Dentists May First Discover Eating Disorders in Patients

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, an estimated 10 million women and one million men in the U.S. struggle with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. Characterized by preoccupations with food and weight, eating orders are caused by physical, emotional, or social issues. Often, dentists see signs of the eating disorder before others become aware of the problem.

For parents who may not know if their kids are in trouble, dentists can point them in the right direction to find help. Those suffering from bulimia binge eat, compulsively ingesting large amounts of food, and then purge their bodies through vomiting, laxatives, or excessive exercise. Anorexics stick to limited calories diets and often become dangerously thin.

Certain indications can suggest to a dentist that a patient has an eating disorder. For example, frequent vomiting causes stomach acid to wear down tooth enamel, which may result in sensitivity and chipping. Recurrent bad breath is another common marker of a possible problem. Other signs of eating disorders include:

• Bleeding from the gums
• Cracking of the lips
• Dry mouth
• Sores inside the mouth
• Teeth that look almost translucent

When an eating disorder is recognized early enough, patients can avoid permanent damage to the teeth and body. Once an individual is working with a therapist, the dentist may suggest techniques to minimize damage from purging, such as rinsing with club soda or sugar-free mouthwash to neutralize acid on teeth. Early detection of these problems can help patients achieve a successful outcome and regain control of their lives.

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The 411 on Dental Emergencies

You can take good care of your teeth and gums, but sometimes the unexpected happens anyway. Having a plan and knowing what to do in an emergency can help you protect your long-term dental health. Consider the following tips for handling dental mishaps.

Situation: You fall and chip a tooth
What to do: Call your dentist’s office and explain the situation. If bleeding occurs, you might need to go in right away. When the chip is small and you aren’t in pain, the dentist may have you schedule an appointment in the next few days.

Situation: Out of nowhere, you develop an excruciating pain in your tooth.
What to do: Check out the area and make sure nothing has become lodged near the tooth. Then, contact your dentist to find out how soon they can get you in for a visit. You can take ibuprofen, but don’t put aspirin directly on the gum tissue because it can burn the area.

Situation: Your child loses his or her orthodontic retainer.
What to do: Within a day, you need to contact the orthodontist. It’s important to get a replacement as soon as possible so that you don’t compromise treatment.

Situation: You or a loved one have a tooth knocked out during a family football game
What to do: To save the tooth, you need to act quickly, so call the dentist immediately. When the tooth won’t go back into the socket, place it in a cup of milk for transport to the dental office.

Situation: The whitening product you got from the dentist is causing your teeth to hurt
What to do: A common side effect of bleaching, sensitivity usually goes away once your finish the whitening process. Mention any gum irritation to your dentist because this symptom could indicate that your trays don’t fit properly or that you are using too much bleaching gel.

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Why Nail Biting Hurts Teeth

Up to 40 percent of children, as well as many adults, bite their nails. While this habit isn’t very sanitary, it can also cause dental problems. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, nail biters could end up with dental bills of over $4000. Damage frequently occurs to front teeth because they are not made for the constant chewing that accompanies nail biting.

If you bite your nails, you can face various dental issues, including:

Wear and tear on front teeth

Because the enamel was not created to withstand constant pressure or chewing, nail biting can cause fracture lines in your teeth. If the damage becomes extensive, your dentist may need to place composite restorations or even porcelain crowns to rejuvenate your smile.

Root re-sorption

When you bite your nails and wear braces, your risk for root resorption, or shortening of the tooth roots. Since the braces are already exerting force on the teeth, nail biting creates additional stress. Over time, the roots can become so short that your teeth loosen and fall out.

Gum ulcerations

Chewing off pieces of your nails can result in injury to your gums if sharp pieces of your finger nails scratch gum tissue.

Infections

With nail biting, you can spread bacterial infections from the fingers to other parts of the body and vice versa.

For many people, nail biting is a subconscious habit. Paying attention to your actions and curbing your behavior can help you stop this destructive habit. Other tips for dealing with nail biting include keeping nails trimmed, applying a bitter polish to nails, finding releases for stress, wearing gloves or bandages. Talk with your orthodontist or dentist for additional suggestions as well.

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Dental Implants Can Revive Your Smile

When you lose even one tooth, up to 20 percent of adjacent teeth may be lost over the next four to eight years if the tooth isn’t replaced. Not only can missing teeth affect your smile, but they can also damage your oral health. If remaining teeth shift, you may experience alignment issues. Eating may become difficult, and bone degeneration can occur.

Dental implants offer a permanent, attractive solution for missing teeth. Constructed from biocompatible titanium, a dental implant is a small, metal post that a specialist will surgically position in your jaw bone. After implant surgery and healing time, a permanent crown will be placed on the post, creating an artificial tooth and root. Implants can replace one or more missing teeth.

Am I a candidate for dental implants?

Before starting implant therapy, your dentist will perform an exam and evaluate your current status. For implant placement, you need sufficient bone mass and good overall health.

How long does the implant process take?

Each case is different, but the average time frame is six to nine months from start to completion.

Are implants successful?

With proper care, which includes daily brushing and flossing as well as regular dental exams, dental implants have a 95 to 98 percent success rate.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

As the closest prosthetic to nature, dental implants offer stability and strength. Implants create permanent replacements that function like your original teeth.

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Fast Facts about Bruxism

Approximately 10 percent of adults clench or grind their teeth. Symptoms of clenching and grinding, also called bruxism, include headaches, jaw pain, and cracks in teeth. If you or a family member grinds your teeth, you can cause serious damage and discomfort.

These facts about bruxism will help you learn more about this condition:

You can hurt more than just your teeth.

Most of the time, clenching and grinding is mild. In more severe cases, you can aggravate the jaw joints and cause TMJ-like symptoms. Mention any concerns you have to your orthodontist or dentist so that you can get proper treatment.

Bruxism and stress are connected.

Feeling anxious or frustrated may contribute to bruxism. Currently, no one has identified all the factors that make people grind or clench their teeth. Certain competitive behaviors or personality types may increase the chance of teeth grinding.

It can happen at any age.

Though you may not have issues with bruxism, you could develop them at any point in your life. In fact, children typically grind their teeth more than adults. Usually, they out grow bruxism by adolescence.

You may not realize you have an issue.

Because bruxism often occurs while you sleep, many people don’t realize a problem exists. Earaches, headaches, unexplained facial pain, or tenderness around the jaw joints could indicate issues with clenching and grinding.

Treatment is available.

Often, bruxism is mild enough that you don’t need treatment. If you do need therapy, your orthodontist or dentist can fit you for a mouth guard, a plastic appliance that covers teeth and eliminates damage from bruxism.

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Making the Most of Dental Visits

Dental checkups may never make anyone’s Top Ten list, but they don’t have to cause stress or anxiety. Even if you need repair work, your dentist can keep you comfortable during your procedure. With a little preparation, you can have a successful visit and protect your smile long-term.

I am not having any pain. Why do I need to schedule an appointment?

Though your teeth may look fine on the outside, some issues can occur with very few symptoms. Gum disease and tooth decay can develop with mild signs, progressing quietly until they create serious problems.

What can I do to get ready?

Depending on the reason for your visit, you may need to plan on additional time for your appointment. If you haven’t seen a dentist recently, you will probably need a full set of X-rays. As well, the hygienist or dentist will want to take a complete medical history. Make sure to bring your insurance information and confirm coverage before the visit to save time.

Are there any techniques to make my visits more pleasant?

Dental advances provide many options so that patients feel at ease during their time in the dental chair. Sedation choices like nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation can help individuals who experience dental anxiety. Laser dentistry has the advantages of reduced bleeding, pain and swelling and faster healing. CEREC technology enables dentists to design and mill a custom restoration during one appointment.

Do I really need a checkup every six months?

Routine visits are a key element in preventive care. These appointments enable your dentist to monitor your oral health and look for potential problems such as tooth decay, gum disease, and even oral cancer. Finding issues early allows the dentist to correct the problem before it escalates and causes more damage.

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Maximize Your Dental Insurance

It’s that time of the year when we need to start thinking about our end of the year dental hygiene and treatment. Most of our patients tend to put off getting their cleaning and treatment done towards the end of the year because they feel that there is “nothing wrong with them”. It should be logged in your schedule to go to the dentist at least twice a year to maintain your oral health. Even if this is not top on the priority lists, patients should also consider that they pay for their dental insurance and should utilize it as much as they can. That is why patients should start thinking about maximizing their insurance towards the end of the year for pending and existing treatment that they set aside. Most of our patients thinks that if they don’t use their benefits that they roll over like cell phone minutes. Well that is a misconception about dental insurance, the answer is “no”, it does not roll over like cell phone minutes. That is why towards the end of the year we tell our patients to use them up for the existing and pending treatment just in case next year tooth aches comes up and there is not enough benefits to fix the problem and more out of pocket for the patients. So to conclude, if you have not already maximize your dental insurance, do so! You will not regret it! You pay for the benefits, why not use it!

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Ways to Enhance Your Smile

Did you know that 99.0% of the population believe a smile is an important social asset. Studies has shown that when asked “What is the first thing you notice in a person’s smile?” Many had responded: Straightness, Sparkle of Smile, Whiteness and Color of Teeth, Missing Teeth, Cleanliness of Teeth and Sincerity of Smile. It’s pretty obvious when we talk to people the first thing we look at is their mouth. And when asked, “What types of things do you consider make a smile unattractive?” Well, Discolored, Yellow, or Stained Teeth, Dirty Teeth, Missing Teeth, Gaps and Spaces in Teeth, Decaying Teeth and Cavities, and Crooked Teeth. We tend to look at the “bad” rather than the “good” in teeth, it’s just human nature. So the the final question that was surveyed was “What would you most like to improve about your smile?” The common response was: whiter and brighter teeth! So we came to the conclusion based on the majority of the public to enhance your smile!

1) Tooth Bleaching: Tooth whitening (also called bleaching) brightens teeth that are discolored or stained. Bleaching can be done in an office or there are take home kits. Take home is the the most difficult to to do because of the time and commitment involved. It’s not the take home kit itself but the commitment of the individual to actually take action to do it. So before you decide on the take home kit make sure you schedule it out on when you plan on doing it.

2) Bonding: Bonding can improve the appearance of chipped, broken, cracked, stained teeth or those with large spaces between them. This natural-looking, tooth-colored material is applied, or bonded to the tooth surface. It’s really a simple procedure and the results are outstanding!

3) Enamel Shaping: Enamel shaping can instantly improve the appearance for your teeth by contouring your enamel. The process is usually quick and comfortable. Great results can be seen immediately. If you are press for time and want that immediate look, you may consider this.

4) Veneers: Veneers are thin, custom-made “shells” designed to camouflage imperfections on the front side of your teeth. The can fill in the spaces between teeth, as well as cover chipped or worn, permanently stained, poorly shaped or slightly crooked teeth. This option may be the best in our opinion because it caters to your smile to perfection. Remember, your smile and front teeth are the first thing people look at when spoken to.

5) Tooth Colored Crowns and Fillings: Tooth colored crowns and fillings blend in beautifully with your natural teeth. They are a durable and esthetically pleasing option for teeth restoration and for replacing older darkened amalgam fillings. The key word here is “blend in naturally” with your smile. So make sure it looks natural. You wouldn’t want something to be “out of place” when your friends and family look at you and automatically notice something different about you. It does not look natural and of course they will not call you out on it. Make it natural and subtle!

6) Braces: Braces are for adults too! Not just for kids! So erase the old myth that braces are for kids only! Orthodontics may be needed if your teeth are crooked, crowded or do not meet properly enough to be restored by cosmetic procedures. If all else fails and you are the “old school” type, consider braces, it may take a little bit longer but the results will last a lifetime!

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Interesting Tidbits about Dentistry

You need solid dental knowledge to keep your smile looking its best. Most people know about the importance of brushing, flossing, and seeing the dentist regularly. While these basics are important, the following fun factoids offer a different perspective on dentistry.

• Plaque is made up of more than 600 types of bacteria.
• According to the Academy of General dentistry, the average person only brushes 50 to 75 seconds instead of the recommended two minutes.
• Sir Isaac Newton has the distinction of having the most valuable tooth. One of his teeth was sold in London for $3,633.00 in 1816; in today’s terms, that is $35,700.
• To celebrate Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton, one British man had their images tattooed on his front teeth.
• Though the average woman smiles about 62 times a day, the average man only flashes his pearly whites about eight times day.
• Red toothbrushes are less popular than blue ones.
• During ancient times, toothpicks were made of silver, gold, bones, or quills.
• A snail has about 25,000 teeth on its tongue.
• Chocolate causes less tooth decay than raisins or dried fruit because it doesn’t stick to teeth or stay on your teeth’s surface as long.
• When you are right-handed, you usually chew food on the right side of your mouth and vice versa.
• Tooth decay is the second most common disease in the United States, following the common cold.
• Over a lifetime, the average American spends 38.5 total days brushing teeth.
• Famously known as a Western Gunslinger, Doc Holliday was also a practicing dentist.

Choose Manteca Dental Care in Manteca, California. Family and Cosmetic Dentistry – Rick Van Tran, DDS

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The Benefits of Dental Sealants

As a parent you teach your child about the importance of good oral health care. Though kids learn to brush and floss, they often have difficulty reaching back teeth. As well, the grooves and pits in those back teeth are harder to clean and may be prone to cavities. Dental sealants can help protect your children’s teeth and keep their beautiful smiles intact.

What are dental sealants?

Made from clear plastic materials, sealants are brushed onto the chewing surfaces of back teeth. Dental sealants keep germs and food debris out of the grooves in these teeth, lessening the risk for tooth decay.

How are sealants placed on teeth?

The process for getting sealants on your child’s teeth is simple. The dentist will first clean and dry the effected teeth. A special gel is applied to the area. Then, the dentist brushes the sealant mixture onto the teeth. A curing light may be used to harden the plastic material.

Are sealants noticeable to my child or others?

At first, your child may feel the sealants with his or her tongue, a common reaction to anything new in the mouth. When your child smiles or talks, though, the sealants aren’t usually visible.

How long do sealants last?

Typically, your child can will the sealants for five to 10 years. At checkups, your dentist will check to see if the sealants are in good condition.

Are sealants better than fillings?

Preventing damage is always better than repairing. Sealants help stop tooth decay before it compromises your child’s smile.

Pediatric dentistry at Manteca Dental Care in Manteca, California. Family and Cosmetic Dentistry – Rick Van Tran, DDS

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