A Clean Tongue Is A Happy Tongue!

The tongue is one of the most multifunctional parts of the body. It helps us to speak our languages, to lubricate and break up our food before swallowing, to taste our food, to block food, liquid, or other things from accidentally going down our throats, and to warm the air when we mouth breathe, among other things.

So it is a great idea to keep your lingua clean and in working order. Since ancient times, people have used different items to clean the tongue. Today, there are products ergonomically engineered to effectively clean the tongue, including a tongue brush, and a plastic or metal tongue scraper. Alternatively, a spoon, dental floss, finger nails (not recommended), and even the old standby, the toothbrush, can be used. KForce Tongue Gel is an anti-bacterial paste specifically designed to be used dry with a brush to refresh and clean the tongue. It can be used on the teeth, too. Probably the most popular method of cleaning the tongue effectively employs the use of regular toothpaste, a toothbrush, and water.

Clean the tongue until it is thoroughly pink, with no residual white areas. If there are patches of different colors on the tongue, or unusual bumps, or most anything out of the ordinary, see a dentist pronto to see what’s going on.

Gagging is a common reaction when cleaning the tongue especially the back parts, but it still needs to be accomplished.  To suppress the gagging reflex, try relaxing more (easier said than done). Slowly exhaling while brushing the tongue may help. The back area of the tongue shelters a lot of bacteria and other microbes, food, older salivary mucous and exfoliated tongue cells. Volatile sulfur compounds are produced by the bacteria there. These compounds account for up to 95 percent of all cases involving bad breath (halitosis).

Other causes of bad breath may include unbrushed teeth, decaying food between teeth, tooth decay, gum disease, problem tonsils, or strong food smells coming from the stomach.

It has been said that we are what we think, speak, eat, and more. And if we want the best results for ourselves, we must act, for those best results to come to fruition. Maintaining a healthy tongue and oral cavity helps to keep you on your best track.

May you have many…tongue stuck out, pretty in pink, great tasting… smiles!

Fun Floss Facts, Part 1.

Floss first, then brush, then rinse!

Dental floss, the most popular interdental cleaning aide, is an engineered thin filament made from plastic (nylon, polyethylene, or Teflon) or silk.

Many dentists feel that as a patient approaches the age of thirty, regular, effective flossing becomes more important than brushing in preventing tooth loss from gum disease, or periodontitis.

Young teenagers who have lost all of their primary teeth and have grown in their permanent dentitions need to start conscientiously flossing and using a fluoride mouth rinse so they won't develop interproximal dental caries between teeth and end up needing a "mouthful of fillings."

Flavored, unflavored, spongy, silk, waxed, unwaxed, dental tape, and mixed-construction varieties of floss are available.

Most floss is used manually, but there are electric flossers on the market.

The ancient Chinese were the first to learn how to make silk thread from the silkworm’s cocoon. The government threatened to kill any worker who gave the secrets of the process to outsiders.

Dental floss is frequently co-packed with toothpaste and a toothbrush by sellers to build their brands and give the consumer purchasing convenience. This also saves on packaging materials.

One manufacturer packages a single strand of floss in a pack with the floss measuring 18-inches in length.

Teflon floss is made from one filament of floss.

The Leaping Bunny Logo and the Certified Vegan Logo are awarded to companies whose products are demonstrated to be made from animal-free ingredients, and do not use animal testing to validate the effectiveness of their products.

Phillip’s Sonicare AirFloss uses pressurized bursts air and water mist to go between teeth and clean there.

Almost everyone in the U.S. brushes their teeth, but just an average of 25% of people floss on a daily basis.

Beeswax is used as a natural coating on some flosses. It comes from beehives.

A decitex, measured in grams, is the weight produced by 10,000 meters of unwaxed floss or other thread. A tex is the weight, in grams, of 1,000 meters of thread. A denier, also expressed in grams, is the weight of 9,000 meters of thread or floss. Simple math is used to convert between decitexes and deniers.

Floss toothpicks are a popular interdental cleaning aide that can disturb plaque residing between the teeth and gums.

Daily flossing prevents food from stagnating between the teeth and under the gums to prevent and control "fetor oris," popularly known as bad breath, or "The Dragon!"

May you have many…miles-long, thread power, pop that whip!… smiles!

Saliva Is More Than Just Spit! It’s…

...a great diagnostic tool to screen for many things that have a presence in the body. It is a known fact that people see their dentists more frequently than they see their physicians. So, in the future, dentists, who may see people more often than a physician, can test a patient’s saliva and screen it for toxins and drugs in the body, some cancer biomarkers, diabetic problems, and many other disease conditions, including the presence of certain bacteria that can cause gum disease and MRSA. 

This burgeoning field is called salivaomics. A person’s approximate age can be ascertained by studying the amount of molecular methylation (which increases with age) in a saliva sample. Smokers, alcoholics, and other substance abusers can see evidence of how their lifestyle choices actually make negative changes in their genetic health with the help of information gleaned from this testing.

AIDS antibody and nutritional deficiency testings can be done using salivary secretions.

Saliva is one of the most important fluids of the body. It helps to maintain the oral cavity by lubricating our total mouth, from the teeth and gums to the cheeks and tongue, with a protective, moistening film. It starts the physical digestive process by helping to break up the food with the action of chewing, and starts the chemical digestive processes by coating the food with enzymes.

Saliva also wets the bolus of food being masticated so it can be swallowed easier, thereby preventing choking. Its presence in adequate amounts helps us to speak clearly with the proper enunciation. Saliva is made up of about 99% water, but what a difference that one percent makes!

There are five major salivary glands in the mouth, one in both of the cheeks (the parotids), one on both sides of the back of the tongue (the submandibulars), and one under the front portion of the tongue (the sublingual).

Minor salivary glands are seen in many areas of the mouth. People, on average make about one liter of saliva a day, more or less.

There are hand-held devices in the market today that can reliably and quickly analyze saliva samples for various bacteria and drugs, and some of their metabolites. One such smart-phone-sized screening device, which goes by the name Vantix, gives off a signal when certain substances are detected by an antibody-coated electrode. It can even test for multiple things at once.

There may be some shortcomings, however, with some of these emerging technologies. If there is too much blood or other contaminants in the saliva samples, false negative and false positive results can become problematic.

There are definite advantages to collecting and testing saliva. It takes less time to analyze a sample. Obtaining a saliva sample is easier and less painful than giving blood, and it’s more difficult to contaminate the person handling it.

A Salivaomics Knowledge Base (SKB) is being constructed to manage data and help coordinate saliva research progression.

May you have many …moist, glossy, teeth-licking…smiles!

Do I Really Need My Wisdom Teeth Out?

The 3 billion dollar third molar extraction market in the U.S. is supported by about 5 million surgeries on young adults each year to extract 10 million wisdom teeth, performed mostly by oral surgeons.

There are a number of legitimate reasons to have wisdom teeth removed, including, if there is pulpal infection, cellulitis, abscesses, difficult-to-treat dental caries, recurring pericoronitis, and damage to the surrounding bone. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommends removal of them from high-school and college-aged kids, even if they are asymptomatic, before their wisdom teeth root tips finish growing and approximate themselves too close to the mandibular nerve (neurovascular bundle) in question. Young people can predictably recover quickly post-surgically. Preventing future “reasonably potential problems" is the objective.

Our modern jaws are smaller than those of our evolutionary ancestors, but we have the same number of teeth. So many third molars in people just don’t grow in easily for the lack of space.  The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons supportively states that "if there is insufficient anatomical space to accommodate normal eruption. . . removal of such teeth at an early age is a valid and scientifically sound treatment rationale based on medical necessity.” In support, this author needs to tesgreat tify that all of the people who have had their asymptomatic wisdom teeth removed…don’t have wisdom teeth problems (chuckle)!

But not all dentists agree that wisdom teeth should be prophylactically removed to prevent problems. There are real risks inherent to their surgical removal. Paresthesia of the lips, tongue, and cheek, along with altered speech enunciation and sense of taste, post-operative discomfort, TMJ problems, and deaths have been reported (google Jenny Olenick and Marek Lapinski). Also, much depends on the skill and control exhibited by the surgeon. 

Scientists and oral surgeons at the American Public Health Association (APHA) critically say that the routine practice of removing trouble-free wisdom teeth "subjects individuals and society to unnecessary costs, avoidable morbidity and the risks of permanent injury." And the National Institutes of Health only supports the removal of third molars when there is unrestorable caries, infection, cavities, tumors, cysts, or adjacent teeth and bone damage.

According to the APHA, two-thirds of all asymptomatic wisdom teeth are unnecessarily removed. Instead of scurrying to take the back-most teeth out on sight, the third molars in question may, as an option, be monitored with periodic x-rays, and if they remain problem-free, in the name of maintained anatomical integrity, serious consideration should be given to the idea of leaving them in the mouth as is (in situ).

If your wisdom teeth, or the gums over them, hurt some, bu are in otherwise good health, see a dentist and find out if better oral hygiene care and a course of antibiotics might make things better, before jumping to have them taken out. If you are an adult and your wisdom teeth are not causing any problems, and are in good health, my initial advice to you is to think twice about removing them, then possibly get a second opinion from another doctor, and then think again! That old adage--"let a sleeping dog lie"--wasn't made up for nothing!

May you have many…teeth waaaay back… smiles!

Is That A Laser Or Are You Just Glad To See Me?

Advances in the development of various lasers, especially for use on human tissues, can benefit dental and medical patients in many ways. But dentists can't quite get rid of the drilling hand piece or scalpel because lasers aren't that versatile just yet. An acronym, the word laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

Lasers get their powers from light, also known as electromagnetic radiation. Light is made up of massless photons which travel pretty fast- 186,000 miles a second or 700million miles an hour, in a vacuum! The light in lasers, for them to work properly, must be restricted down, by choice, to a monochromatic (one color) concentrated beam, that is coherent, which means that all of the photons have the same amplitude and wavelength. After being energized through a gain medium and a population inversion is achieved, the beam is collimated, say,  along an optical fiber, and, after being focused, the laser can then be put to use.

The basic uses of lasers are their abilities to thermally heat up (to cut or vaporize) the tissue areas on which they are focused. There are lasers of a certain energy that are optimal in treating soft tissues, like skin and gums, and others that are better at influencing hard tissues, like enamel, dentin, and bone. The light of a laser can be pulsed or be delivered as a continuous stream. The first one created, a ruby laser, was introduced in 1960. It used a synthetically-produced ruby crystal as its gain medium. It was used in range finding by the military and also for drilling holes in diamonds. Lasers were first used in dentistry in 1994.

Lasers can be employed to clean the pockets around the roots of the teeth (Laser Curettage). Forming a better attachment between the tooth root and the bone is another use (LANAP). Filling materials placed in or on a tooth can be "cured" and hardened with a laser more quickly. The teeth whitening process can also be debatably enhanced. Gum tissues can be contoured and some surface biopsies can be performed with a laser with very little bleeding seen afterward (hemostasis). There are about 30 applications in which lasers can be used, and that number will surely grow as the technology advances. High-volume air suction gets rid of the smoke and vapors, and water streams are used to cool the areas undergoing lasing in the mouth. There are things in Dentistry that lasers can't do, like remove old fillings, shape or polish new fillings, prepare teeth for crowns, or obviate the need for anesthesia, among other things.

Soft tissue lasers can cost about $4,000 out of the box. New hard-tissue lasers can run around $40,000. Extensive training in their use is required. Less than 10% of dentists in the U. S. use them. One type of laser cannot do everything. The FDA is one of several governmental agencies that are tasked with clearing and verifying that the lasers used in the U. S. are manufactured consistently and function properly for the safety of patients and for the safety of the operating teams. The American Dental Association has yet to give its Seal of Approval on a laser system.

May you have many...precisely-calibrated, zap-um-good...smiles!

Choose The Best Toothbrush!

With so many toothbrushes on the market, including the Internet market (over 6 billion mouths to brush!), and with constant, incrementally-improving engineering technology from manufacturers, people now have more choices than ever! It’s the world’s most popular facial cleaning instrument that seemingly no one wants to be without, owned and used by some 4.2 billion people!  It’s not necessarily the frequency of toothbrushing that sparkles the dentition, but the amount of seconds that one brushes per brushing session. When you remove the oral microbial opportunists found in plaque and biofilm masses around the teeth with regularity, the mouth can enjoy a healthy homeostasis.  The functions of the toothbrush are many. It cleans the breath, teeth, tongue, cheeks, and gums (say that three times!).  Ask your dentist and hygienist to recommend a function-specific brand that will meet your spectrum of needs the best.

A brush with soft nylon bristles is highly recommended since they are less traumatic. Brush design, comfort, color, size, ease of use, and manufacturer’s claims are variables that can help you decide. Keep two or more new toothbrushes around. Don’t fret too much about the cost of your toothbrush. Sometimes you have to put your money where your mouth is, literally.

Some healthcare experts recommend storing your toothbrush in another part of the house where it can air dry quickly, besides in the bathroom, which is considered the most contaminated room in the house. Change toothbrushes every three months, or after you get sick or experience an oral sore. Powered toothbrushes add muscle to your workout and are recommended if the teeth are crooked or have braces, etc.  Children should be supervised and shown proper techniques for thorough deplaquing.

Compliment your conscientious toothbrushing habits with visits to the dentist, flossing, and rinsing, followed by a reduction in eating sugary, caries-promoting snacks and food to keep your smile and body healthy and looking good for years to come. To that, I raise my fist and say “Bite On!!”

The toothbrush is almost like a magic wand, with powers to fend off invading armies of yuck!

May you have many… constant battle readiness…smiles!

Why Should Some Competitive Athletes Use Mouth Guards?

Athletes young and old who participate in contact sports should always use a mouth guard to protect the teeth and jaws from injury (looseness, partial avulsion, or total avulsion of the teeth). Mouth guards  help to mitigate the impacts of blows and cut down on force concussions to the brain when there is a blow received to the lower jaw in an upward direction. So, mouth guards aren’t effective in protecting against lateral blows. Orofacial injuries are the most common injuries sustained in sports. The American Dental Association estimates that 200,000 injuries are prevented a year in just high school and college football alone because of mouth guard use. Protektmouthguards.com states that 5 million teeth are knocked out each year during sports-related activities.

It is wise to use a mouth guard when engaging in battle sports like Judo (my favorite), Karate, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, boxing, rugby, of course football, mixed martial art fighting, basketball, and chess (just kidding!).

Sportsdentistry.com relates that there are at least four different types of mouth guards available: stock, boil-and-bite, custom-made vacuum and custom-made pressure laminate. They state that the custom-made pressure laminate mouth guards are the best: the least bulky, best fitting, most flexible, and they allow the user to talk, drink and breathe without impediment. It is recommended that the guard have a thickness of about is 3-4 mm of material between the upper and lower teeth for optimum cushioning. 90% of all mouth guards sold are the less expensive stock and boil-and-bite versions. Some mouth guards fit over the upper teeth only, the lower teeth only, or over both the upper and lower teeth. Mouth guards also provide shock absorption to lessen the chance of teeth cracking or breaking. Fractures of the mandibular condyles can be prevented or greatly reduced when guards are used and if the impact forces aren't too great. The  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 300,000 people suffer from sports-related concussions every year, with children and teens at the highest risk.

Pure Power Mouthguards are said to potentiate an athlete’s performance by maintaining both jaws in an optimum position. Several hours are needed to get the exact relationship correct and they cost over $1,000.

May you have many…passionately protected…smiles!

Don't Be "Dental Homeless!"

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, a dental home “means that your child’s oral healthcare is delivered in a comprehensive, continually accessible, coordinated, and family-centered way by a licensed dentist.” Adults need dental homes, too.

It is the physical place where patients can receive examinations, evaluations, preventive care and treatment. After all needed therapy is delivered, the mouth needs to be periodically maintained by the providers at your dental home. And they will strive to keep you educated, protected, and motivated. They are your cheerleaders for a better smile! Usually, all needed work is done at the dental home. But if specialized care is needed, and can’t be provided there, then a referral to a specialist at another site is performed.  After that treatment, the patient usually returns to their dental home for regular care.

It’s possible to belong to the same dental home for years, even decades! I sometimes hear that two or three generations of some families stay loyal to the same dentist or dental home because that is where they feel the best. They have trusting, friendly, and engaging relationships with their team members, and are very resistant to change. However, sometimes preferences change, or insurance coverage may be modified, or a person or family may have to move to another area, state, or country. In those cases, a new dental home with different doctors will need to be established.

Dental records can be sent to the new dental home, and if lengthy treatment is interrupted by a need to move out of the area, the new dental home can resume and complete the treatment. In some cases involving orthodontic treatment, a release form may need to be obtained from the starting doctor, so that the subsequent doctor can finish the therapy.

There are thousands of qualified dental professionals out there, and each of them would like to welcome you to become part of their dental homes for a lifetime of good oral health!

May you have many… home-sweet-home, rest my head…smiles!

Smile Quotations, Part 1.

I'm really exciting. I smile a lot, I win a lot, and I'm really sexy. -Serena Williams

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a beautiful smile is worth millions.- Ralph Winge, D.D.S.

The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?-African Proverb

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.-Mother Teresa

A laugh is a smile that bursts.-Mary H. Waldrip

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.-Mother Teresa

Everyone looks so much better when they smile. -Jimmy Fallon

Youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms.-Thomas Gray

One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.- William Shakespeare

I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile. -Goldie Hawn

There is no weapon in the feminine armory to which men are so vulnerable as they are to a smile.-Dorothy Dix

If you don't have a smile, I'll give you one of mine.-Author Unknown

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.-Author Unknown

Children smile on the average 400 times a day; Adults: 15 times a day. Ever wonder why?-Author Unknown

If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers.-Maya Angelou

Don't cry for a man who has left you, the next one may fall for your smile.-Mae West

May you have many…excitingly poetic… smiles!

Run, Don'T Walk, To Your Nearest Orthodontist!

The benefits of receiving orthodontic treatment to straighten the teeth and jaws are many. With a great smile, you can celebrate and reaffirm your dentally-perfect self-image every time you look in the mirror!

A gorgeous grin truly is an eye magnet. People like to see, and sometimes even stare at, a really nice smile. It’s a proven fact that attractive people have a better chance at experiencing professional successes in life: getting that dream job, that coveted promotion, or acceptance into that prestigious university. One’s personal and romantic lives can also be positively impacted. A wonderful smile sets the tone for a pleasingly esthetic face which is not too unlike the cherry on top of a succulent banana split!

From a physical standpoint, teeth that bite well together are highly efficient in cutting and grinding food, which helps to take the strain off of the digestive system, by maximizing the surface area of the food. Straight teeth allow for more efficient food flow patterns during mastication and can minimize food traps where chewed food can collect.  The teeth are also much easier to brush and especially floss when they are not bunched up.  Crooked teeth can harbor food between them, and can set the stage for cavity formation, gingivitis, periodontal problems, and possible tooth loss over time. Teeth that are out of line can show abnormal wear on them. The gums and the bone around misaligned teeth can suffer from excessive and misdirected forces, leading to occlusal trauma. If the upper and lower jaws do not complement each other, an unbalanced bite occurs, which can lead to chronic headaches, spasms of the jaw muscles, TMJ problems, and neck pain.

Eighty percent of the patients that orthodontists treat are under 21 years of age. As a matter of fact, it is recommended that children see an orthodontist by the age of seven to see if any future correction may be necessary and at what approximate age it should be done. In many cases, it is easier to correct skeletal problems and guide the developing teeth and jaws into their proper positions early in life than to adjust them later when the patient is an adult and more skeletally set. Deviated swallowing patterns  and speech and enunciation abnormalities can be addressed.

Orthodontic treatment may take one to three years on average. Traditional braces are still the norm, but clear-tray-based braces like Invisalign  and Simplify are getting very popular, especially with adult patients who don’t want their braces to be conspicuous.

May you have many…don’t trip on the catwalk… smiles!

































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