Oral Cancer

BRIGHTON, CO - SEPTEMBER 11:  Dental hygiene s...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Oral cancer is a very serious dental problem concerned with growth of cancerous tissue mouth, throat or lips. It usually is in a form of a tumor which grows in the gums and soft tissues between mouth and lips. It can be fatal if not detected early and treated. The main cause is tobacco, genetics and alcohol. Early detection and treatment of this type of cancer can be cured. It has been found out that with the help of radiology the growth of the cancerous tissue can be reduced. According to Oral Cancer Foundation in Asia alone 40% of the cancer related cases are of oral cancer. Every hour a man dies due to this cancer across the globe. Men aged between 40 to 60 are more prone to this disease. Tobacco in any form is very harmful to the mouth; this includes citrates, cigars, beetle leaf, intake of snuff. If the person also consumes alcohol the chances of cancer is more. Even mouthwashes containing alcohol should be avoided.
The initial symptoms of oral cancer are white or red patches. Sores which don’t heal within 14 days. Ulcers on lips and inside mouth tend to grow big and cause pain during eating or talking limits the opening of the mouth. Careful visual examination by a dentist to find the early growing tissue in form of a tumor is very helpful. To find out the state of the cancer closer examination of the tissue sample should be done by tissue biopsy. Surgical removal of the tumor is helpful to completely stop the growth of the tissue. The government conducts an awareness program in the rural areas to educate people the harmful effects of tobacco and how to detect the early signs of cancer. Avoiding oneself from tobacco and alcohol is the first step to prevent oral cancer.

Enhanced by Zemanta

New Born Dental Care

Toothbrush, photo taken in Sweden
Image via Wikipedia

Prevention is better than any form of cure. Parents should educate their children about tooth related problems and help them to develop a proper oral hygiene. Especially for a new born the care of the mouth is as important as much the growth of the child. Visiting a dentist at the end of his 12 month to see the development of his jaws and growth of his first teeth is necessary. Parents should ask quires and learn how to give a proper care for the further growth and formation of the teeth. Baby bottle tooth decay is very common in infants. It is caused of continuous feeding from breasts or bottle even after the child is grown. Feeding in this form should be stopped after a particular age.

The upper front teeth of the child are easily affected because of this decay as the lower teeth are protected by tongue during the process of sucking. Never allow the child to fall asleep with a bottle or a pacifier in his/her mouth. The liquid which forms helps the bacteria to turn milk into acid which causes decay. Make it a habit to clean the mouth after feeding with a soft clean cloth even before the first tooth appears. And when the growth is prominent use a small soft bristle brush without a paste to clean the tooth. Help the child to brush his teeth regularly twice a day as he grows up. Encourage him to brush every day the first thing in the morning. This cultivates a habit of healthy oral hygiene. Allow the child to use the tooth brush and don’t worry if the child like to brush his teeth all the time during the day, just a close inspection is required. Avoid eating of sweets and candies before sleeping to prevent further decay. A newborn is totally dependent on you to take care of.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Children and The Candy Nightmare

A LAUGH AND A SMILE FROM A TRUE SWEETHEART OF ...
Image by Okinawa Soba via Flickr

Eating candies is the one of the favorite things from with you cannot part your children with. They can have candies for breakfast, lunch, dinner and every time in between. Eating a little candy is all right but eating too much without any control is not good especially for growing children. Parents are more afraid when their children eat sweets in excess. If eating candies worries you about your children’s health then some tips have to be followed which will give your children healthy teeth and parents can be free from all the worries. No one can stop children from eating candies. Candies are a part of their life and they will be ready to do anything if you promise them a candy.

This consideration can be used in keeping some restriction on children like when to eat candies, how much to eat, what to do after eating lots of candies. Set a limit on the number of candies child must eat in a day. Do not exceed a limit of 5. It can be made like one candy after a meal. After eating candy make them wash their mouth with a mouth wash or make them brush. If they refuse to brush, show them a candy and tell them that you will give it the next day. If the child still refuses to brush provide them with a sugar free chewing gum which will make their mouth fresh and give healthy teeth. Utmost care should be provided for children and make sure they brush at least twice a day. Utmost care should be provided for children and make sure they brush at least twice a day. Following these simple routines, your child can have a healthy teeth and gums and prevent form tooth decay. Dental care is a must and hence every bite of candy can be enjoyable if a healthy care is given.

Enhanced by Zemanta

The Truth About Wisdom Tooth

29px Tooth equator
Image via Wikipedia

Wisdom teeth are the final permanent teeth to come in your mouth. Third molars are called wisdom teeth because they grow during the 17 and 20 years of life when we enter adulthood and become wiser. On an average there are four wisdom teeth but may vary from person to person. Some may have extra or even no set of molars. It depends on size of our jaws which are designed to hole 28 to 32 teeth. Since wisdom teeth come at last they have little space to grow and final shape of our teeth are decided. As they have less space the wisdom tooth tries to push the teeth forward or have an impartial growth which tends to its removal. Sometimes when the wisdom tooth is not completely out it causes the food particles to get stuck. This causes tooth decay and may even lead to removal of them.

Not everyone needs a wisdom tooth extraction and not all wisdom teeth are removed. Dentist carefully examines the wisdom tooth or even takes an X-ray to decide which molars have to be removed. Then the patient undergoes a small surgical operation to get the wisdom tooth removed. The dentist starts the procedure by giving the patient a local anesthetic to numb the tooth and the areas around the mouth and tissue. Once this is done the gums covering the wisdom tooth is removed to have better visibility. The tissue surrounding the area is pushed with a surgical instrument. If the wisdom tooth is not been impacted under the bone then the dentist just loosens the tissue connecting and wisdom tooth and remove it from the socket. Otherwise a hand drill kind of instrument is used to remove the bones covering the wisdom tooth and then the above procedure is repeated. Once removed the area is closed by stitching to heal the wounds.

Enhanced by Zemanta

The Perfect Smile

more of my teeth
Image by Redcrosse via Flickr

Are you worried about your tooth color? Do you fear to laugh openly?
Modern science has found an easy solution for tooth whitening for people who smoke, drink lots of cola and do not brush. It was never this easy before to clean your teeth or to control bad breath that generated from your mouth but now a variety of tooth whitening techniques are available which will give you not only perfect shining color but also perfect shape. Teeth whitening gels and pastes are used and show the maximum result. Bleaching teeth is a part of general dentistry and most of the youngsters need white teeth hence why not bleach them. The upcoming generations have to be perfect in everything and they prefer these easy and fast techniques. Tooth whitening techniques are a fast spreading cosmetic dentistry.
Although whitening tooth is easily done but that will not last for long as intake of food and other beverages will automatically change the color of your teeth. Tooth whitening techniques used will be different for different persons. It will depend on the type of teeth you have and the color of it. Tooth whitening shows its best result when teeth have yellow hue rather than any other colored hue. Enamel is removed and penetrated for whitening. This technique should not be applied on sensitive teeth. Even it should not be used by pregnant ladies and ladies doing lactation. Risks like allergy caused by the pastes and gels can create bad effects on our teeth.
But without going to these techniques you can get whitening teeth just by properly caring them. Smoking and drinking should be avoided. Brushing and flossing must be done regularly. A dental checkup should be arranged every 3 months. Also the usage of whitening pastes can give best results. Usage of soft bristles brushes maintains your gum. These methods will give you healthy teeth.

Enhanced by Zemanta

The Root Cause of Root Canals

A dentist performs a root canal on a patient.
Image via Wikipedia

Root canal is a space in the tooth between the pulp chambers (which contains small nerves) to the root of the tooth. The pulp chamber is the space from the center of the tooth to the root tip. It is a portion below the enamel of the tooth which contains very sensitive nerves. These nerves are protected by dentin which is above the pulp. An average human have 1 to 4 root canal on each tooth. Incisors have only one where as molars can have up to four root canal. There may be some extra canals which may branch from main canal. These are called accessory canals. A severe pain is felt when this nerve is exposed from their protective barrier due to tooth decay or any other accidental trauma or sometimes due to aging. Tooth decay is a slow process where the decay penetrates the enamel of the tooth and rupturing the dentin leaving the nerves are exposed. In a case like the dentist performs a root canal surgery.
A complete inspection is performed to check the nerve exposed and the cause of it by taking an x-ray. Then a local anesthetic is given to numb the tooth and area where the root canal is performed. Once done the dentist then removes the decay completely and use chemical to disinfect the tooth. Then a rubber pad is kept inside to prevent anything to go inside your mouth. Next the dentist will drill hole inside the tooth to reach the pulp chamber and a specially designed file is used to remove the nerve completely and infected tissue. Care must be taken to remove the nerve completely to avoid further infection after the surgery. When completely removed dentist will fill the canal with Gutta percha which is kind of rubbery material to cover the tooth. Later the tooth is covered with a cap or crown.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Switch to Electric Cigarettes For a Healthier Mouth

A DSE-901 electronic cigarette exhibiting anot...
Image via Wikipedia

The electronic cigarette, sometimes also called an “electric cigarette”, just might make smoking obsolete. This device operates by “atomizing” a cartridge of liquid nicotine, flavoring or both into water vapor, which the user inhales and exhales just like the real smoke from a real cigarette. Health-wise, “vaping” instead of smoking is a vast improvement. Not only does the water vapor carry no carcinogens or tar like a traditional cigarette does, but you can decide how much nicotine you want to inhale, or to continue vaping without any nicotine intake at all!

Get this, though: even if you do choose to inhale nicotine using your electric cigarette, you won’t have to deal with the unpleasant smells and discoloring associated with smoking regular cigarettes. No stained furniture, smoke-scented clothing or yellow stains on the walls, ceiling or the interior of your car. Cosmetically, this means a lot too, because vaping does not stain your teeth like smoking does. Individuals who have smoked for years inevitably develop yellow stained teeth from their habit, and as any non-smoker can tell you, a smoker’s breath smells undeniably like an ashtray.

With electronic cigarettes, you get the look and feel of smoking —  and the nicotine intake of smoking — but none of the cosmetic defects like stained teeth. The harmless water vapor that carries nicotine from your electric cigarette to your lungs is perfectly safe to inhale. It won’t give you bad breath and won’t even cause secondhand “smoke” exposure to those around you while you’re vaping. It’s so safe that vaping is allowed in many non-smoking areas, including on airplanes during flights.

And if you’re an ex-smoker who has switched to electric cigarettes and your teeth are already stained, consider this: with electric cigarettes you can continue to get your daily nicotine intake without crippling your efforts at whitening your teeth.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Preventing Cavities Rather Than Removing Teeth Later

Dental hygienist flossing a patient's teeth du...
Image via Wikipedia

It is important to prevent cavities in your mouth. Cavities are caused by various forms of plaque and to get rid of cavities some measures or precautions need to be taken. First and foremost step is to brush your teeth properly. Brushing teeth twice daily is a very good habit that has to be followed. Note that flossing should be done properly after brushing your teeth. If flossing is not done, the remnants of what you have eaten before stay stuck in the upper part of teeth and this debris can lead to cavity. Preferably flossing can be done with a mouth wash for a fresh breath. Dental health depends on proper and healthy food habits. Food nutrition should be taken care of. Plaque is formed while eating lot of sugary things and hence foods containing nutritional values should be included more in your diet and the intake of sugary products should be decreased. Thus healthy diet also can keep you out of the cavities. A dental check up should be done at least once in three months and a track about your health should be kept. Cleaning your teeth when it starts to fade the color is also good.
Cavities are detected by dental checkups and hence if u comes across a tooth ache or find black cavities in your upper part of mouth do visit a doctor. If aches are intensive make sure you take an X-ray. This is a part of your oral health hygiene. Using mouth washes can also remove small cavities of your mouth. There are a lot of such products available in market. Consult a dentist and you can use those products at home. Similarly sugar free chewing gums are also available which helps in keeping mouth fresh and preventing the cavities to form in your mouth. Sealants are also widely used to protect your upper teeth.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Dental Emergencies

Cross section showing parts of tooth.
Image via Wikipedia

Everyone has seen a case of broken tooth a number of times but most of the people don’t know the procedure to be followed during such situations. There are many reasons that can cause tooth to break. Chewing hard food or materials, or an accidental blow to the jaw can cause a tooth to break or even cracking of the tooth. If a root canal is performed on the tooth it becomes brittle and can lead to a it breaking up. When a tooth breaks there is a possibility of the pulp cavity to be exposed. This pulp chamber contains very sensitive nervous tissue which is highly sensitive to cold temperatures. Exceptions are in those cases where the pulp cavity is removed during the root canal surgery. When a tooth is broken it is important that one avoids eating cold foods items and visit a dentist as soon as possible for a treatment. If the tooth is completely knocked off then try to put the broken tooth into the socket within 60 seconds and press it, if not then clean the area with water(to remove the debris and blood clot) and wipe it with a clean towel. Prevent the formation of blood clot in the socket by rinsing your mouth with saline solution. Keep the broken tooth in saline solution (to preserve the tooth) and take it to a dentist. Then the dentist decides if the tooth can be replaced back to its original form using bonding solutions. This process is called re-implantation. In case there is a crack then avoid taking of food in that area of mouth, care should be taken that no pressure should be applied. Visit a dentist to see if the tooth should be removed or only the cracked portion. Follow these simple procedures above during such dental emergencies and avoid panicking. Visiting the dentist is the best solution.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Stomach Cancer and Bad Breath May Be Related

Bad breath may have greater impacts on health than was previously thought. A new study shows that the bacteria that causes stomach cancers and ulcers also lives in the mouths of people who battle bad breath.

These people may not show symptoms of stomach ulcers or other disease, but there is a strong possibility that they will develop one or both the ailments down the road. Research recently revealed that infection by a certain bacteria carried by nearly ninety percent of people in the developing world, and between twenty and eighty percent of developed countries was linked to stomach cancers and ulcers.

Subsequent research shows that the bacteria also lives in the human mouth, especially when gum disease is present. Periodontal disease is a verified cause of bad breath, but other causes may include debris on the tongue, poor dental habits, and ill-fitting fillings which trap culprit bacteria.

Bacteria living in the mouth produce bad smelling odors, and so can diseases of the intestinal tract. Until recently, scientists were not sure if the bacteria that causes stomach cancers and ulcers could even live in the mouth, but once they did, they wanted to test people who had bad breath for the bacteria. The study tested DNA from saliva extracted from 326 people, the majority of whom had bad breath. None of the participants had stomach problems.

The tests showed that just over six percent of the subjects had the bacteria in their mouths. Those who tested for the cancer-causing bacteria in their mouths also showed high levels of blood in the saliva, loose teeth, and the presence of known bad breath gases.

Some 102 of the test subjects were diagnosed with gum disease, and 16 of them had the cancer and ulcer causing bacteria in their mouths. Scientists conclude that the swelling caused by gum disease might allow other species of bacteria to move in, and that the infection caused by the cancer-causing bacteria could be associated with the bad breath that develops after gum disease.

Scientists hope to learn more about the role the mouth plays in stomach disease, and vice-versa.