Dento - what?

Photo credit: Intelligent Dental.com

by Andrea Harris

I have some weird phobias: popular amusement park characters, kids in Halloween costumes, door-to-door salespeople, airport security scanners (I beep. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.)... Are you feeling me here?  

Most of my quirky fears aren’t really that life impeding, but for a lot of people, their dentophobia is keeping them from getting adequate medical care.   

                                           

Dentophobia? Yep. You read it right.  It’s a real thing.  (Shhh.  I have a little mild dentophobia myself. Add that to the list.)  In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 75% of US adults experience some degree of dental fear, from mild to severe. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of U.S. adults are considered to experience dental phobia; that is, they are so fearful of receiving dental treatment that they avoid dental care at all costs. Many dentally fearful people will only seek dental care when they have a dental emergency, such as a toothache or dental abscess. People who are very fearful of dental care often experience a “cycle of avoidance,” in which they avoid dental care due to fear until they experience a dental emergency requiring invasive treatment, which can reinforce their fear of dentistry.  

There are plenty of reasons people experience dental phobia.  Frankly, dentists get a bad rap in the media.  And have you ever heard about what a great time your friend had a routine cleaning?  Of course not!  You hear about the time the needle accidently hit a nerve or the nightmare implant Uncle Frank had in 1982.  Yikes!  Some people just aren’t comfortable with the perceived lack of control under any kind of anesthesia or the fear that the dentist won’t stop when you’re in pain.   

But really, there are so many dental tools that can make your experience at the dentist infinitely more relaxed and pleasant. Gone are the days of the giant drills, clunky pliers, and massive needles.  Frankly, modern dentistry can be a nearly painless experience.  Remember the time I was denied laughing gas at the “other guy’s” and almost lost my mind? It’s 2013, kids. I want my laughing gas.  And trust me, if your hand is near my mouth,  you’d want me to have my laughing gas, too.  

According to WebMD, new medications and products help reduce pain during dental work. Topical anesthetic gels and dental patches used to numb gums keep patients comfortable during injections and deep cleanings. Nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") relaxes patients during more involved procedures. So does intravenous conscious sedation, which eases pain and discomfort while keeping you awake with medications given through an intravenous line placed in either the hand or arm. Frankly, that sounds dreamy to me!  I just want to take a little nap and wake up with fixed teeth.

Because a little distraction goes a long way, iPods for your listening pleasure, big-screen televisions, iPads, and virtual reality glasses that put your eyes and mind in another realm are common items in the modern dentist's office. So is calming décor: fresh flowers, miniature waterfalls, and bright, inviting wall colors.  Have you been to Dr Matthews’ office lately?  I can never decide whether to gaze out the window at the mountain view or watch the gorgeous landscapes go rolling by on the big screens hanging from the ceiling.  It’s like a spa... only with fluoride...

To truly calm your fears, it never hurts to remember that the dentist is a person who cares as much about your comfort as your teeth. "Look at the doctor as someone who's also a friend," says David Hershkowitz, DDS (Associate chair of the Department of Cariology & Comprehensive Care at NYU).  I think the same thing goes for the staff at a dental office and Dr. Matthews has some of the nicest hygienists and dental assistants I’ve ever met.  Let’s just say that any dental office who gives you a birthday gift because you spent your bday  week in the dentist chair having emergency work done is just fine by me!   

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  Let’s say you’re a good old fashioned dentophobe. Dr. Hershkowitz has these suggestions for talking to your dentist. If he doesn't respond or comply with your requests, find another one.

Give a cue:  Establish a sign, such as raising your hand, to let your dentist know if you're uncomfortable and need him to stop working immediately.  Dr. Matthews is great about that. I don’t think I’ve ever had work done when he didn’t tell me to let him know immediately if I was in too much pain.

Be prepared: Ask your dentist in advance what you can expect during your visit and how procedures, such as injections, are handled. "There's nothing wrong with asking the doctor, "What will you do to let me know I'm in control?'" says Hershkowitz.

Talk it over: "A good dentist should begin a visit by asking you open-ended questions about what bothers you so he or she knows what not to do," Hershkowitz says. A simple "Tell me about any difficulties you've had during past dentist visits" may help you open up and relax. "If you talk about it first, it will remove the anxiety."

So while I will surely never love beeping my way through airport security and amusement park characters will probably always send me running in the other direction, I’m going make sure that my mild dentophobia doesn’t keep me from getting the dental care I need.  Are you?  

Lost Teeth = Lost Memory

Standing in my basement I shout to my kids, "I'm in the laundry room.  Why am I here?"  Sometimes, just musing aloud jogs my memory so I can bring back what I came for.  While this sort of memory stumble is common and not concerning, larger memory lapses can be incredibly unsettling.

Studies performed in the last 10 years have shown a link to good oral health and good memory.

"Infections in the gums that can lead to tooth loss may release inflammatory substances, which in turn will enhance the brain inflammation that cause neuronal death and hasten memory loss," said Dr. Nozomi Okamoto in a news release from the journal, Behavioral and Brain Functions, publisher. "The loss of sensory receptors around the teeth is linked to some of the dying neurons."

This may lead to a vicious cycle, Okamoto explained. The loss of these brain connections can cause more teeth to fall out, further contributing to cognitive decline.

Photo credit: Rodale.com

Another study performed at Colombia came to the same conclusion: Taking care of your teeth does a lot more than preserve your smile and your ability to chew. "Good oral health and prevention," said Dr. Sally Cram, "are your best investments in preventing pain, suffering, big dental expenses and, possibly, other systemic health issues as you get older.

If you're up for an even bigger mental challenge, try brushing with your non-dominant hand.  That gives your brain and your mouth a workout. 

Ice, Ice Baby

by Andrea Harris

Photo Credit: WebMD.com

I love ice.  It’s so... munchy. It was one of the the things I missed the most when I spent a whole summer in Europe with barely an ice cube in sight.  

“Pleeeeease,” we’d beg the wait staff, “just bring our drinks with some ice!!”  

We got some weird looks, but it was a million degrees outside and all we wanted were cold drinks!  The night we found a place that brought us pitchers of ice with our water was the most magical night of the trip.  Who knew something I’d taken for granted all my life would be such a luxury elsewhere!

Luckily, most of us can just push a button right on the front of the fridge and get as much ice as we want. And right now, at the height of swimsuit season, it’s cold, refreshing, and calorie-free.  The perfect summer crunch, right?  

Not so fast!  

According to WebMD, “munching on hard, frozen cubes can chip or even crack your teeth. And if your mindless chomping irritates the soft tissue inside a tooth, regular toothaches may follow. Hot foods and cold foods may trigger quick, sharp jabs of pain or a lingering toothache.”

Interestingly (and contrary to popular belief), “it's not the fact that ice is cold that's the problem,” said Dr. Thomas Kilgore, a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. “It's that ice cubes, like nuts, are so hard they can chip or crack teeth, especially teeth already weakened by large, old fillings.”

"Nine times out of 10, you can chew ice and it won't have any effect," Kilgore said. But teeth can be structurally weakened by fillings, which makes them more susceptible to fracture from biting hard substances.  If the filling has weakened the enamel, the tooth might crack."

And once you have a cracked tooth, whether because of chewing ice or something else, you may have to have a root canal or even need a crown or lose the tooth, said Dr. Jamie Wong, an assistant clinical professor of prosthodontics and operative dentistry at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

Think about it, cracked or broken teeth can be expensive and uncomfortable.  Trust me, I’ve had a few... and yes (true confessions!), I’m a former ice chewer!  So, if you HAVE to nosh some ice from the bottom of your summertime sip-- save your smile and just suck, don’t chew!

It’s Electric...

by Andrea Harris

Remember when you were a kid and your parents would ask, “Did you brush your teeth?”  Of course, you said you did... a quick NOM NOM NOM on your toothbrush counts, right?  Not really... 

According to Michael Sesemann, DDS, president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, two minute is the ideal brushing time.  He often recommends people divide the mouth into quadrants and spend 30 seconds a quadrant.

Ok, so you’ve got two minutes to get your teeth sparkly clean.  How are you going to get the most bang for your buck?  The good, old-fashioned way, or is it time to go electric?       

Many patients are now asking their dentists about these mechanical tools so much that the American Dental Association (ADA) has issued several news releases on the matter.

"If you are a wonderful brusher and a wonderful flosser (are you??) ... then the manual toothbrushes are just great," says Kimberly Harms, DDS, an ADA consumer advisor who is also a dentist in Farmington, Minn. However, she says powered devices can help people who have trouble physically moving their brushes around their mouth to clean all teeth surfaces. These may include anyone with a motor disability or arthritis.

If the increased amount of space taken up on store shelves is any indication, the electric brushes are growing in popularity. Some of them are kid-friendly: The toothbrush handle may take on the shape of a racing car or a mermaid or a cell phone, and its color may resemble army camouflage.

So is there a real difference?  The two main types of power toothbrushes are electric and sonic -- the difference between the two really comes down to numbers.  

Electric Toothbrushes: With 3,000 to 7,500 rotating motions a minute, electric toothbrushes are powered to replicate the motion of your hand -- doing the muscle work for you. The bristles on these toothbrushes either rotate or move back and forth to help remove plaque and reduce gingivitis.

Photo Credit: Kookl.com

Sonic Toothbrushes: Offering 30,000 to 40,000 strokes per minute, sonic toothbrushes rotate in a back and forth vibrating motion. The rapid motion is the sonic toothbrushes' claim to fame. But ultimately, it also aims to remove plaque and keep teeth and gums healthy and clean.

Now, for the real difference: the old-fashioned way of brushing your teeth rings in about 300 strokes per minute -- if you brush properly.  So over the two-minute recommended brushing time, your teeth are hit with 600 strokes … a far cry from the thousands you might get with the high-tech variety!  

So, should you switch?  

Well, you really can’t argue with the hard numbers and, according to one patient who has been using an electric toothbrush for more than seven years, she has been impressed with the results -- cleaner teeth and minimal plaque build-up, which translates into less scraping at her regular dental check-ups.

She hasn’t had a cavity since she made the switch from a hand-powered toothbrush, and her gums are in good shape. Although she can’t say for sure her pristine oral health is the result of her electric toothbrush, she’s not messing with success.

Smiles Giveaway Winner | Susan Woods

And the winner is...

Susan Woods!

To pick up your $25 Texas Roadhouse gift card come by the office in the next week.

Dr. Matthews office located at 3610 N. University Ave Suite 200 in Provo.

Smiles Giveaway Winner | Nancy Cadjan

And the winner is...

Nancy Cadjan!

Congratulations! 

To pick up your $25 Fandango gift card come by the office in the next week.

Dr. Matthews office located at 3610 N. University Ave Suite 200 in Provo.

4 Ways to Improve Your Breath

In each of our mouths is a village of micro-organisms and bacteria.  It's weird to think about, but keeping the balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria are part of the process that improves dental health and tackles bad breath.

Most adults have bad breath some of the time.  Particularly when the mouth is dried out like first thing in the morning or after a long flight. But 25% of people the world over, have serious, constant cases of halitosis. For those who don't fall in the "lucky" 75% (and even for the rest of us and our occasional problems), what is to be done about the bad breath?

1. Proper oral hygiene.  It is critical to brush teeth twice a day and floss daily.  But there is too much of a good thing.  Too perfect of care (brushing 5+ times per day, etc) tends to wipe out the good bacteria along with the bad. When the mouth is sterilized it actually leaves it a breeding ground for bacteria--a situation in which the bad bacteria often dominates.

2. Scrape your tongue.  We know all about brushing in tiny circles as hygienists every where have instructed for years.  We likely know about the importance of brushing our gums--lightly--and regular flossing.  But we don't often hear about the benefits of scraping out tongues--an act that sounds kinda violent and invasive. An article on the topic from the Scientific American said, "Lightly scraping away any coating on the tongue can greatly improve the fragrance of one's breath for at least a few hours."

Photo Credit: NY Times.com

3. Watch your mouth rinse.  While mouth rinses can be helpful, check the ingredients.  Rinses that contain alcohol will wipe out your good bacteria along with the bad.  And even mouth rinses geared to eliminate bad bacteria only and ruin your taste buds or leave your with a constant oral tingle. (Stay tuned.  Rinses are in the works to help maintain a better bacteria balance.)

4. Chew gum.  All sugar-free gum helps promote stronger teeth and better breath by stimulating saliva, but there are now brands using an ingredient called Xylitol, that, studies show, takes on the stinkiest and worst-for-you bacteria,s. mutens. Turns out, Europe has been using this all-natural sweetener found in fruits and veggies for years. Chewing a couple of slices a day creates positive effects in the mouth that lasts for years, notes a 2012 article in the New York Times.