Many parents try and limit the amount of soda their child drinks, but sports drinks can be just as harmful to their children’s  teeth.  Most sports drinks are quite acidic (pH 3-4) and if taken to excess, may lead to dental erosion and demineralization. According to one study found that 57% of 11-14 year-olds had evidence of some dental erosion.

More people loose their teeth due to gum disease then though tooth decay.  Gum disease can strike anyone who neglects their oral hygiene or eats a poor diet. People with alcoholism, malnutrition, or AIDS/HIV infection or who are being treated with steroid drugs or certain cancer chemotherapies have a higher risk of gum disease. Women with tooth or gum problems are also more likely to give birth to premature babies.  Seeing a dentist regularly and proper dental care habits are important in reducing your risk of gum disease and tooth loss.

In Washington it was reported that a two and a half year old had to under go dental surgery, after dental x-rays showed that 11 of his 20 baby teeth had cavities. The pediatric dentist need to extracted two incisors, performed a root canal on a molar, and gave the rest fillings and crowns.   The child parents stated that they did not even worry about brushing their child teeth until they notice his teeth were starting to become discolored. They stated they just had too much on their mind to think about brushing his teeth at night.

Think this story is uncommon you may want to think twice.  According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention they noted an increase, the first in 40 years, in the number of preschoolers with cavities in a study five years ago    Dentists nationwide are saying they are seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more. With the level of decay, being so severe that they often recommend using general anesthesia because young children are unlikely to sit through such extensive procedures while they are awake.

It does not matter whether you are the bride or the groom a wedding is a wonderful day that you want to have a perfect smile for. With all the family photos that will be taken having a beautiful smile is important. So in between the appointments for alterations, floral arrangements and reception details, schedule a dental visit as well.

Make the dental appointment at least two months prior to the wedding, for basic dental cleaning and whitening treatment.  However if major dental work is required then make sure you provide the needed time to have your teeth fixed prior to the wedding.  Such as if you want to straight crooked teeth braces can take up to two years.  Or if you want implants you need to give yourself time to heal.  Keep these dental tips in mind before the big date.

If your child is fussy about brushing their teeth is can be that they do not care for the taste of the toothpaste in use. There are many kid friendly toothpaste that may make your child want to brush or brush longer.  Colgate has Colgate Kids in strawberry as well as watermelon flavors.  Crest toothpaste offers a bubblegum flavor. There are other toothpaste that taste like ice cream.  These flavor toothpaste may help making brushing their teeth much easier. However keep in mind that like any other toothpaste they are to still be kept out of reach of small children and use only for brushing their teeth and not for eating.

According to the review authors, led by Theodorus (Dirk) G. Mettes of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center in the Netherlands, wisdom teeth—third molars that typically make an appearance when individuals are between age 17 and 24—often fail to break the gum line, or do so only partially. These so-called impacted wisdom teeth have the potential to cause a host of problems, including swelling or ulceration of the gums around these teeth, cysts or tumors, and damage, decay, or disease in the second molars. However, many people can go their entire lives without these teeth causing any problems.

It is never good to do anything in excess, when it comes to whitening your teeth dentist warns that over bleaching your teeth could harm your health.  Dental health professionals have coined the term Bleachorexia to describe a person with an addictive obsession with bleaching their teeth to the point that it’s affecting their dental heath.

Over use of over the counter whitening product can damage your oral health.  Bleaching your teeth excessively can actually cause them to get translucent, and  make them look even less white. Other risk of obsessive bleaching include hypersensitivity (making your teeth more sensitive) Oral Irritation and tooth enamel erosion.   However beaching your teeth correctly can provide you with a smile you want, so talk to your dentist if you have questions about whitening your teeth.

At the beginning of 2010, as many as 17 percent of children in the United States were reported as having special health care needs. Behavioral issues, developmental disorders, cognitive disorders, genetic disorders and systemic diseases may increase a child’s risk of developing oral disease, according to an article published in the May/June 2010 issue of General Dentistry. For a child with special health care needs, special diets, frequent use of medicine and lack of proper oral hygiene can make it challenging to maintain good oral health.

“By the time these children are 12 months old, they should have a ‘dental home’ that will allow a dentist to administer preventive care and educate parents about good oral health habits tailored to fit their child’s needs,” says Maria Regina P. Estrella, DMD, MS, lead author of the article.

There are many over the counter teeth whitening products that are available.   Teeth whitening strips are what some dentist will advise if you are going to whiten your teeth at home, since you are less likely to swallow bleach or damage your gums with those type if whitening products.  Over the counter whitening products are normally the least expensive teeth whitening option however a down side is the bleaching solution used in over-the-counter products may be too mild to yield dramatic results or to whiten severely stained teeth

Regardless of what type of dental insurance plan you may or may not have, finding the right dentist is one of the first factors you will want to take into account.  Even more so if you are on a tight budget. Make sure to shop out your dentist.  You want to compare not only the cost for dental services but compare other factors such as:  Location, Staffing, Friendlessness, Education, Referrals and even how clean the dental office is. Having low cost dental care does not mean you should not have the best dentist for your dental needs.  Finding the right dentist for you may take some time but it is well worth the effort you put forth.

Procter & Gamble updated the label instruction on all Fixodent denture adhesives. Fixodent denture adhesive packaging has been updated to provide consumers with more detail information on how to use Fixodent denture adhesive. They have also updated their websites.  Make sure you see your dentist regularly to ensure properly fitting dentures.

Question:  I am 25 and would like to start seeing a dentist more regularly but can not afford the cost. Looking for a lower cost dental insurance plan that would provide good coverages so that my dental care is more affordable.   What is the best dental plan that would fit my needs the best.

Answer: I would advise reviewing either a dental HMO insurance plan or a dental discount plan.  Both of these plan types are affordable and will help to greatly reduce your dental care cost.

Current studies support a recommendation of a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables as part of a whole-foods, plant-based diet with limited consumption of meat, particularly processed meat. According to the study in Journal of the American Dental Association oral healthcare professionals can play an important role in preventing oral cancer by educating their patients about oral cancer prevention strategies, including eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

Question: I am looking at buying dental insurance for myself and my four year old daughter.  I never had to buy dental insurance before since it use to come as part of my employee benefits package.  However, currently I do not have dental insurance. I use to have Delta Dental insurance and would like to get them again but what is the difference between Delta Dental PPO and Delta Dental HMO plans.

Answer:   HMO Plan is a managed dental plan where you need to stay within the plan network of dental providers.  On a HMO dental insurance plan cost for dental services are normally on a fee schedule showing  price you pay for each dental service covered.  Normally there are no waiting periods or yearly dollar  max limitations

Dental PPO plans do have more limitations in coverages with the waiting periods, annual dollar max limitations and deductibles. However dental PPO plans do let you either choose from dentist in their network of providers or go out of the dental network to your own provider.   Giving you more flexibility when it comes to choosing your dentist.

Dental Braces are commonly use to straighten crooked or misaligned teeth. Braces are used in many cases of malocclusion such as open bite, deep bite, cross bite and other structural and cosmetic flaws.

There are different types of braces depending on your needs are and what is best advise by an Orthodontic dentist.  When people thing of traditional braces visions of stainless steel wire covering the full mouth with metal brackets. These types of braces are normally not the preferred option.  Though these type of braces are now outdated they still present a more affordable dental option for those interested.

There are Ceramic Braces that are not as apparent as the more traditional braces but they are susceptible to damage by accidental blows or trauma.   Lingual braces are fitted from behind the teeth so therefore not as apparent from the outside,

The more poplar braces are the Invisalings.  Invisalign are clear braces resembling tooth color. They blend in with the teeth making them virtually invisible. Invisalign are removable enabling the wearer to snap them on and off when required.

I know that it is best advised  that we should floss our teeth at least once a day.   Every time I go to my dentist she gives me a hard time about how I am not flossing good enough.  I do not know why but I never give much thought about flossing, so I do tend to forget.   When I did floss it was a pain since the floss I would used seem to shred or get stuck between my teeth.  My dentist after giving me grief about my flossing habits gave me Colgate Total dental floss.  Although I still may not floss as much as I should I found I floss more with the Colgate floss she gave me since it does not get stuck in my teeth or shred a part after flossing only one or two teeth.  I am now making a honest effort to floss my teeth daily so I hoping that my dentist will notice on my next visit. It be nice not to have to get yelled at.

The study done was to investigate the prevalence of dental trauma among primary school children aged 6–11 years in Belgaum, India.

A sample of 13200 children from primary schools of Belgaum district was examined for dental trauma. The total number of children suffering from dental trauma was found to be 1946 (14.74%). A significant gender influence on the occurrence of dental trauma was observed, with more boys (17.26%) experiencing dental trauma than girls (12.29%).  More than 3 mm overjet and incompetent lips were also significantly associated with dental trauma in children.

The findings of the study showed that dental trauma has a moderately high prevalence among Indian primary school children. Community, especially parents and school teachers, should be educated about prevention and early management of dental trauma in children.

The reason why flossing is important is that it helps to remove plaque lodged between the teeth.  As plaque hardens it turns into tartar which can only be removed by a oral hygienist or dentist.

Tartar harbors bacteria which produces acids which can damage your gums and cause swelling and bleeding. This is a condition known as gingivitis.  Gingivitis if left untreated can lead to periodontal disease which eventually causes bone deterioration and tooth loss.

Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease. Despite strong evidence of genetic components, there have been few studies of candidate genes and caries. In the Iowa Fluoride Study, it tried to assess genetic and environmental factors contributing to childhood caries.

Environmental factors (age, sex, race, tooth-brushing frequencies and water fluoride level) and three dental caries scores (d2fs-total, d2fs-pit/fissure, and d2fs-smooth surface) were assessed in 575 unrelated children (mean age 5.2 years). Regression analyses were applied to assess environmental correlates.

The Family-Based Association Test was used to test genetic associations for 23 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in 7 caries candidate genes on 333 Caucasian parent-child trios. They evaluated the associations between caries status and the level of both single and multiple SNPs (haplotype) respectively. Permutation procedure was performed for correction of inflated type I errors due to multiple testing. Age, tooth-brushing frequency and water fluoride level were significantly correlated to at least one carious score. Caries on pit and fissure surfaces was substantially higher than on smooth surfaces (61 vs. 39%). SNPs in three genes (DSPP, KLK4 and AQP5) showed consistent associations with protection against caries. Of note, KLK4 and AQP5 were also highlighted by subsequent haplotype analysis. Our results support the concept that genes can modify the susceptibility of caries in children. Replication analysis in independent cohorts is highly needed in order to verify the validity of our findings.

Studies suggest that even in a well developed country such as United States of America only 12% floss their teeth daily.  That many people are not aware of the necessity of flossing. Many people sadly believe that regular brushing is enough to keep their teeth and gums healthy. However this is not the case.

In a recent study of 51 twins one set of twins was instructed to just brush where the other set of twins was to brush and floss. Their dental health was examined before and after the study. The study results showed the group that flossed had 38% fewer bleeding gum sites than before the intervention and overall gum bleeding improved by an average of 42%

If your child is only brushing their teeth then they are only cleaning their teeth about 65% leaving 35% dirty.  Make sure your children are brushing and flossing daily for proper dental health care habits.