Watch Out for Potentially Unsafe Toothpastes

In 2007, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued consumer warnings against toothpastes coming from China and South Africa. The agency has identified these imported products over concerns that they contain a poisonous and potentially hazardous substance known as diethylene glycol (DEG), which is used in antifreeze. An advisory was also issued stating that these products are typically sold, at a lower price, at “bargain” stores and retail outlets.

While the ban on certain imported toothpastes was lifted, consumers should still exercise precaution in the purchase of these products. Accordingly, the FDA advises the public to look at the product’s label; if it contains DEG, do not use it.

The public should also look out for “gray market” toothpastes: counterfeit products marketed and sold under a particular brand name without the permission of the brand’s true manufacturer. These toothpastes are potentially dangerous since they may not contain the same ingredient quality as its original counterpart. Since its production and sale were not authorized, safe use cannot be assured.

To identify a counterfeit product, check the label for spelling errors, uneven spacing of markings or any signs of inconsistent labeling. Take note that genuine products are stamped with a seal of approval from the FDA.

In all cases, avoid toothpastes that don’t present “Drugs Facts” on their packaging. The FDA regulates the content of each toothpaste product. Accordingly, it is mandatory for manufacturers to list their ingredients. If no list appears on the label, it is mostly like coming from an illegal source.

For further information, consult Dr. Curtis W. Sandahl in Oxnard, California who is specialized in Restorative Dentistry, root canal treatment, dental bridge, dental crown and many more.

Dental Accidents (And What to Do If It Happens to You)

Have you noticed how most athletes (boxers, football players, etc.) wear mouthguards for every game? This protective gear helps prevent jaw and tooth injuries. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontists highly recommends wearing one when engaging in physical sports like boxing, basketball, football, wrestling and other similar activities. Think of it as armor and a cushion for your teeth, protecting them from an incoming ball, another object or a person.

However, mouthguards are not your typical fashion accessory that you can always wear to school, the office or party. Unprotected, your teeth are at risk of injury at any moment notice. That could be broken, loosened or knocked out at the point of impact.

Accidents happen. But what you do afterward is what really matters. If you slip on the floor, fall off a bike or bump the wall and hit your mouth, chances are you could injure your jaw and teeth. Here are a couple of tips on dealing with the unfortunate event.

If your tooth broke,was chipped or loosened, put an ice pack on the injured area. Save the chipped tooth fragment for possible reattachment, or gently attempt to push a loosened tooth back into its socket, if feasible.

If you knocked out your tooth, seek professional help immediately Timely dental attention could greatly improve your tooth’s chances for reattachment. Still, you can attempt to restore it in its socket until professional help arrives. If not possible, place the tooth in your mouth (saliva helps), in a glass of milk or in sterile saline solution—but never in water.

Indulging in Healthy Foods for Better Dental Health

Feeding your kids can be difficult. They are usually picky with their food usually preferring junk food over the healthy food that they should be eating. Try bringing them to the grocery store and you’ll see them grabbing the sugary and starchy items instead of apples and oranges. This can be a disaster for children’s health; not to mention, their dental health.

You see, eating right is a huge factor in having a healthy set of teeth and bones particularly those foods containing calcium and other nutrients.

However, peer pressure, coming from friends and classmates, isn’t helping the cause of healthy eating. Picture this: You pack your child a healthy and delicious meal for lunch at school. But what your child sees peers eating can influence the way he or she eats. While your child takes a bite from an apple, the classmate is munching on junk food. Most likely, your child will drop the apple and feast on the classmate’s sugary food. What’s a parent to do?

Dr. Courtney Chinn, DDS, MPH, of the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine acknowledges this predicament and stresses the fact that healthy food choices can have a significant effect on a child’s overall health, which includes the teeth and gums.

Dr. Chinn advises parents to keep kids away from snacks that stick to the teeth, which causes tooth decay and cavities. Sugary drinks should be minimized; milk and water are highly recommended. Stash only fruits and veggies at home so your child will be motivated to eat healthy foods only.

9 Simple Ways to Keep Your Teeth Healthy

We’ve all seen, heard or read them many times before. Let’s sort things out once and for all. Here are nine simple ways to keep your teeth healthy and strong.

What You Need to Know about Enamel Microabrasion

There are a lot of factors that cause discoloration of our teeth. Take coffee, colas, and cigarettes, for instance. Their ingredients contain chemicals that stain the teeth. In fact, even fluoride, an active ingredient in toothpaste, can cause mottling and produce a white or brown stain on the teeth. To eliminate these unwanted teeth stains, most patients undergo a procedure known as enamel microabrasion.

Endodontic Treatment: Saving One Tooth at a Time

If a patient experiences tooth pain over a long time period for no apparent reason, most dentists would likely attribute it to the tooth’s pulp. When the tooth becomes severely painful, has become very sensitive to changes in temperature or has an exposed tooth pulp, dentists generally recommend an endodontic treatment for the patient.

Endodontic Treatment on Baby Teeth

Dentists perform endodontic treatment for people who experience tooth pain due to severe sensitivity or exposed tooth pulp. This procedure can be performed both on permanent and baby teeth. And even though baby teeth will fall out eventually, dentists would still opt to fix them. After all, these baby teeth occupy the spaces that permanent teeth will replace once the former fall out. Otherwise, the neighboring teeth would occupy the space and block the growth of the permanent tooth, causing it to tilt out of place.

Dental Accidents (And What to Do If It Happens to You)

Have you noticed how most athletes (boxers, football players, etc.) wear mouthguards for every game? This protective gear helps prevent jaw and tooth injuries. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontists highly recommends wearing one when engaging in physical sports like boxing, basketball, football, wrestling and other similar activities. Think of it as armor and a cushion for your teeth, protecting them from an incoming ball, another object or a person.

Five Types of Dental X-rays

Dental x-rays are used much more than just for detecting tooth decay and cavities. Dentists also used them to survey teeth or bone anomalies, diagnose dental disorders, and/or prepare orthodontic treatment. With dental x-rays, dentists can now perform these oral surveys without the need of direct visual exam, making the procedure comfortable and convenient for the patient.

Survey Reveals Native American Children Have More Tooth Decay

In a statement released on May 30, 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that Native American children as well as those born to indigenous populations have more tooth decay and cavities compared to other children. The pediatricians’ group further recommended that doctors and dentists should pay more attention to these kids’ oral health.

Gum Disease is Prevalent among Adults

According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, many adults in the US are suffering from gum diseases.

Conscious Sedation Methods Used by Dentists

Most kids become uneasy when they go to the dentist’s office. Can’t really blame them though with all they’ve heard from friends or seen on TV and movies. Nevertheless, dentists put up with all that anxiousness. After all, it’s their job. So what do they do to keep these kids at ease? Simple, they just do these sedation techniques to keep the kids sit long enough until the procedure is done.

Low-fluoride toothpaste is no better than nonfluoride toothpaste in preventing tooth decay among children

Toothpastes containing less than 1,000 parts per million of fluoride concentrations are as ineffective at preventing tooth decay as toothpastes with no fluoride at all. This finding, published in the Cochrane Database of research group Cochrane Collaboration, is taken from 79 clinical studies involving 73,000 children worldwide.

Tooth Decays in Toddlers and Infants

Tooth decay poses a serious threat for today’s kids. Twenty-eight percent of children aged two to five in the US have tooth decay, this according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pain interferes with the kids’ eating, playing, sleeping, and other activities. While tooth decay treatments are readily available, the best cure is still prevention.

Muting the dentist’s drill eases the patient’s fear

Much like noise-canceling or noise-reduction headphones in airliners, a new dental technology can block out the shrill sound from the dentist’s instruments, which has been the prime cause of patient phobia and anxiety.
The device, containing a microphone and a chip, shuts out sound from the dental drill through soundwaves that produce interference. The prototype device, invented by clinicians from King’s College London, uses an electronic filtering system that locks onto soundwaves and removes them.

Baby Bottles, Pacifiers, and Thumb-Sucking Can Ruin Your Baby’s Teeth

Babies suck—it’s their natural and physiological reflex. They find comfort in bringing their fingers, pacifiers, or any object within reach inside their mouth. Though it may be a normal aspect of their development, sucking could create a problem for your baby.

Let Your Kids Take Charge of Their Teeth

Each day offers an opportunity for your kid to learn new things. Last week’s lesson was about twisting, licking, and dunking his cookie on a glass of milk. The other day was about making “bunny ear loops” to tie his shoelaces. With so many things that you can teach him, perhaps you could also show him how to take care of his teeth. His young age is ideal for developing his habit of brushing and flossing.

Eating Right to Prevent Tooth Decay

Brushing and flossing are ideally the best steps to protect your kid’s teeth from decay as well as gum disease. But without a well-balanced and healthy diet, brushing and flossing won’t do much.

Regular intake of green tea prevents and cures gum disease, study finds

Green tea has become an increasingly popular beverage being touted in numerous studies as having therapeutic benefits for heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, genital warts and obesity. Green tea’s antioxidant properties are believed to produce anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects.

Getting to the bottom of sensitive teeth

Dentine hypersensitivity is a sudden, sharp shooting pain in the teeth triggered by hot, cold or acidic foodstuff. Pain is also felt with touch, such as from chewing or tooth-brushing, and with air pressure, such as when one is breathing through the mouth.