Dentistry is an ever-evolving field, and many dentists have gone ahead to revitalize their services and give patients new opportunities for restorative treatment. Many dentists often try to use modern innovation and technology to improve their practices and provide the latest methods for crowns, implants, and dentures. However, to provide these improved methods, dentists working to improve their services for their patients by following the latest trends, studying the research behind them, and getting the training and certification needed to qualify and administer the treatment. But what treatments are there, and why do dentists more often than not try and go for the latest treatments?
Restorative treatment is all about repairing and replacing damaged, chipped, or decaying teeth. These treatments aim to restore the function and appearance of people’s teeth to the point where those teeth can remain healthier longer. Thousands of dentists often specialize in restorative dentistry because there is a significant increase in the demand for these treatments. Why do people need restorative treatments? It’s often due to the high prevalence of oral health issues within the United States.
According to the CDC, adult oral health is at a significant decline due to varying factors, such as aging, poor diets, insufficient oral hygiene, financial difficulty, and misaligned teeth. When it comes to observing these issues:
As a result of aging and its effects on our oral health, restorative treatments work to retain and restore healthy teeth. Ultimately, it’s considered a multi-faceted challenge that needs innovation to truly enhance people’s oral health and prevent diseases.
So, what are the latest trends dentists have been following? Some of those trends include:
For more information on these trends, the best place to learn about them is through a visit with your dentist.
Smoking causes significant dental problems and is considered one of the largest causes of tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss among adults. Dealing with the symptoms of quitting smoking can be extensively long and challenging, and many people have begun moving towards vaping as an alternative solution to their smoking addiction. However, because vaping is still being researched and debated upon, there have been reports of vaping products and e-cigarettes being just as bad a tobacco products and other reports that show that vaping products could have some side effects on people’s oral health.
Studies from multiple sources, including resources such as the CDC, John Hopkins University, and other research journals, cite there are both potential harms to people’s overall health and oral health. Vaping can be seen as a tempting activity for young adults and adults wishing to quit smoking, but while it may sound enticing, there are certain factors people should be aware of when it comes to vape, including:
When it comes to the effects on oral health, those side effects are still being researched. However, according to studies from the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, the components of most vaping products, which include sucrose, sucralose, and other flavorings, can significantly accelerate the development of cavities and periodontal disease. In other studies, these sweet flavorings are often found in vaping products; it has cariogenic potential due to the physicochemical properties it has similar to high-sugar candies, acidic drinks, and gelatinous candies, and thus increases the risk of cavities in young adults and adults.
Quitting smoking can be especially hard, but the truest place to begin is by reaching out, finding resources that can help you, and speaking with your doctors about your addiction. Even when vaping presents fewer risks, the risks of nicotine addiction and cavities from vaping liquids can still exist. Speak with your doctor about these issues with programs, find better tools to help you quit smoking for good, and make sure to speak with your dentist about the potential effects of vaping and what you should do to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
One thing that you can say about avid exercise lovers, it’s hard to slow them down. Rain or shine, they’re out there sticking to their routine. Many of them love the struggle and challenges they face. If there’s anything that brings exercise fans and everyone else together, it’s tooth pain. Those who are genuinely driven to keep to an active routine often experience dental pain. This point is especially true among runners. If you’re one of those experiencing this and want to know what’s causing it, read on.
The exact reason that teeth hurt while exercising depends on your routine. The reason a runner’s teeth hurt is usually different than someone who loves the weight room. There’s some overlap, of course. We’re going to explore each of the reasons that exercise can make your teeth hurt and what you can do to help put a stop to it.
These are the most common oral health problems experienced by athletic individuals. The list above isn’t comprehensive. The nature of your exercise routine can have a definite impact on what you experience. One important thing to remember is that it’s always a good idea to wear a mouthguard while being active.
If you have a strenuous workout routine or are intending one, speak to your dentist. The insight they provide can help you prevent problems like the above. They can also provide custom mouth guards and other suggestions for lasting oral health. Don’t ruin your teeth while honing the rest of you! Call your dentist for help today.
As summer comes to an end, you and your family may want to try and get a few outdoor swims into your vacations. Getting into the pool and swimming is a great activity because it encourages exercise and is a fun way to bond with loved ones. It’s also an excellent activity for sports, especially for children and teenagers while growing up. Swimming, overall, is one of the easiest ways to exercise your entire body and have fun at the same time. However, there’s always a caveat with activities such as these. Swimming pools, depending on the chlorination levels, can harm our teeth and gums over time without proper care. Daily exposure to chlorinated water can increase the risk of tooth discoloration, enamel erosion, and toothaches over time.
So, if you want to be able to swim and care for your teeth, we’re here to provide this small guide for the rest of the summer on how to best care for your teeth while swimming.
Swimming is an excellent way to improve your cardiovascular health, endurance levels, and muscles over time. It’s an all-around body workout that improves lung capacity, muscle tone, and muscle strength, all while keeping you slim and fit. For children, it’s a great way for children to keep them exercising, help get any excess energy out of their system, and give them a great social avenue for playtime and friends. But when it comes to your teeth and gums, they’re most often susceptible to the amount of chlorine found in those swimming pools we all know and love.
Even swimmers that swim competitively will go out of their way to protect their teeth because studies have shown that competitive swimmers experience dental erosion and various other dental issues over time. This is most often due to the amount of chlorine exposure they experience while swimming competitively. Chlorine has various components that can lead to dental problems, such as:
When caring for your teeth this summer, the best place to start is to have you and your children wear mouthguards, especially if you all intend on swimming competitively throughout the summer or throughout the year. If you’re worried about the amount of chlorine in your pools, checking the pH levels can help you become more aware of what you’re swimming in and help you take care of your teeth this summer.
Having an occasional drink once in a great while can be an excellent way to relax and enjoy your evening, but consumed on a regular basis can be disastrous to your oral health. Consuming large amounts of alcohol three to four times a week has created clear physical and psychological patterns that are more harmful than good. For your teeth and gums, alcohol combined with poor oral hygiene is not a good combination. As extensive research looks into the effects of alcohol on the body and mind, we’re here to look at these drinks’ effects on our teeth and help you have better oral health.
For those who know how to drink alcohol, occasional drinks and drinks for celebrations can be an excellent way to spend time with friends and family. In moderation, alcohol consumption can be managed and enjoyed responsibly. However, the stages of alcoholism can occur quickly. The effects of consistent drinking are considered a biological issue rather than a moral one because it’s inheritable, and it creates a physical dependency by altering the brain’s chemistry and functioning, impacting the brain’s impulse control and decision-making process. By releasing these pleasure chemicals in response to alcohol, then it also creates a psychological dependency that’s difficult to remove and result in alcohol dependence.
As for how it affects oral health, having some form of alcohol dependency can impact our teeth and gums. These risks include:
Having alcohol dependency can be a struggle, but know there are resources out there that can help your recovery from your addiction and have a more fulfilling life. Find local recovery programs near you to help with your addiction, and if you have any oral problems, seek an appointment with your dentist to learn more about how to care for your teeth.
Many people agree that having a good night’s sleep can help us function better and have good health overall because this valuable time gives our bodies the time it needs to replenish our bodies and restore our immune system, body circulation, and respiration. It helps reduce stress, keeps our hearts healthy, and, most of all, restores our brain function to keep us awake throughout the following day. However, did you also know that sleeping can impact our oral health as well?
In fact, sleeping can be considered just as important as brushing and flossing your teeth each day. But sadly, not many of us get enough sleep to get all these benefits, either by choice or by intensive life schedules. For some, sleeping is considered a luxury, especially for those who have sleep apnea or intensive work schedules. With poor quality sleep, there are many negative side effects that can impact your oral health. We’re here to outline the benefits of a good night’s sleep and help educate you about some of the side effects of poor sleep.
As oral health specialists, our careers involve looking into how each and every aspect of our lives impacts our teeth and gums, and that includes something as small as sleeping. Sleeping and oral health are intricately connected because our sleep quality ultimately determines how our immune systems respond to various diseases present throughout our bodies. Our mouths are highly susceptible to diseases, serious infections, and conditions that need to be taken seriously.
If you constantly suffer from a poor night’s sleep, many problems can occur and develop, affecting your oral health and putting your teeth and gums at risk. These problems can include:
When it comes to sleep and your oral health, we recommend trying to get at least 8 hours of sleep each day. If you can’t abide by the full 8 hours, try and take naps throughout the day to supplement that loss of sleep. You can also seek out a sleep specialist to assess your health and help give you better sleep for longer. For symptoms of bruxism or TMJ disorder while sleeping, visit your local dentist or orthodontist to find the solutions you need for better sleep.
Ensuring you have an adequate amount of vitamin D in your body is important. Most people can get their daily dose of vitamin D through their diets and through just sitting outside for 20 to 30 minutes a day. However, some people will not get enough vitamin D, especially if they have little to no sunlight exposure and have poor diets. In these cases, many doctors would recommend taking a dietary supplement to help replace this missing vitamin. Vitamin D is an essential component of bone density growth, and for our mouths, this vitamin can keep our teeth and gums healthy and strong. In cases where a vitamin deficiency is present, though, there is an increased risk of periodontal disease, as it is one of the most frequent causes of tooth loss in adults today.
Periodontal disease is an advanced form of gum disease caused by a build-up of bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria infect the gum line causing it to swell, become tender, and bleed a lot during brushing and flossing. Because it is an advanced version of gum disease, the gum pockets that hold the connective tissues together build pockets. These pockets allow more bacteria to fill into the gum line and infect the jawbone, causing bone loss. In these cases, tooth loss is almost an inevitable result if not treated. However, those with a vitamin D deficiency can also have an increased risk of getting periodontal disease over time.
Vitamin D is known to provide our bones and muscles with the nutrients they need to maintain their strength and vitality. However, it also protects our teeth and gums from becoming more vulnerable to bacteria, according to studies from the American Society for Microbiology. These studies show that:
Many dietitians recommend that you try and get your daily dose of vitamin D through your diet, which means drinking milk fortified with Vitamin D and eating other foods such as eggs, salmon, shrimp, and red meat. However, if you cannot get your daily doses through your diet, you should speak with your doctor about getting supplements. If you have any issues with your teeth from a vitamin deficiency, the best place to find more information is to speak with your dentist.
Having asthma can be a life-long respiratory condition that can increase your chance of developing cavities, gum disease, and ulcers. Asthma can appear as a childhood disease or appear later on in adulthood, and most often, this condition can be harrowing on the lungs and airways. However, through proper management with medication, understanding triggers, you can take care of your asthma and help manage your oral health. So, how does asthma impact oral health? Here, we’ll be looking at how this respiratory condition impacts our teeth and gums and why it can potentially cause these problems for people today.
Children growing up with asthma can face problems with having a dry mouth. Dry mouth happens when the saliva glands within the mouth don’t produce enough saliva to wash away bacteria and food, which can cause the mouth to become dehydrated. This dehydration can be caused by an asthma attack, where the closing of the airways can result in tightness in the chest and mouth breathing. Studies from the European Journal of Dentistry also cite that medications, such as bronchodilators and steroids, can cause dry mouth because of how that medicine interacts with the mouth.
However, dry mouth isn’t the only side effect of asthma. Some studies also report that asthma is one and a half times more likely to suffer from cavities than those without asthma, and this can be observed as a side effect of asthma and asthma medications. The coughing, wheezing, and tightness in the chest can cause the person’s immune system to become more vulnerable to bacterial infections and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis. The effects of respiratory diseases can lead to a weakened immune system and leave the body more prone to other oral diseases, such as cavities and gum disease.
With the effects of asthma on the lungs and the mouth, it’s important to know better ways of caring for your teeth. Here is some dental advice you can follow to help reduce your risk for cavities:
• Rinse and Repeat: If you require an inhaler, try rinsing your mouth out with water. Rinsing your mouth out can help reduce the risk of dry mouth and help keep saliva flowing.
• Drink Water: Make sure you drink water. Dehydration is considered to be one of the largest causes of dry mouth and other oral problems.
• Change Your Medication: If you find that you’ve been having issues with your teeth, speaking with your pulmonologist can help you find better solutions.
• Speak with Your Dentist: For symptoms of dry mouth, cavities, and gum disease, speaking with your dentist about these issues may help you find better ways to care for your teeth.
Living with asthma can be difficult, but know that your dentist can help you find the best treatment plans that meet your needs when it comes to your teeth.
Dental patients with mental health conditions need quality treatment, significantly as their mental health can impact how they care for teeth and gums. As mental health services become more emphasized within the healthcare industry, many studies have begun looking into how mental health affects those with oral health issues and how oral diseases can be inadvertently caused by having mental health issues. With both of these topics in mind, the one thing that connects them is a lack of treatment. Both aspects must be treated to help patients recover and heal, and today, we’re looking at the impact that oral and mental health has on one another.
People with mental health conditions and dental issues have been rising over the past decade. The reasons for the decline in both physical and mental health depend on the person. Still, conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and bipolar disorder can influence how they care for and pay attention to their teeth. Having a lack of financial resources for treatment, improper or lack of medications, and inadequate support structures can influence these effects.
For dentists, proper dental care alongside their patient’s mental health needs to be addressed because both of these concerns can present vast consequences if not treated. Studies from the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry cite multiple studies regarding this connection and state that many of the participants within these studies showed signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and lost teeth. While multiple factors can also play into the development of these diseases, the inherent difficulty for many of these patients is also influenced by mental health conditions.
If you’ve been having problems maintaining a good oral routine, it’s essential to speak with your dentist about your concerns. Your dentist will help you by understanding your position and allowing you to speak about your struggles. Your dentist will also help you during and after your appointment by taking extra steps to make sure you have good oral care, including:
If you would like to see how your dentist can help you receive treatment, then the best way to start is by arranging an appointment.
Becoming a new mom-to-be means making all sorts of sacrifices, but sacrificing your oral health can do more harm than good. Mothers who care for themselves will care for their newborns better than those who don’t. While the prospects are amazing and exciting, having health problems alongside pregnancy isn’t. As dentists and advocates for families, we emphasize the importance of caring for mothers’ oral health and helping them learn more about the changes that happen to their bodies, including their oral health.
Visiting your dentist will allow your dentist to assess your health, design dental plans and help keep your oral health in check during the remaining time of your pregnancy. Taking care of your teeth and gums will make a difference for your baby before, during, and after their birth. Here’s what we know happens to mothers when they don’t care for their teeth.
New mothers have so much to handle, and besides the usual symptoms, the pregnancy exhaustion that comes at the end of each day is real. When that exhaustion leads to skipping brushing and flossing, that only leads to bacteria buildup within the mouth. That bacteria can eventually lead to tooth decay, which ultimately causes even worse conditions to develop, including:
Expecting mothers who brush their teeth regularly will reduce these risks significantly and reduce the risks of dental infections for their newborn. Having a proper, balanced diet will be able to give your newborn the calcium and vitamin D needed for healthy teeth later on in life, and your dentist will be able to provide you with a full dental plan that meets the needs of both you and your baby. The best place to reduce your risks is at your dental office.
