Dental Red Flags: Four Reasons to See the Dentist Right Now

By John Dougherty

If you brush twice a day and floss once a day, you’re ahead of the game. But even those who take good care of their teeth sometimes need to make an extra trip to the dentist. Bi-annual appointments provide important preventative care, but some issues can’t wait for your next cleaning date.  

Here are four red flag symptoms you should never ignore:

 1. Bleeding Gums

Bleeding gums can result from brushing too hard or from taking a long break from flossing and then starting again. However, they can also be an early sign of gum disease. If bleeding or discomfort is extreme or continues after you’ve been brushing and flossing regularly for two weeks, call the office immediately. If your leg was bleeding, you’d go see a doctor, right? If your gums are bleeding, come see us.  

 2. Sensitive Teeth and Toothaches

Tooth pain is often indicative of decay and should be treated immediately, before it gets worse. If you experience pain when drinking hot or cold beverages, you probably have sensitive teeth. This discomfort could be the result of gum disease, worn tooth enamel, tooth decay or worn fillings. Schedule an appointment so we can treat your pain and address any underlying health issues.

3. Mouth Sores

Mouth sores such as canker sores or cold sores can be treated with over the counter products, but there are other sores that need direct medical attention. If a sore lasts longer than a week, call the office to schedule an appointment.

 4. Chronic Bad Breath

Temporary bad breath often comes from tobacco-use or what you eat and drink. (Coffee, anyone?) In these cases, dental attention is not necessary. However, if you have persistent bad breath that doesn’t go away when you brush and floss, it could be an early sign of gum disease.

Does fluoride help or hurt?

By: John Dougherty

It’s alarming to learn that tooth decay is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases in the U.S. Dentists are now seeing an increasing number of children as young as four years old with moderate to severe cases of tooth decay. The good news is this is preventable; and fluoride is an important ingredient in prevention.

To keep children cavity-free for as long as possible, the American Dental Association recently changed the recommended age of fluoride use from two-years-old to the first signs of baby teeth. It was previously thought that fluoride use on babies may cause discoloration on their adult teeth, and possibly cause harm. As a result, the recent change in recommendation has stimulated some debate.   

First, we must consider the overall benefits of fluoride:

• It helps maintain saliva,  preventing plaque build up
• It prevents plaque from forming acids that cause tooth decay
• It strengthens weakened areas of the mouth

Adults that brush their teeth daily with fluoride toothpaste should be sufficiently protected. For infants, it is safe for parents to use small amounts of fluoride toothpaste with a soft brush, to help protect their teeth as they begin to form. For children, fluoride toothpaste alone is not enough.  To properly protect their teeth from decay, during the prime growing years, children need fluoride from additional sources, such as local drinking water.   

Recommended Alternative Sources

• Fluoride rinse
• Fluoride gum or drops
• Tap water

While some parents are concerned that too much fluoride can be harmful, proper amounts of toothpaste and fluoride supplements are safe. Now, if a child ingests an entire tube of toothpaste, it can be extremely harmful and in some cases even fatal. Fortunately, if they only swallow a pea-sized amount, there are no damaging effects.

Dental sealants prevent tooth decay

Just in case you missed this month's Raising Arizona Kids Magazine article. Our very own Dr. Dougherty gives his expert advice on sealants.

By Vicki Louk Balint

Think of it as a protective nail polish for the teeth.

Dental sealants were developed in the 1950s by researchers at the University of Rochester’s Eastman Dental School. Their efforts were part of the attempt to prevent tooth decay from causing cavities.
Unlike today, dentistry at that time wasn’t always viewed by the public as a preventative care vocation. Many people payed a visit to the dentist as a last resort when they could no longer stand the pain of an infected decaying tooth.

During the mid part of the 20th century, dental researchers recognized the value of encouraging the public to brush and floss, and began to steer dental science toward prevention.

Timothy R. Wilson, DDS, of Affiliated Pediatric Dentists and Orthodontists, says that a Delta Dental study on sealants found that the procedure can reduce the chances of tooth decay by up to a whopping 85 percent. 

Sealants can be applied to the surface of the 6- and 12-year-old molars in the back of the mouth. They are the teeth most at risk for cavities because of the deep grooves on the surface, where bacteria can hide and cause decay.

Still, many parents don’t know about the use of sealants as an option to prevent tooth decay. According to the National Institute of Dental and Cranialfacial Research, fewer than one-third of children in the United States have sealants on their teeth.

The sealant is a liquid plastic that coats the pits and fissures in the tooth and then hardens to form a barrier. When applied, sealants can actually stop decay in its beginning stages, preventing future cavities.

Applying the sealant is fairly simple. First, the surface of the tooth is dried with cotton. The sealant is applied and then cured with a UV light. The patient can eat or drink shortly thereafter. No numbing is required.

Sealants are made from plastic. Do they contain BPA? John Dougherty, DDS, of Artistic Dental of the Biltmore, says that might have been true in the past, but today the name brands that most dentists use are BPA free. “Be sure to ask your dentist if you are concerned,” he says.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Find more resources, including a handy pediatric dentist finder by zip code, at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry website.

Help your kids kick bad dental habits, for healthier teeth

February is National Children's Dental Health Month – a good time to focus on teaching kids how to take good care of their teeth. Start by helping your children avoid the four most common bad oral habits. If your kids have already picked up some of these bad habits, don't fret! 

1. Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

The challenge: Babies are in constant contact with sugar, found in milk or formula. Mouth bacteria feeds on sugar and causes tooth decay.

How to prevent it: Don't give your baby a bottle to calm them down when they're cranky. Instead, offer them a pacifier. Never give your baby a bottle when they are going to bed. If they suck on it throughout the night and don't swallow completely, the leftover liquid will decay teeth. You should also use a wet cloth or gauze to wipe your baby's teeth and gums down after they eat or drink.

2. Thumb sucking

The challenge: When kids 5 years and older still suck their thumbs, their permanent teeth can grow in unaligned, leading to an overbite, a misaligned jaw and/or pronunciation problems.

How to prevent it: Encourage your child to decide to stop on their own, but don't scold or punish them when they don't follow through. Your child can get defensive and suck their thumb even more because it's their security mechanism/stress reliever! Instead, provide positive reinforcement and rewards when they go a certain amount of time without sucking their thumb. Gradually increase the time needed to go without thumb sucking to get the reward.

3. Tongue Thrusting

The challenge: Tongue thrusting is the habit of pushing your tongue forward against your front teeth and lips when swallowing, or even when relaxing. This can cause protruding front teeth, an overbite, and even improper speech development.

How to prevent it: Teach your child the proper way to swallow, which includes not licking your lips, keeping your back teeth together while swallowing, moving your tongue upward instead of forward, and never allowing the tongue to rest against the front teeth. As a test to see if your child is swallowing right, have them put liquid in their mouth and swallow while smiling. If they swallow correctly, no liquid should come out. If water shoots out, they are a tongue thruster (this is always fun to try at the dinner table). At that point, they can practice swallowing right until they adopt the correct way, or there are appliances that can correct the problem.

4. Bruxism

The challenge: Children that bite their nails, grind their teeth, or chew on pencils or other objects are at a greater risk of getting bruxism − unintentional teeth grinding that can lead to jaw pain, chronic headaches, tense facial muscles and sensitive teeth.

How to prevent it: Don't let your kids chew on anything that isn't food. If your child already chews on objects or grinds their teeth often, have them put their tongue between their front teeth so they can train their jaw to relax. If you think your child is biting their nails for stress-related and/or emotional reasons, talk to them about it and consider therapy options.

Bad habits can affect your child's oral health. The good news: by addressing them early on, you can prevent long-term problems. Do that, and both you and your child will be smiling.

Dr. Dougherty's article in Healty Cells

Give your New Year's resolutions teeth: How to stick to your 2014 goals

We are 10 days into 2014, and that means more than 25 percent of folks have already broken their New Year's resolutions. Get this – only 8 percent of people who set new goals on January 1 will achieve them. But don’t let that dissuade you from setting new goals.

We did a little research to help you keep your resolutions this year. In a recent USA Today article, John Norcross, a psychology professor at Scranton University recommended the following:

- Set SMART goals: That stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-specific. Let's say your resolution is to floss more this year. (Hint, hint …) Make your goal SMART: commit to flossing once a day, every day for the next three months.

- Keep track of your progress: Apps like stickK, Beeminder and Wunderlist help you set reminders and monitor short-term goals. Some even let you bet on yourself; if you break your resolution, they'll charge your credit card. Now that's what I call a resolution with teeth! (Pun intended.)

- Give yourself a high-five for small achievements: Break your resolution up into smaller goals, and then reward yourself for little wins. For example, say your SMART resolution is to brush your teeth two minutes, twice a day, every day of 2014. For every week or two that you maintain your brushing streak, treat yourself to something special – maybe a movie, a dinner at your favorite restaurant or a day-trip somewhere fun.

- Share your resolution: Announcing your goal – whether to family members, close friends or everyone on Facebook – can help motivate you to stay on track.

- Don't let setbacks derail you: Experts say that 70 percent of folks who achieve their goals slip up. But instead of letting mistakes derail their plan, they use them to strengthen their resolve. Learn from your slip and persevere toward your end goal. 2015 will be here before we know it!