Dental Health For Life

Here are some tips to help maintain good dental health:

Avoid excessive use of sugar.
This seems like a simple piece of advice, but let's list the things that cause problems:

• Carbonated drinks with sugar --
  Many of these products have extremely high sugar content combined with acid. The sugar is turned into an acid by bacteria. This acid, along with the acid in the beverage actually eats away the hard outer layer of the tooth. This allows the bacteria to invade the inner portion of the tooth, eventually causing an abscess.
   
• Hard candy --
  These (like most carbonated drinks) have no nutritional value, if your children love hard candy, you must HELP THEM LIMIT THEIR SUGAR USE!
   
• Proper Oral Hygiene --
  Many parents think that telling their children to brush is all it takes. The fact is, parents need to help their children brush after the children brush their own teeth.

Understanding How Drugs and Medications Affect Your Dental Health

• Many drugs such as antihistamines, medication for hypertension (high blood pressure), anti-depressants and others can cause a condition called xerostomia (dry mouth). Unfortunately, many people try to alleviate this problem with hard candy or cough drops, which can have an extremely high sugar content. The result can be numerous areas of decay in a short period of time. This problem is seen quite frequently in adults who have had excellent dental health for years before they experience problems with dry mouth. PATIENTS WITH DRY MOUTH OFTEN NEED A PRESCRIPTION FOR A SPECIAL TOOTHPASTE OR RINSE.
   
• Caffeine and nicotine also cause xerostomia. If you drink coffee with sugar in it or sodas with caffeine and sugar, you are exposing your teeth to acid and sugar while reducing the saliva flow which would normally wash away the sugar and acid.

Do Not Use Tobacco

• Recent studies show that tobacco use is a significant risk factor in periodontal disease (gum disease). Studies also indicate that uncontrolled periodontal disease increases the chance of strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.

Why Maintaining "Baby Teeth" is Important

• "Baby teeth" are also known as primary teeth. They are extremely important in maintaining proper space and position to allow the permanent teeth to erupt in the proper position. Some children may retain their primary teeth until they are 12 to 14 years old. Cavities in baby teeth cause the same problems as cavities in permanent teeth and require proper treatment.