Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Trendy Diets May Negatively Affect Oral Health

          Over the years we have heard about all of the different types of crash diets to help lose weight. There has been the Atkin’s diet, a juice cleanse, and now the Paleo diet. I am not here to tell you what diet you should or should not try. However, it is important to see how some of these could affect your oral health. You don’t want to finish a round of dieting and have a mouth full of cavities to show for it.
            When you think of dieting, you think of eating less food. Obviously the goal is to lose weight by ingesting fewer calories each day. However, by eating less you can change the amount and the content of your saliva. Decreased saliva flow increases your risk of tooth decay. So if you are dramatically cutting back on how much you are eating, be extra careful in taking care of your teeth and gums.
            Juice cleanses have become popular over the past few years. It involves drinking a concoction of different fruits, vegetables and other things that are loaded with vitamins. When they are loaded with acidic fruits, this can be very damaging to the teeth if not handled properly. The acidity can erode the tooth structure and lead to sensitive teeth. There are toothpastes available to protect your enamel (Pronamel) and it is important to drink plenty of water after ingesting the different juice mixtures. This will help to wash away some of the acidity from the teeth. And you don’t want to brush your teeth right after ingesting a citrus drink. The tooth is more vulnerable to erosion right after exposure and should be given at least 30 minutes before brushing with an abrasive tooth brush and toothpaste.
            We don’t want to talk you out of dieting, but just be sure to know how it could affect your oral and overall health before starting a program. And for more information you can visit www.dentistwestchester.com.

Lee T. Brown, DDS

Brown and Kupper, DDS

Thursday, December 1, 2016

ADA, Federal Agencies, and Dentists Still Encourage Flossing


            A few months ago a study was released questioning the efficacy of flossing your teeth. Because of this, many people began to think that ‘science’ doesn’t support flossing. However, the Department of Health and Human services, the American Dental Association, and others have “reaffirmed the importance of interdental cleaning.” So what is the truth behind all of this?
            A periodontist is a specialist of the gums and bone surrounding the teeth. When it comes down to it, they are the authority in how to take care of the gums. Their group still strongly supports the importance of flossing and cleaning between the teeth. A toothbrush is absolutely essential in cleaning your teeth and gums every day, but it cannot access all of the areas in between the teeth. And even though there are plenty of studies that support the use of floss and interdental cleaning, many dentists and periodontists say the reason they support flossing is because of what they see in their offices every day. Flossing improves the health of their patient’s gums.
            Traditional flossing isn’t the only way you can clean in between your teeth. Even though I believe it should be a part of every person’s home care, there are other tools to clean in between the teeth. For people that have larger gaps between their teeth, gum recession, or dental bridges, the use of ‘soft picks’ can be helpful. These tools look like rubberized tooth picks with small rubber barbs to help clean the gum tissue. And there is a product called Super-Floss that is effective for cleaning under bridges. It is a much thicker type of floss that can remove more food and debris than traditional floss.
            The bottom line is you should floss every day. The improvement in the health of your gums will be worth the extra couple of minutes it may take you. And if you stop to see what has been hiding in between your teeth all day, it will be extra motivation!

For more information, visit www.dentistwestchester.com.

Lee T. Brown, DDS

Brown and Kupper, DDS