Oral health

You take great care of your teeth; In the morning you brush with fluoridated toothpaste and swish with antiseptic mouthwash. In the evening you brush and floss. You visit the dentist every six months to ensure your ‘chiclets’ are in top form. But wait. What? A cavity? Why?
Cavities are all too common in adults. More than 90% of us have had a cavity. But not all of us experience tooth decay for the same reasons. Your degree of vulnerability to getting a cavity is influenced by multiple factors. Below are some of the many causes of cavities.
Family History
Many people have inherited deep grooves on the surface of their teeth. The grooves can be cavity-causing culprits since bacteria can easity be trapped in these crevices. Consider talking with you dentiast about dental sealants to smooth over the grooves
Mouth Acidity
Acid breaks down your enamel, so keeping your PH level in a neutral range is important for maintaining strong teeth that can remineralize when the enamel breaks down. You can influence you mouth’s pH by reducing your consumption of acidic foods like soft drinks, coffee, nuts and bread and upping your intake of low-acidity foods like spinach, broccoli, blueberries and avocados.
Overcrowded Teeth
Overcrowded teeth can trap food, making it more difficult to get your teeth really clean and create a breeding ground for the bacteria that causes cavities. Overcrowding can be addressed by an orthodontists and may require extractions, braces or aligners to correct.
Dry Mouth
Saliva washes away food and debris from the teeth and gums and provides disease-fighting substances that help prevent cavities and other infections. Certain medications, treatments for cancer and horomonal changes can cause dry mouth. To keep saliva flowing freely be sure to drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum and ask your dentist about a hydrating oral rinse.
Fluoride
When swallowed or applied to the teeth, fluoride helps prevent cavities by making the outer source of the teeth more resistant to the acid attacks that cause tooth decay. To make sure you’re getting enough fluoride for oral health, drink fluoridated tap water and use fluoridated toothpaste and mouthrinses.
Healthy Diet
What you put into your body is not only essential for your overall health but your oral health as well. Eating a healthy diet – low-fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruit and limited added sugar – abstaining from drinking alcohol and avoiding cigarettes and other tobacco products are essential behaviors for preventing tooth decay and other oral diseases.

To prevent cavities it is important to approach your oral health in ways that include, but also go beyond, daily oral care and your biannual visits to the dentist. Keep up these good habits, and adopt some others that keep your grin glowing.

“Cavity Conundrum” Word of Mouth Winter-Spring 2017: 3

Each February the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health.
Why is attention to children’s dental health important?

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children, despite the fact that it’s almost entirely preventable. More that 40 percent of children ages 2 to 11 have had a cavity in their primary (baby) teeth, and more than two-thirds of 16 to 19-year-olds have had a cavity in their permanent teeth.

Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. Good oral hygiene practices such as thorough brushing with fluoride toothpaste can help keep children from getting cavities.

Make sure to brush two times a day for two minutes (that’s 4 times a day for those of you with braces), floss once a day and see your dentist every 6 months.
Lakewood Park Orthodontics is promoting children’s dental health

As an active member of the ADA, Dr. Hughes strongly supports this effort! She will be headed out to local Natick Schools this month to hand out toothbrushes, dental information and give fun classroom presentations on dental health.

When you get your braces on our staff explains all of the ways you can help keep your mouth healthy and make your treatment move faster. We tell you to avoid hard and sticky foods that cause broken brackets and to floss every day.  We also tell you to brush five times a day - after every snack or meal. However, there are some times when it is better to not brush after your meal or snack… Actually brushing your teeth after certain meals can hurt your enamel!

When you eat foods that are highly acidic like citrus fruits, soda and sugary foods it changes the PH balance in your mouth from alkaline to acidic. After eating highly acidic foods your teeth are susceptible to damage. When you brush your teeth in this weakened state you can damage the enamel because the bristles can wear away the surface.

Now, for all of you who hate brushing, don’t get too excited – you still have to brush five times a day. However, after eating highly acidic foods it’s best to wait an hour before brushing. Other preventative measures you can take after eating acidic foods include rinsing or drinking water and concluding your meal with milk, cheese or another non-acidic food. After you have given your mouth time to return to a healthy PH balance continue to brush as normal.

How Your Diet Can Improve Your Oral Health

Improving your diet may prevent two of the most common diseases of modern civilization, tooth decay and periodontal disease. Decay is caused when teeth and other hard tissues of the mouth are destroyed by acid from oral bacteria. Certain foods and food combinations are linked to higher levels of cavity-causing bacteria. Many researchersbelieve that periodontal disease progresses faster and is more severe in patients whose diets do not supply necessary nutrients.

Poor nutrition affects the entire immune system and increases the susceptibility of many disorders. People with lowered immune systems have been shown to be at higher risk for periodontal disease.  Research also shows a link between oral health and systemic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Eating a well-balanced diet, and therefore increasing fiber and vitamin intake, may not only improve your dental health but may also reduce the risk of other diseases.

Planning Meals and Snacks to Promote Better Oral Health

Choose foods from the five major food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein. Avoid fad diets that eliminate entire food groups as these often result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Always keep your mouth moist by drinking lots of water.  Saliva protects both hard and soft oral tissues. If you have a dry mouth, supplement your diet with sugarless gum or candy to stimulate saliva.

Foods that cling to your teeth promote tooth decay. When you snack, avoid soft, sweet, sticky foods such as cakes, candy and dried fruit. Choose dentally healthy foods instead, like nuts raw vegetables, plain yogurt and cheese. (If you have braces skip the nuts and make sure to cut your vegetables in thin slices)

When eating fermentable carbohydrates, like crackers, cookies and chips eat them as part of a meal, instead of by themselves. Combinations of foods neutralize acids in the mouth and inhibit tooth decay. For example, enjoy cheese with your crackers.

Do not over-snack. Each time you eat, you create an environment for oral bacteria to develop. Studies show that dental disease is just as related to overeating as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

As the nation prepares to observe the 16th Oral Caner Awareness Month this April, the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, the American Academy of Oral Medicine, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Dental Association and the American Dental Hygienists' Association have joined the Oral Cancer Foundation in its campaign to raise awareness of this silent killer.

Be mindful of symptoms

The mouth is one of your body's most important early warning systems. Between dental visits, it is importance that you be aware of the following signs and symptoms, and see a dental professional if they do not improve or disappear after two to three weeks:

• A sore, or soreness or irritation that doesn't go away
• Red or white patches, or pain, tenderness, or numbness in mouth or lips
• Lumps, thickening tissues, rough spots, crusty or eroded areas
• Difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or moving your jaw or tongue
• A change in the way your teeth fit together when you close your mouth

Factors that may increase your risk of oral cancer

Research has identified a number of factors that may contribute to the development of oral cancer. Historically, those at an especially high risk have been heavy alcohol drinkers and smokers older than age 50, but today the cancer also is occurring more frequently in younger, non smoking people. The human papillomavirus 16 (HPV) is related to the increasing incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (most commonly involving tonsillar tissue, including the base of the tongue) in the younger population.

If you have never had an oral cancer examination, there is no better time to schedule one than during Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April! When you do, be sure to ask that this examination be made routine at all your future dental checkups.