said that the anesthesia wore off like a wave. His feeling had come back in a few minutes rather than a few hours.

Although reversing anesthesia is not necessary...we can leave the body alone and it does wear off on its own. If necessary technology has allowed us (as I call it) the antidote to anesthesia.

Why are my Teeth Senstive?

This Monday I will be interviewed by a writer about sensitive teeth. Interestingly enough this month I have had many patients (more than usual) tell me their teeth are sensitive. I am attributing it to the cold snap we have here in New York. It is not just cold air that afflicts the teeth, it can be cold water, sweets, tooth paste, or brushing. To give some background all teeth have pores. These pores are not on the white enamel that we smile with, rather they are right at the border of the tooth and gum. As we abuse our teeth with brushing too hard, grinding our teeth, not flossing, or even not having cleanings often enough our gums can receed. That yellow line you see at the border of the gum and enamel is exposed root. Roots are porous. These pores will go all the way down to the nerve of the tooth. So if something covers these pores, like gum tissue, enamel or calicium (as it should) the tooth is NOT sensitive. If an acidic diet (any drink having Citric Acid), brushing too hard, grinding our teeth, brushing with too strong of a toothpaste (for your mouth) can cause the tooth to be cold sensitive. Cold sensitive to: water, foods, ice, or the COLD New York air. There is a simple solution: cover the pores. This can be done by your dentist by multiple products, or by you at home with Sensodyne ProNamel toothpaste. The paste with Potassium Nitrate "quiets" the nerve of the tooth and soon via Calcium, Fluoride and saliva repair the pores get plugged up. A more "quiet" tooth means a more comfortable tooth. That being said on a tooth that is very sensitive, after brushing and flossing, one could rub a bit of the paste on that sensitive tooth (right at the level of the gum) and let it sit overnight.

Of course more can be wrong with the tooth, the sensitivity could be from a dying nerve and need a root canal, it could be from grinding your teeth, it could be from a crack in the tooth or a cavity, but this is a good start. I have to of course end with the comment "you should seek the advice of your dentist if symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks". That is just good advice no matter who is interviewing you. :)

There is some good information to also review on the Sensodyne website.

http://www.pronamel.us/

Diet and the Genetics of Decay

Sitting on my couch I simultaneously rest and blog. I have for 3 days chosen to only ingest a liquid diet. An experiment of sorts on myself. I am juicing vegetables and fruits and "drinking" my meals. I have gone without solid food for 2 days now. I must say I feel fine. I am drinking alot of water, and I am having soup for dinner. Breakfast and lunch I had fruit juices. Interestingly enough (and those who know me will be amazed) I am not hungry. This is due to multiple things: first I have some extra weight that can support my metabolism, and I am getting nutrition. In our society we eat many foods, however are they nutrient rich foods? I can eat fast food all day and still be hungry...my body is trying to eat enough junk till it gets the proper nutrition. I can consume only fluids containing proper nutrition and my brain is satisfied. My real life lies someplace in between those 2 extremes. It does show me though that provided with the right fuel the body does not need the AMERICAN sized caloric intake. Interesting.
I of course must relate this to dentistry, as therein rests my purpose for blogging.
Our diet also impacts our teeth. While still forming our mothers' health and nutrition has been shown to prevent birth defects. While we are young our diet can start the clock of our lifespan. Yes the length of our lives have been shown (read TIME magazine "Epigenetics" Jan 18 2010) to be altered for better or worse by our young diet.
In the presence of sugar the bacteria in the mouth can live and thrive. Their metabolic by products will produce lactic acid. The more they eat the more acid they make and the faster our teeth will dissolve. On the contrary when we do not eat sugar at all bacteria that eat protein will thrive by default. These same bacteria can actually harm our gum tissue. Ps they are the same bacteria that make our breath smell when we have not eaten anything or brushed our teeth before talking to someone in the morning. There is much changed by eating right. Your teeth are just as affected by diet as the rest of your body.