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Bulimia, how it harms your teeth.

How Bulimia Harms your teeth

Bulimia teeth typically look worn in ways that healthy teeth do not. The back sides of the front teeth show significant wear and tear. This uncommon pattern is a major sign. It only takes 6 months to begin to see the negative effects of vomiting. Teeth can’t hold up under the damage of stomach acid forever, some may begin to yellow, become more brittle, or have a more porous texture. Chipping may also begin to occur at this stage.

This is because of your teeth’s regular exposure to stomach acids. These acids begin to corrode the protective enamel layer around your teeth. The more you purge, the more they come into contact with this delicate covering. The sugary foods that bingeing often involves can make tooth decay even worse. This can lead to tooth sensitivity to cold foods, warm foods, and sweets.

Not only does constant cycles of bingeing and purging harm your teeth, it also take a massive toll on the heart, digestive tract, and kidneys, to name a few.

Unexpected problems bulimia can cause

  • Bite problems – back teeth are especially susceptible to long-term erosion, and patients could even lose them over time. Once this happens, your bite could become painful. This stage presents about 3 years into frequent vomiting.
  • Gingivitis and periodontal disease – (almost inevitable) Stomach acid repeatedly washes against the gums, causing inflammation and damage. As the gums weaken, the teeth they hold can become loose or, in extreme cases, even fall out.
  • Sore oral tissues – the skin in your mouth and throat can experience this wear and tear as well. This is particularly hard on the roof of your mouth and your esophagus as acid moves through. Painful sores can emerge, swell, or become infected, resulting in a chronic sore throat and aching mouth.
  • Jaw pain – vomiting and binge eating put patients in a high risk category for chronic jaw pain, headaches, chewing issues, and snoring.
  • Lower saliva production – This slower flow leads to higher instances of dry mouth.Stomach acid can irritate your salivary glands, leading to difficulty swallowing. Furthermore, the presence of saliva defends your teeth from decay. Its absence can worsen cavities already caused by erosion.

Seek Help

Dental work can only repair eroding teeth and other issues. It cannot reverse or stop the effects of bulimia. Your mouth and body will continue to suffer as long as this habit continues, so opt for long-term solutions as well.

Your teeth are incredibly important, but so is your well-being. There are resources available to you that will improve your health and relationship with eating. As dentists, we play one part in the whole story of restoring you back to the healthiest version of yourself.

Dental Anxiety – How we can help

The Fear Stops Here: Techniques for Coping with Dental Anxiety

Every day, your dentist welcomes patients into their practice that are dealing with dental anxiety. While there are many degrees, the fear and anxiety associated with dental visits can sometimes prevent patients from seeking the dental care they need, resulting in more significant problems in the future.

As your partner in oral health, your dentist wants you to know that they’ll always do their best to put you at ease during visits. Here are a few ways that you can work to overcome dental anxiety and feel more comfortable during your time with your dentist.

Communication is key

One of the most effective ways to overcome dental anxiety is to communicate your fears and concerns with your dental office. They’ll help you understand the treatments you’ll undergo, the level of discomfort you can expect, and how they’ll help make the experience more comfortable for you.

Try relaxation techniques

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and visuali[z]ation can help reduce anxiety and make dental visits less stressful. Before your appointment, take a few minutes to practice deep breathing exercises or visuali[z]ation techniques to help calm your nerves. During your appointment, try to focus on your breathing or visuali[z]e a calming scene to help reduce your anxiety.

Choose a distraction

Distraction techniques such as listening to music, watching TV, or reading a book can help take your mind off of the treatment.

Bring a friend or family member

Having a friend or family member with you during your visit can help provide comfort and support. Your companion can help distract you and provide reassurance throughout the visit.

Consider sedation

For patients with severe dental anxiety, sedation can be an effective option to help them relax during their dental procedure. There are different levels of sedation, from mild sedation (such as laughing gas) to deep sedation (such as general anesthesia). Your dentist is happy to offer sedation options in the practice–call them to learn more.

If you are experiencing dental anxiety, your dentist will work with you to develop a plan that allows you to feel more comfortable and confident during your time with them!

Dental Cleaning – What to expect

Have you every gotten your invoice after your dental cleaning and wonder what the heck it all means? What on earth is prophylaxis… or root planning? What am I paying for?!

Recall/Recare exam

This exam is performed by your dentist – they will check any areas of concern noted by your hygienist, check your oral tissues, look at past x-rays as compared to your current ones, and check any other functional or aesthetic problems you wish to discuss.

Scaling

When using an ultrasonic scaler, a vibrating metal tip on the tool chips tartar off of your teeth above your gum line. Then, a water spray on the scaler washes away the tartar and flushes plaque from the gum pockets. Or, your hygienist will use a manual (not powered) hand scaler and scraping device to remove small remaining pieces of tartar.

Root Planning

Root planing is like tooth scaling except it takes place on the roots of your teeth that sit below your gum line.During root planing, your hygienist will use a tool to gently push aside your gum tissue and expose the surface of the roots. Then uses the same tooth scaling tools to chip tartar from the roots, making them smooth.

Prophy/Prophylaxis

This is what most people call “polishing”. A slow speed dental drill with a rubber cup attachment is dipped in a slightly abrasive polishing paste and used to clean and polish the teeth. It moves in a rotational pattern and feels similar to brushing your teeth.

Fluoride – Varnish/Trays/Rinse

Fluoride varnish: is a liquid form of fluoride that it brushed onto your teeth at the end of your cleaning appointment. It comes in many flavours and is the most effective form of fluoride application. Though you no longer leave the dentist with that squeaky clean feeling, you’re doing your tooth enamel a world of good!

Fluoride Trays: Your hygienist places a thin ribbon of the fluoride gel into each upper and lower fluoride tray. The trays are seated on the upper and lower teeth and remain in place for 5 minutes. Only a small amount of fluoride should come out of the base of the trays when they are placed, otherwise, there may be too much fluoride in the trays. After 5 minutes, they trays are removed and you spit out the remaining fluoride. It is very important not to rinse your mouth, drink or eat for at least 30 minutes after your cleaning.

Fluoride Rinse: While we do not use fluoride rinse as it is proven to be clinically ineffective, it is used much like a mouth wash (such as Lysterine) and swished in the mouth for 30 seconds and spit out.

Bite Wings/Periapical X-Rays

A bite wing x-ray shows the upper and lower back teeth in a single view and is taken to see how the upper and lower teeth line up, to check for decay, and discover bone loss due to infection and serious gum disease. A periapical x-ray shows your entire tooth, from the crown to the root tip. They are particularly useful when diagnosing abscesses and necessary root canal treatment. X-rays are not taken at every cleaning, but we recommend doing them annually or if you are having a particular problem that needs diagnosis.

Panographic X-Ray

A panoramic x-ray is a two-dimensional (2-D) dental x-ray hat captures the entire mouth in a single image, including the teeth, upper and lower jaws, surrounding structures and tissues. It is taken in a special machine that goes around the head and captures images of your entire mouth, face from the nose down, sinuses, and nerves.

Velscope

A velscope is a wireless handheld device that uses natural tissue fluorescence to enhance our ability to detect abnormalities in the mouth that are often invisible to the naked eye. Unlike regular oral cancer screening, which involves visual examination for red, white, or black spots in the mouth, Velscope uses a superior blue light to excite molecules deep within the layer of our oral mucosal tissues, i.e. the mucous membrane lining the inside of the mouth. These excited molecules then emit their own light in shades of green, yellow, and red. The Veloscope’s proprietary filter makes fluorescence visualisation possible through blocking the reflected blue light and enhancing the contrast between the normal and abnormal tissue. Basically, Velscope allows dentists to detect dysplastic cells or cells that are just beginning to make their transformation into pre-cancerous cells through abnormal fluorescence patterns.

As always, if you have any questions about you bill, please contact our front desk and we’d be happy to explain all charges.

Aligner Tray Cleaning – How to

How To Clean Aligner Trays: What TO DO

There are plenty of varying tips for cleaning your aligner trays, and advice will probably differ slightly even from dentist to dentist. That being said, the general guidelines are as follows:

When and How Many Times Do I Have to Clean Aligner Trays?

It would be best to clean your aligners at least twice daily, using a soft-bristled toothbrush and lukewarm water to gently remove stains, bacteria, and food particles. You can gently brush your aligners after every meal before putting them back in your mouth, but you should at least rinse them if you don’t brush them.

Once every few days or once per week, you should soak your aligners in a special cleansing solution.

How To Clean Aligner Trays: What NOT to DO

There are a surprising amount of rules and guidelines when it comes to cleaning your  aligners, but it’s imperative that you follow them lest you ruin your trays and have to order more, delaying your treatment time and potentially costing you more as well. So, before you go about cleaning your aligners, take a look at the list of don’ts when it comes to aligner cleaning:

Vaping and Cavities – What you need to know

A vaping habit could end up leading to a tarnished smile, and more frequent visits to the dentist.

Research from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine found patients who used vaping devices have a higher risk of developing cavities. With CDC surveys reporting that 9.1 million American adults — and 2 million teenagers — use tobacco-based vaping products, that means a lot of vulnerable teeth.

The association between vaping and risk of cavities serve as an alert that this once seemingly harmless habit may be very detrimental.

Over the last few years, public awareness has increased about the dangers of vaping to health, particularly after the use of vaping devices was tied to lung disease. Some dental research has shown ties between e-cigarette use and increased markers for gum disease, and, separately, damage to the tooth’s enamel. But relatively little emphasis has been placed on the intersection between e-cigarette use and oral health, even by dentists.

The recent findings of the research may be just a hint of the damage vaping causes to the mouth. “The extent of the effects on dental health, specifically on dental decay, are still relatively unknown,” lead researcher, Karina Irusa says.

This study, Irusa says, is the first known specifically to investigate the association of vaping and e-cigarettes with the increased risk for getting cavities. She and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 13,000 patients older than 16 who were treated at Tufts dental clinics from 2019-2022.

While the vast majority of the patients said they did not use vapes, there was a statistically significant difference in dental caries risk levels between the e-cigarette/vaping group and the control group. Some 79% of the vaping patients were categorized as having high-caries risk, compared to just about 60% of the control group.

One reason why e-cigarette use could contribute to a high risk of cavities is the sugary content and viscosity of vape liquid, which, when aerosolized and then inhaled through the mouth, sticks to the teeth. Vaping aerosols have been shown to change the oral microbiome making it an ideal host to decay-causing bacteria. It’s also been observed that vaping seems to encourage decay in areas where it usually doesn’t occur, such as the bottom edges of front teeth.

“It takes a lot of investment of time and money to manage dental caries, depending on how bad it gets,” Irusa says. “Once you’ve started the habit, even if you get fillings, as long as you continue, you’re still at risk of secondary caries. It’s a vicious cycle that will not stop.”

Restoration Care – Care for your restorations

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR NEW RESTORATION.

Congratulations on your new veneer, crown, or bridge!

By following some simple guidelines you can extend the life of your crown, bridge, or veneer:

PREVENT FRACTURES
While our lab uses the highest quality materials, it doesn’t mean your veneers, crowns, or bridges are unbreakable. Stress can trigger clenching and teeth grinding which puts extreme pressure on your teeth and restorations. This can cause cracks and fractures to your teeth and veneers.
If you grind your teeth at night it is important to discuss this with Dr. Shahriary and have a night guard fabricated. Similarly, it is important to wear a sports guard when participating in contact sports.
Many people use their teeth to break tags from clothing, open packages, bite their nails, etc.

Teeth are not pliers or tools; and using them as such puts you at high risk of breaking your restorations AND your natural teeth.

HYGIENE
You can still develop tooth decay even when you have veneers, crowns, or bridges. The margin where the restoration meets your natural teeth is a particularly susceptible area. Protect your investment by flossing everyday, brushing twice a day, cleaning under your bridge, and having regular cleaning and check ups. Healthy, pink gums are the clearest indicator of a healthy smile.
Always tell your new dentist or hygienist if you have veneers, crowns, or bridges. Lab work has become so detailed that it can be difficult to tell which teeth are restored and which are natural!

Call us today to book an appointment to discuss your dental needs. We want to help you achieve the smile you have always dreamed of!

School snacks for healthy teeth

With the return to school fast approaching our office sees the improvement in your child’s oral health. No more all-day summer snacking and slurping back sugary drinks.

The snacks you send in your child’s lunch can help keep their smile healthy all year long.

School Snacks, Dentist Approved:

  • Fresh fruit and crunchy vegetables. They’re high in fiber and will help fill up hungry tummies. Bonus: chewing crisp fruits and veggies can scrub away food particles and plaque.
    • While citrus fruits, such as oranges, and grapefruit are healthy and delicious,  citrus fruits contain citric acid which can cause enamel erosion. Moderation is important!
  • Unsalted and low-salt nuts, such as almonds or walnuts.
  • A lunch meat and cheese roll up.
  • Cottage cheese or low-sugar yogurt. Both are excellent sources of calcium and vitamin D, which promote healthy bones and teeth!
  • Peanut Butter (especially natural) is packed with fiber and protein. Spread on celery stalks, apple slices, or on wraps with bananas.
  • Small cubes of cheese. Especially cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and other aged cheeses. These cheeses trigger the flow of saliva which helps to wash food particles away from teeth.
  • Choose water instead of soda or juice!

Uh-Oh! School Snacks to Avoid:

  Dried fruit, fruit leathers and fruit snacks
Not only are they loaded with sugar, but these snacks are gooey and sticky and cling to the surface of teeth and gums.

  • Energy, protein or granola bars
    These may seem like a good choice, but they are very similar to candy bars in the amount of sugar and calories. Many contain sticky dried fruit that cling to teeth  long after the snack is eaten.
  • Cracker snacks
    White flour crackers like goldfish, graham crackers, and bagel chips also stick to teeth. These types of crackers contain carbohydrates that turn into sugar when broken down. Try healthier alternatives like whole grain crackers and triscuits.
  • Sports drinks
    Sports drinks contain extra calories and high levels of sugar, almost as much as soda. They are also  acidic and can contribute to enamel erosion.

Call today for your back-to-school cleaning!

Sleep troubles? How we can help with snoring.

Are you waking up every morning feeling more tired than the night before? Are you being kicked by your partner all night because of your snoring? Sleep doesn’t come easily to everyone.

Did you know dentists have special training to deal with OSA, Obstructive Sleep Apnea? Your dentist can recognize your risk factors for sleep apnea from the size of your jaw opening (too small) and size of your tongue (too large). Both of which can obstruct your airway. Together with your GP we can work towards your good night’s rest.

Sleep apnea doesn’t just make you feel tired, it also affects your oral health. OSA forces you to breath out of your mouth all night which can cause dry mouth which can lead to tooth decay, plaque build up, mouth sores, and periodontal disease.

How we can help you sleep:

When you come in for your next appointment with Dr. Ross, let us know about your sleeping problems. We will contact your GP and request that they send you for a sleep study. Together with your physician we will determine if oral appliance therapy is an appropriate course of action and you will be referred back to our office so we can make your appliance.

Oral appliances for Obstructive Sleep Apnea are a non-invasive way to prevent airway collapse in people with mild to moderate OSA. Many people find it more comfortable and convenient than a CPAP machine. While studies show 92% of patients wearing oral appliances found snoring to be either eliminated or significantly improved.

We want to help you feel rested and refreshed!

Call us today to book an appointment!

 

Source

Surprising Facts About Teeth!

Let’s explore some of the most surprising things you probably didn’t know about teeth!

Your Teeth:
  1. Your teeth’s enamel is the hardest substance in your body. Just don’t test in on bottle caps because…
  2. Teeth are the only part of your body that do not naturally heal.
  3. But on average, people only spend 48 seconds each time they brush – the standard recommendation is 2 minutes!
  4. So three out of every four Americans has some form of periodontal gum disease.
Other Creatures:

5. Some snails have more than 20, 000 teeth, even though their mouth’s are no bigger than a pinhead

6. An elephant’s tusks are actually teeth!

7. Giraffes have the same number of teeth as humans – 32

8. You can tell the age of a dolphin by counting the rings on its teeth – just like a tree

 Historically:

9. Barbers used to pull teeth – talk about a one-stop-shop

10. Most Americans did not brush their teeth every day until after World War 2. In WW2, the military required soldiers to brush their teeth twice a day, and they brought that habit home after the war.

11. Neolithic humans filled cavities in their teeth with beeswax

12. The cotton candy machine was co-created by a dentist who called it “Fairy Floss”. Now that’s surprising!

Your Dentist:

13. DDS vs. DMD – DDS means Doctor of Dental Surgery, DMD means Doctor of Dental Medicine. The degrees are the same as they have the same education but each practitioner can decide what their degree is called.

14. You can’t lie to your dentist – General dentists can tell a great deal about your habits, diet, and oral hygiene routine just by looking at your teeth. They can tell if you floss everyday or just for the days leading up to your appointment. They can also tell what types of foods you eat and whether you grind or clench your teeth.

15. Your dentist is an artist – Dentistry is an artistic as well as scientific profession. Dentists must have an artist’s aesthetic sense, an eye for detail and the manual dexterity to perform precise procedures in a small area.

Call today for your appointment https://austindentalgroups.com/contact/

Pulling Baby Teeth – When and How?

Should you be pulling out baby teeth? How and when is the best time?

Youtube can show you countless creative ways to pull out baby teeth; from the “slamming door” method to newer techniques like the nerf gun. For some kids this is harmless fun, but for others it can be painful and scary.

It’s important to remember that teeth should only be pulled when they are loose enough to come out with very little pulling by the parent or child. Having a loose tooth can become uncomfortable as it can shift around and poke the gums affecting chewing. Remember that you want to make sure the tooth is not pulled out prematurely. Let your child be in control of the situation; this will ease anxiety and fear surrounding losing a tooth.

Your child will likely play with the tooth with their tongue throughout the day, gradually loosening it. If they are becoming anxious to lose the tooth offer crunchy snacks like apples to speed up the process.

When the tooth is truly ready to fall out organically there should be little or no blood, but have gauze ready to clean the area and rinse the mouth out to keep the site clean.

If your child has a loose tooth that is causing pain or keeping them up at night, call our office to make an appointment and we can assess if the tooth will need to be extracted in office.

(604) 936-1263 or email https://austindentalgroups.com/contact/

Don’t forget to read last week’s blog about the tooth fairy for more information!