Orthodontics 101

You have to take good care of your removable appliance. Please don’t wrap it with a paper napkin and put it down the table. It can be mistaken as something else and someone might break it and throw it away. Don’t put it in your pockets either because you might accidentally destroy it. Better get a plastic appliance case when you take it off your mouth to keep it secured.

Beware of dogs and cats because they might attempt to chew your removable appliance. Don’t store them in a hot place. Boiling your retainer for the reason of sterilizing it is not advisable. Just bring the appliance to the dental office and they will be glad to disinfect it for you.

by: Christine Zafra

Contrary to the popular belief, amalgam (contains 50 percent mercury) does not affect little kids’ brain functions.

Many believe that amalgam does affect the child’s intelligence and memory but a research collaboration conducted by the different hospitals and research institutes across the United States shows that amalgam has nothing to do with a child’s brain functions. They followed 534 children (before and after dental amalgam filling) for 8 years and found out that the children scored equally on all the tests they have given (IQ, memory etc.). All the respondents had different amounts of silver amalgam placed on their teeth.

Photo taken from https://decs.nhgl.med.navy.mil

by: Christine Zafra

If you have missing teeth, your dentist might advise you to get implants, veneers or undergo other dental procedures for you to have back that beautiful smile. However, having that aesthetically pleasing smile is not a guarantee that you are now healthy. You may be orally healthy, but are you heart disease-free? Yes, researchers from Germany found out that women (in particular) who have lost a bunch of their natural teeth have heavier left ventricles. The left ventricle is responsible for pumping the blood throughout the body. People who have heavier hearts have a higher risk of contracting heart disease in the future.

Photo taken from http://www.wspa-international.org

by: Christine Zafra

Cancer affects people of all ages; it does not pick a certain age group (even children can acquire it) and it accounts to more or less than 13 percent of deaths in the world.

A group of Turkish experts studied this phenomenon. Not only were they able to discover that cancer is nowadays prevalent among the children, but they were also able to link cavity build up with it. They have studied 96 children who were cancer survivors versus 96 children who are healthy, and found out that the children who have had cancer have more cavities. They also found out that the cancer survivors have more bacteria in their mouths.

Photo taken from http://www.planetpress.com.au

by: Christine Zafra

Have you heard of dental anxiety? It is a state wherein people are afraid to visit their dentists because of the notion of “pain” and other associated acts. This is in fact troublesome because this can lead to lifelong avoidance of the dentist (even if he or she needs it most). There is, however, an online support group that aims to help those with this kind of fear. Dental Fear Central was able to help a lot of people overcome their fears and face their dentists. Knowing that they are not alone and a lot of people suffer the same trauma too helped them ease up. About 2,500 people have signed up in the forum, hoping that they will soon eliminate their dental phobias.

Photo taken from http://joanharvest.files.wordpress.com

by: Christine Zafra

If you have periodontitis, make sure you visit your dentist often for treatment. Studies show that you are in great risk of other health problems too like heart disease and blood infection. However, you must be doubly careful if you have diabetes. Another research done by the experts at the University Dental School and Hospital in Ireland states that almost two-thirds of diabetic patients do not know that they have an increased risk of periodontitis. Of course they were aware about the heart, eye and kidney problems associated with diabetes, but only 33 percent knew that periodontitis had something to do with their current disease.

Photo taken from http://researchmag.nmsu.edu

by: Christine Zafra

Stress is something that cannot be avoided. It is an “everyday” circumstance and may arise at any given situation. Though the link of stress and heart attack is established, there is another disease that is recently connected to it: periodontitis. Although the connection’s foundation is still hazy, researchers are doing their best to further develop the study.

They are currently looking into periodontitis as a disease linked with heart ailments. One of the theories states that inflamed gums do produce infected blood in the blood stream, making the other organs receive the said blood, and perhaps, cause damage to it.

Photo taken from http://a.abcnews.com

by: Christine Zafra

Brushing your teeth twice or thrice a day can help minimize, if not eliminate, dental cavities. Also, eating a healthy diet can aid a person in having oral diseases such as periodontitis and others. However, little do we know that a person’s genes generally play a big role in the formation of dental cavities. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh conducted a study amongst identical twins and found out that there are certain genes that are responsible in tooth decay. Now, how can this be? They said that the connection relies on the food preferences of the people and the production of saliva (an anti-cavity enzyme). You don’t have to worry though, because there is also a gene that fights cavities.

Photo taken from http://www.lifespan.org

by: Christine Zafra

A new drug has been made to reverse the effect of fat lips after dental extraction. True, it is very awkward to talk after you have had your tooth extracted as you may feel that your lip has gotten fatter. How about a drug that could reverse the effect? Sounds good?

Well, OraVerse is the right drug for you. It actually allows your blood vessels to hasten the blood travel by removing the anesthetic drug in an hour or so (normally, the anesthesia wears out more or less 3 hours from the initial injection). This drug is also safe as it has been approved by the FDA.

Photo taken from http://www.dixieddc.com

It is common to see children with crooked, uneven teeth, and also a large number using braces. What could be the factor behind the increasing incidence in the use of braces to correct unaligned children’s teeth? The primary reason for this is that it is easier to treat teeth problems during childhood rather than when they reach adulthood. Responses to treatment during this phase are better and quicker and added to that occurrence of complications is minimal. Some children like the idea of using braces as they are seen as status symbol. Dentists assess the children’s dental condition to determine if braces are really needed.