What happens to your teeth and body when you binge on sugar?

            We all know that sugar is necessarily the healthiest things for us to eat. But like most things, if we use moderation we should be fine. However, we need to be aware that sugar and sweets affects your body in a number of ways. We will discuss how sugar can affect you in the short term and the long term.

            It is no secret that sugar can lead to cavities. Decay causing bacteria on your teeth feed on the sugar to create cavities. So when you are exposing your teeth to sugar throughout the day without the opportunity to fight back with brushing and fluoride, you are more likely to lose that battle. Moderation is essential, but you should also find a way to brush, floss, and rinse to clean your teeth and mouth following a sugary snack. At the very least you should rinse with water to cleanse some of the sugar from your teeth.

            When you eat sugar, other parts of your body also feel the strain. When you eat sugar, your brain responds the same it would to cocaine or other drugs. Both sugar and drugs cause your body to release dopamine and serotonin. As you become accustomed to that feeling your body craves in more and more. It is good to be aware of this so you can help regulate your desire for more sweets.

            If you continue to overdue sugar and sweets overtime, your blood flow can be affected. Having blood saturated with sugar can damage just about every organ, including your arteries. It is like trying to pump sludge through your body, which will eventually lead to decreased blood flow to all parts of your body. It can lead to chronic diseases and an increased chance of having a stroke.

            An easy way to keep tabs on how much sugar you are ingesting is to pay attention to the labels on whatever you eat. It is shocking to find out how many different foods contain sugar (i.e. ketchup). Simply being aware of what you put in your body is a great first step to limiting sugar intake.

For more information, visit www.dentistwestchester.com.

Lee T. Brown, DDS

Brown and Kupper, DDS Inc. 

Antibacterial Teeth

            Even though it is still in its early stages, there are researchers in the Netherlands developing an Antibacterial replacement tooth that can be 3-D printed. It would be made of a plastic infused with ammonium salts to combat unwanted bacteria. And even better, it could be made in the dental office.

            They tested 2 sets of replacement teeth against each other. One was the traditional dental resin, and the other was made with infused ammonium salts. They applied streptococcus mutans (cavity causing bacteria) to both sets of teeth and found 99% was eliminated on the set with ammonium salts while almost all remained on the control set.

            The next question to ask is whether this new type of replacement tooth eliminates both good and bad bacteria? Some bacteria in our mouth are good and help keep our bodies healthy by fighting unwanted organisms, so we obviously don’t want to get rid of all bacteria. While there is still a lot of research to be done, there is no reason to believe that antibacterial teeth would kill off all the bacteria in the mouth.  "Given that the material works on contact, it is likely that teeth or fillings made from the material would only kill bacteria in a limited radius," ADA officials said. "Whether teeth or fillings made from this material could have any effect on other bacterial strains, or even function in a real human mouth, has not yet been determined."

            Much more research is required to find the answer. This material needs to be tested on more conditions and over a longer period of time. How will toothpaste, saliva, and different medications impact its efficacy?

            If we find that it can positively affect the teeth and your oral health, this could be a major breakthrough for dentistry. The goal is to continue to find more ways to preventative and proactive in dental treatment.

For more information, visit www.dentistwestchester.com.

Lee T. Brown, DDS

Brown and Kupper, DDS Inc.

What Does Oral Cancer Look Like?

            When you are in for your professional cleaning and oral exam, we will always do an oral cancer screening. We need to understand you medical history, dental history, and any other potential risk factors. Using any relevant information can help us to identify, treat, or refer as early as possible.

            While performing an oral cancer screening, we look for colors or lesions in areas that are not normally present. These areas could appear red, white, blue, black or a combination. If an area is identified we will make sure we have photos and follow their progress. If a spot continues to change size, shape or color, we may recommend a specialist take a look and decide if a biopsy is necessary. If an area presents with more progressive features, we may immediately refer for a biopsy.

            Technology has become available that uses a special light and/or a rinse to look for pre-cancerous or cancerous areas. At Brown and Kupper we do not use these tools because of a large number of ‘false-positive.’ This means it shows an overabundance of areas that may be pre-cancerous can lead to over treatment. Until this technology improves, we will continue to conduct our oral cancer screenings without the lights or rinses. The surgeons and pathologists we work with and trust use the same technique.

            So what should you look for at home and when do you need to come see us? If you notice an area of concern and it does not go away in two weeks it is usually a good indication to have the area more closely examined. If you have any history of oral cancer in your family, smoking, or smokeless tobacco, then it is even more important to have us check a possible area if you are every in doubt.

            Like many other types, oral cancer can go undetected for a long time if you do not maintain regular visits with your doctor or dentist. Even if you do your best to check at home for any irregularities, we recommending with your dentist whenever in doubt.

For more information, visit us at www.dentistwestchester.com.

Lee T. Brown, DDS

Brown and Kupper, DDS Inc.