A cavity is just a hole that acid eats in your tooth.

Acid? Yes!

How does this occur? Where does the acid come from?

The acid in your mouth comes from two sources:

1. Acid produced by bacteria.
2. Acid that is present in your diet (food and drink).

Acids produced by bacteria work in this way: You eat something sugary or eat something that has a by-product that is sugary. The acid producing bacteria in your mouth use this sugar as an energy source. The waste product of these bacteria is lactic acid which lowers the pH in your mouth and destroys tooth structure. I’ve found that even foods that don’t seem like they would be a problem can cause cavities. For example, chips and crackers are a culprit because they tend to get stuck in the crevices of teeth and their ultimate by product is sugar. So make sure you brush right away after eating that bag of Cheetos.

The term that describes the destruction of tooth structure by acid is “demineralization”. The acid acts on the hard surfaces of your teeth and pulls out the calcium and other minerals leaving a little hole. Your saliva acts as a buffer to this process as it washes the acids from the teeth. However, when a lot of acid is produced, a cavity forms on the surface of the tooth and must be repaired with a filling or a crown.

Acid that is present in your diet is a direct insult to your teeth. Unlike bacterial acids which take a bit of time to produce, dietary acids are start working on the teeth right away. Many foods contain acids such as citrus fruit and tomatoes. The biggest source of dietary acids is contained in sodas like Coke, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper and energy drinks such as Gatorade, Monster’s and Rock Stars. Sodas, energy drinks and other carbonated drinks contain carbonic and phosphoric acids. These acids are sometimes used to give these drinks their color. These drinks cause large drop in your oral pH with every sip. The acid in soda or energy drinks alone can cause serious tooth problems, but many of them also include a LOT of sugar. That’s why soda and energy drinks are especially damaging to teeth. They have very low pH and lots of sugar. If you just have to have a soda drink it quickly through a straw and drink water afterward. Also brush thoroughly right away to wash away that sugar and acid.

• Limit the time that your children can eat candy. As far as your teeth are concerned, it’s all about the length of time that that they are exposed to the sugar in candy and not “how much” candy is eaten.

• After they’ve had their eaten their candy, I recommend that they chew some sugarless gum for a couple of minutes. Gums with Xylitol are preferable. Chewing gum stimulates salivary flow which helps wash the bacterial acids from the teeth. Saliva also has antibodies in it that help offset the cavity producing bacteria.

• Help your children brush their teeth. If they are small enough, you can sit “Indian Style” on the floor and have them sit in your lap facing away from you. Cradle their head in the nook in your arm and brush their teeth with toothpaste that has fluoride. For older children, monitor their brushing, making sure that they are being thorough.

• You can also be a bit sneaky and remove some of the candy from their stash so that they don’t gorge themselves. If you are like me, I used to steal the Snickers and Reeses from my kids’ bags for my own personal enjoyment.

At our dental office in Fontana, California, we have been offering this service for over 5 years. The focus of cosmetic braces is to straighten the teeth you see when you smile. The technique uses clear brackets placed precisely on the teeth and Nickel Titanium wires which have memory. We have been able to help many adult patients who are self-conscious about their smiles. Prior to this service, the only hope for patients was either removing enamel to place porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns, or traditional braces which can take anywhere from 2 to 4 years to complete.

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How can teeth be straightened in only six months?
A: The Six Month Smiles technique employs the latest technology and techniques in dentistry to move your teeth quickly and safely. The key components of the treatment are the use of nickel titanium wires and a primary focus of moving the teeth that show when you smile.

Q: Six Month Smiles sounds good, but will I still have a mouth full of metal for the whole time?
A: No. Six Month Smiles dentists use tooth-colored braces that are barely visible. These are nothing like metal braces.

Q: How are Six Month Smiles braces more comfortable than regular braces?
A: Six Month Smiles uses low force to move teeth more comfortably. Six Month Smiles utilizes standard orthodontic principles, but with an emphasis on the cosmetic appearance of your teeth rather than the position of your bite.

Q: Do Six Month Smiles braces damage the teeth, roots, or gums?
A: There no more risks of root damage or other issues than those associated with traditional orthodontics. Since the forces used with Six Month Smiles braces are lighter, there are actually even fewer risks involved with Six Month Smiles orthodontics.

Q: Will I have to wear a retainer?
A: Yes, as with any teeth-straightening treatment, a retainer is necessary to maintain the straighter position of your teeth. If you don’t want to wear a removable retainer, you can have a bonded retainer placed. There are a variety of options that you can choose from according to your personal preference and situation.

Q: What’s the catch?
A: There is really no catch. If you are an adult with crooked or spaced teeth are you’re not looking for a major alteration to your bite, this could be the solution for you! Most adults are candidates for Six Month Smiles.

Q: Can this technique be used on every patient?
A: No. We don’t recommend this service for children whose jaws are still developing. Also, there are some patients who’s teeth are either too crowded or their jaw relationship is so abnormal that Adult Cosmetic Braces is not a good fit. In these cases, we recommend a consultation with an orthodontist.

The short answer is “No”. The long answer is: “HELL NO!”.

An important thing to consider is that dental insurance is not similar to medical insurance at all.    The majority of dental insurance plans are designed with the purpose of only covering basic dental care and is not intended to provide comprehensive coverage like that of medical insurance.

Remember, like any other business, dental insurance companies are out to make a profit.  Does it make sense for them to pay out more money in benefits than they take in with premiums?  They end up collecting much more in premiums than they pay out in benefits. In order to make things work in their favor, dental insurance companies place waiting periods of 3 months to a year on certain procedures.  For example, if you need a crown on a given tooth, the plan may make you wait an entire year before paying a benefit. In the meantime, decay may progress to the point where you need a root canal; and the cost of the procedure may double.   In addition, insurance companies will put yearly maximums of $1,000 to $1,500 on your dental benefits and limit your choice of dentists and procedures.

My recommendation is to find a dental office that you like and trust and work out financial arrangements with that office directly, thereby eliminating the “middle-man” (dental insurance).    Most dental offices offer financing that is affordable and allow patients to make small monthly payments.

I never followed hockey before being affiliated with the minor league hockey team: The Ontario Reign. The Reign is the minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings and they play in the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League…go figure as we are on the left coast). My wife and I attend most games. I find the action of hockey to be much more exciting to watch live than any other sport. It is a high-speed, action packed sport. It took me about a year of watching to figure out the nuances of the game and to learn the rules. The puck travels so fast that it really takes a trained eye to follow it.

One of the things I also find interesting about the sport is that, more than any other sport, women are fanatical about hockey and love it. When I observe the crowds at the Ontario Reign games, I estimate about 50% of the spectators are women.

As the team dental office of the Ontario Reign for the past four seasons, WinningSmiles provides custom mouth guards to the players. We take molds of the players’ upper teeth and pour the models in stone. Then we use a thick thermoplastic material that’s heated and “sucked down” over the models under a high speed vacuum. The mouth guards serve 2 purposes:  1) They help prevent dental injury’s such as fractured teeth and bone from a puck (or fist) to the face and; 2)  They help prevent concussions because the material helps absorb the forces of a fall on the ice or a crash into the boards.

Last year (2010 – 2011 season) was a particularly busy year for me as the team dentist. We had two players with major dental injuries….and it was because neither player was wearing his mouth guard. We also had some minor injuries too (mainly stitching up lips). The first injury occured to a Reign player who was actually practicing before a game in Canada. The player went to hit a puck and his hockey stick broke and rebounded into his face breaking his upper 2 front teeth into the pulp. According to the player, it is common to practice without a mouth guard (WHY?!).  He was taken to a dentist in Canada who started root canal therapy (endodontic therapy) on both teeth. When he returned to California, we completed the root canal therapy and placed 2 porcelain crowns on those teeth (and they looked pretty darn good if I do say so myself).

The second major injury occured at a home game, right near the end of a game.  The player took a puck directly to the face.  It struck him squarely in the mouth.  I was called to the training area.  This injury was more severe than the first one, because not only did the two front teeth fracture, but four teeth were displaced and loose.  The game was stopped when the player sustained his injury and they were able to recover the pieces of the teeth that broke off.  This was a minor miracle.  Can you imagine finding 2 tiny pieces of teeth on a frozen tundra of ice?  The assistant trainer and I brought the player to my office (at 11:30 pm) in Fontana and with her help, I was actually able to bond the pieces back to the teeth (which was another minor miracle because of the fragility of the procedure and the fact his gums were bleeding profusely).  Because the four front teeth were loose, we had to stabilize the teeth or there would have been a high chance that he would lose them in the future (they were really loose).  We bonded these 4 teeth and 6 other stable teeth on either side to some orthodontic wire.  Now it was a waiting game to see how the teeth would respond over the next 6 weeks.  Would they stabilize or would they remain loose and have to be removed?

I spoke with the head trainer and we decided that it was imperitive that this player wear a full face shield for the remainder of the season to virtually eliminate any potential trauma to the teeth during a game…. I also made sure the player knew he should back away from any fight with an opposing player.  I also instructed him to avoid chewing off the front teeth.  At 6 weeks we took the bonded wire off and I am happy to report that the teeth were stable….although the pulp on the front 2 incisors was damaged and needed root canals. But, hey, at least he was able to keep his teeth.

From what I understand, it used to be a “badge of honor” in the hockey world to be a player who was missing teeth.  However, I think things are changing….at least I hope.  Just wear your mouth guards DAMMIT!!

But intraoral cameras have changed all of that. Now you can sit comfortably back in the chair while the dentist or hygienist inserts a sterilized small probe-shaped camera that is moved around the inside of your mouth. Covered with a disposable plastic sheath for contamination prevention, the wand simply takes a video of the inside of your mouth and transmits the images via cable to a computing unit. The computing unit enlarges the full-color images and sends them to a TV screen. Everyone is able to view together every last detail of your oral health.

This painless, no radiation technique allows us to see and document dental conditions such as worn-out, defective fillings, fractured teeth, decay, bleeding gums, oral lesions and plaque. The intraoral camera is a great diagnostic tool that provides an accurate view of the current state of your mouth and potential problems.

Second, the eye of the camera can show, in a moment, how well you’re doing with your oral care home hygiene regimen. This helps you and your dentist realistically assess needed steps to improve your techniques and monitor your progress.

We can also freeze and store the video of the inside of your mouth for a bigger and better look and then make an instant photograph for you and your records or for the insurance company for verification of treatment.

As new technologies become available to us, we strive to keep up-to-date with the latest advances in order to provide our patients with the most modern, highest quality dental care possible.

What we eat is significant to our overall health. General guidelines should include balance and moderation and should involve choices from the five major food groups

• Dairy [milk, yogurt, cheese]
• Meat [poultry, fish]
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole grain [breads, cereals]

What do we do to prevent this potential problem? Avoid having sugar in your mouth for long periods of time. Stay away from sucking candies and chewing gum [unless sugarless] and refrain from drinking soda pop regularly.  Try to cut down on the number of snacks per day. If you must snack, substitute foods that most like but don’t promote tooth decay. Examples are popcorn, pretzels, fruits, nuts, cheese, pizza and vegetables.

Consuming sugary foods with a meal or for dessert has a less detrimental effect, because increased salivary flow during meals helps to wash the food away. Also, it is usually nearer the time that most people will brush their teeth. Keeping this in mind, it is better for children to eat sweets at a time and place that allows them to brush soon afterwards.

A balanced diet is also important to keep your bones and gums healthy. Foods rich in vitamin C [citrus fruits and juices, leafy vegetable, potatoes], B12 [dairy, meat] and Folic Acid [spinach, broccoli] will help strengthen your gums and supporting soft tissue. Of course calcium [dairy, dark leafy vegetables] is necessary for the development and maintenance of strong teeth and bones. If you are lactose intolerant, calcium supplements are readily available.

http://www.self.com/health/blogs/healthyself/2010/10/3-reasons-skipping-the-dentist.html

People of ancient times believed that the stabbing pain of a toothache was caused by a toothworm, which either had appeared spontaneously or had bored its way into the tooth. If the tooth pain was severe, it meant that the worm was thrashing about, but if the aching stopped, then the worm was resting. Cultures all over the world, many of whom had no contact with each other, held stubbornly to this myth. The folklore of the toothworm persisted from ancient times to the beginning of the eighteenth century.

Folk Cures

• Bee: Honey, a product of bees, was used to coat an infected tooth in the Middle Ages. People smeared their aching teeth with honey and waited all night with tweezers in hand, ready to pluck out the toothworm.
• Donkey: In ancient Greece, donkey’s milk was used as a mouthwash to strengthen the gums and teeth.
• Frog: Besides spitting in a frog’s mouth for toothache relief, these web-footed creatures were applied to a person’s cheek or to the head on the side of the ailing tooth.
• Onion: In the Middle Ages a slice of onion was applied to the ear on the side of the aching tooth.