Month: May 2017

Hey, you go to the dentist every once in a while right? So why’s it so important to brush your teeth? Well, it turns out that while no one will bother to explain it to you, brushing your teeth is a vital way in which we preserve both our teeth and gums. Ever since the early 20^th-century brushing teeth has become the hip thing to do. But why exactly do we do it?

Plaque Brush-Away

Throughout the course of the day, plaque builds up on your teeth. Plaque is a combination of food and bacteria that stashes away inside of your mouth. Letting the plaque in your mouth amass may lead to gingivitis and gum disease. If you notice that your gums bleed when you brush you should schedule an appointment with your San Diego-Kearny Mesa orthodontist.

Maintain a Pearly-White Smile

We all want those Hollywood chops, but few of us are willing to be diligent enough teeth-brushers to accomplish our easily attainable dreams. Brushing our teeth means removing debris and stains that discolor our teeth. Brushing twice a day will drastically improve your odds of cultivating the white teeth you crave.

Reduces Chances of a Heart Attack

Who would’ve thought that brushing your teeth on a regular basis could decrease your odds of having a heart attack? The fact of the matter is that bacteria that takes refuge in your mouth eventually travels down and into your bloodstream, wreaking havoc on your cholesterol. This in turn increases your odds of having a heart attack.

Rid Yourself of Bad Breath

Bad breath is the leading cause of friend-loss. No one wants to talk to someone with bad breath. Luckily you can avoid being a pariah by brushing your teeth twice a day. Just remember to brush away the bacteria that can be found on your tongue.

Appreciate the importance of healthy teeth by getting a bit more intimate with your teeth, tongue, and mouth. Here are some fun dental facts that you had no idea about until now. Don’t forget to book your next dental cleaning now with the best orthodontists in the San Diego area.

When we think of the hardest part of your entire body, we often think of bones right? It turns out that the hardest thing on your body is actually, tooth enamel. Enamel is the top surface of your tooth. But just because it’s tough, doesn’t mean you should start tooth wrestling to prove who’s enamel is the strongest.

When do teeth begin to form? Well, it just so happens that teeth start the growing process even before you’re born. Although teeth begin to develop while in the womb, they’re not visible until 6 to 12 months after birth.

Unlike other animals, humans use four different types of teeth to eat their food. We call upon our incisors, canines, premolars, and molars to break down our food for us.

We often think that the most unique thing about our bodies is our retinas or fingerprint. It turns out that our teeth are just as unique as our one-of-a-kind fingerprints.

Over the course of a lifetime, we spend approximately 38.5 days brushing our teeth. How much time do you think you spend flossing them?

We produce 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. To give you a real-life example of just how much this is, you could easily fill two swimming pools with the amount of saliva produced. Just be lucky that you don’t have to swim in it.

Many of us don’t imagine our teeth beneath the gums. However, a third of our teeth can be found hiding under the gumline.

If you ever get a tooth knocked out of your mouth, put it in milk and hold it in your mouth. This tactic will allow it to survive longer. After that make an appointment with your dentist immediately.

Your toothbrush is loaded with more germs than you care to think about. After all, its No. 1 job is digging out leftover food and bacteria from the corners of your mouth, which a 2014 study published in the Scientific World Journal estimated houses more than 700 bacterial species.

“People grow all sorts of crazy things on their toothbrush,” Mark Burhenne, DDS, who wasn’t involved in the research, told Fox News. That can be harmful if bacteria from a cold virus, for instance, harbors on your toothbrush and you end up getting reinfected.

HOW MUCH DENTAL CARE IS TOO MUCH?

Your best defense: Replacing your toothbrush often. The American Dental Association says the magic number is every three to four months.

That’s not only because of bacteria, though. “Everyone sees the toothbrush as a safe, wonderful, efficacious thing whereas dentists kind of look at it the opposite,” Burhenne said. Patients can do damage by over-brushing and by using old toothbrushes where the soft dome-shaped bristles have become sharp.

5 FOODS THAT CAN HELP NATURALLY WHITEN YOUR TEETH

Burhenne tells patients who are prone to over-brushing to swap out their toothbrush every month. The same goes for electric toothbrush heads. “The toothbrush is moving at 30,000 cycles per minute and the human hand cannot make that motion, so I would say go to Costco, buy a 12-pack, and replace it every month,” Burhenne said. “The toothbrush head, because of that motion, wears down quicker.”

To keep bacteria at bay before the three or four-month mark hits, store your toothbrush upright in a glass to allow it to air dry. You can also swish it in 100 percent white vinegar, which the researchers from the 2014 study found effectively (and cheaply) wipes out bacteria.

http://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/2017/05/12/heres-how-often-should-change-your-toothbrush.html

Many of us are taken aback to learn that the way we’ve been doing something for years is, in fact, incorrect. We learn many mundane habits from our parents who learned them from their parents. The fact that these habits have been passed down for so many generations is enough for us not to question them. However, it appears as though many of our daily dental practices are in fact incorrect. Here are few tips you should take with you into the bathroom the next time you care for your teeth.

Flossing

To be fair, flossing is a bit of an enigma. It’s more or less assumed that everyone knows how to floss. For those of you who attack the gumline with floss between your teeth, you’re in for a lesson. The best way to go about flossing is to guide the floss between teeth in a zigzag motion gently. Do not pull the floss against your gums too quickly or too hard.

Brushing Too Hard

It would seem that brushing hard is the best way to get vestiges of food out from between your teeth. Brushing too hard may result in a loss of tooth enamel, receding gums, and may increase tooth sensitivity. Don’t press the toothbrush too hard when brushing.

Brushing Right After a Meal

If you’ve just had a meal high in food acids and sugars, you should probably wait a little while to brush. These acids will stick to your teeth after a meal and act as sandpaper if you brush your teeth after a meal. Don’t brush away at the enamel, wait at least 45 minutes to brush after eating.

Don’t Forget to Brush Your Tongue

That’s right, your tongue. Your tongue is a haven for bacteria. Kick out any unwanted guests by brushing your teeth back and forth and from side to side. As a byproduct of killing bacteria, your breath will also smell better.

For any other dental hygiene questions, consult your local San Diego-Oceanside orthodontist for teens and adults.

One of the most common actions a doctor will take with the teeth of children is to realign them. You may think it funny how a child of such a young age could already have teeth that are in need of repair. Years ago this wasn’t the case, but nowadays the standard for dental care has been raised, and as a consequence, we’re seeing more and more children get their teeth adjusted.

Most of the time, children are not at fault for having misaligned teeth. In most cases, the genes that they’ve received from their parents play a large part in their crooked teeth.

The case may be that your child is dealing with incongruous teeth because their mouth is in fact too small for their teeth, which leads to crowding and shifting. Other times the upper and lower jaws may not have formed to be the same size which leads to an overbite. An overbite is when the lower jaw extends beyond the boundary of the upper teeth, resulting in a missed connection of sorts. Other causes of misaligned teeth result from early losses of baby or adult teeth. Excessive thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, and pacifier use after the age of three can all lead to misalignment.

Having crooked and misaligned teeth can lead to a number of issues. Proper chewing and practicing correct hygiene can both be made more difficult when teeth are out of order. Broken teeth are also more likely to occur if teeth are misaligned. However, the number one reason that people choose to align their teeth is for cosmetic purposes.

Consult the best orthodontists in the San Diego, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Eastlake, and Kearny Mesa area to see how you can improve your dental situation.