Oral hygiene is essential for your overall wellbeing, not just your oral health. In fact, gum disease is a major risk factor for developing certain dangerous health conditions, such as diabetes
Dental X-rays are pictures of the teeth, bones, and soft tissues around them to help find problems with the teeth, mouth, and jaw. X-ray pictures can show cavities, hidden dental structures (such as wisdom teeth), and bone loss that cannot be seen during a visual examination.
Dental X-rays Safety
TBecause X-ray machines and other sources of dental radiographs are designed to minimize radiation, these processes are safe and your exposure is negligible. Many offices, in fact, are now using digital X-rays, which further reduces radiation exposure.
How Often Are X-rays Needed? Everyone’s oral health varies, and as a result, the dentist will evaluate your needs and recommend an X-ray schedule accordingly. If you’re a new patient, the dentist may advise taking a full series of X-rays or panoramic image to assess your current oral health state, and use this as a baseline going forward. As you continue your regular checkup visits, fewer X-rays are needed to monitor the status of your oral health.
X-ray Types. Bitewing, periapical and panoramic radiographs are the most common X-rays used in the dental office. During routine exams, your dentist may take two to four bitewing x-rays – which show the crown portions of your teeth – to check for early signs of decay between your teeth. When he wants to get a good look at your teeth’s bone height or root tips, periapical X-rays provide the best view.
Your dentist will decide which type of x-ray you need and will explain why you are receiving an x-ray and how the x-ray works. Your dentist or dental assistant will set the machine up and normally leave the room before taking the x-ray. This is to ensure your dentist doesn’t get to much exposure to the machine. Your dentist will only take x-rays when they believe it to be necessary.
If you are pregnant the dentist should only perform an x-ray in an emergency situation.
Even though we’ve been brushing and flossing our teeth for years and years, many of us are surprised to learn that we’re not doing it properly.
Did you know that proper brushing takes at least two minutes?
Most adults do not come close to brushing that long. The following four steps are the best and easiest ways to help you remember how to care for your mouth, teeth and gums:-
- Brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste for at least two minutes, especially first thing in the morning and before bedtime
- Floss every day – usually at bedtime
- Limit the number of times you eat snacks each day
- Visit your dentist every six months for an oral exam and professional cleaning
Tips for Brushing Techniques
- Aim the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle towards the gum line
- Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste
- Use a gentle circular motion
- Repeat on the inside surfaces
- Use a light back and forth motion on the chewing surfaces
- Spit out the toothpaste after brushing.
Expert recommendations. Always use a toothbrush with soft or extra-soft bristle. The harder the brush, the greater the risk of harming your gums.
Bristle options. Manual toothbrushes or replacement heads for your electric toothbrush are available with hard, medium, or soft nylon bristles. Soft bristles are the safest and most comfortable option for most people. You could damage the enamel protecting your teeth, root surface, and gums depending on the strength of the bristles and how vigorously you brush your teeth. Rounded bristle tips offer even more protection.
Change your toothbrush regularly. Throw away your old toothbrush after three months or when the bristles start to flare, whichever comes first. If your bristles flare much sooner than every three months, you may be brushing too hard. Try easing up.
Oral hygiene is essential for your overall wellbeing, not just your oral health. In fact, gum disease is a major risk factor for developing certain dangerous health conditions, such as diabetes
Dentists say that the most important part of tooth care happens at home. Brushing and flossing properly, along with regular dental checkups, can help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
If you’re like most people, you don’t exactly look forward to facing a dentist’s drill. So wouldn’t it be better to prevent cavities before they begin?
Giving Plaque the Brush-Off
TTo prevent cavities, you need to remove plaque, the transparent layer of bacteria that coats the teeth. The best way to do this is by brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing at least once a day. Brushing also stimulates the gums, which helps to keep them healthy and prevent gum disease. Brushing and flossing are the most important things that you can do to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Expert recommendations. If you have teeth that are sensitive to heat, cold, and pressure, you may want to try a special toothpaste for sensitive teeth.
Dental caries (tooth decay) can attack the teeth at any age. In fact, 84% of 17-year-olds have the disease. Left untreated, caries can cause severe pain and result in tooth loss. Losing teeth affects how you look and feel about yourself as well as your ability to chew and speak. Treating caries is also expensive. So prevention and early treatment are important.
It may surprise you to know that 60% of 15-year-olds experience gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease. Gingivitis, which involves the gums but not the underlying bone and ligament, is almost always caused by an accumulation of plaque. As with caries, treatment can be expensive.
If you remove plaque regularly and follow good oral hygiene habits, your gums usually will return to their healthy state. However, more serious gum disease can cause gums to swell, turn red, and bleed, and sometimes causes discomfort. How dentists treat gum disease depends on the extent of the disease.
Many medications—both those prescribed by your doctor and the ones you buy on your own—affect your oral health.
A common side effect of medications is dry mouth. Saliva helps keep food from collecting around your teeth and neutralizes the acids produced by plaque. Those acids can damage the hard surfaces of your teeth. Dry mouth increases your risk for tooth decay. Your soft oral tissues—gums, cheek lining, tongue—can be affected by medications as well.
Medications That Can Cause Dry Mouth
More than 400 medications have the potential to cause dry mouth. Saliva cleans your mouth but if it’s not flowing normally and dry mouth develops, you’ll be more prone to gum infections and tooth decay.
The most common types of medications that cause dry mouth include:
Antihistamines
Decongestants
High blood pressure medications (including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors)
Antidepressants
Sedatives
Pain medications
Parkinson’s disease medications
Antacids
What to do about dry mouth: If dry mouth is severe as a result of your medication, you can ask your doctor to switch your medication to something else.
Inhalers People with breathing problems often use inhalers. Inhaling medication through your mouth can cause a fungal infection called oral candidiasis. Sometimes called thrush, this infection appears as white spots in your mouth and can be painful. Rinsing your mouth after using your inhaler may prevent this infection.
Cancer treatments also can affect oral health. If possible, see your dentist before beginning treatment. He or she can ensure that your mouth is healthy and, if necessary, can prescribe treatments to help you maintain good oral health. Your dentist also is interested in the medications you are taking because many can affect your dental treatments. Your dentist may want to speak with your physician when planning your treatment. Rare but serious jaw problems also can occur in people who’ve received bone strengthening drugs to treat cancer and, to a lesser extent, osteoporosis. .
These are only a few examples of how medications can affect your oral health. It is important that your dentist knows about the medications you are taking so that he or she can provide the best dental care for you. Tell your dentist about your medication use and your overall health, especially if you have had any recent illnesses or have any chronic conditions. Provide a health history including both prescription and over-the-counter products. Always let your dentist know when there are changes in your health or medication use.
Be sure to talk with your dentist about how to properly secure and dispose of any unused, unwanted or expired medications, especially if there are any children in the household. Also, take the time to talk with your children about the dangers of using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.
