Sep 20, 2018
Third molars, prehistoric chompers, painful nuisances…we’re talking about wisdom teeth! You’ve probably known someone who has had their wisdom teeth removed, but what are these mysterious molars and why do they need to be removed? Let’s be wise and learn more!
What are Wisdom Teeth?
Between the age of 16 to 25, most people develop a third set of molars that are also known as wisdom teeth. As such, wisdom teeth are often called the third molars by dentists. Most adults have 4 total wisdom teeth (two on the bottom and two on top).
Interestingly, these teeth are positively prehistoric! Looking back, our early ancestors had a larger jaw and subsisted on a diet of chewy leaves, roots, and raw meat. As man evolved to have larger brains, our diet became softer and more processed, and our jaws shrunk. The wisdom teeth stuck around though, but with less space to accommodate them.
Why Do They Need to Be Removed?
Some people never develop wisdom teeth, while others have all four wisdom teeth come in without issue. Unfortunately, for many adults, discomfort or pain coincides with their wisdom teeth coming in, or “erupting.” When wisdom teeth are impacted, they come in at an angle and push against the gum or adjacent tooth (again, because our modern jaws are smaller). This can lead to pain and to a disrupted bite alignment, as well as cause health issues such as infection, tooth decay, and gum disease. Here are some of the common signs that your wisdom teeth are erupting:
- Pain at back of the mouth. The pain will continue to increase as the teeth grow and press on nerves or crowd other teeth.
- Redness, tenderness, and swelling at gum site where tooth is erupting.
- If infected:
- Bad breath
- Foul taste in mouth while chewing
- Jaw pain and stiffness
- General illness
In rare cases, an impacted wisdom tooth that is left without treatment can develop cysts or sometimes tumors.
While there is some debate as to whether or not wisdom teeth need to be removed if they are not causing pain, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommends removing any wisdom teeth that are diseased or at risk for developing disease. Monitoring the development of wisdom teeth and making a decision by age 25 to minimize potential complications and pain is advised. Patients should be aware of the greater difficulty associated with removal of their wisdom teeth as they age.
Wisdom Teeth Monitoring Falmouth Dental Arts
So…be wise and talk to Dr. Brunacini or Dr. Karagiorgos about your own or your child’s wisdom teeth! Early treatment greatly reduces the risk of complications later and helps keep you and your mouth healthy and happy.
If your wisdom teeth are causing you discomfort, or if you have questions about how your children’s wisdom teeth are developing, give us a call at 207.781.5900.
* Image courtesy of www.illinoisjawdocs.com
Aug 14, 2018
What do you think when you hear the word saliva? Cute baby drool-bubbles? Gross spit on the sidewalk? An amazing bacteria-fighting superhero in your mouth? Get ready to get excited about saliva, one of the most important fluids in oral health! It plays a significant role in maintaining not just your teeth and gums, but also your overall health. Here are five fun facts about your mouth’s little helper that will make your mouth water:
1. You produce a lot of saliva each day. According to one study, people can, on average, produce up to almost 3 cups of saliva daily!
2. Saliva is critical to maintaining your oral health:
- It helps protect the gums and teeth by diluting and eliminating sugars.
- It is an anti-microbial and stops the growth of bacteria.
- It helps balance the mineral content and pH of your mouth.
- It contains proteins, which help your mouth heal from minor injuries and prevents cavities.
3. Saliva aids in digestion. Since saliva is mostly water, it helps dissolve food molecules and makes it easier to swallow.
4. You need saliva to taste your food! Your taste buds have cells called chemoreceptors that require a liquid for the flavor molecules to bind to the receptor molecules. Saliva also contains enzymes that affect how you experience sweet and starchy foods. Do a test at home! Dry off your tongue with a paper towel and place some salt on it. Next, rinse your mouth with water and taste the salt again. You will notice a difference!
5. Saliva can be used to test for and diagnose disease! According to the ADA, salivary diagnostics is currently one of dentistry’s most promising areas of research. Saliva contains various proteins as well as RNA molecules that contain the biomarkers for certain diseases or conditions. Since saliva can be collected easily and non-invasively, this is an exciting development in the field of diagnostics. Currently, saliva can be used to help diagnose HIV, diabetes, and some oral cancers. More research needs to be done, but this also means that in the future dentists may be able to assist in their patient’s primary care and identify potential systemic diseases earlier so patients can get treatment sooner.
Who knew that saliva was so busy working your mouth! Keep your mouth happy and healthy by coming in for regular cleanings. Give us a call at 207.781.5900 if you need to schedule your next appointment!
*Image courtesy of https://diabeticfootonline.com/
May 29, 2018
Oral care is important and with ever-changing technology, there are more and more options to help make it just a bit easier. In the early ‘90s, the electric toothbrush entered the market, helping to improve oral care for millions of Americans. But in 2018, inventors are setting out to create even more options to make brushing your teeth effortless. We found three toothbrushes that can help make your daily routines faster, cleaner, and more convenient…and can make you feel like you are one of the Jetsons!
Image from http://www.unico-smartbrush.com
Ever heard of Unico? Invented in Italy, this toothbrush looks like a mouthguard and claims to completely clean your teeth in just three seconds! While this might sound crazy, the inventor’s logic isn’t wrong. As you’ve heard since you were a child, we recommend brushing your teeth for at least two full minutes. If you do the math, that comes to spending 3.75 seconds per tooth, or 1.25 seconds for each of the three exposed surfaces of your tooth. The unique design of this futuristic toothbrush allows each surface of every one of your teeth to be cleaned at the same time…meaning your teeth can be brushed in the same amount of time it takes you to spray on cologne or put on mascara.
Aura Clean is the smartphone of the toothbrush world. While it may just seem like a standard sonic toothbrush, this brush delivers up to 40,000 strokes per minute to safety remove food particles and polish your teeth. Like many electric toothbrushes, it has a two minute timer, but what is unique about this brush is that it also features an interval alert every 30 seconds, letting you know when to change “zones.” The Aura Clean Brush also comes with a pod that, using a UV light, cleans your toothbrush head after every use. It also has drying capabilities to get make sure no germs settle in between your bristles.
Quip is another cool toothbrush we have found that can make taking care of your teeth easier. While the technology isn’t quite considered “futuristic” the concept definitely is. We recommend changing your toothbrush or toothbrush head every three months. However, it is easy to forget. With Quip, you don’t have to remember! Every three months, a new toothbrush head (and a new tube of toothpaste) is delivered straight to your door automatically! This ensures your bristles are fresh and working effectively.
Whether you use a “smart” brush or the tried and true manual brush, what we care about here at Falmouth Dental Arts is that you are taking the time to brush your teeth at least twice a day. Due for a new brush? Schedule an appointment today to see your hygienist and get a free manual brush on us!
Jan 15, 2018
We all know how food choices affect the body, but did you know they also affect oral health? It may not be as evident, but if you were to examine your mouth on a cellular level, you would find a wealth of health information there, often before health problems manifest elsewhere in your body. With that in mind, we’d like to share some dietary nutrients that impact your oral health, and offer some recommendations to improve your diet and your oral health.
Vitamins & Nutrients to Support Oral Health
So what did we mean when we said that you can detect health issues by analyzing your mouth? Well, our mouths contain special cells called mucosal cells, and they generally have a life cycle of 3-7 days. This means that they’re turning over and regenerating frequently, and providing up to date information on the rest of your system. So the first place you’ll be able to find nutritional surplus or deficiency is in your mouth! With this in mind, we wanted to share some nutritional findings that can help support oral (and overall) health.
- Protein, calcium, and phosphorus contribute to strong tooth structure. You can get protein from a wide variety of foods depending on your diet. Calcium can be found in almonds, broccoli, oranges, and cheese, while phosphorus can be found in a number of dairy, fish, and meat products. You could also opt to get phosphorus from certain nuts and beans.
- Nutrients like zinc, folate, iron, vitamins A, C, and D, Omega-3 fats, and antioxidants contribute to the development of mucosal cells and connective tissues as well as immune function. B vitamins support epithelial cell turnover.
- Studies have suggested that low levels of folate are associated with periodontal disease, so make sure you’re getting enough from foods like dark leafy greens, beans, peas, & lentils, or citrus fruits.
- Studies suggest that vitamin D and calcium may also enhance enamel remineralization. To support your usual hygiene efforts and strengthen enamel, snack on cheese, yogurt, tofu, salmon, or milk!
- Vitamin C also has been reported to help collagen maturation, which in turn helps maintain the integrity of the periodontal ligament. For this, make sure to have a share of strawberries, acerola cherries, bell peppers, or citrus fruit!
- Lastly, Omega-3 fats help with inflammatory response in the body. Mackerel, salmon, oysters, sardines, and anchovies have omega-3 fats in abundance. Not up for sea fare? Try working flaxseeds, chia seeds, or walnuts into your diet. Alternatively, you can opt for a fish oil supplement!
It’s important to keep in mind that each of these nutrients might have different outcomes for individuals based on their respective health situations. Be sure to consult a doctor before making any major dietary changes and to ensure there won’t be any adverse effects.
If we’ve gotten you thinking about diet and oral health, make sure to bring your questions or concerns to your next appointment! We are happy to advise you more on the subject and we look forward to it!
Dec 11, 2017
Moms-to-be out there can agree – pregnancy is an exciting time of life! It is a time when you become more mindful of your health – for your sake and your baby’s. While it is evident that your body needs to be well cared for during this time, we like to remind moms that it’s also important to stay on top of your dental health as well. Here are a few important dental health facts and practices to keep in mind when you’re expecting.
Changes to Oral Health During Pregnancy
To start, many people may not be aware but oral health changes during pregnancy, primarily due to an upsurge in hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These hormonal changes can affect gum tissues’ reactions to plaque. In fact, this is so common among expecting mothers that it is referred to as ‘pregnancy gingivitis.’ Because of this change, it is important that you stick to your normal dental care regimen: flossing well each day and brushing (with an electric toothbrush) at least twice per day and after eating when and if you are able.
Related to pregnancy gingivitis, expecting patients could also develop pregnancy tumors, which are non-cancerous growths on swollen and irritated gums. Usually these disappear on their own. However, if they get in the way of chewing or carrying out your normal oral hygiene rituals, let us know and we can discuss what to do.
Maintaining Your Dental Care Regimen
While there are challenges to oral health during pregnancy, those challenges can be met easily as long as you take care of your teeth. We recommend coming in for a cleaning as soon as you know you are pregnant, so that we can build a plan and complete any important or outstanding work within the first trimester. We will also plan to have another cleaning in your second trimester to keep plaque in check.
And while it may seem trivial, please provide us with all the medications and vitamins you are taking throughout your pregnancy – we might need to adjust our treatments based on that information.
If you discover you are getting morning sickness in connection to brushing, try switching to a bland-flavored toothpaste throughout your pregnancy – we are happy to recommend some brands to you! We also recommend rinsing your mouth with water and anti-plaque and fluoride mouthwashes if you have frequent bouts of vomiting.
Good nutrition is also important throughout your pregnancy. While your obstetrician will advise you on these matters, we also recommend plenty of vitamins C and B12, to help support strong oral health. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet will also put your baby on an early track to good oral health – dairy items like cheese and yogurt provide critical minerals to support the development of your baby’s bones, teeth, and gums. And as always, we recommend keeping sugary cravings in check to keep tooth decay at bay.
Do you have more questions about dental care during pregnancy? If so, we encourage you to ask! We’d love to help you during this time. Call us to schedule your appointment today!
