Back to School Oral Care

Talk With Kids About Foods That Harm Teeth

It seems like just a week or two ago that schools were wrapping up their curriculums, and school busses were becoming scare sights in our neighborhoods as summer vacation rolled in. Now the busses are back as the kids make their way back to classrooms, another year older.

Whether you pack your children’s lunches or they buy hot lunch, the fact is: you just don’t know for sure what they’re eating – or drinking – at school each day. That’s why it’s a good idea to take a little time this time of year to ensure your kids remember why it’s important to make healthy food choices to keep our teeth healthy, and what foods are best to avoid to help keep our teeth healthy and strong.

Avoid These Foods to Protect Teeth:

Sports drinks

A recent study published by the Australian Dental Association called sports drinks “decay in a bottle” because these beverages are very high in sugar but don’t help disperse the lactic acid buildup caused by playing sports. The end result is demineralization (or erosion) of the teeth, in much greater amounts than is generally seen even through the consumption of sodas and juices.

Soda

Just because sports drinks are worse doesn’t mean soda is at all good for the health of your teeth. Even diet and sugar-free soda is very acidic and can cause tooth enamel to erode. Enamel erosion puts teeth at increased risk of decay.

Sugar (especially refined)

Moms and dads have long known the harmful effects sugar has on otherwise healthy teeth. While even the natural sugars found in fruits isn’t great for tooth health, it’s far less damaging to teeth than the sugar found in candies, gums and other sweets.

Sticky foods

If your children are snackers, talk to them about choosing foods that are less likely to get stuck on and between teeth. When food is left behind, harmful bacteria uses it as fuel to increase its stronghold on teeth.

The back-to-school season is a great time to empower children to make healthy choices for a lifetime of healthy smiles.

Doggy Dental Downers

What’s Happening In Fido’s Mouth?

Whether your pooch has stinky smooches or crooked teeth, it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on what goes on inside his mouth. Just ask your veterinarian – your dog’s mouth is the gateway to his good health.

Here are some common oral conditions dogs may encounter:

Calculus, or tartar. Tartar looks a little different in dogs than it does in humans. In dogs, calculus is generally brown (instead of yellow, as it is in humans). This condition, which overlaps both the tooth and the gum line, is one of the most common dental problems that dogs may encounter. If left untreated, calculus can lead to abscesses and tooth loss. Moreover, an extreme case of calculus can lead to internal organ damage because bacteria can travel from the teeth into the blood stream.

Brushing your dog’s teeth, or gently rubbing his teeth with gauze, will help prevent the buildup and subsequent hardening of plaque and forming of calculus.

Malocclusions. This dental problem that is commonly faced by puppies when an adult tooth erupts before the baby tooth has fallen out. This can cause inflammation and tooth breakdown, and, if left untreated, sometimes causes an infection. Malocclusions can also cause adult teeth to erupt in the wrong position. Malocclusions cannot be prevented, but keeping an eye out for them can keep them from causing any harm. The critical window to monitor your puppy’s mouth is between 14 and 24 weeks old. If you suspect an adult tooth is growing in below or behind a baby tooth, call your dog’s veterinarian.

Gingivitis. Just like in humans, harmful bacteria in the mouth can build up on teeth, causing inflammation. This is called gingivitis. This inflammation can, in turn, lead to receding gums, loose teeth and, eventually, tooth loss. This is another reason to make sure your dog’s teeth are free from plaque.

Periodontal disease. Harmful bacteria strikes again! Periodontal disease is a serious, harmful condition caused by an imbalance of harmful bacteria in your dog’s mouth. One of the primary symptoms of periodontal disease in dogs is bleeding gum, so look for red or dark brown spots on your dogs chew toys. Severe periodontal disease in dogs has been linked to kidney failure, heart conditions and other life-threatening illnesses. If you suspect your dog has periodontal disease, be sure to contact your vet right away.

You can keep Fido’s breath sweet as a puppy’s and his teeth clean and white by adding a scoop of oral care probiotics to his food once daily. These beneficial bacteria crowd out the bacteria known to cause bad breath.

Do Tongue Scrapers Beat Bad Breath?

Do you use a tongue scraper? Why? Because you like the way your tongue feels after it has been scraped? Does it make your mouth feel cleaner? Do you think it makes your breath fresher?

Tongue scrapers come in all shapes and sizes – and with all kinds of promises. From reducing bad breath to allegedly reducing plaque build-up, tongue scrapers are often touted as one of the best over-the-counter dental tools.

By scraping the surface of the tongue, these devices are said to eliminate bacteria in the mouth and improve bad breath.

The truth is, a good old tooth brush, tooth paste, and dental floss are actually the most important tools for maintaining oral health – just ask your dentist!

While most people brush their teeth at least once or twice daily, flossing falls far behind, with only about 12 percent of Americans flossing daily, and 49 percent don’t floss at all.

The American Dental Association says that there are many benefits to regular flossing, including decreased risk of gum disease, better breath, reduced plaque build-up between teeth and polished tooth surfaces. You simply cannot go wrong by taking a little extra time to floss daily.

What if Brushing and Flossing Aren’t Busting Your Bad Breath?

If you have persistent bad breath, it probably means that there is a bacterial imbalance in your mouth. The best way to kiss bad breath (and its ugly cousin, morning breath) good-bye is to get the bacteria in your mouth back in balance.

What?! I Have Bacteria in My Mouth?

You sure do. In fact, the human mouth is home to between 700 – 800 bacteria. Most of these bacteria are just hanging around because the mouth is a warm, wet, dark place. They cause no harm and affect no benefit. A few, however, are to blame for bad breath. These bacteria naturally emit volatile sulfur compounds as a byproduct. These VSCs are to blame for the vast majority of chronic bad breath conditions.

On the flip side, there are also beneficial bacteria that make their home in the human mouth. If you have chronic bad breath, you are likely lacking in the beneficial bacteria department.

An Easy Fix for a Stinky Problem

Many cultures have long relied on the health benefits of beneficial bacteria, often called probiotics. Through more than 25 years of research, one American researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Hillman, has identified three strains of probiotics found in very healthy mouths. Using this information, Dr. Hillman had developed a probiotic mint that, when used twice daily after brushing, can stop bad-breath-causing bacteria in its tracks. The beneficial bacteria in these mints crowd out the bacteria responsible for bad breath making your mouth kissing fresh – even before you brush in the morning.

Bad Breath Might Be a Bad Sign

Is Bacteria Attacking Your Pets’ Organs?

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs of oral disease by age three – Pet lovers are sure to find this statistic very startling, since most of us still thik of our pets as puppies and kittens at age three!

Does Your Pet Have Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease is caused by the accumulation of dental plaque and inflammation of the tissues in the mouth. When the gums become inflamed, enzymes start to break down the connective tissues surrounding the teeth. This breakdown of tissues allows harmful bacteria that naturally reside in your pets’ mouths to pass through the tissue and into the bloodstream, where it can affect the liver, kidneys and heart.

The hallmark symptom of periodontal disease in pets is bad breath  -  the kind of bad breath that makes y0u not want to share a smooch, no matter how much you love your dog or cat.

If you mention that breath to your vet, he’s likely to recommend that you brush your pets’ teeth – a task that can be messy and stressful for both you and your pet.

I Love My Pets, But I Hate Their Breath!

Don’t worry! There’s a very simple way to eliminate stinky breath. By adding oral probiotics to your pets’ food once daily, you can improve the population of good bacteria in your pets’ mouths. These beneficial bacteria – or probiotics – eat the same foods and populate the same areas of the mouth as harmful bacteria. When you give the beneficial bacteria the upper hand, they return the favor by pushing out the harmful bacteria.

And with that, viola!

Bye-bye bad breath!

Eyesight and The Sense of Smell in Our Pets

… Or Why Your Dog Loves Your Smelly Shoes

Our friend Dr. Greg Martinez, author of The Dog Dish Diet dishes with us today about why our dogs LOVE to sniff.

Mammals changed from a nocturnal animal to a daytime creature over 65 million years ago when a huge void opened after the sudden demise of the dinosaurs. The animals that became our present day species did not need full color vision for nighttime hunting. They did need a good sense of smell and hearing. Even if they couldn’t see it, they could smell it or hear it coming…friend or foe.

Most mammals retain poor color vision, except for primates. Believe it or not, some reptiles and birds see color much better than us. Our three-color HD TV would seem a bit lacking in their eyes.

Dogs derive a lot of information and comfort from their 3-D sense of smell. Dogs can tell sex, location, and the last meal by a sniff of a recent acquaintance. Combine that with body language and they can tell attitude and intentions as well. They don’t need to engage in much small talk, just some butt smelling and body language.

When I come home from work, my dogs try to see how many cats and dogs I have worked on that day. Some days they are very interested in a particular case, as they press and sniff with deep inhalations.

Many clients like to tell stories of their dogs’ “fetishes.” Just the other day an owner told me that their dog loves to go through the laundry or floor pile of clothes to find a shirt to take downstairs and lay on. Today a friend told me her 9-month-old bulldog loves to chew on underwear, and actually chewed the crotch out of a new expensive swim suit. The big problem was that she didn’t notice the hole till she wore it out in front of her sister-in –law, who thought it was just a new fashion.

Dogs love odors and the clothes that come in contact with our scent glands are prized possessions. We should be honored. They love us so much that they want us with them, and our body scent is comforting to them. Clothing and shoes that contact scent glands are often at risk for theft and destruction by well meaning dogs. They can’t help it, they are ruled by their noss.

Early Orthodontics

Straighter Smiles to Combat Bullying?

It’s fairly natural for parents to want their children to have sweet, straight smiles. In fact, studies have found that the reason most parents choose to pursue orthodontic treatment for young children is because of this cosmetic issue, and because they believe that improving the appearance of a child’s smile will lower her risk of being the target of vicious bullies.

Unfortunately, parents could be right. Appearance is a big issue not only in the hallways of high schools nationwide, it’s also an issue on playgrounds. Name brands rule. Right now, “sillyband” bracelets rule. In six months, who knows what trend children will be expected to keep up with in order to fit in with their peers?

So investing in a healthy, gorgeous smile and the well-documented increase in self-confidence that comes with orthodontic treatments is probably not the worst way parents can spend their money.

On the other hand, there are some non-cosmetic issues to take into consideration when seeking early orthodontic treatment for children, including reduction of the total treatment time, to receive the best result, to reduce the need for or in support of speech therapy and to avoid surgical intervention.

There are also several conditions under which an orthodontist may advise early treatment. These include:

Crossbite – This condition happens when teeth are trapped inside lower teeth. Dentists start management of this condition on young patients of between the ages of 8 and 10, even though patients of these ages still have most of the baby teeth.

Deepbite – This occurs when the upper front teeth cover almost all the lower front teeth. This is also caused by severe crowding. Dentists typically begin managing this condition in between the ages of 11 and 12.

Underbite – Underbite refers to the excessive protrusion of the lower jawbone. Because an underbite is a difficult problem to correct, most orthodontists like to see children with this condition as young as 7-8 years of age.

Like to Move It Move It?

Study Finds That Regular Exercise Lowers Risk of Periodontal Disease

Looking for one more way to improve the health of your teeth and gums? Get moving!

A new study published in the Journal of Periodontology has found that increasing your level of physical activity may lead to healthier teeth and gums.

Researchers from the University of Florida measured the body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and maximal oxygen consumption in a group of volunteers, then used these factors to determine each person’s weight control and exercising capabilities. Researchers then reviewed each participant’s oral health, and oral care habits.

What the researchers found was that those who maintained a healthy weight and exercised regularly were less likely to develop gum disease, regardless of oral care habits.

“Weight management and physical fitness both contribute to overall health, and now we believe staying in shape may help lower your risk of developing gum disease,” said Samuel Low, associate dean of the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry. “Since gum disease is related to other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, there is even more reason to take care of yourself through diet and exercise.”

Further, maintaining a healthy weight and staying in shape through exercise can help lower the amount of systemic inflammation we have as individuals, which many researchers believe may either cause or aggravate periodontal disease.

Second-Hand Smoke

Study Finds Link Between Pet’s Health Problems and Owner’s Smoking Habits

Quitting smoking is difficult, but researchers have found one more reason to add to your list: it could be making your cat or dog sick.

Research conducted at Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts showed a link between cats diagnosed with lymph node cancer and contact with second-hand smoke, revealing that cats exposed to secondhand smoke developed lymphoma twice as often as cats in smoke-free homes.

The probably link revealed by the study is likely the way cats groom themselves – because cats groom themselves often, they lick the carcinogens that have been deposited on their fur, causing problems like oral cancer.

Dr. Carolynn Mac Allister, a veterinarian at Oklahoma State University, said cat health is compromised because the grooming “exposes the mucous membrane of their mouth to the cancer-causing carcinogens,” ScienceDaily.com reported.

Additionally, studies have shown that dogs exposed to smoke also had a higher chance of getting cancer. Specifically, dogs with long noses often develop nasal cancer as a result of being exposed to secondhand smoke. Short-nosed and medium dogs often develop lung cancer as a result of being exposed to secondhand smoke.

If quitting isn’t quite in the cards for you today but you would like to do what you can to protect your pets from secondhand smoke, consider smoking outside, or limiting smoking to a designated area of the house to which your pets are not allowed.

The Embarrassment of Bad Breath

Balancing Your Mouth’s Ecosystem Key to Controlling Bad Breath

Brushing, flossing and using mouthwash are not enough to eliminate some cases of bad breath. That, my friends, is not headline news for those who battle chronic halitosis. For those who endure the daily struggle with bad breath, it’s no shocker to learn that what is considered basic dental hygiene doesn’t eliminate – or even tone down – their bad breath.

Recent studies back up what halitosis sufferers have known all along: brushing, flossing, visits to the dentists, mouth washes and breath fresheners simply may not be enough to combat the root cause of bad breath.

Researchers have found that the most effective treatment for bad breath is to adjust the ecological system of bacteria in the mouth, restoring the ratio of health and unhealthy bacteria to equilibrium.

The study, published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that all mouths have the odor-causing bacteria. People with bad breath actually have an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy mouth bacteria which leads to an overgrowth of the germs that cause bad breath.

“The results of this investigation clearly demonstrate that oral malodor is a symptom based on the characteristic occupation of indigenous oral bacterial populations, rather than solely on bacterial overgrowth due to poor oral hygiene,” say the researchers.

In other words, making the assumption that bad breath is the result of poor oral hygiene is like making the assumption that dandruff is caused solely by not washing hair.

One of the best ways to remedy this imbalance is to introduce native oral care probiotics into the mouth. These beneficial bacteria compete with harmful bacteria for space and nutrients in the mouth. The end result is fresher breath.

Sesame Street Play Shows How to Protect Teeth From Decay

In Sesame Street tradition, this video shows Bert worrying and attempting to rally those around him, while the show just goes on. In this case, the show is about brushing your teeth, and how to protect them from decay.

Share this gem with your kids to help them understand what decay is, and what they can do to prevent it.