Healthy Smile Series: The hidden powers of chewing gum

Chewing sugarless gum does more than just exercise your gums, according to the American Dental Association You might be surprised to learn how it can help decrease your risk for tooth decay.

Chewing sugarless gum helps prevent cavities    

Research shows chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay. That’s because the act of chewing increases the flow of saliva in your mouth, which helps neutralize and wash away cavity-causing acids and bacteria. Over time, acids can wear away tooth enamel, causing little holes in your teeth.

Be sure to look for chewing gum with the ADA seal to be sure it can help prevent cavities.

Helps prevent heartburn

Chewing gum can help lessen the symptoms of heartburn. That’s because chewing gum stimulates the production of saliva, which is an acid buffer. Chewing gum also makes you swallow more often, which pushes acids back out of your esophagus.

So the next time you’re worried about heartburn, try chewing some sugarless gum after you eat.

All chewing gum is not created equal

It’s true that chewing gum for 20 minutes after meals helps reduce your risk for tooth decay, but that’s only if it’ s the sugarless variety.

Chewing gum with sugar also increases saliva, but beware — the sugar also increases chances of decay. Look for chewing gum with the ADA seal to be sure it can help prevent cavities.

The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs awarded the seal to several gums after finding the physical action of chewing certain sugarless gums for 20 minutes after eating, stimulates saliva flow, which helps prevent cavities by reducing acids and making teeth more resistant to decay.

Question:

 If I chew sugarless gum after a meal, do I still have to brush and floss?

Answer:

Absolutely.


Don’t let chewing sugarless gum replace brushing and flossing. It’s not a substitute. The ADA still recommends brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning plaque from between your teeth once a day with dental floss or other interdental cleaners.

Along with chewing sugarless gum, you can help prevent tooth decay by following these other tips: Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Floss daily.

 

Eat nutritious and balanced meals and limit snacking. Check with your West  Michigan District DentalSociety dentist about the use of supplemental fluoride, which strengthens your teeth, and about use of dental sealants (a plastic protective coating) applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from decay.

Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and oral examinations.

So the next time you reach for that package of chewing gum, make sure it’ s sugarless and has the ADA seal.

Reference: West Michigan District Dental

Healthy Smile Series: Why children should brush their teeth

Sugar is the enemy of healthy chompers; brushing gets rid of it

Mornings used to be pretty hectic in the Bennett household. Kids had to be woken up. Dogs had to be let out. Breakfast had to be eaten. And last but not least, teeth had to be brushed. Getting all of this done with two kids, three dogs and only two parents was very tricky. But somehow we managed. And now that our kids are older, things have gotten a lot easier.

Today we’re going to focus on one of the most annoying things parents ask you to do: brush your teeth. Although it only takes a couple of minutes twice a day, brushing your teeth is an awful, rotten, unfair, boring, ridiculous waste of time. Just kidding. Brushing your teeth is an important part of personal hygiene that even animals take care of — at least the ones that have teeth.

Animals don’t use toothbrushes, of course, but they chew and gnaw on objects to keep their teeth clean.

The main thing that separates humans from animals in the dental realm is sugar. If we didn’t have sugar in our diet, we would have much less tooth decay. Why? Because sugar is the enemy of healthy teeth. Here’s why: Our bodies are filled with bacteria. Most of these microscopic organisms are harmless. However, as far as teeth are concerned, the story is a little different. Like larger animals (us, for example) bacteria produce waste products after they consume (eat) nutrients. Among the waste products produced by mouth bacteria are acids that can damage tooth enamel. (Enamel is an extremely strong material that makes up the outside of your teeth.) These acids are too mild for you to feel, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Because the bacteria in your mouth love “sweets,” they will gorge themselves on any sugar that coats your teeth. The acids they leave behind create pits in your enamel like a prospector digging for gold.

Once tiny pits have formed in the tooth enamel, additional acids make them deeper and deeper. Eventually, bacteria invade the inside of the tooth, causing decay. In reality, tooth decay is like having an infection in your teeth.

You do not have to eat candy to have sugar in your mouth. Bread and other starchy foods are digested (broken down) into a type of sugar by saliva. These sugars are just as appealing to mouth bacteria as a Snickers. (If you chew a cracker and keep it in your mouth for a moment before swallowing it, you will notice that it’s a little sweet. This proves that saliva turns starch into sugar.) So go ahead and brush your teeth. The time you waste having to do this horrible chore will be made back with easier dental visits, whiter teeth and less annoying parents. 
reference: HOWARD J. BENNETT 

Bennett is a Washington pediatrician. His website is howardjbennett.com.

10 Myths and Facts about Water

We all need water to live, but how much do we really know about it? From the truth about drinking eight glasses of water per day to refilling plastic bottles, here is what you should know about water benefits.

For something as seemingly simple and essential as drinking water, plenty of myths and misconceptions exist about possible water benefits and harms.

Learn how to separate the myths from the facts about drinking water.  

1. Everyone needs to drink eight glasses of water a day.  

Myth - Though water is the easiest and most economical fluid to keep you hydrated, the latest Institute of Medicine recommendation is that women should strive for about two liters or eight glasses a day and men should aim for three liters or 12 glasses a day of any fluid, not just water. “No one can figure out where this ‘eight glasses of water’ came from, but I believe it came from the old RDA [recommended daily allowance] for water that matched water requirements to calorie requirements,” notes Georgia Chavent, MS, RD, director of the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Conn. “The new requirement from the Institute of Medicine is much more generous and includes recommendations for total beverage consumption, not just water.”

2. Drinking water flushes toxins from your body.

Fact - Though water doesn’t necessarily neutralize toxins, the kidneys do use water to get rid of certain waste products. If you don’t drink enough water, your kidneys don’t have the amount of fluid they need to do their job properly. “If the body does not have sufficient water, then metabolic wastes will not be removed as efficiently as they should,” explains Amy Hess-Fischl, RD, CDE, of the University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center. “In essence, the body would be holding in toxins instead of expelling them, as is required for proper health.”

3. Bottled water can cause tooth decay.  

Myth - Bottled water in and of itself doesn’t cause the teeth to decay, but it usually doesn’t contain any fluoride, which is added to tap water to help prevent tooth decay. “Fluoride is an important element in the mineralization of bone and teeth,” says Constance Brown-Riggs, RD, CDE, author of The African American Guide To Living Well With Diabetes and a nutritionist and certified diabetes educator in New York City. “With the increased consumption of bottled water, which is not fluoridated, there has been an increase in dental caries [cavities].” Schedule a dental evaluation

4. Drinking water can help keep your skin moist.

Myth - While it used to be believed that staying properly hydrated led to youthful, vibrant skin, the reality is that the amount of water you drink probably has very little to do with what your skin looks like. “Unless the individual is severely dehydrated, drinking large quantities of water will not prevent dry skin,” Hess-Fischl says. “Basically, the moisture level of skin is not determined by internal factors. Instead, external factors such as skin cleansing, the environment, the number of oil glands, and the functioning of these oil-producing glands determine how dry the skin is or will become. The water that is consumed internally will not reach the epidermis [the top layer of the skin].”

5. Drinking water helps you lose weight.

Fact - Drinking water won’t specifically trigger weight loss, but it can aid in the process. Water replaces other calorie-laden beverages in the diet, causing you to reduce your overall number of calories. Plus, it can make you feel fuller, so you may eat less at each meal. Water, particularly cold water, may even play a role in increasing your metabolism. “A new study seems to indicate that drinking water actually speeds up weight loss,” says Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, owner of Tanya Zuckerbrot Nutrition, LLC, in New York City. “Researchers in Germany found that subjects of the study increased their metabolic rates [or the rate at which calories are burned] by 30 percent after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water.

6. Yellow urine is a sign of dehydration. 

Myth - It can be, but not all yellow urine is cause for alarm. “Dark yellow urine may be a sign of dehydration,” says Zuckerbrot. “The kidneys filter waste products and reabsorb water and other useful substances from the blood, so they control the volume and concentration of urine output. Dehydration leads to increased urine concentration, turning your urine dark yellow. Ideally your urine should be straw yellow in color.” Other factors, though, such as taking a multivitamin, can also lead to yellow urine.

7. If you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

Myth - If you start to feel thirsty, then you are headed in the wrong direction and should grab a drink of water, but thirst doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dehydrated. “Thirst begins when the concentration of [substances in the] blood has risen by less than 2 percent, whereas most experts would define dehydration as beginning when that concentration has risen by at least 5 percent,” notes Hess-Fischl.

8. You need sports drinks, not water, to function at a high level in athletics. 

Myth - Sports drinks may have fancier advertising campaigns, but water is really all you need to get the fluid necessary to participate in most athletic endeavors. “Adequate fluid, especially water, is most important for athletes of all ages as it is the single most important way the body has to transport nutrients and energy and remove heat during exercise,” says Chavent. “A sports or vitamin beverage may taste better, but is not necessary for hydration and is expensive.” Keep in mind though that people who run marathons or compete in highly strenuous activities may need to supplement their water intake with sports drinks to offset the salt they lose due to heavy sweating over long periods of time. This doesn’t apply to most people who are simply exercising to get fit at the gym, for instance.

9. It’s possible to drink too much water.

Fact - People with certain health conditions can put themselves at risk of complications if they drink too much water. “People with some heart conditions, high blood pressure, or swelling of the lower legs [edema] need to avoid excess water,” says Hess-Fischl. “If you have a history of kidney problems, especially if you have had a transplant, consult your doctor before increasing your fluid intake.” Hess-Fischl adds that you shouldn't drink too much water while eating, as it dilutes your stomach acid and can cause digestion problems.

10. You should not reuse plastic water bottles.

Fact - Plastic water bottles can present a couple of risks to people who drink their contents and then fill them up time and again. “These bottles leach chemicals into your water after multiple uses,” Hess-Fischl explains. “The bottle, if not properly cleaned, may also harbor bacteria from your mouth.”

Water is essential to survival — use these facts to figure out if you need to increase your intake or feel reassured that you’re drinking enough.

Reference: Everyday Health Diet and Nutrition Center.

 

Single Tooth Anesthesia (S.T.A.)

Do you ever go to the dentist dreading going home with the numb lip, numb tongue and having it be numb for a few hours? This can be annoying.

Which is where the Single Tooth Anesthesia (S.T.A.) comes in handy. The S.T.A. is the first computer controlled local anesthesia. S.T.A. drips the anesthesia right at the tooth at the same rate that your bone absorbs the anesthesia. Inside the S.T.A. machine is a computer that measures back pressure so as not to put anesthesia in too quickly or too slowly. This makes receiving anesthesia as comfortable as possible.

Then the dentist can complete your treatment while you are both numb and comfortable. The best part is you can return to your daily routine without your mouth, tongue, lip and cheek being numb! How cool is that?

~ Kaitie, Registered Dental Assistant

Finding dental decay with Spectra vision

Tooth decay can be extremely painful and puts the teeth at risk. Many extractions and restorative treatments are performed every single day because tooth decay has become too severe for the dentist to save the tooth. Diagnodent^® is a safe fluorescent laser that detects hidden tooth decay accurately, quickly, and in its earliest stages.

All dentists are advocates for healthy, natural teeth. Restoration devices like crowns and bridges are popular because they allow the natural tooth to remain in the mouth. Diagnodent^® accurately exposes areas of tooth decay without scratching, probing or “opening up the tooth.” This provides a greater chance of identifying, treating and retaining a natural tooth without the need for expensive and time-consuming restorations.

How can Spectra vision help me?

Spectra vision accurately exposes more caries than X-rays and examinations. In fact, this revolutionary diagnostic tool is over 90% accurate. Sometimes, caries “go underground” due to fluoridation. This essentially means that lesions that once lay on the surface of the tooth bed down, and remain invisible to the naked eye. Because Spectra vision exposes caries earlier, more treatment options are possible.

Here are some of the other benefits associated with Spectra vision:

• Allows dentists to perform treatment with greater confidence.
• Allows for the investigation of suspicious areas.
• Completely safe.
• Cost effective.
• Empirically measurable results.
• Helps reduce future dental procedures.
• More accurate than any other diagnostic tool.
• No exposure to X-rays.
• No need for invasive investigations.
• No pain or scratching.

What does the Spectra vision process involve?

The Spectra vision process is performed within the scope of a regular dental checkup. It is strikingly similar to having a laser pointer aimed at the teeth. Spectra vision is a hi-tech tool, which first scans a clean tooth surface with a laser beam. This scanning procedure serves to calibrate the instrument by providing information about the tooth structure.

The Spectra vision System is actually measuring the amount of laser fluorescence within the tooth. As each tooth is scanned, the amount of reflected laser light is recorded to produce a digital readout. If the tooth contains little or no decay, little or no laser light will be reflected back to the instrument. However, if a tooth contains caries of any significance, more laser light is reflected back. High readings (compared to the tooth originally scanned) indicate that caries are present within the structure of a particular tooth. The amount of laser light reflected back correlates with the amount of decay within the tooth.

Once the dentist determines which teeth are suffering from decay, a plan can be formulated and treatment options can be discussed. In most cases, the early detection of caries means more treatment options and a greater chance of saving the affected tooth.

For more information visit our website.