Author: admin
• Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Gum recession has several risk factors…the exposure of the root of the tooth and the loss of the attachment between the tooth (or teeth) and gums is the most immediate one. But after the initial exposure, tooth decay and periodontal disease are imminent risks. Because the enamel that covers the root of the tooth (the portion that is under the gum line) is not as hard as the enamel above the gum line, when that part of the tooth becomes exposed, it is much more susceptible to tooth decay. And when the gums pull away from the teeth, periodontal pockets can form which allow plaque and food debris to accumulate which can result in periodontal disease. 

Gingival recession happens gradually and because it is so gradual, you may not notice the changes or that your gums have receded until problems start. Some of the symptoms to watch for that might indicate gum recession are: 

  • The spaces between your teeth seem to be larger
  • The color of your teeth seems to be changing
  • Your teeth become sensitive to hot, cold, sweet, sour or spicy foods where they have not responded to these sensations in the past
  • You notice that the roots of your teeth (or tooth) are exposed
  • You feel a notch on your tooth at your gum line
Author: admin
• Monday, March 07th, 2011

There are two types of gum tissue (gingiva) in your mouth: attached gingiva and mucosa. The gum tissue that surrounds your teeth and covers your jaw bone under your teeth is called attached gingival. The inside of your cheeks and lips are covered with mucosa, a soft, thick moveable tissue that is also considered gum tissue.

 

The attached gingival, when it is healthy, acts like a protective collar around each tooth and your teeth as a whole. When gingival tissue begins to move away from the crown of a tooth, leaving some of the crown exposed, it is known as gum or gingival recession. Children can sometimes experience gum recession as permanent teeth push through and begin to crowd out smaller teeth that are still present. In adults, gum recession can be the result of heredity (having fragile, thin or insufficient gingival tissues), but in most cases there are other factors that have contributed to receding gums:

 

  • Brushing or flossing your teeth with hard pressure or aggressively
  • Using a toothbrush with hard bristles
  • Aging factors (especially in women—like osteoporosis)
  • Poor oral hygiene which allows the overgrowth of bacteria and plaque
  • Trauma to the mouth from an injury or even oral piercing that rubs against the gum tissue
  • Misaligned or crooked teeth
  • Prominent roots
  • Gum disease
Author: admin
• Wednesday, March 02nd, 2011

But if surgery looks like it is inevitable, there is a highly advanced laser alternative available to the patient, and this can be done instead of conventional gum surgery. This process – known as laser periodontal therapy – accomplishes basically the same thing as normal gum surgery, but does not require all of the cutting into the gums, peeling them back away from the tooth, and then replacing them and stitching the wounds back together. What happens during laser therapy is that a highly concentrated laser or beam of intense energy is directed at the infected area of the gum. The pinpointed accuracy of the laser enables the dentist to target a section of the gum where the tooth and gum meet, and this critical area is so small that it can hardly be seen with the naked eye. By zapping it with the laser, the infection is destroyed and the harmful bacteria is stopped in its tracks before it can continue to spread to other parts of the gum tissue.

But with this periodontal laser therapy there is no cutting. Since no incisions have to be made to get past the gum and to the infected area, there are no stitches to heal, there is no bleeding to worry about, and there is only minor discomfort instead of serious pain associated with conventional gum surgery. The process puts the patient at less risk, it happens very fast, and then the wounded part – where the laser has essentially burned away the infection – is sealed.

Author: admin
• Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

Gum surgery is often recommended by a dentist and required in situations where the patient experiences serious infection of the gums. The process to remedy gum disease is critically important, because gum disease is a significant risk to dental health. When the gums are not healthy it threatens to undermine the health of the teeth. Gum disease can also spread back away from the teeth into the jaw and other areas that are in the vicinity of the gums, and if that happens it can lead to all sorts of other health problems. So gum surgery can have a positive impact and help to prevent more problems down the road. But gum surgery can be expensive, painful, and time consuming. For that reason many of us want to know if there are alternatives to gum surgery.

 

The first step when considering alternatives to gum surgery is to look at prevention options, because if it is possible to prevent infection of the gums and gum disease, there is no need to have gum surgery. Sometimes the gums have already begun to show signs of trouble, for example, and there may be symptoms such as excessive bleeding, swelling, discoloration, or discomfort. But if caught soon enough and controlled by proper routine brushing and flossing, the gum problems can be reversed. So by doing a good job of basic dental hygiene – which includes visits to the dentist who can detect or predict any gum related issues that might be in the early stages – and by brushing and flossing every day, it is possible to avoid gum surgery. 

Cont’d

Author: admin
• Wednesday, February 09th, 2011

While most of us try to be aware of the need to take care of the teeth by brushing and cleaning, we often forget the vital importance of the structures that surround, support, and protect the teeth. These include the periodontal tissue or gums, for example, as well as the bones of the jaw that are where the roots of the teeth are firmly anchored.

 

The most fundamental aspect of oral care for these surrounding areas is a balanced, healthy, nutritious diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Use of tobacco products is also hazardous to our dental health, and those who smoke or use smokeless tobacco products should be aware of the increased dangers that those products and habits pose in terms of gum and tooth disease that can even cause cancer.

 

But one of the simplest ways to take care of oral hygiene is to always brush after every meal and floss correctly at least once a day. Brushing removes particles of food that can become trapped within these surrounding areas where bacteria will then collect to attack the tooth. Brushing also stimulates the gum tissue to ensure proper blood circulation which aids in flushing away infected tissue and rejuvenating healthy tissue. Flossing is especially important for the supportive areas around the teeth because it reduces the chance of gum infection. When the gums or periodontal tissues get infected they swell and inflame, which is why diseased gums – or those in the early stages of becoming diseased – will bleed easily and often and also feel tender and sore. As they swell they also pull away from the teeth and that forms a gap which in turn exposes the vulnerable root of the tooth to infection.

 

Once the root is open to attack it can cause the entire tooth to be harmed and even die, or the bacteria can spread into the jawbone area and cause serious damage to the supportive infrastructure of the teeth. The tendons and other connective tissue around the teeth can also be compromised, and once the oral health has deteriorated to that extent it becomes a real threat to overall health because gum disease can spread to other organs or areas of the body.

To make sure that these surrounding areas are well maintained and disease-free it is important to visit the dentist at least twice a year if not more. That allows the dentist a chance to monitor your oral health and to take measurements of the gums to detect any signs that they might be receding. The dentist also checks inside the mouth for any telltale signs of more serious periodontal infection or lesions and sores that might be cancerous. Meanwhile he or she makes sure that your teeth are routinely and professionally cleaned – including probing and cleaning of the all-important supportive periodontal tissue and other structural systems that aid in healthy teeth. The dentist can even address issues just as painful TMJ – which is a misalignment of the jaw that supports the teeth. So if you have any concerns about the health of your teeth, gums, and supportive tissues and bones – or any unusual symptoms or discomfort – tell your dentist or dental hygienist right away so they can be resolved.

Author: admin
• Tuesday, February 01st, 2011

But an even more significant issue with these old amalgam fillings is that they often contain toxic metals like mercury. Having lots of mercury in the mouth can actually lead to serious heavy metal poisoning and many adverse side effects. For that reason older people are strongly urged to have all of those outdated fillings removed and replaced with healthier ones. To find out how this can be done affordably and whether or not you have any of these notoriously bad fillings, just talk to your dentist. 

He or she can also advise you regarding your overall oral health and how it ties into aging. You may need to take extra care with flossing, for example, to make sure that your gums do not pull away from the teeth and become inflamed by the kinds of bacteria that invade these pockets or gaps between the tooth and gum. Sometimes mineral supplements like calcium are also helpful for maintain the teeth as we age, and a good healthy, nutritious balanced diet is another thing your dentist can help you to design for yourself.

 Although many people think of dental health as completely separate from our general health that is a misconception. Oral health – including the care of our teeth and gums and routine dentist office appointments – is actually intimately connected to our general health. Poor oral health has been found to lead to dangerous and even life-threatening conditions including heart disease and cancer. So as you age it is really important to keep track of dental care as part of an overall holistic approach to health care and well being.

Author: admin
• Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

The population is quickly aging, and right now seniors comprise the fastest growing demographic in the entire USA. As the members of the baby boomer generation and their parents grow older, the need for specialized dental care related to aging increases, too, because the teeth and gums also age. It becomes harder for the body to regenerate tissue and bone, for example, and as the tooth enamel becomes thinned over time and gums begin to separate from the teeth we become more vulnerable and susceptible to cavities and gum diseases. 

Many seniors also have replacement teeth, crowns, bridges, or other artificial dental components. These need to be checked on a regular basis – at least once or twice per year – to ensure that they still fit properly and allow for healthy oral hygiene and an aligned bite. Older people often have old-fashioned amalgam fillings in their teeth, too, and these can corrode, curl, break, or even fall out of the tooth. Once that happens bacteria can invade the old cavity and quickly migrate into the root to cause a painful and serious root canal infection. To avoid an emergency root canal procedure and to ensure that fillings are working properly, patients should maintain their dental visits so that the dentist can keep an eye on this kind of development and nip it in the bud before bacterial disease gets out of control.

Author: admin
• Friday, January 21st, 2011

Another significant advancement is the dental laser, which is a type of medical laser tool that zaps bacteria with less discomfort, less damage to healthy gums, and faster healing times. Rather than having to use old fashioned surgical instruments to cut and scrape out infected tissue, in other words, the dentist can simply focus the laser on it and use light to destroy the bacterial infection.

To learn about these and other modern dental techniques now available for your care, just ask your dentist for details.

Author: admin
• Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Replacement teeth and crowns are also now made right on the spot in many dental offices, using special robotic machines that are powered by computers. The dentist uses photo imagery fed into the machine to get the exact measurement of the replacement or crown, and then the robotic machine expertly sculpts and carves the artificial or synthetic tooth using tiny high-speed instruments. That means that it is possible to have a tooth extracted and the new tooth ready to replace it within one dental visit. It used to take days or weeks to have crowns and teeth made, because they had to be sent to a laboratory – which also increased the cost – but these new in-office robotic machines handle everything in a faster and more affordable way.

Author: admin
• Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

If X-rays happens to reveal cavities, patients are in for more good news because modern dentists also use special drills that use forced air to perform procedures without the loud noise, jarring vibrations, and offensive metallic odor associated with conventional drills. These can help many people completely overcome their fear of the dentist chair, and they make the filling of cavities a much more precise and accurate procedure for better fitting fillings and more thorough eradication of harmful cavity-causing bacteria.

The materials used to fill cavities have also been upgraded significantly. With advanced polymers it is possible, for instance, to have fillings or even crowns done at a very affordable price. These can also be color-matched to ensure that they look natural, and they contain no metals that can potentially rust and cause fillings to leak and malfunction.