Vegetarianism may be good for your heart, but is it good for your teeth?

Many people make losing weight and getting healthy their new year’s resolution. If this is your goal for 2012, you might decide to try vegetarianism. While vegetarianism can help reduce your intake of fat and cholesterol while inveggiescreasing your intake of those healthy fruits and vegetables, are there any dental care issues associated with becoming a vegetarian?

How Vegetarianism Can Affect Your Oral Health

When designing your vegetarian diet, it’s essential to make sure you’re still getting certain nutrients. Some vegetarians might not get enough calcium, riboflavin, vitamins D or B12, or protein, and this can have a negative effect on the oral health of vegetarians.

A diet low on vitamin D and calcium can increase your risk of periodontal disease (gum disease), a very serious oral health problem. But take heart! You can counteract this problem with dietary supplements. It’s also recommended that you get guidance from a nutritionist before pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle to make sure you’re on the right track.

If giving vegetarianism a go is your new year’s resolution, there’s no need to be afraid for your oral health. Just make sure you’re getting all the important nutrients by eating a balanced diet. And don’t forget to make brushing and flossing a part of your oral health routine, too!

Oh, for Goodness Sake!

If I Could Only Have My Two Front Teeth…

Around the age of six, a child’s baby teeth begin to fall out to make room for primary teeth. The last of their baby teeth typically fall out by the age of 13. Teeth fall out in the same order they erupted. So, most children lose their bottom two teeth first, and then their two front teeth.

Unfortunately, there are other ways to lose front teeth. Front teeth often take the full impact of a fall. If these teeth are knocked loose or knocked out, it’s important to get to the dentist right away. The dentist will try to reinsert the tooth so that it begins to re-bond with the bone. If it’s too late to save the tooth, then it’s likely the gap can be filled in with a dental prosthesis, such as a crown and bridge, or with dental implants.

Then I Could Wish You Merry Christmas…

In 1944, music teacher Donal Yetter Gardner asked his second grade class what they wanted for Christmas. He noticed nearly all his students had lisps because they were missing at least one front tooth, and he was inspired to pen a holiday song.  After performing “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth,” at a music teachers’ conference, Gardner gained the notice of a Witmark music company employee.  A few short years later, the song was recorded and released by Spike Jones & His City Slickers, and the catchy tune soared to the top of the 1949 pop charts.

Do You Have Any New Year’s Resolutions for Your Smile?

New Year's EveIt happens every year around this time, especially after Christmas. Soon, all the talk will be about New Year’s resolutions. Exercising and losing weight are probably the two most common you’ll hear. Eating right is another popular pick.

What you don’t hear too often, though, is “I resolve to visit my dentist every six months,” or “I resolve to brush twice a day everyday, floss at least once a day, and gargle with a quality mouthwash at least once a day.” But these are exactly the kinds of resolutions many could benefit from making.

Every year, millions of people avoid going to the dentist, whether because of anxiety or another reason. That means that millions of people may not be giving their smile the care it needs to remain strong and healthy.

Regular dental visits and daily brushing and flossing are important because they help you keep bacteria and plaque from building up between your teeth and gums. Bacteria and plaque are what lie behind tooth decay and gum disease, but they have also been linked to problems in the rest of the body, too.

So, looked at from that perspective, resolving to visit your dentist twice a year and pay extra attention to your brushing and flossing isn’t about improving your smile—it’s about keeping your whole body healthy. And that’s a resolution anyone can get behind.

How to Keep Your Teeth Happy this Holiday Season

Stuffing, rolls, pies, cakes…the holidays are a time full of carbohydrate-rich, sugary foods. This can really do a number on your oral health, but there are some simple ways you can help combat cavities while still enjoying Grandma’s pumpkin pie (or pecan if that’s your preference!).9831704

If you can, eat those carb-heavy foods such as stuffing and rolls with a balanced meal consisting of some protein. This helps to counteract some of the acids produced when sugars and bacteria in the mouth come together.

Limit your consumption of sticky foods. These foods take longer to chew, meaning they stay in the mouth longer and increase cavity risk.

Carry a travel toothbrush with you to your Thanksgiving meal destination, even if you’re just going for the day. Can’t brush your teeth immediately after eating for some reason? Rinse your mouth out with water to remove as much debris and acid as possible.

And try not to graze so much. It’s easy to spend the entire day walking around a party eating snacks, but every time you pop something into your mouth, it creates acids. Spend some time NOT eating on Thanksgiving day to cut down on the buildup of cavity-causing agents.

By following these simple holiday dental care tips, you can keep your teeth and gums healthy while still enjoying your Thanksgiving goodies. Happy holidays!

Filling in the Information Gaps about Diastema

DiastemaDiastema is a term used to describe a gap between two teeth. Many celebrities have a diastema including Madonna, Eddie Murphy, Jack Black, Lauren Hutton, Amelia Earheart, and Willie Nelson. For some people, a diastema makes their smile unique, and they choose to keep the charming midline gap.

Animal Tendencies

A diastema is a natural feature of several mammal species, especially herbivores. The diastema in the dentition of animals such as rodents, sheep, and beavers allow food to be routed into the cheek so consumption can continue unimpeded. A diastema also allows material from gnawing to be expelled through the gap. Continue reading Filling in the Information Gaps about Diastema

For This Year’s Halloween, Choose Candy Made with Xylitol!

trick or treaterYou probably have memories of your own Halloweens when you were a kid. You know what that sense of anticipation feels like waiting for Halloween to come, and that giddy, nervous sensation as you stand on a neighbor’s porch, waiting for candy.

But you probably have memories of getting a filling, too. And though getting fillings is a much more comfortable experience now than it was in the past, you’d still like to see your own little one get through Halloween cavity-free.

So why not stock up on candy made with xylitol this Halloween?

Continue reading For This Year’s Halloween, Choose Candy Made with Xylitol!

Are You At Risk for Cavities?

Are you at risk for cavities? That may sound like a trick question—everyone is at risk for cavities! But some people are at a higher risk than others, and knowing the risk factors could help you improve your oral health and avoid the extensive tooth decay that eventually turns in to the dreaded cavities.tooth with umbrella

So, in the spirit of helping you avoid future cavities by educating you on some of the many risk factors, here’s a list! Continue reading Are You At Risk for Cavities?

Catch a Frog Under the Full Moon … and Other Toothache Cures

caveman smallToothaches, and attempts to cure them, have no doubt been around as long as we have. In fact, researchers discovered evidence of tooth drilling that took place more than 9,000 years ago. It seems some enterprising dentist-in-training put down his spear and picked up a crude dental drill to fix cavity-ridden molars in his fellow Neolithic man. The good news is that the process was unbelievably precise and took about minute. The bad news? No anesthesia!

Tooth Worms are Eeeeeeevil!

It was long believed cavities were caused by worms that burrowed inside the tooth and caused pain by wiggling around. The earliest reference to tooth worms was in a Sumerian text dated around 5,000 BCE.  Right up until the 18th century most people, including dental practitioners, believed that tooth worms caused decay and discomfort.

Some ancient doctors mistook tooth nerves as tooth worms, and removed them. It was the barbaric version of root canal therapy. Well, except the doctors would also take out the entire tooth. Present-day dentists try to avoid extractions because tooth roots are important to the health and strength of the jawbone. Continue reading Catch a Frog Under the Full Moon … and Other Toothache Cures

Support Your Health with Antioxidants

veggiesYour Smile, and Your Overall Health, Is Under Attack

You can’t tell it right now, but your body is under attack from free radicals.

What are free radicals? To understand that question, you need to know a little bit about the human body.

You already know your body is made of cells, and that cells are made up of molecules, and that molecules are made of atoms. You may also know that every atom is made up of two positive protons and two neutral electrons.

A free radical is an atom that’s lost one of its electrons. In this state, the atom is unstable. Its singular goal becomes stealing an electron from wherever it can find one, and that usually means taking one from another nearby atom, resulting in a chain reaction of electron-stealing known as oxidation.

If this chain reaction is allowed to continue, your health can be negatively impacted. Problems like diabetes, gingivitis, heart attack, and even cancer, have all been linked to free radicals.

Continue reading Support Your Health with Antioxidants

The Tooth Fairy May Be Relatively Young, But Her Story Began a Long Time Ago

shutterstock_41235853-[Converted]While most of us can’t imagine a world without the tooth fairy, she didn’t actually grace us with her presence until the early 1900s… at least, not in her current form. And depending where in the world you are, the “tooth fairy” is likely unrecognizable to those of us who grew up waking up the morning after losing a tooth to find a quarter under our pillow.

In fact, it would appear that our own nocturnal visitor’s origins have been influenced by rituals and superstitions held all over the world, many of which date back hundreds of years. Continue reading The Tooth Fairy May Be Relatively Young, But Her Story Began a Long Time Ago