When Filling Failure Is Linked to Lifestyle

Dental fillings, whether it’s silver amalgam, ceramics, or the newer composite resins, have been proved to last many years. Their durability and strength, as well as aesthetics and ease of preparation for some, make them very popular options in restorative dentistry. When they fail, which does happen, it is not difficult to have replacements.

But why do they fail in the first place? There are cases that last a lifetime. Was it the wrong filling material? Or did the dentist not do a good preparation?

A team of researchers from Brazil and the US think they have the answer. They were able to access a large repository of dental records from a Pittsburgh dental school in which contained information on patient fillings and rates of failure up to five years after the filling procedure. The records also show the lifestyle profile of individual patients.

Now within two years of the dental procedure, the team found that fillings were starting to fail. The failure rate was higher in those who were alcohol drinkers, still higher in those who smoke. They also found the enzyme – matrix metalloproteinase (MMP2), found in teeth and is of a genetic component, which was linked to increased filling failure. The researchers think that MMP2 might be degrading the bond between the filling and the tooth surface. This is not confirmatory as further investigation is needed. However, the personal factors aforementioned seem to influence filling failure and it has nothing to do with filling type.

This study can help the profession better understand why and which individual is more susceptible to dental disease, as caries. Dentists can better variate their treatment options, educate their patients, and encourage follow-through with susceptible patients.

As far as the aforementioned genetic component of those teeth at risk due to the enzyme MMP2, the team of researchers are looking to the future to be able to personalize dental treatments and enhance treatment outcomes.

Lifestyle Change for Long-Lasting Fillings

It is part and parcel of any treatment regimen we offer patients here at Lynnwood Song Dental to educate and inform, so that our patients get the most of our professional know-how. Lifestyle change is one of those important recommendations we make if need be, for treatment success.

Identifying the Enemy

Caries is the most common chronic disease worldwide affecting people across all spectra of life and all ages, especially children. Children are highly prone to the condition owing to multi-factorial reasons ranging from love of sweets, nutrition, eating habits, oral care, genetic conditions and varied environmental factors. Some are more prone to caries than others. Some, with proper care and guidance, can surmount the condition and maintain relatively good dental health way into adulthood.

Researchers at Umeå University in Sweden have made a novel discovery of particular variants of caries-causing bacteria in some children that are highly virulent or aggressive. Children who have these variants suffer from rampant caries that can also pose an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and other systemic diseases in the future. The children are considered to be high-risk.

The causative bacterium, called Streptococcus mutans, is found in some children’s saliva and they have an adhesive quality, able to withstand the mouth’s acidic and antibacterial environment. The bacterium itself is acid-producing. It does not respond to traditional treatments and, if present, can attack any lifestyle.

It is the aim of this is a five-year study to lead to a better way of identifying high-risk patients and treat their caries. This new knowledge is helpful in several ways: it can identify types of bacteria and how they initiate caries to be able to improve individualized dental care; the bacteria could be used as biomarkers for early detection of high-risk patients; new targets for treatment can be developed.

Other studies came to support this new knowledge, such as that which analyzed the saliva of 450+ children (ages 12-17) and their bacterial content divided into various risk groupings based on the genetic type of the caries bacterium. The next 5 years studied how the caries developed in each grouping. Another study showed that other high-risk children have genetic defects in their saliva receptors for bacteria, and the affected genes may involve those in so-called autoimmune diseases.

Nonetheless, it is still important to emphasise that caries in the many individuals who are of low to medium risk for developing caries can still be modulated by right eating and oral hygiene habits.

Battling All Types of Dental Caries in Lynnwood

We at Lynnwood dentistry are of the belief that dental caries are more of a preventable condition. We always of the belief that proper oral hygiene, good nutrition and good eating habits, and regular dental visits are crucial in our battle against caries-causing dental caries.

The Link: Dental Caries and Overweight Children

A sub-study from Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, on children’s diet, BMI and well-being has made a telling road map to dental health. It reviewed the eating behavior, BMI and dental health of 271 pre-school and primary school children in Sweden and compared the results with the prevalence of caries-causing microorganisms present in saliva. Those children who had higher amount of caries bacteria also had significantly higher BMI and worse eating habits. They consumed more sugar-rich foods and indulge in them more often. The link is now clear.

If eating habits are like so, it is not difficult to associate them with dental caries. However, weight gain along side of dental health is looking at it in a different perspective. The education of these kids about eating healthy and eating well must start early enough, from the home, in fact. This has to be supplemented with a school-based curriculum on nutrition and oral health.

In Sweden, where children are seen early by dentists, the chances of catching and correcting bad eating habits can be timely. Yet it still needs the collaboration of general dentistry, the child health care and schools. The concept of following recommended dietary guidelines – whole grain products, 400-500 grams of fruit and vegetables per day, fish two to three times a week, and a low intake of sugar and saturated fat – lead to better mental well-being. Proper food choices help a child’s good esteem of self which in turn leads to fewer emotional problems.

The effects were achieved regardless of socio-economic background, and regardless of the children’s weight. The study also furthered show that a good self-esteem can lead to healthier eating habits even 2 years later.

So how do you protect your child from becoming overweight? The researchers say that you can’t stop your child from over-eating or put them on a diet as it doesn’t work that way. Children between the age of 2-10 who were stopped from eating by their parents were generally overweight 5-6 years later. You must find other ways or compliment the method with other ways.

For example, you have to make decisions on what you eat at home as a family. You have to make healthy choices as kids generally do as you do. They follow what you do, not what you say.

Helping Children Cope in Lynnwood

Know from your Lynnwood dentist how better to manage your child’s over-eating and set his or her sights on the goal of better well-being. Proper oral care and regular visits are much a part of that goal.

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The Essentiality of Vitamin D

Calcium and phosphorus are widely known essential minerals needed by the body to promote bone health. Vitamin D helps metabolize these minerals and in turn affects how calcium is deposited in the bones. Hence, lack of this vitamin can jeopardise proper bone development and growth.

In infants and young children, this deficiency is called rickets and manifests as restlessness, lack of sleep, slow growth, a delay in crawling, sitting or walking. Left untreated, nodules can appear in joints, cause aches, pains and swelling, bones can grow rapidly especially in the arms and in the ribcage which can extend the chest as the bones do not fuse well at the ends. Pregnant mothers can pass it on if they are deficient also. Abnormal development and decay of teeth may also occur.

Anthropologists from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada have discovered interesting finds in human teeth that hold a detailed and permanent record of serious Vitamin D deficiency, or rickets. Upon X-ray, skeletal remains reveal their teeth have dentin deformities, preserved by the enamel which doesn’t break down easily like bones do. It told the researchers that people who lived centuries ago can have rickets if they are deprived of sunlight, the main source of vitamin D. In severe deficiency, the tooth pulp is asymmetrical and constricted and typically looks like the profile of a hard-backed chair, very much different from that of healthy, normal pulp.

These findings may be able to help those with ongoing issues of bone health to be able to arrest the condition timely. The researchers say that If regular dental X-rays show a problem, blood tests can confirm whether there is a deficiency. In case of children whose bones are still growing, an early X-ray of the teeth may help identify Vitamin-D related bone deficiency.

Detection By Dental X-Rays

Ask your Lynnwood dentist regarding vitamin deficiency and if it’s going to show up in your teeth. In all probability, you’re alright – you would have had sufficient sunlight growing up. Nonetheless, dental X-rays are always helpful, in many ways.

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It’s All About The Sugar

Carbonated water is also called sparkling water, a refreshing beverage and an alternative to sugary soft drinks. It’s trendy, perky and energizing. But is it just our dissatisfaction with shelves upon shelves of other drinks in the market? Aren’t you worried about claims that sparkling water is bad for your health? Your teeth in particular?

Sparkling water is just water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. It produces a bubbly drink and that’s why it’s also called seltzer water, fizzy water, soda water or club water. Sodium and other minerals are sometimes added for taste. Sparkling water is slightly acidic, triggering a burning, prickly sensation that can be both irritating and enjoyable.

However, experts say that, drinking acidic beverages like carbonated water does not make your body more acidic. Your kidneys and lungs can remove excess carbon dioxide, maintaining your blood at slightly alkaline ph.

Because sparkling water is acidic, the question is, can it harm tooth enamel? A study found that it can damage slightly more than still water, yet a hundred times less damaging than soft drinks. Another study claimed that it can potentially damage enamel if it has added sugar. There’s another trial wherein samples of tooth enamel were placed in various beverages for up to 24 hours.

The result?

Carbonated and non-carbonated drinks with sugar resulted in significantly greater enamel loss than diet drinks. Hence, sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages can erode tooth enamel, but plain carbonated water appears to be relatively harmless.

Carbonated drinks seem to have some benefits affecting digestion. It is said to improve swallowing, helps one feel full longer than plain water, and may relieve constipation. Where bone health is concerned, plain sparkling water appears to have a neutral or positive effect; however, carbonated cola drinks may harm bone health.

Recommending Carbonated Drinks Without Sugar

Sparkling water is just fine for us at Song Dental. We indulge this refreshing drink occasionally and have fun. Nonetheless, your dental experts in Lynnwood are more into plain water, with fluoride. Visit us and know more about healthy and not-so- healthy drinks.

Top Advice in Oral Hygiene

Even if you have the most thorough professional dental cleaning every 6 months or so, if don’t do much for oral hygiene in the remaining 363 days of the year, good dental health may not be pretty much achieved.

Veteran dental hygienists give the top oral hygiene tips of all time.

1. Fight bacteria with brushing, flossing and rinses. Bacteria is the culprit in tooth decay and gum disease. Don’t put off flossing during the day; no barriers should keep you from it.
2. Keep dental appointments faithfully. Twice a year professional cleanings are an essential part of dental visits. Missing only one can make things really tough for teeth and gums to handle.
3. Floss thoroughly. It takes time and a lot of practice to be thorough. Brushing alone is not enough which takes care of top surfaces and sides of teeth, but not the in-betweens.
4. White teeth is not always a sign of healthy teeth. Color does not necessarily matter, just like skin tone.
5. Drinking water is better than coffee and sodas. While coffee can stain and both coffee and sodas are acidic to the enamel, limit them considerably and stick to plain water.
6. Clean the tongue by scraping or brushing it. Use one direction only, or you’ll gag. Bacteria can live on your tongue. Want to have fresh breath? Clean the tongue daily.
7. Spend quality time with your toothbrush. Brush twice daily, spending a good 2 minutes at the least per brushing session. Do routinely, in the morning when waking up, in the evening before bedtime.
8. Have the oral exam. At twice a year visits, one must ask for a thorough oral exam. Screening can detect early cavities, gingivitis, oral cancer and other suspicious changes in the gums, tongue, soft tissue, jawbone, and throat. Early detection can save lives.
9. Take care of your teeth and gums well and you can avoid wearing dentures.
10. There is no excuse not to have a clean mouth. With all the dental aids and dental products available, like water flossers and air flossers, power toothbrushes and dental picks, there is no reason not to be able to attain clean and healthy teeth and gums. The better to smile with.

Your Friendly Dental Hygienist in Lynnwood

Your dental hygienists over at Song Dental in Lynnwood are some of the most experienced and affable practitioners you’ll find around. We provide quality professional cleanings and great advice to live by.

Original Article

Bleaching Versus Laser Whitening

Teeth whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures today. People recognize the benefits that improved appearances can bestow on careers and personal lives. One’s self-esteem and confidence get a tremendous boost with a bright, pearly white smile. Clients also love the relative ease of getting the procedure, its affordable cost, fast, noticeable results, and noninvasive manner.

The most popular teeth whitening requested is in-office whitening, also called ‘professional bleaching’, performed in the clinic by your dentist. It can be accomplished within one session and may take an hour or less. Your gums are protected by a rubber shield or a gel, the whitening product (usually hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide) is placed in a special tray which fits into your mouth like a mouthguard. As peroxide is broken down, oxygen seeps into the enamel lightening its color. You may need two or three visits to the dentist while you continue the treatment at home.

Gaining in popularity is laser whitening or ‘power whitening’. Also using the rubber shield for protection, the bleaching product is painted onto your teeth. Laser is shone on the teeth to activate the chemical in the bleaching product. The light speeds up the reaction of the whitening product and the colour change can be achieved faster. It can make teeth up to five or six shades lighter and may take an hour in one sitting.

Which teeth whitening procedure is best for you?
While there are teeth whitening products that are easily bought over-the-counter, their effectiveness depends on the strength of the whitening agents. Instructions have to be followed properly, yet some may be ineffective. We are just concerned here about professionally administered whitening procedures.

Both professional bleaching and laser whitening can cause tooth sensitivity due to the high concentrations of their bleaching agents. That’s why strict adherence to proper procedure is observed, with precautionary measures like rubber dams and desensitizing agents.

However, laser whitening is a much quicker procedure and requires less dental visits. It provides higher grades of lightening that can be maintained by simple home care. Also, laser equipment is a precision machine requiring expert handling by the dentist who has to have special training for it. The cost of the treatment is a special concern, though. Laser therapy is a more expensive option than regular bleaching. Still, it is a popular option, the cost offset by its many benefits.

Safe and Efficient Laser Whitening in Lynnwood

Song Dental offers both teeth whitening procedures in Lynnwood. See us and know which one best suits your purpose. Either way, you’ll have excellent dental cosmetic work done for improved smiles.

Wisdom Teeth Dilemma: Staying or Going

Third molars, also called wisdom teeth, are infamous for being trouble-makers. In many cases, wisdom teeth grow in impacted, not always straight in their positions. As such, they can cause damage to other teeth and their irregular angle of growth can crowd other teeth in the mouth. Their very posterior location in the arch makes them difficult to clean; the toothbrush often do not reach them adequately. If they didn’t grow in straight, all the more are they difficult to clean. Hence, they can trap food debris that cause plaque build-up. Susceptible to caries, the wisdom teeth increase your risk for gingivitis and periodontal disease.

With the risk involved, dentist often recommend extraction. But should the teeth be perfect in their place, straight in position and are healthy, there is no need to take them out. Only those that will present problems are candidates for removal.

If all four third molars should prove problematic, then all should be extracted. Will it be wise to have them all removed in one sitting or should that be at different times?

You might be worried about the pain and trauma to your tissues, your recovery time, especially the time it will take you to get back to your normal routine, if you should opt for the surgery one time only. This is not to mention how those open wounds will affect your food intake and speech facility. Actually, it is a wiser choice to have it done all together.

Multiple visits to the dental surgeon will cost you more in fees, anesthesia, hours and time off from your regular routine because of the inconvenience. Discomfort and not pain may be an issue with you but whether that’s one or four extractions does not differ much in discomfort.

The wound sites usually heal within about three to five days, and the gums are completely recovered within a few weeks. The better to have them done at once as you save more resources this way. Your dentist-surgeon will advise you anyway to prepare yourself for the appointed day, including stocking up on the prescribed soft foods you need during your recovery and that somebody can take you home after the procedure which may leave you groggy or dizzy, post-anesthesia. Follow your dentist’s instructions faithfully to have a safe and uneventful recovery.

Best Wisdom Teeth Extraction Options

When it is about wisdom teeth extraction, come to Song Dental in Lynnwood for best options. Let us look into your individual situation and agree on the best course of action. We personalize surgery in Lynnwood.