Month: January 2018

What Are Tooth Mamelons All About?

Ever take notice of how some of your teeth may have some bumps or ridges on the ends of them? If so, there’s no need to worry! These are completely normal and will eventually fade away as you get older. These bumps or ridges are called mamelons that helped push your new, permanent teeth through your gums as your baby teeth started falling out.

Should mamelons be removed? Not necessarily! These guys wont affect the health of your teeth in any sort of way. The main reason for filing the mamelons down, if at all, is due to alignment or for a better appearance of your teeth. So smile big and rest assure, you and your teeth are doing great for the world to see!

Facts About Fluoride

Did you wonder about any of the myths you’ve been hearing about fluoride?  Well we have a few solid facts to set the record straight!

  • Fact #1: Exposing teeth to fluoride during childhood years strengthens teeth over an entire lifetime
  • Fact #2: Fluoride prevents tooth decay in the most cost-effective way
  • Fact #3: Most of the fluoride in public water is extracted from phosphate rock
  • Fact #4: Fluoride isn’t considered dangerous to children when used as intended
  • Fact #5: Children who swallow toothpaste are at risk of mild  fluorosis
    • What is fluorosis you ask? The appearance of brown or white discoloration spots on your teeth from taking in too much fluoride
  • Fact #6: Fluoride helps to harden the enamel on adult teeth that have already emerged

Bad Breath, Be Gone!

So how do you keep good smelling breath to stick around longer? We have a few tips to keep you and your mouth smelling fresh throughout the day.

  • Chow down on some veggies! These guys will balance out the bad-breath-causing acid in your body.
  • Consuming hard texture foods like apples and celery are beneficial for rubbing away any bacteria or residue left on your teeth.
  • Stay hydrated! Drink 48 oz – or about 6 cups – of water a day to keep bacteria under control by lubricating your mouth without any acidic chemicals involved.
  • Like we went over in previous posts, brush, floss, and clean your tongue as well as rinse with alcohol-free mouthwash. Chewing sugarless gum also helps!
  • Tea anyone? Having a cup of tea can wash away smelly germs while preventing any bad-breath-bacteria from forming
  • Having some yogurt keeps your mouth smelling nice and sweet from its probiotics

Animals Have Chompers, Too

Ever wonder how many teeth certain animals have? How they use them? If they’re any different from ours? Well we have some answers! Let’s take a walk through the wild and discover some fun facts about our animal friends and their pearly whites.

Giraffes: These guys have the same amount of teeth as humans do!- 32 to be precise. The only difference is they have no upper front teeth; most of their teeth are located towards the back of their mouth.

Rabbits: These little fella’s teeth never stop growing! An adult rabbit has about 28 teeth and must chew on tough foods to file their teeth down from getting too long.

Elephants: Their teeth are considered to be their tusks. Like rabbits, their extra long incisors never stop growing.

Sharks: How do you think it would feel to constantly lose teeth? Sharks would know! Each week they lose at least one tooth. Next time you hit the beach, keep an eye out for any shark teeth that wash ashore!

Hippopotamuses: Want to know who has the longest canine teeth of any animal? Look no further. These guys have incisors up to 3 feet long that can cut through the toughest objects!

Mosquitos: Our microscopic friends have microscopic teeth as well. Surprisingly, they have about 15 more teeth than adult humans, making them have a whopping 47 teeth.

Snails: Do you think mosquitos had a lot of teeth? Try 25,000 on these guys! Their microscopic teeth are located not on the top or bottom of their mouth, but on their tongue.

The one thing that most animals have in common? They’re cavity-free! Unlike humans, their diets aren’t high in sugar and they chew on tougher materials than humans do to consistently keep their teeth clean.

 

 

Sugarless Gum is a Tooth’s Bestfriend

Having a munch on some sugarless gum can have some benefits for keeping your smile spotless! Not only does it remove any food particles from the surfaces of your teeth, but also stimulates saliva production which can promote healthier, stronger teeth and reduce acid levels in your mouth that can cause tooth decay. It even aids any tooth sensitivity! So why only sugarless gum, you ask? Studies have shown that the sugar substitute in sugarless gum, Xylitol, fights against any bacteria that forms in your mouth. With that being said, Xylitol is a great cavity-fighter to keep your mouth a happy and healthy place for your pearly whites!

Why Tongue Scrapers and Cleaners are Important

You may not always think of going the extra mile to clean your tongue but the benefits from doing so may be worth it.

  • The first advantage you get from keeping your tongue squeaky clean is a crisp, clean taste of every morsel you consume! Keeping your taste buds clean and clear can open up those pores ready to give you bursts of flavor in every bite.
  • It can also be advantageous for your immune system! The removal of bacteria keeps your and your mouth clean and away from any toxins from being reabsorbed back into your body.
  • The removal of bacteria and other toxins can also reduce the overall buildup of plaque, gum infections, tooth decay, and much more.

How to scrape your tongue

  • Stick your tongue out as far as you can
  • Place the scraper as far back on your tongue as you can
  • Work your way up by gently scraping the surface of your tongue
  • Rinse the scraper and repeat until you feel rid of its coating

How to Get The Best out of Retainers

So the day has finally come to get your braces off and you can’t wait to show the world your new smile. But did you think of the important role retainers play afterwards? They avoid any shifting and maintain the position of your straight teeth for your perfect smile to last. We have a few tips to properly care for your smile savers that can last you a lifetime:

  • Keep a close eye on them!– Retainers can be very easy to misplace or lose. With that being said, it’s always easier to store them in your case and keep them in a place where you know you can always find them. One common mistake is wrapping them up in a napkin and accidentally disposing of them!
  • Avoid any damaging to your retainer– Keep retainers in a place that’s not too hot or not too dry. The plastic can warp from the heat or crack from the dryness. You should also insert and remove your retainers without flipping it with your tongue to avoid it from breaking.
  • Regularly give them a cleaning– Your teeth get exposed to bacteria and plaque and so do your retainers. To keep them squeaky clean, simply give them a soft brushing as you would with your teeth. To freshen them up even more, give them a soaking in a cleanser that’ll keep them fresh and germ-free. Remember to avoid hot water!
  • Wear as prescribed– If you don’t wear your retainers regularly, your retainers may not properly fit anymore since your teeth have tried moving back to their original position. If gone without them for too long, you may be needing braces again!

Why is it Important to Repair Baby Teeth?

You may think that baby teeth eventually just fall out and may not need to be repaired if they have any problems, but they definitely play a huge role for eating and future development of permanent teeth. Your baby teeth, or primary teeth, fall out at different times depending on the type of tooth. For instance, primary molars don’t fall out by at least the age of ten. It’s possible that a cavity can develop during that time frame and cause a problem for the tooth before it falls out. Any sign of small decay can spread and cause the premature loss of a primary tooth. The more primary teeth that are in good shape, the better! Preserving the health of primary teeth is important is because it holds the space for permanent teeth. Keeping them around is the best way to avoid unnecessary crowding in the future caused by other teeth drifting into any spaces left by an extracted primary tooth.

 

 

What You’re Consuming Can Have an Impact on Teeth Staining

If you are noticing your smile starting to losing its sparkle and shine, its time to take action. First, lets find the source of the staining; what could be causing your teeth to go from dazzling to dull? A huge factor can be certain foods or drinks you are consuming. Some culprits of teeth staining include beets, blueberries, soy sauce, tomato sauce, soda, coffee, tea, wine, and grape or cranberry juice. If you’re not ready to give up some of these things just yet, we have a few simple solutions to keep all these satisfying eats and refreshments by your side without harming your pearly whites.

  • Drink with a straw: This will prevent any liquid from getting near the visible front surfaces of your teeth
  • Use a tongue cleanser: This removes any residue on the tongue that can cause your teeth to bathe in staining.
  • Drink or rinse with water: This will help wash away any dark liquids from the teeth
  • Floss, floss, floss!: Since plaque attracts stains, the more plaque you eliminate will prevent further staining
  • Choose an antibacterial mouthwash: This will diminish any stain-catching plaque
  • Brush after every meal: This will greatly decrease the chance of stains settling on your teeth

 

Bite Wing X-Rays and What They Do

It is common to take one or two X-rays that highlight the top of your back teeth. These X-rays reveal the upper and lower back teeth, or molars, and teeth infront of the molars, known as the premolars. The purpose of this type of X-ray is to locate any decay forming between the back teeth and helps determine the proper fit for a crown. So how did this X-ray get the name “bite-wings” you ask? This comes from the act of biting down on a wing-shaped device that holds a film in place while the X-ray is taken. Makes sense, right?