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By the time we’re adults, most of us probably think we’ve got brushing our teeth figured out. We’ve been doing it everyday for most of our lives, after all. However, there is one part of the process that many people get wrong: they rinse their mouths after brushing!
After brushing your teeth, you should be spitting out the toothpaste, not rinsing then spitting. If the fact that you’re not supposed to rinse your mouth after brushing comes as a big shock, don’t feel bad. This is a very understandable misconception. From what we can tell, patients think of toothpaste like soap: something that aids in the removal of debris then gets washed away. But toothpaste isn’t like that for one very important cavity-preventing reason: fluoride.
Fluoride in an ingredient in toothpaste that prevents tooth decay by re-mineralizing and strengthening teeth. However, the less time the fluoride is on your teeth, the less time it has to prevent tooth decay. By rinsing with water you are limiting fluoride’s active time on your mouth to the amount of time you’ve been brushing. And given that most people don’t even brush for the full two minutes that the dentist recommends, that is not nearly enough time!
Upon hearing this prohibition of rinsing, one of the biggest questions we hear about is the dangers of swallowing toothpaste. While you should never swallow significant amounts of toothpaste, ingesting a tiny bit mixed with saliva after brushing your teeth is unlikely to do you harm (especially when compared to the risks of gum disease and tooth decay). But if you’re still very worried about it, you can rinse a little using this method: sip about a teaspoon (5 mL) of water and swish it in your mouth with the toothpaste to create a toothpaste slurry, then spit.
If the thought of having chemicals other than fluoride lingering in your mouth bothers you, you can try finding an all-natural fluoride toothpaste that has fewer ingredients. If it’s the lingering minty flavor that bothers you, there are toothpaste flavors other than mint out there, including bubblegum, watermelon and cinnamon. Just be sure they still have fluoride.
As an added bonus, not rinsing can also be better for the environment. Many of us unconsciously leave the water in the sink running as we brush our teeth, in anticipation of rinsing our mouths and the brush out at the end, wasting about 3 gallons (12 liters) of water each time. People who rinse their mouths are much more likely to waste water than those who don’t, so once you stop rinsing, you’ll probably stop wasting too!
Some patients may be surprised to know that many dentists consider themselves artists as much as medical professionals. And it’s no wonder: when it comes to creating beautiful and healthy smiles, dental care is a blend of art and science, especially when it comes to repairing broken or decayed teeth with a dental crown (a.k.a cap).
Matching the color of teeth may sound tricky and it certainly is. After all, compared to the entire color spectrum of the natural world, human teeth occupy a pretty narrow range of yellowish off-white color. Luckily, there are a lot of time-tested techniques, science and modern technology to help the dentist make aesthetic decisions.
Dentists and dental technicians refer to teeth has having a shade, not a just a color. A shade includes hue, chroma and value. Hue is the same thing as color. The hues found naturally in teeth are yellow, red, or gray. Chroma is the saturation or intensity of the hue. Value is how light or dark the shade is.
The most common tool for color matching is a shade guide, a metal or plastic card with fake porcelain teeth of many shades arranged in a particular order. The dentist will hold the guide by your teeth and compare the natural shade to the examples until a similar shade is found. The dentist usually starts by determining the value of the tooth, and then finds the hue and chroma.
While the choice of a shade is somewhat subjective, there is some science that can help. Color decisions should be made under natural light conditions (such as near a window) or under fluorescent lights that mimic natural light. Regular incandescent lights tend to be too yellow and can make colors appear differently. Patients may be asked to remove any bright lipstick or other makeup, as this can affect the perception of tooth shade.
If you are wearing bright colors, the dentist may drape you with a gray bib. This has two purposes: it reduces the any color contrast that may come from bright clothing, and it gives the dentist’s eyes a neutral place to rest between looks at your teeth and the shade guide. The eyes need to rest because the rod cells in your eyes, which perceive color, can get tired quickly. The dentist will only look at your teeth for seven seconds at the most before looking away at something neutral or gray to reset the rods.
Next, the dentist may ask you or a colleague for a second opinion. Because color perception can vary slightly from person to person, having more than one opinion can reduce the chance for inaccuracy. Technology also offers a less subjective way to test color. Dentists can use a small electronic device called a spectrometer, which uses sensors to interpret the color of teeth.
Finally, the dentist will carefully note the shade of your teeth, often including drawings and digital photos of both your existing teeth and the one that is being prepared for a dental crown. This information then goes to a dental laboratory, where an expert ceramist creates the crown. It should be noted that an absolutely perfect match between two teeth is nearly impossible. However, very good matches with nearly imperceptible differences are common. If there is a problem with the color of the crown, the dentist can send it back to the lab for another try, but we always strive to get it right the first time!
Dental radiographs, commonly known as dental x-rays, are one of the dentist’s most powerful preventive & diagnostic tools. They allow us to see potential threats to you dental health (like cavities) & plan treatment more accurately. There are several different types of dental x-rays, and it’s a good idea to know what each one is for so you’ll understand why we take so many!
Dental x-rays have been in use for a long time. A German scientist named Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895. He called them x-rays because he didn’t know what they were, hence the “x”, and the name stuck. The first dental x-ray was taken just 14 days after the discovery was announced. In the last 122 years, dental x-rays have been continuously improved to be safer, gentler, & more accurate.
These are the type of x-rays patients are the most familiar with. They are called bitewing because the patient bites down on a wing-shaped sensor or film while the x-ray machine takes the image. These x-rays show just a few teeth at a time and are used primarily for detecting potential tooth decay between teeth that isn’t visible to the naked eye. Most patients get bitewing x-rays about once a year, but patients who are prone to tooth decay may get them more often. Bitewing x-rays can also be used to monitor wisdom teeth and help plan wisdom teeth removal.
Panoramic x-rays show your entire mouth in a single image, both top and bottom jaws (or arches, in dentist-speak). They show the entire tooth, crown and root, plus the jawbone. Instead of being done in the dental chair, panoramic x-rays use a special machine that the patient stands in. The x-ray scanner itself then rotates from one side of your head to the other, creating a continuous image. There are usually braces for your head and face that help keep you very still while the scanner revolves around you. Panoramic x-rays are used in orthodontic treatment planning, such as braces, and when planning extractions, including wisdom teeth removal.
Periapical x-rays take a close look at just a few teeth at a time. Unlike bitewing x-rays, periapical x-rays look at the entire tooth, from crown to root. For this reason, they are often used in diagnosing dental abscesses, which can be caused by infections or decay on the tooth root and are therefore not visible from the outside.
It’s easiest to think of cone beam CT (computed tomography) as a 3-D version of a panoramic x-ray. Just like the panoramic, the patient stands or sits still while the sensor rotates around. This scan information is then sent to a computer where special software helps generate a 3-D model of your teeth and jaws. Cone beam scans are not a typical part of prevention or treatment, and therefore aren’t done on all patients. They are often used to plan the sizing, placement and configuration of dental implants.
Electronic cigarettes and vaporizers have quickly become a trendy alternative to smoking, in large part because people believe they are safe to use. We’d like to send this vaping myth up in smoke.
For those who are unfamiliar, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vaporizers are products that heat up a nicotine-containing liquid to produce vapor instead of smoke—hence the term “vaping.” Vaping doesn’t involve burning tobacco, so users can avoid inhaling many of the nastier cancer-causing chemicals found in regular cigarettes. Because of this, e-cigarette manufacturers claim that vaping is a safe alternative to smoking tobacco. In reality, there are a number of health problems associated with the use of nicotine vaporizing devices.
While vapor is likely less toxic than smoke, you are still putting your oral health at risk if you inhale it. Researchers have found that after exposure to e-cigarette vapor on multiple days in a row, the rate of death in mouth tissue cells skyrockets! Like cigarettes, nicotine vapor is also known to dry out your mouth and reduce the flow of saliva, which is your body’s natural mechanism for cleaning your teeth and gums. You can also expect some bad breath and an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Some e-cigarette users also get cold sores, which are most often on the roof of the mouth. (Gross!)
Though nicotine vapor does not contain the deadly chemicals found in tobacco smoke, it is still harmful. On its own, nicotine is a powerfully addictive drug—many former smokers claim it is one of the most difficult addictions to beat. Nicotine is a stimulant, meaning it makes you more wakeful and alert while also increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. As with many stimulants, overuse of nicotine can lead to teeth grinding and reduced blood flow. Teeth grinding damages your tooth enamel and can cause cracks and fractures. Reduced blood flow is a significant concern for dentists because it can mask inflammation and bleeding in the early stages of gum disease. You may think your gums are fine when they are really not—even your dentist may be fooled!
If the serious side effects listed above don’t scare you, the fact remains that e-cigarettes have not been around long enough for us to fully study and understand their potential health impacts. While there is evidence to suggest they are less harmful than regular cigarettes, this does not mean they are safe to use. Some people have even reported explosions from improperly made e-cigarettes! If you currently smoke tobacco or use e-cigarettes, we can help you find a healthier way to quit.
Having a great-looking smile can change how you feel and act, and one of the easiest ways to make a big difference in your smile is with professional teeth whitening at the dentist. If you’re planning to have your teeth whitened, talk to the dentist at your next visit. We’ve noticed that there’s a pattern to when and why our patients get their teeth whitened, so here are a few suggestions so you can plan ahead.
This may sound obvious for a bride-to-be who’s planning to wear a white dress, but it’s also a great time of year for teeth whitening for those not headed for the altar. If you’ve been invited to a wedding, chances are there will be a lot of photos taken of you too, often with someone in bright white by your side.
If you’ve got a few weddings on your calendar this coming summer, we suggest getting a professional teeth whitening at the dentist then maintaining between events using over-the-counter teeth whitening products. Dentists know how to whiten teeth safely with more potent bleaching chemicals and can give you more predictable results, but store-bought products use the same chemicals in much lower concentrations and can help maintain the look of your smile after an initial whitening at our office.
Young people love returning from summer break with a tan and stories of adventure. They also want to look their best for their peers, especially with school portraits and Homecoming right around the corner. To be clear, we’re not recommending teeth whitening for little ones! Teenagers over the age of 14 generally can be treated as adults when it comes to teeth whitening because their teeth are usually fully developed. As always, however, please talk to the dentist about you or your child’s goals for their smile and whether whitening is right for them.
The holiday season is full of sparkle and shine, and we think some of that glamour should come from your smile! With Thanksgiving, the holiday office party, Christmas, and New Year’s, chances are you’ll be seeing a lot of relatives and friends you don’t see very often so you should look your best. And once again, you’re likely to be posing for a lot more photos than at other times of the year. We know you’ll want to look back on those images fondly and see your happiness, not the color of your smile!
With hundreds of millions of diagnoses worldwide, diabetes is a major concern for all medical professionals, and dentists are no exception. We know that diabetic patients need to take special precautions when it comes to their health care, so we created this quick guide on what diabetes means for your dental care.
Higher levels of blood sugar increase the likelihood of getting infections throughout the body. For diabetic patients, the risk of developing periodontitis—the most severe form of gum disease—is much higher than for the general population. In fact, diabetes is believed to be one of the leading causes of gum disease. Furthermore, infected gums can increase blood sugar levels and therefore worsen diabetic symptoms, creating a vicious cycle as the two conditions feed into one another.
To prevent gum disease, it is essential that you consistently brush and floss. Inflamed gums that bleed when you brush or floss are not normal and you should tell us about them as soon as possible!
Diabetes is also known to increase the amount of sugar your saliva contains. While it may seem gross to most, saliva is actually one of the most important parts of a healthy mouth! Saliva’s power to remove leftover food particles and kill bacteria is your first-line defense against oral disease. Oral bacteria loves to feed on sugar, so excess sugar in your saliva puts you at a greater risk of developing infections and poor oral hygiene. Additionally, diabetes—and even some medications used to treat it—can cause dry mouth (xerostomia), which means you may not be producing enough saliva in the first place!
Two of the most common problems encountered by diabetic patients with deficient saliva are tooth decay and bacterial or fungal infections. While you are probably already aware of cavities, you should also look out for a fungal infection known as thrush. This most often presents itself as red or white patches or sores inside your mouth and on your tongue.
Your best weapons against these dental enemies are hydration (six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day) and maintaining stable blood sugar levels. If you have dry mouth, you can try chewing sugarless gum to help stimulate saliva production.
If you have diabetes and must undergo a dental procedure that your mouth will need time to recover from, it is extremely important to discuss the risks with your dentist. You may need to take special precautions or wait until your blood sugar levels are lower before receiving any dental treatments. Diabetes restricts blood circulation, making it more difficult for your body to repair itself. This can lead to infections and a variety of other complications.
We think it is important to remind you not to stress out over these things; all of them can be avoided with thorough oral hygiene. If you have diabetes, we encourage you to talk to us about your options so we can give you the specialized care you need.
Whether they’re in the “Terrible Twos”, the “Tantrum Threes”, or the “Fearsome Fours”, caring for a toddler’s teeth is a combination of first-time experiences and learning. Here are a few tips to get you started on ensuring healthy smiles for your child at this precious and chaotic age!
The American Dental Association recommends that a child visit the dentist for the first time before their first birthday. A child doesn’t have to have their teeth to need a dentist. Oral health is about gums and other soft tissues too! Plus, the earlier you bring your child to the dentist, the more comfortable they will be with the concept once they get older and more willful and opinionated.
While sugary drinks or treats can put an end to a tantrum or soothe a child at naptime or bedtime, they can spell trouble for teeth. “Bottle rot” is an unlovely term for when a child gets tooth decay from too much time drinking sugary drinks from a bottle or sippy cup. And by sugary drinks we don’t just mean soda pop. Both juice and milk contain natural sugars that can cause tooth decay just like sugar-added drinks. Children can be put to bed with a bottle or get free access to a sippy cup, as long as all it contains is water.
If the idea of paying for braces in the future is already making you cringe, you should know that you can prevent some orthodontic issues by weaning your child off their pacifier as early as possible. Prolonged use of a pacifier can affect how teeth grow in and even change the shape of the face. The sooner your child stops using a pacifier (or sucking their thumb), the more likely you’ll be able to avoid the types of problems that require the help of an orthodontist. Your child may still need an orthodontist in the future, but you’ll know his/her “binky” didn’t cause it.
This is a great age to set a good example. Your toddler is going to be watching a lot of what you do and will likely want to imitate you. If you make oral hygiene seem like a fun, grown-up thing to do and make a routine of it, your child may be more likely to adopt good habits early. The dentist or dental hygienist should be happy to provide guidance on how to care for your child’s teeth at every age. Get tips and tricks from your smile experts!
It may seem like magic to have a dental procedure and not even feel it, but how does this numbing process actually work? Let’s take a look at the interesting science behind one of the dentist’s best tools for patient comfort.
The most common dental anesthetic is lidocaine. It’s what we call a local anesthetic, that is, a pain blocker that only works in a particular small area, as opposed to general anesthetic, where you are “put to sleep”. There are several other similar drugs that also end in “-caine” that are sometimes used, depending on the situation (dentists no longer use novocaine). All of these drugs work by preventing the pain sensation from ever making it from your mouth to your brain. But how does the drug block these signals?
The sensation of pain happens when sodium molecules attach to receptors on your nerve cells. When enough of these receptors are activated, a pain signal travels from one nerve cell to another, all the way to your brain. Lidocaine works by preventing sodium from attaching to the nerve’s receptor. Think of it like a spam blocker on your email account: the lidocaine blocks the message from ever getting to your inbox (your brain).
So why isn’t this effect permanent? Your body has natural defenses that will breakdown chemicals that are foreign to it. Lidocaine takes between 1 and 3 hours to wear off because that’s how long it takes for the body to break it down and eliminate it. We know that the numbness can feel really strange at first, so rest assured that it will be gone soon!
We should note that while lidocaine is extremely safe, you should share your entire medical history with us when we ask. Even conditions that don’t seem related to your oral health can change how drugs like lidocaine affect you. Please ask us if you have questions.
The last thing any dentist wants to do is cause discomfort. If you think about it, that’s the entire purpose of our job: preventing discomfort related to oral health. But sometimes the things we need to do to keep your smile healthy can cause temporary pain, so we numb you up beforehand to prevent this.
An endodontist is a type of specialist dentist. Like many healthcare terms, the word “endodontics” comes from Greek, and actually means “inside tooth”. Dentists who are endodontists specialize in the care of the inside of the tooth. Your family dentist may recommend that you go to an endodontist if the inside of your tooth becomes infected or injured.
While the outside of your teeth is made of enamel, a glass-like material, the inside of your tooth is made of softer stuff. The layer under the enamel is called dentin and is more porous than enamel. Next is the pulp, which is what we call all the blood vessels and nerves that nourish your teeth and give them sensation. The pulp lives in a hollow space (or spaces) in the middle of the tooth called the root canal. The term root canal is often used synonymously to describe the treatments dentists use on the pulp of a tooth if it becomes inflamed or damaged.
All general and family dentists are qualified to diagnose and treat endodontic issues. Many root canals can be taken care of in your general dentist’s office, but sometimes due to the severity of your condition or other factors in your oral health, your dentist may refer you to an endodontist. These dentists undergo an additional two years of dental education, studying the latest advanced techniques in root canal treatment to help them provide the best possible result in complex cases.
A common cause for needing a root canal is tooth decay. When cavities get really bad they can get deep enough that they go through your enamel and dentin and expose the sensitive tissues of your tooth pulp to bacteria. In the warm enclosed space of the root canal, bad bacteria multiply and cause swelling in the soft tissues nearby, which the patient might identify as a toothache.
However, you may need a root canal even if you don’t have tooth decay if your teeth have suffered an impact. Say you were playing a sport and got hit in the face by accident. After some ice and inflammation reducing medications, the pain in your mouth diminishes or goes away. But a week later you notice one of your teeth is darker than the others. This may be a sign that the nerve tissue (pulp) inside that tooth’s root canal has been compromised. The the endodontist will need to perform root canal therapy in order to save the tooth. (By the way, endodontists are also experts at putting a tooth that has been knocked out completely back in its socket!)
If we’ve recommended that you see an endodontist, please know that it’s our way of ensuring that your smile gets the best care possible!
Some foods that are genuinely good for your overall health can actually damage your teeth when eaten too often. Here are a few particularly popular culprits. We’re not saying to avoid these foods completely, but you should know which ones to consume in moderation.
In case you didn’t know, it’s not sugar itself that causes tooth decay, it’s the acid that bacteria turns sugar into by digesting it. Acid is the enemy of tooth enamel. Lemon juice is quite acidic, so consuming it too often can actually weaken your enamel just like eating too much sugar. Lemons are rich in vitamin C. Without enough vitamin C in your diet, you can get scurvy, which ironically can cause your teeth to loosen and fall out. So, lemon is good for you in moderation, but try to avoid adding it to your water and sipping on it all day. You’d be giving your teeth a constant bath in cavity-causing acids!
Blueberries are known for being rich in antioxidants, vitamins and inflammation-fighting compounds. They’re also nature’s candy and totally delicious. But if you’ve ever dropped a fresh, juicy berry on light clothing, you also know that they create a pretty stubborn stain. What’s true of your favorite cotton shirt is also true of your tooth enamel. If you eat blueberries too frequently, you can contribute to staining and darkening your teeth. So if you’re trying to keep your smile bright after a teeth whitening treatment, we recommend limiting your blueberry intake. After all, the best teeth whitening is avoiding staining foods and drinks all together!
While not nearly as bad for your teeth as soda pop or carbonated energy drinks, carbonated water is not without guilt when it comes to tooth health. All carbonated drinks, including popular sugar-free, calorie-free flavor-infused waters, contain acid created by the carbonation process. All those fun fizzy little bubbles can actually damage your teeth over time if you drink too many carbonated drinks.
Wondering if the latest health fad or superfood is bad for your teeth? Feel free to ask the dentist or dental hygienist at your next visit. We’re always happy to share our dental expertise!
