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Showing posts from September, 2020

WHY DO WE HAVE WHITE SPOTS ON TEETH ? HOW TO GET RID OF IT?

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White spots on teeth can look quite unappealing. While they don't indicate bad health condition, but can affect a person's self confidence while interacting with others. This is nothing but decalcification or hypocalcification of enamel, due to the  loss of mineral content of the outer layer of tooth called enamel.  These white spots are weakend enamel, which if not treated at the right time, may cause certain complications in the overall aesthetic  appearance of the teeth.  HOW IT HAPPENS? There are different reasons for this condition.  ~ Fluorosis ~ Bacterial over growth  ~ Enamel hypoplasia ~ Due to orthodontic braces (Post orthodontic treatment) ~ Nutritional deficiency  ~ Medications  ~ Smoking while pregnancy FLUOROSIS   Fluoride in proper amount is good for teeth. It is an anti caries agent, but anything more is always bad. Like that over fluoride intake also leads to a condition like fluorosis, causing white  spot on the tooth surfac

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF A MISSING TOOTH/TEETH ?

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You may be aware of how teeth are important to your appearance, but you may not know how missing teeth can harm your dental health.  Even a tooth which, does not show when you smile must be replaced, because all of your teeth work together to help you in chewing, speech. If a tooth is missing these simple actions may become difficult to do.  A missing tooth may cause the surrounding teeth to shift or become crooked and can change your bite. This leads to cavities, gum diseases and bite problem(occlusion). A missing tooth in the lower jaw may lead to the gradual downward movement of the upper tooth opposite to it, which is known as supra eruption.  You might only be chewing from any one side of your mouth, causing extra tension to the TMJ, leading to pain disorders or it can affect your bite and place unusual stress on your teeth. It may also cause your face to look older, make difficult in chewing food and in speech too.  THREE MAIN OPTIONS TO REPLAC

HOW SOFT DRINKS ARE BAD FOR TOOTH ENAMEL??

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Everyone loves sipping on soft drinks. They are not just sweet, but certainly a thirst quencher. But every sip you make, sugar activates acids and bacteria inside our mouth, which slowly destroys tooth enamel causing cavities and also washes away the outer enamel layer resulting in the exposure of dentin.   An acid attack lasts up to 20 minutes in our mouth just by consuming soft drink. It can also cause discoloration and stains on the teeth. Our saliva has a pH between 6.7 - 7.6(neutral), while the soft drinks we consume has a pH  range between 4 - 2.4 (acidic). So when you’re drinking acidic beverages, the pH level of your saliva drops which leads to dimineralisation of enamel. THE TWO MAIN WAYS THE SOFT DRINKS EFFECTS THE TOOTH ENAMEL   The carbonated soft drinks mainly affect the tooth by forming dental caries  on the tooth caused by bacteria and erosion due to acids the drinks contains. When the acids in the soft drinks comes in contact wit

HOW DOES CIGARETTE SMOKING AFFECTS ORAL HEALTH

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Smoking cigarettes not only affects our teeth and gums, but also is responsible to cause multiple malignancies in other parts of human body including pharynx, Lungs, esophagus, reproductive system, etc. Researches show that smoking leads to alteration of genes that may affect our health, causes risk of cancer or diabetes.   There are thousands of chemicals released in a cigarette smoke in which some of the main harmful contents are nicotine, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, acetone and much more.  HOW SMOKING AFFECTS ORAL HEALTH     Smoking contributes to periodontitis by decreasing the production of saliva and By damaging bodies ability to fight of infection (decreases immune response). • Stains   It is very common side effects of smoking, due to the tar, nicotine and tobacco. It can turn your teeth brown or yellow very quickly and for long term Smokers stains can become permanent and can penetrate enamel layer too.  • Bad breath Even aft

WHY DO WE HAVE A BAD BREATH !?? HOW TO GET RID OF BAD BREATH ?

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Oral cavity consist of more than 700 species of bacterias,in which most of them are harmless and aids in food digestion. But Some such as  Streptococcus mutants  and Porphyromonas gingivalis have been linked to tooth decay and periodontitis.  WHAT IS BAD BREATH OR HALITOSIS?   - It's an unpleasant smell coming from mouth mainly due to bacteria activities inside mouth. - It can be of occasional or due to any chronic conditions.  - It may be caused by food the person eats, poor oral hygiene,disease ,due to some medications or any other conditions too.  WHAT REALLY HAPPENS INSIDE THE MOUTH CAUSING THIS UNPLEASANT SMELL?  - After you eat, the bacteria inside the mouth starts their work, consuming the remaining food particles left in your mouth and secreting waste products known as volatile sulfur compounds, which smells as rotten eggs causing bad breath.  POSSIBLE CAUSES OF BAD BREATH  - Poor oral hygiene  - Eating strongly flavoured foods, such as Garlic,Onion

WHY DO WE HAVE A TOOTH SENSITIVITY?? HOW TO GET RID FROM TOOTH SENSITIVITY

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WHAT IS TOOTH SENSITIVITY?  Tooth sensitivity is nothing but acute, sharp, intense pain from internal part of tooth when it is exposed to external stimuli.  This stimuli could be from food such as hot, cold,  acidic and sweet. It can also get triggered by touch too.  This is due to exposure of a layer called dentin when the outer hard enamel layer wears off. To understand this concept you have to know about the tooth anatomy.  Tooth consist of enamel, dentin, pulp and cementum. Enamel is the outer hard structure composed of calcium phosphate minerals.  Dentin is the second/middle layer of  contains of dentinal tubules and mineral. Dentine is much softer than enamel,and have nerve fibres.  The inner most core is the pulp consists of living tissues (Have blood and nerve supply).The cementum is the layer covering the root portion of the tooth.    As dentine contains nerve fibres at one end of tubules, when it is exposed to external stimuli ,we feel severe tooth sen

HOW DIABETES IS RELATED TO GUM DISEASE??

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Diabetic patients have three times greater risk in developing  periodontal disease than individuals who does not have diabetes.  Hyperglycemia influence progression of periodontal disease - Periodontitis affects the glycemic control,  both effects vice versa.   Both type1 and type2 have increased incidences to produce diabetics.  Now ,properly controlled diabetes by itself does not directly cause periodontitis but affects how periodontal tissue respond's  to local factors plaque ( Coating of bacteria on tooth surface ) , thereby creating an environment for development of periodontal disease.  Diabetic patients have aged unhealthy collagen ( structural protein/connective tissue ) that is susceptible to easy breakdown and has poor healing or self repair capacity.  Periodontitis raises blood sugar level and may lead to type2 diabetes for an individual  who never had such condition. "Diabetes causes the blood vessel to become thicker and haits the passage