How To Stop Tooth Decay

I often get asked how to stop tooth decay. You'd think that keeping your teeth healthy by eating healthily & keeping them clean was about as easy as getting off a chairlift - wrong. This movie clip shows -
1) that getting off a chairlift isn't that simple

2) How bacteria form plaque on your teeth and

3) how that plaque ultimately leads to dental decay 

Decay & the subsequent hole that develops is actually a symptom of a disease process called caries. You can only have caries when certain acid-loving bacteria are established in large concentrations in the mouth (to date 60+ bacteria have been recognised to contribute to caries, tooth decay & subsequent cavity formation requiring fillings). This acid-loving bacterial colony is called an “unhealthy biofilm”. It is now possible, using medicaments in the form of mouth rinses & tooth gels & mouth sprays, to change the concentrations of these “bad” bacteria thus altering the bacteria living in your mouth to those that thrive in a more healthy neutral or alkaline environment (healthy biofilm). If this happens then the cycle of getting cavities & needing fillings should stop altogether or slow down.

 

 If you have - 

1) all your cavities restored
2) adequate saliva flow3) a healthy biofilm (good bacteria) &
4) you don’t encourage bad bacteria to “move back into your mouth” by feeding them food/drinks with refined & unrefined sugars

you should not suffer from caries & therefore should not get cavities.

I have compiled some general information & a prescription along with a treatment regime which will assist you. But first

How Tooth Decay Happens

Tooth Decay is caused by certain types of acid loving bacteria (e.g. mutans streptococci and lactobacilli etc) that live in the mouth. When they attach themselves to the teeth and multiply in dental plaque, they can do damage. The bacteria feed on what you eat, especially sugars (including fruit sugars) and cooked starch (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, etc). Within about five minutes after you eat or drink, the bacteria begin producing acids as a by-product of their digesting your food. Those acids can penetrate into the hard substance of the tooth and dissolve some of its minerals (calcium and phosphate). If the acid attacks are infrequent and of short duration, your saliva can help to repair the damage by neutralizing the acids and supplying minerals and fluoride that can replace those lost from the tooth. However if you have many of these bacteria, or your saliva is defective; then the tooth mineral lost by the attacks of acid is too great and cannot be repaired. This is the start of tooth decay and leads to cavities. Smaller cavities are fixed with either dental fillings. Larger cavieties can be fixed with either dental fillings or stronger more long lasting dental crowns & overlays

Read how diagnosis of tiny dental cavities are found with the help of laser Diagnodent diagnosis & then treated in a minimally invasive manner using Dental Air Abrasion

 Methods of Controlling Tooth Decay

• 1.Diet: Reducing the number of sugary and starchy foods, snacks, drinks, or lollies can help reduce the development of tooth decay. That doesn’t mean you can never eat these types of foods, but you should limit their consumption particularly when eating between main meals. A good rule is 3 meals per day and no more than 3 snacks per day. Your last snack/meal of the day should be at least one hour prior to you going to bed.
• 2. Fluorides: Fluorides help make teeth more resistant to being dissolved by bacterial acids. Fluorides are available from a variety of sources such as drinking water, toothpaste, mouth rinses, and products prescribed by your dentist such as brush on gels used at home or gels and foams applied in the dental surgery. Daily use is very important to help protect against the acid attacks.
• 3. Plaque Removal: The most important thing that you can do at home is to clean your teeth at least twice daily for 2 minutes. The purpose of cleaning the teeth is to reduce the overall level of bacteria in your mouth as well as clean the biting surfaces and the sides of the teeth facing the tongue and cheeks. Brushing is also effective in reversing and preventing gingivitis, but in order to control and prevent tooth decay, you must use a toothpaste containing fluoride. However in order to clean between the teeth other oral hygiene aids must be used daily. E.g. Floss, interproximal brushes. Having a professional dental clean with one of our dentists or dental hygienist is a great way of removing dental plaque, dental calculus & scale that you may have missed
• 4. Saliva: Saliva is critical for controlling tooth decay. It neutralizes tooth decay acids and provides minerals and proteins that protect the teeth. If you cannot brush after a meal or snack, you can chew some sugar free gum. This will stimulate the flow of saliva to help neutralize the acids and bring lost minerals back to the teeth. (Sugar free candy and mints could also be used, but some of these contain acids themselves. These acids will not cause tooth decay, but they can slowly dissolve the enamel surface over time (a process called erosion)). Some sugar free gums are designed to help fight tooth decay and are particularly useful if you have a dry mouth (many medications can cause dry mouth). Some gums contain baking soda, which neutralizes the acids produced by the bacteria in plaque.
• Gum that contains xylitol as its first ingredient is the gum of choice. e.g.: Recaldent; Xtra professional or Xtra for kids
• If you have a dry mouth, you could also fill a drinking bottle with water and add 2 teaspoons of baking soda for each 8 ounces of water and swish with it frequently throughout the day. We also have Carifree boost oral spray (small spray bottles premixed to lubricate dry mouth & keep the oral PH around neutral) Toothpastes containing baking soda are also available from several companies.
• 5. Antibacterial mouth rinses: Carifree treatment & maintenance rinse to reduce the number of bad bacteria that cause tooth decay & encourage a healthy more neutral/alkaline biofilm.
• 6. Preventative resin restorations are plastic coatings bonded to the biting surfaces of back teeth to protect the deep grooves from decay. In some people, the grooves on the surfaces of the teeth are too narrow and deep to clean with a toothbrush, so they may decay in spite of your best efforts thus creating “reservoirs” of bad bacteria that subsequently seed the rest of your mouth causing cavities elsewhere. Sealants are an excellent preventative measure for children and young adults at risk.

Medicaments available in the form of mouth rinses, tooth gels, fluoride applications & mouth sprays are all available at Milford Dentists, North Shore Auckland.

General Prescription

• 1) Floss daily
• 2) Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste
• 3) Limit sugary snacks and drinks between meals
• 4) Chew xylitol chewing gum (Recaldent; xtra professional or xtra for kids) after meals or snacking when you cannot brush.
• 5) Drink more water
• 6) Have regular dental cleaning with your dental Hygienist or Dentist
• 7) Use a dental water pick

Please ask us which dental products are suitable to help improve the health of your mouth. 

posted by Andrea

Milford Dentists is proud to help the good people of the North Shore with all their dental requirements; especially in our mission to help you iradicate dental tooth decay - From Devonport and Belmont up through Takapuna, Castor Bay,Mairangi Bay & Browns Bay as well as Albany, Northcote, Hillcrest & the Whangaporoa Peninsula give us a call - 09 4896575.

Dental Accident & Emergency

A dental accident & emergency can happen at any time......... So I'm watching TV when I get this text from my fantastic dental technician David De Wet of Oral Art. Just one look at at the attached photo & I knew that this young chap from Takapuna (and his parents & his twin sister) would be very uspset. Fortunately he had already seen a dentist who had checked for any nerve exposures. Thank goodness there weren't. He arrived at my practice with the piece of fractured tooth in a little bag of water to keep the tooth fragment hydrated. Mum filled out an ACC form & we were off.

Amazingly this 10 year old had no pain. After taking a digital x-ray & checking that his tooth was still alive (which it was) I checked to see if the two halves of his tooth would fit together - They did perfectly. Things were looking good. I now put my dental bonding hat on & thoroughly cleaned both the tooth in Takapuna Chaps mouth & the tooth fragment using a gentle spray of powder & sand (this is called dental air abrasion). This creates a superb surface for gluing or dental bonding. I used a clear dental veneer cement to carefully rebond chip A to tooth B.

I think the end result is most pleasing & this lovely family from Takapuna, North Shore, let out a colective sigh of relief.

So if this happens to you or a family member, it is possible to reattach your tooth fragment using dental bonding. If possible try & find the piece of broken tooth & bring it a long. 

If the whole tooth is knocked out you need to get to a dentist as quickly as possible.

Things to do if a whole tooth is knocked out -
1) If someone feels confident, the best thing to do is pick the tooth up by the crown (never hold the tooth by the root) & push it back into the socket if it is clean
2) Then get to a dentist or failing that a hospital A&E ASAP
3) If the root of the tooth is not clean, whilst holding the tooth by the crown, run the root under a jet of water ie tap water or squirt water from a drink bottle, until all the debris has been removed, then push it back into the socket
4) Get to a dentist or failing that a hospital A&E ASAP
5) If you can't get to a dentist quickly you can make a splint by wrapping tin foil over the damaged tooth and its neighbours to help hold it in place & then get to a dentist
6) If you can get to a dentist & don't feel confident about putting the tooth back into the socket, the tooth needs to be carried correctly to the dentist or A&E. If the patient is able to/old enough to understand what's going on, the best place to keep the tooth is in the patients mouth under the tongue
2) If this is not possible then put the tooth in milk
3) If this is not possible then put the tooth in water

If you chip your tooth & don't have the fragment the tooth is often repaired using dental composite resins / white fillings & dental bonding.  

If you break your tooth in a more structural way an option may be to place a dental tooth veneer or dental crown to strengthen your tooth, & improve it's appearance

One of the main functions of any dental practice is the treatment of dental emergencies & we are here to help the good people of the North Shore with all their dental requirements - From Devonport and Belmont up through Takapuna, Castor Bay,Mairangi Bay & Browns Bay as well as Albany, Northcote, Hillcrest & the Whangaporoa Peninsula and beyond.

What is Gum Disease?

I get asked “what is gum infection” and “how does gum infection happen all the time…….. Also “why do my gums bleed when I brush them” and why do I need a scale & polish” are other favourite questions. Well, gum disease is a bacterial infection of the tooth supporting structures of your mouth ie your gums, the fibres that attach the tooth to your jaw bone (periodontal ligament) & the bone surrounding your teeth. Gum disease begins with plaque. Plaque is continually forming on your teeth, without you even knowing it. Plaque is a bacterial colony. This plaque formation creates a layer on your teeth called a”Biofilm”. The following film clip gives you an idea of the way gum infection happens.  Wait for the biofilm bit where, using time lapse photography, starting with a clean tooth over an 8 hour period you can see just how quickly plaque forms on a tooth – scary stuff for people who don’t brush their teeth

The longer this plaque biofilm is left, the more “glued” onto your tooth it becomes & the harder it is for you to remove it yourself. Without this Bacterial Biofilm everybody would have healthy gums. This is why keeping your teeth clean with correct tooth brushing - at least twice a day for 2 minutes, flossing daily & the use of interdental brushes & a water pick is critical to maintaining a healthy mouth. Gingivitis and periodontitis are the two main stages of gum disease. The end result of untreated periodontitis is the early or premature loss of teeth. After about the age of 18 years more, people loose teeth because of gum infection than because of tooth decay. People usually don’t show signs of gum disease until they are in their 30s or 40s. Gum disease can usually be prevented by good and careful teeth cleaning and regular cleanings or scale and polishes with your dentist or hygienist. Gum disease is a threat to your oral health, & there is now evidence that this bacterial infection is a cause of heart / cardiovascular disease & other systemic problems distant to the mouth. This is caused by these infectious bacteria getting into your blood stream & ”finishing up” causing bacterial infections elsewhere eg in your blood vessels around the heart.

Signs of gum disease
1) Gums that bleed easily when you brush your teeth
2) Gums that are red inflamed or tender
3) Persistent case of bad breath
4) Constant bad taste in your mouth
4) Pus appears between gums and teeth
5) Receding gums that make your teeth look longer
6) Deep pockets surrounding gums and teeth
7) A tooth or teeth becoming loose
8) A change in your bite or teeth does not fit together well

The good news is that, if the gum disease is detected on its early stage, it can be treated and reversed. We at Milford Dentists treat gum infection. See Karen our Dental Hygienist to get an idea of how healthy your gums are

Posted by Andrea

Milford Dentists is proud to help the good people of the North Shore with all their dental requirements; especially in our mission to help you iradicate gum infection / periodontitis - From Devonport and Belmont up through Takapuna, Castor Bay,Mairangi Bay & Browns Bay as well as Albany, Northcote, Hillcrest, the Whangaporoa Peninsula and beyond give us a call - 09 4896575