Are you grinding your teeth at night? The condition, called bruxism, can be a painful problem if it goes untreated.
You may not even know you’re doing it. But if you wake in the morning with jaw pain, headaches, or chipped enamel on your teeth, you might be grinding your teeth in your sleep, a condition called bruxism.
Understanding Bruxism
In most instances, teeth grinding is a nighttime problem – if you have bruxism, you’re likely doing it while you’re asleep and might not realize it. “Many times, someone’s spouse or partner is the first one to notice the bruxism due to the terrible grinding sounds it makes when the person is sleeping,” says Timothy Chase, DMD, a cosmetic dentist in New York City.
Researchers still aren’t exactly sure why bruxism occurs in some people, but there are a number of theories. “Studies have suggested that nocturnal bruxism is mediated by the central nervous system and is linked to sleep arousal patterns, brain chemistry, certain drugs, alcohol, smoking, and genetic factors,” says Karyn Kahn, DDS, a dentist with the Cleveland Clinic. “Medications, such as SSRIs that affect dopaminergic systems, have been associated with bruxism. Personality and psychological factors, stress, and anxiety have been shown in some studies to affect bruxism in some individuals.”
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Nutrition and Your Child’s Teeth
/in General CareWhat your child eats affects his or her teeth. Too many carbohydrates, sugar (for example, from cake, cookies, candies, milk, and other sugary foods and beverages), and starches (for example, pretzels and potato chips) can cause tooth decay. How long carbohydrates remain on the teeth is the main culprit that leads to tooth decay.
The best thing you can do as a parent is to teach your child to make healthy food choices. Here are some tooth-friendly foods to serve your children along with some other tips:
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Avoiding Tooth Decay and Cavities
/in Oral HygieneDon’t wait for a toothache to start taking care of your teeth. By practicing good oral hygiene and getting regular dental checkups, you can protect yourself from tooth decay.
Tooth decay – also called cavities or dental caries – can happen to anyone but it is a particularly common problem for children and young adults. Left untreated, dental cavities can become infected and eventually, tooth decay can result in tooth loss.
Understanding Tooth Decay
Tooth decay begins with the normal bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria feed on food particles in your mouth and produce acid as a byproduct. The combination of bacteria, food debris, acid, and saliva in your mouth forms a filmy substance on your teeth, called plaque, roughly 20 minutes after you eat. If the plaque isn’t removed promptly, tooth decay will begin. Eventually, plaque hardens into a mineral-like substance called tartar which is much harder to remove. Both tartar and plaque can eventually lead to the gum diseases gingivitis and periodontitis.
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Top 5 Embarrassing Oral Health Problems…Solved!
/in UncategorizedStinky breath, unsightly mouth sores, and tooth decay: We’ve got a solution for all of your dental-health dilemmas.
The best way to keep your mouth, teeth, and gums looking and feeling great? Your daily brushing and flossing routine, combined with a balanced diet and regular dental visits.
But following these oral hygiene commandments isn’t always enough. Many common oral-health problems, such as bad breath, tooth decay, erosion, receding gums, and mouth sores, can leave people feeling both physically uncomfortable and reluctant to smile. Fortunately, with the right treatments these embarrassing oral-health problems can be solved! Check out these remedies from the American Dental Association (ADA):
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Crown Lengthening for a Prettier Smile
/in Cosmetic DentistryIf you’re bothered by a “gummy” smile or teeth that you feel are too small, you may want to consider crown lengthening. Also known as a gum lift, this cosmetic dentistry procedure can beautify your smile by exposing more of your teeth.
“Crown lengthening has been used by dentists for years to improve dental health, but it’s recently been gaining popularity as a cosmetic dentistry technique,” says Kimberly Harms, DDS, a dentist in Farmington, Minn., and consumer advisor for the American Dental Association.
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7 Nighttime Tips for Improving Your Oral Health
/in General Care, Oral Hygiene, Tips & TricksA lot can happen to your mouth in eight hours — especially when you’re sleeping and bacteria are gathering on your teeth. But don’t let the thought of nasty plaque, cavities, tartar, or gingivitis stop you from getting a good night’s rest. There are many ways to maintain your oral health while you sleep. Here are seven tips to get you — and your mouth — through the night.
1. Brush before bed. Brushing your teeth before you go to sleep at night helps protect against plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease. If you are particularly susceptible to cavities and gum disease, dentists recommend that you brush immediately after dinner, then again right before bedtime.
2. Use good form. According to dentists, the best way to clean your teeth is to brush back and forth gently in short strokes. Brush the outer tooth surfaces first, then the inner tooth surfaces, followed by the chewing surfaces. To clean the backs of your front teeth, use the tip of the brush and stroke gently up and down.
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Dental Pulp Diseases: The Basics
/in UncategorizedPoor dental hygiene is the main reason for tooth decay, tooth pain, and other oral health conditions. If you don’t maintain good oral health habits, including brushing and flossing regularly, plaque can develop and lead to cavities. Left untreated, a cavity can eventually affect the soft center (or pulp) of your tooth, which contains sensitive nerves and delicate blood vessels. And if pulp diseases aren’t properly managed, you can lose your teeth.
Symptoms of Pulp Diseases
Depending on the type of pulp disease, symptoms may vary in intensity and can include:
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Dentists Play Key Role in Detecting Oral Cancer
/in General Care, Preventive CareAsk for screening as part of your general checkup, experts say.
Not only do regular dental exams help keep your teeth and gums healthy, they can help detect oral cancer, the Academy of General Dentistry says.
As part of Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April, the group recommends that people get a dental exam from a general dentist every six months.
“The next time you visit your dentist, ask about an oral cancer screening,” academy spokesperson Dr. Seung-Hee Rhee advised in an academy news release.
“Your dentist will feel for lumps or irregular tissue changes in your neck, head, cheeks, and oral cavity and thoroughly examine the soft tissues in your mouth, specifically looking for any sores or discolored tissues. Although you may have already been receiving this screening from your dentist, it’s a good idea to confirm that this screening is a part, and will remain a part, of your regular exam,” Rhee said.
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How to Prevent Teeth Grinding
/in UncategorizedAre you grinding your teeth at night? The condition, called bruxism, can be a painful problem if it goes untreated.
You may not even know you’re doing it. But if you wake in the morning with jaw pain, headaches, or chipped enamel on your teeth, you might be grinding your teeth in your sleep, a condition called bruxism.
Understanding Bruxism
In most instances, teeth grinding is a nighttime problem – if you have bruxism, you’re likely doing it while you’re asleep and might not realize it. “Many times, someone’s spouse or partner is the first one to notice the bruxism due to the terrible grinding sounds it makes when the person is sleeping,” says Timothy Chase, DMD, a cosmetic dentist in New York City.
Researchers still aren’t exactly sure why bruxism occurs in some people, but there are a number of theories. “Studies have suggested that nocturnal bruxism is mediated by the central nervous system and is linked to sleep arousal patterns, brain chemistry, certain drugs, alcohol, smoking, and genetic factors,” says Karyn Kahn, DDS, a dentist with the Cleveland Clinic. “Medications, such as SSRIs that affect dopaminergic systems, have been associated with bruxism. Personality and psychological factors, stress, and anxiety have been shown in some studies to affect bruxism in some individuals.”
Read more
Watch What You Eat After Teeth Whitening
/in Teeth WhiteningBlueberries, wine and soy sauce stain while cheese, firm fruits and veggies ‘scrub.’
Eating certain foods and avoiding others can help keep your teeth white after you’ve used an at-home whitening kit or had cosmetic bleaching, an expert says.
“For many individuals who have had good results with either dentist-directed or over-the-counter whitening techniques, a significant concern is how to keep the teeth white after bleaching,” Dr. Raymond Garrison, professor and chairman of the Wake Forest Baptist Department of Dentistry, said in a Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center news release.
“We now know that there are foods that actually help to keep your teeth white rather than stain them. In fact, it may help patients avoid the time and expense of whitening retreatment.”
Firm fruits and vegetables such as apples, green beans, cauliflower, carrots and celery help scrub teeth while you chew. They also help promote the flow of saliva, which neutralizes acids and protects teeth, Garrison said.
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A Guide to Flossing Your Teeth
/in General Care, Oral HygieneBrushing your teeth is not enough to maintain good oral health over time. Flossing should be a regular part of your oral hygiene routine.
Cleaning the spaces between your teeth and along your gums with dental floss is as important to your oral health as cleaning your teeth with a toothbrush. Just like you brush your teeth every day, flossing should be part of your daily routine.
To better understand why flossing is so important, Richard H. Price, DMD, spokesperson for the American Dental Association (ADA) and a former clinical instructor at Boston University Dental School, compares it to cleaning your home: “You cannot effectively vacuum a house with only one attachment,” he says. “You need other attachments to get into the nooks and crannies. That’s what floss does.”
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