Health Tip: Keep Teeth Healthy During Pregnancy

(HealthDay News) -- Regular dental checkups and proper daily hygiene are important during pregnancy.

The American Dental Association (ADA) offers these suggestions for pregnant women:

Use an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste to brush your teeth at least twice daily. Floss teeth at least once daily, as well.Eat healthy, nutritious foods and keep snacking on sugary or fatty foods to a minimum.Get regular dental checkups.Talk to your dentist about using an antimicrobial mouth rinse.Discuss any problems with your dentist, such as gums that bleed, swell or become red.If you have morning sickness, rinse your mouth with a mixture of one teaspoon of baking soda and water. Avoid brushing just after vomiting to prevent contact of more stomach acids with the teeth.

-- Diana Kohnle
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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When Heat and Cold Hurt Your Teeth

By Elizabeth B. Krieger
WebMD Magazine - Feature

Perhaps you've taken a swig of a cold drink and winced in pain. Or inhaled on a chilly day and felt a jolt when the air hit your teeth. Maybe you found yourself unable to enjoy a cup of hot tea without a sharp ache punctuating each sip. If any of these situations sounds familiar, you probably have sensitive teeth.

The reasons for the discomfort are many, says Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD, a professor and chair of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University College of Dentistry. First, the root structure of one or more teeth may have become exposed. Normally covered by gum tissue, this layer just underneath -- called dentin -- contains millions of tiny tubules (or tubes), each of which is connected to a nerve ending. It's when the tubules are left unprotected by gum recession or enamel erosion that problems arise. Receding gums, tooth grinding, a diet high in acidic beverages, and overaggressive brushing can all leave dentin exposed.

Brushing too hard is a surprisingly big problem for a lot of people, Wolff says. "Harsh strokes wear away at the gum tissue as well as the tooth's enamel layer, leaving each dentin tubule vulnerable to whatever it comes in contact with -- hot, cold, soft, or hard."

Your favorite beverages can make a big difference, too. Anything with a high acid level -- sodas, coffee, tea, almost all juices, wine, and many popular energy drinks -- can worsen enamel erosion and discomfort. Carbonated water is OK, says Wolff, but watch out for flavored seltzer, which may have citric acid.

Dentin can also become irritated if you overuse tooth-whitening agents, which contain harsh ingredients to strip away stains. Unfortunately, they can also thin the enamel layer around dentin, exposing the tender tubules.

For severe sensitivity, talk to your dentist about bonding the problematic areas. This is essentially a very fine varnish your dentist applies to the tooth. It's not a permanent fix, though.

Find more articles, browse back issues, and read the current issue of "WebMD Magazine."

View the original article here

Undereating After Wisdom Teeth Surgery?

Hi all! My names Hailey and I'm 18 years old, 5'8", and over 150lbs (Ive gotten there through consistent binging as the result from a past restrictive eating disorder). I'm looking to get down to 125-130lbs through a healthy diet and exercise.

However, I just got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled out a couple days ago and have been eating between 700-800 calories the past 2 days (which has consisted of smoothies, soups, and yogurt, so nothing heavy anyway). I know this doesn't seem healthy but I'm basically bedridden and sleeping all day. Plus, I do want to lose weight as soon as possible and I'm afraid of gaining even more if I eat too much now. How much should I be eating?

Thanks!

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Woman's Tea Addiction Led to Loss of Teeth, Bone Problems

Extreme levels of fluoride from daily consumption of a concentrated brew caused pain, brittle teeth

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Here's a cautionary tale about the value of moderation.

A case study reported in the March 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine shows how habitually drinking an extreme form of highly concentrated tea over almost 20 years created a hard-to-diagnose case of severe bone damage in a 47-year-old woman.

Worried that she had cancer, the patient told her primary care doctor in Lansing, Mich., that she was concerned about bone pain she had been having in her lower back, arms, legs and hips for five years. She also had had all her teeth extracted due to brittleness.

Her X-rays showed her bones were unusually dense, but there was no sign of disease. The fluoride level in her blood was also high. She was referred to Dr. Sudhaker Rao, section head of bone and mineral metabolism and director of the bone and mineral research laboratory at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, for a bone biopsy.

The patient's intake of brewed tea was astronomically high, said Rao, who learned that the patient had been regularly drinking a pitcher a day of tea made from about 100 to 150 tea bags, which gave her more than 20 milligrams (mg) of fluoride. She had a fluoride concentration in her blood of 0.43 milligrams per liter, while the normal concentration is less than 0.10 mg per liter, Rao reported.

Fluoride is used to prevent tooth decay and is usually prescribed for children and adults whose homes have water that does not naturally have fluoride in it, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

It turns out that Rao, the author of the case study, came from an area in India where fluoride levels in the water were naturally extremely high, sometimes causing a condition called skeletal fluorosis. He has also recently consulted on a few cases involving high fluoride in the blood, he pointed out.

"Most of us can excrete fluoride extremely well, but if you drink too much, it can be a problem," he said. Brewed tea has one of the highest fluoride contents of all the beverages in the United States, according to Rao. He immediately wondered if the fluoride in the concentrated tea concoction the woman was regularly drinking could be the cause of her bone troubles, he said. "There have been about three to four cases reported in the U.S. associated with ingesting tea, especially large amounts of it," he noted.

When Rao tried to perform the biopsy, the woman's bone was so hard he said his instrument could not penetrate the bone. "It was like steel," he said. "Her bone density was very high, seven times denser than normal."

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Woman's Tea Addiction Led to Loss of Teeth, Bone Problems

Title: Woman's Tea Addiction Led to Loss of Teeth, Bone Problems
Category: Health News
Created: 3/20/2013 6:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/21/2013 12:00:00 AM

View the original article here

Woman's Tea Addiction Led to Loss of Teeth, Bone Problems

Extreme levels of fluoride from daily consumption of a concentrated brew caused pain, brittle teeth

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Here's a cautionary tale about the value of moderation.

A case study reported in the March 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine shows how habitually drinking an extreme form of highly concentrated tea over almost 20 years created a hard-to-diagnose case of severe bone damage in a 47-year-old woman.

Worried that she had cancer, the patient told her primary care doctor in Lansing, Mich., that she was concerned about bone pain she had been having in her lower back, arms, legs and hips for five years. She also had had all her teeth extracted due to brittleness.

Her X-rays showed her bones were unusually dense, but there was no sign of disease. The fluoride level in her blood was also high. She was referred to Dr. Sudhaker Rao, section head of bone and mineral metabolism and director of the bone and mineral research laboratory at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, for a bone biopsy.

The patient's intake of brewed tea was astronomically high, said Rao, who learned that the patient had been regularly drinking a pitcher a day of tea made from about 100 to 150 tea bags, which gave her more than 20 milligrams (mg) of fluoride. She had a fluoride concentration in her blood of 0.43 milligrams per liter, while the normal concentration is less than 0.10 mg per liter, Rao reported.

Fluoride is used to prevent tooth decay and is usually prescribed for children and adults whose homes have water that does not naturally have fluoride in it, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

It turns out that Rao, the author of the case study, came from an area in India where fluoride levels in the water were naturally extremely high, sometimes causing a condition called skeletal fluorosis. He has also recently consulted on a few cases involving high fluoride in the blood, he pointed out.

"Most of us can excrete fluoride extremely well, but if you drink too much, it can be a problem," he said. Brewed tea has one of the highest fluoride contents of all the beverages in the United States, according to Rao. He immediately wondered if the fluoride in the concentrated tea concoction the woman was regularly drinking could be the cause of her bone troubles, he said. "There have been about three to four cases reported in the U.S. associated with ingesting tea, especially large amounts of it," he noted.

When Rao tried to perform the biopsy, the woman's bone was so hard he said his instrument could not penetrate the bone. "It was like steel," he said. "Her bone density was very high, seven times denser than normal."

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Diet Soda Habit as Bad for Teeth as Meth Addiction, Study Claims

Acid in both can erode teeth over time

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy consumption of diet soda can damage teeth as badly as methamphetamine or crack cocaine, a new study contends.

"You look at it side-to-side with 'meth mouth' or 'coke mouth,' it is startling to see the intensity and extent of damage more or less the same," said Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny, a professor of restorative dentistry at the Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia.

Methamphetamine, crack cocaine and soda -- sweetened or not -- are all highly acidic and can cause similar dental problems, Bassiouny said in a study published recently in the journal General Dentistry.

The acid in soda is in the form of citric acid and phosphoric acid, Bassiouny said. Without good dental hygiene, constant exposure can cause erosion and significant oral damage, he said.

In his study, he found that a woman in her 30s who drank 2 liters of diet soda daily for three to five years experienced tooth rot and decay remarkably similar to that suffered by a 29-year-old methamphetamine addict and a 51-year-old habitual crack cocaine user.

The younger man had used methamphetamine for three years, and often downed two or three cans of regular soda a day because the drugs made his mouth so dry. The older man reported an 18-year history of crack abuse.

The woman said concerns about weight gain led her to choose diet soda over regular, and admitted that she had not seen a dentist in many years, according to the study. She also associated sweetened beverages with a higher risk of tooth decay.

Her teeth were soft and discolored, with many destroyed by erosion. She usually sipped the beverage directly from a can or a bottle, and held the soda in her mouth before swallowing, Bassiouny said.

"She also mentioned that when doing so, she habitually leaned on her left side against the arm of the sofa while watching television," he said. The "massive" damage to the left side of her mouth bore this out and resulted in what is called a collapsed bite.

"None of the teeth affected by erosion were salvageable," Bassiouny said. The woman had to have all of her teeth removed and replaced with dentures.

Methamphetamine and crack are known to ravage the mouths of users, and the two drug abusers needed all of their teeth extracted.

Besides exposing teeth to damaging acid, these illegal drugs reduce the amount of saliva in the mouth, providing less opportunity for the acids to wash away. The drugs also cause systemic health problems that affect dental hygiene. Previous studies have linked "meth mouth" with rampant decay.

A group representing soft drink manufacturers said this case study should not be seen as an indictment of diet sodas generally.

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When Heat and Cold Hurt Your Teeth

Here's how to banish the pain of sensitive teeth.By Elizabeth B. Krieger
WebMD Magazine - Feature

Perhaps you've taken a swig of a cold drink and winced in pain. Or inhaled on a chilly day and felt a jolt when the air hit your teeth. Maybe you found yourself unable to enjoy a cup of hot tea without a sharp ache punctuating each sip. If any of these situations sounds familiar, you probably have sensitive teeth.

The reasons for the discomfort are many, says Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD, a professor and chair of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University College of Dentistry. First, the root structure of one or more teeth may have become exposed. Normally covered by gum tissue, this layer just underneath -- called dentin -- contains millions of tiny tubules (or tubes), each of which is connected to a nerve ending. It's when the tubules are left unprotected by gum recession or enamel erosion that problems arise. Receding gums, tooth grinding, a diet high in acidic beverages, and overaggressive brushing can all leave dentin exposed.

Children and Orthodontics

If your child has crooked teeth or a misaligned jaw, it may be time to pay a visit to an orthodontist. An orthodontist specializes in perfecting smiles using orthodontic appliances, such as: bands brackets wires headgear rubber bands retainers WebMD takes a look at common forms of orthodontics and gives you the facts you need to make an informed decision about orthodontic treatment.

Read the Children and Orthodontics article > >

Brushing too hard is a surprisingly big problem for a lot of people, Wolff says. "Harsh strokes wear away at the gum tissue as well as the tooth's enamel layer, leaving each dentin tubule vulnerable to whatever it comes in contact with -- hot, cold, soft, or hard."

Your favorite beverages can make a big difference, too. Anything with a high acid level -- sodas, coffee, tea, almost all juices, wine, and many popular energy drinks -- can worsen enamel erosion and discomfort. Carbonated water is OK, says Wolff, but watch out for flavored seltzer, which may have citric acid.

Dentin can also become irritated if you overuse tooth-whitening agents, which contain harsh ingredients to strip away stains. Unfortunately, they can also thin the enamel layer around dentin, exposing the tender tubules.

For severe sensitivity, talk to your dentist about bonding the problematic areas. This is essentially a very fine varnish your dentist applies to the tooth. It's not a permanent fix, though.

Find more articles, browse back issues, and read the current issue of "WebMD Magazine."

View the original article here

Should I use mouthwash, in addition to brushing my teeth?

Posted May 10, 2013, 2:00 am

I brush and floss regularly. Do I need to use mouthwash too?

Judging from the ads, you need mouthwash to prevent plaque (the yellowish film of bacteria that attaches to your teeth and leads to cavities) and gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). But mouthwash actually plays a fairly minor role in the prevention of plaque and gum disease. Brushing and flossing are much more important.

Cavities, gingivitis and bad breath are all caused by certain bacteria that live in every person’s mouth. You can’t eliminate them, but you can reduce their number and prevent the damage they can cause.

Mouthwash has a history that goes back thousands of years. People have used rinses made with everything from betel leaves to dill and myrrh dissolved in white wine. Listerine was first developed in the late 19th century as a surgical antiseptic. It was named after the British surgeon, Sir Joseph Lister, who pioneered the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections that occurred following surgery.

These days, many mouthwashes are highly artificial concoctions that contain sweeteners for taste and artificial colorings for a bright hue. Alcohol is often included as well.

It’s true that mouthwash will make your breath smell better for a while. The question is whether that’s achieved by killing off odor-producing bacteria or merely masking the problem. More effective than mouthwash at masking the problem are breath mints. It’s easier to use them repeatedly during the day than to swish mouthwash repeatedly.

The most effective way to reduce bad breath is to brush your tongue when you’re brushing your teeth. Most of the bacteria that cause bad breath reside in a small area near the back of the tongue. Brushing them away with a toothbrush is more effective than rinsing with a mouthwash.

On the other hand, some research has found that two antibacterial ingredients most commonly used in mouthwashes may reduce the levels of bacteria that produce bad breath. What’s more, other mouthwash ingredients (zinc and chlorine dioxide) may neutralize other smelly compounds.

What about gum disease? There are about a dozen species of bacteria, found in plaque, that cause gum disease. They cause inflammation that can break down gum tissue and the bone that holds teeth in place.

Brushing and flossing are the best ways to remove plaque, but the antibacterial ingredients in some mouthwashes do have a modest effect. Look for mouthwashes that have the American Dental Association’s (ADA’s) “Seal of Acceptance” as a plaque fighter.

Finally, most mouthwashes do not prevent cavities — nor do they claim to. Some newer mouthwashes contain fluoride, and some of them have the ADA’s blessing as proven cavity fighters.

So it’s fine to use mouthwash, but brushing and flossing are still the mainstays in preventing cavities and gum disease.

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1 in 8 Adults May Have Sensitive Teeth

Title: 1 in 8 Adults May Have Sensitive Teeth
Category: Health News
Created: 3/1/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/4/2013 12:00:00 AM

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