Children with prominent front teeth, colloquially known as buck teeth, often require orthodontic work to straighten their teeth and improve both their bite and appearance. This can be done in one stage during early adolescence (age 10 to 16) or two stages with the first stage between age 7 and 11 and the second in early adolescence. A new Cochrane review finds few benefits to the two-stage correction…
Stem cells found in mouth tissue can not only become other types of cells but can also relieve inflammatory disease, according to a new study. The study indicates that the stem cells in the gingiva -- obtained via a simple biopsy of the gums -- may have important medical applications in the future.
Here’s a cheap product everybody owns (or should own!) that has a bunch of clever uses around the house: toothpaste. It contains mild abrasives and detergents suspended in a creamy gel that keep...
It's been estimated that half of all Americans don't go to the dentist regularly. If you find yourself in that half, how about making a New Year's resolution to make it to the dentist this year?
Here are five good reasons why you should.
Five Reasons to Go to the Dentist
1 - Catch Problems While They're Small
If you regularly visit the dentist, your dentist will be able to tell you about smaller problems that you can easily and inexpensively get fixed. The quicker you get a cavity filled, for example, the longer the filling will last. If you put off getting a cavity filled while it's small, it could cost significantly more to get it fixed when it needs a root canal and crown a few years down the road.
You won't feel any symptoms with most dental problems until they are advanced. If you have gum disease, it's important that you get it treated. However, unless you develop a gum abscess or have gum disease that is at a very advanced stage, you likely won't experience any pain.
2 - Dental Care Is Better Than It Was In the Past
If you had a bad experience in the past, let me assure you that dentistry has come a long way. There have been many recent advancements in the kinds of materials that we can use to fix your teeth. Many modern restorations such as crowns and veneers look completely natural and can give you the kind of smile you've always wanted.
3 - There Are Ways to Alleviate Dental Fear
There are many drugs that you can take before you go to the dentist to make you drowsy so that you will be less anxious during your procedure.
Also, if needles frighten you, many dentists can fill small cavities using a laser without any anesthetic. If you do require an anesthetic, there are very strong topical gels that can be placed on your gums before the injection to make the injection nearly painless.
We've come a long way since the dark ages when dentists were a little crazy — check out these pictures of old school dentistry if you don't believe me.
4 - There Are Better Deals Due to the Economy
Many dentists are running new patient specials due to the fragile state of the economy. They figure it's better to get a new patient in even if they charge a really low price than to have empty slots.
If you perform an internet search with the terms "dentist the name of your city", you will likely find some good deals that will allow you to have a free or low-cost exam and x-rays to get an overall idea of your general dental health.
5 - There are Financing Options Available
Also due to the economy, some dental offices are willing to accept payments for dental work performed rather than requiring the full amount at the time of service.
Another excellent option that we offer at my practice is called Care Credit. This allows patients to have the dental work performed and then make 12 equal, monthly payments over the course of the year without paying any interest. If you do go this route, just make sure that you make all of your payments on time. If you don't pay on time, then they will charge interest, which is how they make a lot of their money.
There's No Time Like The Present
If you've made it this far, go ahead and make that appointment! If you're hesitant to make a dental appointment, feel free to leave a comment below and let me know why. I'll try to get back to you and resolve any concerns you might have.
When you get a dental injection, your body wonders why on earth you're allowing a sharp metal object to penetrate your gums! It quickly tries to repair the damage by increasing blood flow to the area so it can carry away the anesthetic, which it views as a foreign substance. As you might have guessed, if your body's protective response tries to get rid of all of the anesthetic, it's not going to last very long.
This was a big problem with anesthetics back over 100 years ago. Then, something exciting (to dentists anyway) happened! A guy named Abel discovered adrenalin (a more common name for epinephrine) in 1897. In 1903 Braun suggested using adrenalin as a "chemical tourniquet" to make anesthetics last for a longer period of time.
This Braun fellow recommended using epinephrine at the very small concentration of 1 part to 10,000. That may seem weak, but we've found that even diluting it to 1 part to 200,000 still retains the beneficial effects of epinephrine while minimizing the side effects.
Epinephrine is what is known as a vasoconstrictor, which is just a fancy word for something that causes your blood vessels to constrict, or get smaller.
Why Dental Anesthetic Has Epinephrine
It is this vasoconstrictor effect of epinephrine that makes it so useful in dental anesthetic. By constricting your blood vessels, it benefits you and your dentist in the following three ways.
1 - The anesthetic gets absorbed more slowly into your body because blood flow to the injection site is decreased. Since blood levels of the local anesthetic are decreased, the risk of having an "overdose" of the dental anesthetic is minimized.
2 - Since there is less blood flow, the dental anesthetic stays put right around the nerve for a much longer time, allowing it to work for a longer period of time than it would without epinephrine. This means that you stay comfortable throughout the entire procedure. It also means that you might be numb for a few hours after leaving the dentist - a sometimes unwanted and embarrassing side effect!
3 - Minimizes bleeding where the anesthetic was administered. This is great if the dentist is performing a more involved surgical procedure involving the gum tissue since it makes it much easier to see what we're doing if there's hardly any bleeding.
Epinephrine is the most common vasoconstrictor used in dental anesthetic in the United States. In Europe, a vasoconstrictor called levonordefrine is commonly used.
If you prefer to not have these beneficial effects of epinephrine or if you have had heart problems, your dentist may elect to use a dental anesthetic without epinephrine. If that's your preference and you want to seem like you know what you're talking about, just ask your dentist for Carbocaine without epinephrine. That's the most common brand name of dental anesthetic without any epinephrine.
If you have any questions about dental anesthetic and epinephrine, feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!
Quite simply, orthodontics refers to the branch of dentistry that specializes in straightening teeth and (in fewer cases) treating and controlling facial growth and development of the jaw. Someone who performs orthodontic treatment is called an orthodontist.
The word orthodontics comes from the greek words orthos, which means “straight, perfect or proper” and dontos, which means “teeth”.
Cosmetic dentistry also falls under orthodontics in some cases.
Some of the procedures that orthodontists perform are:
ŸŸshrinking gaps that are too wide between teeth
aligning the tips of the teeth
straightening crooked teeth
improving speech or eating (oral functions)
being proactive in the health of the gums and teeth
prevent excessive wear or trauma to the teeth in the long term
correcting improper bites
Two types of orthodontic appliances are used: fixed and removable.
Fixed are the most common devices used. These are employed when precision movement is needed. Although patients can eat normally when fixed orthodontic devices are installed, they must avoid some things like carbonated drinks, hard candy or toffee. If participating in contact sports, orthodontic patients should tell their orthodontist so that they can have special gum shields made.
The other type of appliance are the removable devices. These treat minor problems, such as preventing thumb sucking or straightening slightly crooked teeth. They should only be removed when cleaning, eating, flossing or other activities that involve the mouth.
Gentle Dental is a leading provider of orthodontic treatment in South Florida.
Medical travel for major dental work, plastic surgery and other medical care continues to be in the news in the United States. On Friday evening, I was interviewed about the subject on the Your Time with Kim syndicated talk radio program.
DNA preserved in calcified bacteria on the teeth of ancient human skeletons has shed light on the health consequences of the evolving diet and behavior from the Stone Age to the modern day.
In a down economy, it’s common for dentists to cut back on their marketing efforts due to fears about how the recession will affect their practice. In my opinion, this is a big...
Dr. Ray Padilla, a leading dentist in Manhattan Beach, CA, has established a presence on Facebook and Twitter for improved patient interaction and increased practice awareness.
Quite simply, orthodontics refers to the branch of dentistry that specializes in straightening teeth and (in fewer cases) treating and controlling facial growth and development of the jaw. Someone who performs orthodontic treatment is called an orthodontist.
The word orthodontics comes from the greek words orthos, which means “straight, perfect or proper” and dontos, which means “teeth”.
Cosmetic dentistry also falls under orthodontics in some cases.
Some of the procedures that orthodontists perform are:
ŸŸshrinking gaps that are too wide between teeth
aligning the tips of the teeth
straightening crooked teeth
improving speech or eating (oral functions)
being proactive in the health of the gums and teeth
prevent excessive wear or trauma to the teeth in the long term
correcting improper bites
Two types of orthodontic appliances are used: fixed and removable.
Fixed are the most common devices used. These are employed when precision movement is needed. Although patients can eat normally when fixed orthodontic devices are installed, they must avoid some things like carbonated drinks, hard candy or toffee. If participating in contact sports, orthodontic patients should tell their orthodontist so that they can have special gum shields made.
The other type of appliance are the removable devices. These treat minor problems, such as preventing thumb sucking or straightening slightly crooked teeth. They should only be removed when cleaning, eating, flossing or other activities that involve the mouth.
Gentle Dental is a leading provider of orthodontic treatment in South Florida.
Halloween is just around the corner. We all love to see kids dressed up and having a good time, but you may want to reward them by giving out healthier alternatives to candy.
Try things like popcorn or pretzels in single serving bags or granola bars. You could also give out instant apple cider or hot chocolate mixes. If you absolutely feel the need to give sweets, try plain dark chocolate. Some studies have shown that dark chocolate even helps prevent tooth decay.
Stores like Party City offer little toys and pencils that can be bundled together into small bags for a fun, non-cavity-inducing treat. Stickers, erasers, balloons, whistles, cards and puzzles will show you care about kids’ health.
If you don’t plan on manning the door for very long, buy a few gift cards and give them out instead of any candy. Once the gift cards run out, turn off your lights and hide!
I’m back where I started this week — Prisma Dental in Costa Rica. Good times. I’ve wondered if I’ll ever get around to posting the rest of Beauty from Afar online — seems I’ve been stuck in Chapter 5 since the invention of tooth paste — but if anything will get me motivated again, it’s […]
People who are in need of nourishment tend to have oral health issues as well. The thought process of “since I am not eating, I don’t need to brush my teeth” or, even worse, “I don’t have the money for a good toothbrush and toothpaste” tend to overtake those in need of food. Those who suffer from repeated hunger sometimes grind their teeth (known as bruxism) and wear down the enamel. Food and water stimulate the saliva glands, which also break down the cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. Without that stimulation, saliva glands are dormant, which causes dry mouth, leading to caries as well.
Join Gentle Dental and Feeding South Florida in helping end hunger in your community. From October 1st through November 15th, we will be collecting non-perishable items at all of our 24 offices.
Dr. Meghna Dassani of Clear Lake leads her community to a healthier future. Clear Lake, TX (PRWEB) – According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dental caries (cavities) is an...
To help dentists improve services offered in their dental practice, Dr. Mayoor Patel and Hector Rico open MAP Laboratory for the fabrication of appliances.
Since 1990 the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that intake of “free sugars” should be less than 10% of total energy (calorie) intake. Free sugars are sugars that are added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer; plus those naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates…
Computer game promotes balance to help prevent falls, the main cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among elderly BETHESDA, Md., December 10, 2013– According to the National Council on Aging, an older adult...
The newly discovered bacterium that causes gum disease delivers a one-two punch by also triggering normally protective proteins in the mouth to actually destroy more bone.
Gingivae represent a unique soft tissue that serves as a biological barrier to cover the oral cavity side of the maxilla and mandible. Recently, the gingivae were identified as containing mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs). However, it is unknown whether the GMSCs are derived from cranial neural crest cells (CNCC) or the mesoderm.
A researcher has found that gum-chewing teenagers, and younger children as well, are giving themselves headaches with this habit. These findings could help treat countless cases of migraine and tension headaches in adolescents without the need for additional testing or medication.
A new research report shows how the bacteria known for causing gum disease -- Porphyromonas gingivalis -- manipulates the body's immune system to disable normal processes that would otherwise destroy it.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post discussing sinus infections, prompted by my wife's experience. She had severe tooth pain caused by a sinus infection. While that post discusses how a sinus infection can cause tooth pain, it never addressed the opposite question: Can a tooth cause a sinus infection?
Sinuses are simply chambers in your head that allow air to circulate to get warm and moist before it travels down to your lungs. Normally, the body is able to keep the sinuses clean and healthy, despite the dark, moist environment that bacteria love.
However, when conditions are right, bacteria can grow out of control in the sinuses, causing a sinus infection. One cause of sinus infections is the common cold. Interestingly enough, teeth can also cause sinus infections.
Before we get into a discussion on how teeth can cause sinus infections, we'll talk about where the sinuses are located.
Where Are Sinuses Located?
There are a few different sinuses located in the facial area — around the cheeks, nose, and above the eyes. The diagram below gives you a little better idea of where the sinuses are, and how they look when they are healthy, versus how they look when they are infected.
If you look at the diagram above and imagine a row of upper teeth, you can see how the roots of the upper teeth come into close contact with those sinuses on each side of the nose. These sinuses are known as the maxillary sinuses. While there are several sets of sinuses, the maxillary sinuses are the only sinuses that can also be infected by a tooth-related problem.
How Often Do Teeth Cause Sinus Infections?
Hupp's Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery textbook states, "Periapical or periodontal infections of maxillary posterior teeth may erode superiorly through the floor of the maxillary sinus. Approximately 20% of cases of maxillary sinusitis are odontogenic."
Basically, that's a fancy way of saying that tooth and gum abscesses of the upper back teeth can eat through the bone and invade the maxillary sinus. It further says that about 20% of all maxillary sinus infections are caused by tooth infections, rather than another cause.
Below, you'll find a couple of examples of how tooth infections or abscesses can cause sinus infections.
A Case of an Abscess Close to the Sinuses
Here is an x-ray of a tooth that had a root canal and crown done previously, but the infection at the roots had never quite healed. I have outlined some of the important structures below for those of you who are not accustomed to reading x-rays.
I colored the sinus blue and the tooth infection red in the x-ray below:
As you can imagine, the infection and the sinuses do overlap, as you can see in the x-ray below.
Although it looks like the sinus and the infection are overlapped on the x-ray, it doesn't necessarily mean that the infection has broken into the sinus and causing a sinus infection. It could be that the abscess is either in front of or behind the sinus in this x-ray, because the x-ray is simply a snapshot of the whole area and doesn't tell us if things are closer to the front or the back.
If you take a look at the x-ray above, you can see how close the maxillary sinus is to the upper teeth. Sometimes there is only a thin membrane separating the roots of the upper teeth and the sinus, making it very easy for an infection to travel into the sinuses.
Although this person wasn't exhibiting any symptoms of a sinus infection, but the x-rays do a good job of showing just how close the abscess is to the sinus.
A Case of Sinusitis Caused by a Tooth
This person had chronic sinusitis for the last few years, that started shortly after she had a metal post put into one of her upper back teeth. Upon looking at her x-rays I noticed that the metal post that was put in one of her upper teeth looked like it had pierced through edge of the tooth and gone slightly into the bone. This caused an abscess that was leaking into her sinus.
Here's the x-ray of her upper right teeth:
To make the x-ray below easier to see, the tooth is green, the infection is red, and the sinuses are blue:
Sadly, due to the fracture in the tooth caused by the large metal post, the tooth had to be extracted.
The oral surgeon who extracted the tooth told me that the tip of the tooth broke off just above the metal post, causing the root fragment to get pushed into the sinuses during extraction. He had to open up the sinus to retrieve the root and he was able to suction out a lot of the infection — he said it was a pretty bad infection.
Teeth Can Cause Sinus Infections
While sinus infections can cause teeth to to hurt, hopefully this post has helped you see that infections from the upper back teeth can easily make their way into the sinuses and cause sinus infections.
It is important to remember that unhealthy teeth are just one cause of sinus infections, and that there are several other causes. If you suspect your sinus infection is caused by a tooth, you should see your dentist to confirm this.
Do you have any questions, concerns, or comments? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
A review finds few benefits to a two-stage orthodontic correction for buck teeth in children versus treatment done in one-stage during early adolescence.
A research team has uncovered how the bacterium responsible for periodontal disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis, worsens rheumatoid arthritis by leading to earlier onset, faster progression and greater severity of the disease, including increased bone and cartilage destruction.
Researchers in Japan and China tested a novel urease fabrication process for coating titanium implants with bioactive CaP/gelatin composites. The research suggests that titanium implants coated with CaP and gelatin have great potential in clinical joint replacement or dental implants.
Researchers in Japan and China tested a novel urease fabrication process for coating titanium implants with bioactive CaP/gelatin composites. The research suggests that titanium implants coated with CaP and gelatin have great potential in clinical joint replacement or dental implants.
Brushing, flossing and using the mouthwash regularly are all important habits to maintain a healthy smile. However, there are a few important diet tricks that play an extremely important role in keeping your teeth healthy.
He is one of thousands of low-cost, unlicensed dentists, whose small stores with their lurid signs can be found nestling in grimy alleys and wedged between red-tiled houses across the capital.But after years of horror stories about people suffering terrible damage at the hands of unscrupulous practitioners with neither clean tools nor training, the government moved to ban them from all dental work in 2011.The unlicensed dentists are fighting back, however.They have managed to get the ban overturned after challenging it in the constitutional court — and are now demanding the right to practice.”We demand to be granted a licence so we can operate legally. We will never give up our fight,” said Dwi Waris Supriyono, chairman of the Informal Dentists’ Association…
A researcher has found that gum-chewing teenagers, and younger children as well, are giving themselves headaches with this habit. These findings could help treat countless cases of migraine and tension headaches in adolescents without the need for additional testing or medication.
Drs. Cindy Neufeld and Bella Andler, Edmonton dentists, and their dental team at Apple Dental Care are a modest dental group and want the best for their patients-and patients are definitely taking notice! See the whole story below.
Millions upon millions of people suffer from periodontitis, an inflammation that can lead to the loss of teeth if left untreated. A new diagnostic platform enables the pathogens to be detected quickly, enabling dentists to act swiftly to initiate the right treatment.
Have you ever wondered why we have two sets of teeth? At around 6 or 7 years old, our baby, or milk teeth, start to loosen and eventually fall out. This is a natural process and soon new teeth replace the ones that fall out. The baby teeth actually help in making sure that the “permanent” teeth erupt in their natural spot.Lower organisms on the evolutionary chain that have teeth can sometimes develop new teeth throughout their lifespan. The teeth of these species are usually designed for slashing, while the teeth of higher life forms are designed for chewing.Human baby teeth stimulate and guide the development of jawbones and permanent teeth. This means that even though the teeth are “temporary”, they are still important and should be taken care of.
A theory exists indicating a child’s teeth would be too small for an adult mouth, hence the need for the smaller teeth to be replaced with larger teeth. There are normally only 20 baby teeth compared to 28-32 adult teeth.
Gentle Dental recommends that you assist a child into developing good hygiene habits early.
Eaglesoft Clinician is fully certified for federal EHR incentive programs ST. PAUL, Minn. – (November 1, 2012) – Patterson Dental Supply, Inc., introduces Eaglesoft Clinician, a fully certified...
Halloween is just around the corner. We all love to see kids dressed up and having a good time, but you may want to reward them by giving out healthier alternatives to candy.
People who are in need of nourishment tend to have oral health issues as well. The thought process of “since I am not eating, I don’t need to brush my teeth” or, even worse, “I don’t have the money for a good toothbrush and toothpaste” tend to overtake those in need of food. Those who suffer from repeated hunger sometimes grind their teeth (known as bruxism) and wear down the enamel. Food and water stimulate the saliva glands, which also break down the cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. Without that stimulation, saliva glands are dormant, which causes dry mouth, leading to caries as well.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post discussing sinus infections, prompted by my wife's experience. She had 
