Music feat Tooth

Preventive dental cleanings and annual exams during pregnancy are not only safe, but are recommended. The rise in hormone levels during pregnancy causes the gums to swell, bleed, and trap food causing increased irritation to your gums. Preventive dental work is essential to avoid oral infections such as gum disease, which has been linked to preterm birth.

What about other regular dental work during pregnancy?

Dental work such as cavity fillings and crowns should be treated to reduce the chance of infection. If dental work is done during pregnancy, the second trimester is ideal. Once you reach the third trimester, it may be very difficult to lie on your back for an extended period of time.

The safest course of action is to postpone all unnecessary dental work until after the birth. However, sometimes emergency dental work such as a root canal or tooth extraction is necessary.

Elective treatments, such as teeth whitening and other cosmetic procedures, should be postponed until after the birth. It is best to avoid exposing the developing baby to any risks, even if they are minimal.

What about medications used in dental work during pregnancy?

Currently, there are conflicting studies about possible adverse effects on the developing baby from medications used during dental work. Lidocaine is the most commonly used drug for dental work. Lidocaine (Category B) does cross the placenta after administration.

If dental work is needed, the amount of anesthesia administered should be as little as possible, but still enough to make you comfortable. If you are experiencing pain, request additional numbing. When you are comfortable, the amount of stress on you and the baby is reduced. Also, the more comfortable you are, the easier it is for the anesthesia to work.

Dental work often requires antibiotics to prevent or treat infections. Antibiotics such as penicillin, amoxicillin, and clindamycin, which are labeled category B for safety in pregnancy, may be prescribed after your procedure.

What about x-rays used in dental work during pregnancy?

Routine x-rays, usually taken during annual exams, can usually be postponed until after the birth. X-rays are necessary to perform many dental procedures, especially emergencies. According to the American College of Radiology, no single diagnostic x-ray has a radiation dose significant enough to cause adverse effects in a developing embryo or fetus.

Fetal organ development occurs during the first trimester; it is best to avoid all potential risks at this time if possible. If non-emergency dental work is needed during the third trimester, it is usually postponed until after the birth. This is to avoid the risk of premature labor and prolonged time lying on your back.

more info here

TMD describes a variety of conditions that affect jaw muscles, temporomandibular joints, and nerves associated with chronic facial pain. Symptoms may occur on one or both sides of the face, head or jaw, or develop after an injury. TMD affects more then twice as many women than men and is the most common non-dental related chronic orofacial pain.

Many experts suggest that certain tasks, either mental or physical, cause or aggravate TMD, such as strenuous physical tasks or stressful situations. Most discomfort is caused from overuse of the muscles, specifically clenching or grinding teeth (bruxism). Teeth grinding tires your jaw muscles and leads to discomfort, such as headaches or neck pain. Additionally, abnormal function can lead to worn or sensitive teeth, traumatized soft tissues, muscle soreness, jaw discomfort when eating, and temporal (side) headaches.

In treating bruxism we try to change patients' behavior by teaching them how to rest the tongue, teeth and lips properly. In many cases we can make a plastic mouth appliance, such as a nightguard that's worn to absorb the force of biting. This appliance can prevent future damage to the teeth and helps change the patient's destructive behavior.



source: Dr.S.Gritsiv

TOOTH MOUSSE
prevent ur teeth for better quality

GC is introducing their latest product called GC Tooth Mousse! GC Tooth Mousse is a water based, sugar free crème containing Recaldent® CPP-ACP (Caesin Phosphopeptide – Amorphous Calcium Phosphate). This topical paste will provide extra protection for the patients’ teeth.

What time of day is best to use with Tooth Mousse?

In terms of the binding properties of Tooth Mousse, CPP-ACP binds to oral soft tissues, to dental pellicle and also to plaque. This binding elevates the salivary levels of calcium and phosphate for extended periods. For this reason, Tooth Mousse works best in patients when it is applied at night before bed, since the salivary clearance rate is low during sleep.
In patients who need intensive treatment, then a twice daily application is sufficient in most individuals. It is recommended that Tooth Mousse be applied immediately after flossing and brushing with a 1000 ppm fluoride toothpaste, particularly at night before bed.


Some patients who have generalized cervical dentinal hypersensitivity, may also have dental erosion, and thus one needs to look carefully at their lifestyle (using particularly the resting salivary parameters) to gain insight into whether they have sub-clinical dehydration.

Is Tooth Mousse alone an alternative to fluoride for anti-fluoride patients?

Yes. The fact that Tooth Mousse is derived from the milk protein, casein, it is completely natural and safe and therefore is often an effective work-around for patients who are anti-fluoride.

Clinical Applications for Tooth Mousse
White spot prevention /removal (during/after orthodontic bracket treatment).
Post bleaching.
Post scaling and root planing.
Dentinal hypersensitivity.
Treatment of erosion and incipient carious lesions.
Caries prevention.
Promote fluoride uptake.

Whitening toothpastes:
These are over-the-counter preparations that have a low concentration of carbamide peroxide. These toothpastes will work to brighten your teeth if you are a very good brusher, brush many times a day, and have a lot of patience. In the years since these toothpastes have been on the market, I have seen only one person who achieved real results using whitening toothpaste only. They are very useful, however in maintaining the whitening achieved by using trays and strips.


Bleach releasing disposable strips (Crest Strips):
These are strips of plastic designed so that they will adhere to the teeth. They are applied and worn for several hours like the trays described above. The carbamide concentration in home bleaching strips is only 7% to 14% while professionally prescribed take-home bleaches come in either 22% or 32%. Thus it takes a lot longer to get the same results using over the counter bleaching strips than it does using professionally prescribed bleaching solutions in trays. The main advantages to the strips is that no impressions need to be taken to make trays, and the strips do not apply pressure to the teeth which may increase the sensitivity of the bleaching process. A number of my patients have tried them. Some have had good results. Others have had little or no improvement. The major problems I have heard about with the strips is that they do not adhere very well to lower teeth, and they are too short to bleach all the upper teeth that show when the patient smiles.


Professionally supervised take-home bleaching with custom made trays:
This type of system is available only through your dentist. The bleaching material can only be bought with a prescription and must be applied using the custom trays that the dentist or his hygienist makes for you. The agent is carbamide peroxide and it comes in concentrations between 10% to 35% with 15% being the most popular for professional take-home bleaching. Because of the high concentration of the agent, and the close approximation with the teeth made possible by the trays, this system produces very good results in anywhere from several hours to several weeks of regular use. A drop of agent is placed in each tooth indent and the trays are placed in the mouth for 30 minutes to an hour maximum. The carbamide peroxide penetrates the enamel into the dentin and effectively bleaches the teeth.

Post-bleaching tooth sensitivity is a frequent complaint, but it is transient and generally lasts no more than 24 hours. The use of high fluoride concentration toothpaste (5000 ppm) such as that found in the prescription toothpaste PreviDent used prior to, and throughout bleaching effectively reduces the sensitivity. Alternatively, the use of a 5000 ppm fluoride gel for 5 minutes in the bleaching trays after each bleaching session can also reduced sensitivity. The patient can also use amorphous calcium phosphate products (MI paste by GC America) either in the trays for 3 minutes, or as a dentifrice twice daily.

Professionally supervised at-home treatment has the highest dentist satisfaction rate of all bleaching methods offered with 94% being either very satisfied or satisfied with the results.

from: www.doctorspiller.com

T.O.O.T.H anatomy

www.doctorspiller.com

Dec 04 (HealthCentersOnline) - An international team of scientists have investigated the potential for mammals to grow new teeth.

Mammals, including humans, grow two sets of teeth in their lifetime. Baby teeth, or deciduous teeth, develop first and are replaced with permanent teeth. However, after the permanent teeth are lost, no additional teeth grow in to replace them. Artificial teeth, such as dentures, bridges or implants, can be used, but these measures are not as effective as natural teeth. In contrast, most lower vertebrate animals demonstrate continuous tooth generation. This means that they continually grow new teeth to replace any teeth they have lost.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, along with collaborators from Germany and Japan, have shown the potential for continuous tooth generation in mammals. Working with a mouse model, the researchers activated a signaling pathway used for cell communication and embryonic development. The result was the induction of continuous tooth generation in one molar.

The mouse model grew a succession of dozens of fully developed teeth, complete with normal roots, dentin and tooth enamel. However, the crowns of the teeth were simple and cone-shaped. This structure is common in lower vertebrates with continuous tooth generation. Typical mouse molars are much more complex, with multiple cusps, similar in shape to the human molars.

Despite the early stage of this research, the scientists conjecture that it may be possible to trigger continuous tooth generation in humans, as well. If this potential is realized, dentists may eventually be able to induce the growth of new teeth in patients who have lost their permanent teeth.

Copyright 2000-2006 HealthCentersOnline, Inc.
FROM:www.yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com

DEFINITION

IMAGINE HAVING A JAB OF LIGHTNING-LIKE PAIN SHOOT THROUGH YOUR FACE WHEN YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH OR PUT ON MAKEUP??
SOUND EXCRUCIATING???
If you have TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA, attacks of such pain may occur frequently.

You may initially experience short, mild attacks, but trigeminal neuralgia can progress, causing longer, more frequent bouts of searing pain. These attacks can be spontaneous or provoked by even mild stimulation of your face. Trigeminal neuralgia affects women more often than men, and it's more likely to occur in people who are older than 50.

SYMPTOMS

You may have one or more of these symptom patterns with trigeminal neuralgia:
* Occasional twinges of mild pain
* Episodes of severe, shooting or jabbing pain that may feel like an ELECTRIC SHOCK
* SPONTANEOUS ATTACKS of pain or ATTACKS TRIGGERED by things like touching the
face, chewing, speaking, and brushing teeth
* Bouts of pain lasting from a FEW SECONDS TO SEVERAL SECONDS
* Episodes of several attacks lasting days, weeks, months or longer — some people
have periods when they experience no pain
* Pain in areas supplied by the trigeminal nerve (nerve branches), including the
cheek, jaw, teeth, gums, lips, or less often the eye and forehead
* Pain affecting ONE SIDE OF YOUR FACE at a time
* Pain FOCUSED in ONE SPOT or SPREAD in a wider pattern
* Attacks becoming more frequent and intense over time

CAUSES

The trigeminal nerve carries sensation from your face to your brain. In trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux, the nerve's function is disrupted. Usually, the problem is contact between a normal artery or vein and the trigeminal nerve, at the base of your brain. This contact puts pressure on the nerve and causes it to malfunction.

A variety of triggers may set off the pain of trigeminal neuralgia, including:
.. Shaving
.. Stroking your face
.. Eating
.. Drinking
.. Brushing your teeth
.. Talking
.. Putting on makeup
.. Encountering a breeze
.. Smiling

TESTS AND DIAGNOSIS

Your doctor will review your medical history and ask you to describe your pain — how severe it is, what part of your face it affects, how long it lasts and what seems to trigger it. You'll also undergo a neurological examination, during which your doctor examines and touches parts of your face to try to determine exactly where the pain is occurring and — if you appear to have trigeminal neuralgia — which branches of the trigeminal nerve may be affected.

You may need to have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of your head, which can show if multiple sclerosis is causing trigeminal neuralgia.

Facial pain can be caused by many different disorders, so an accurate diagnosis is important. Your doctor may order additional tests to rule out other conditions.

TREATMENTS AND DRUGS

Medications are usually the first treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, and many people are SUCCESSFULLY TREATED WITH MEDICATION and require NO SURGICAL TREATMENT. However, over time, some people with the disorder eventually stop responding to medications, or they experience unpleasant side effects. For those people, injections or surgery provide other treatment options.

++ Medications

Medications to lessen or block the pain signals sent to your brain are the most common initial treatment for trigeminal neuralgia:

1. Anticonvulsants.
Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek) and
oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) are the most common anticonvulsant medications used to
treat trigeminal neuralgia.
2. Antispasticity agents.
Muscle-relaxing agents such as baclofen may be used alone or in combination with
carbamazepine or phenytoin. Side effects may include confusion, nausea and
drowsiness.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Few clinical studies have been done on the effectiveness of alternative treatments for trigeminal neuralgia, so there's little evidence to support their use. However, some people have found improvement with these treatments. Always ask your doctor before trying an alternative treatment, since they may interact with your other medications. Complementary and alternative treatments for trigeminal neuralgia include:
Acupuncture
Biofeedback
Vitamin therapy
Nutritional therapy
Electrical stimulation of nerves

FROM: www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia

By: Charles Noe

Reviewed By: Martin E. Liebling, M.D., FACP


A cancer expert's advice to restrict use of cell phones has revived the long-simmering debate over whether or not the handy gadgets raise the risk of brain cancer. You don't need to throw your mobile under the bus, but there are precautions you can take if you're concerned:
Keep cell phones away from your head. Use a speakerphone, headset or remote antenna. Regular headphones may be safer than Bluetooth earpieces; however, regular headphones may decrease the ability to hear outside sounds such as traffic or sirens.

Use your cell only for short calls. Use your landline when you can.

Set limits on your kids' use of cell phones.

As the National Research Council has pointed out, people aren't dropping dead from using cell phones but we need to know more about the potential health effects of this and similar technology, such as:
Long-term exposure to cell phones and other wireless devices, particularly on pregnant women, fetuses and children

The rapid growth of wireless networks, along with base station antennas and electromagnetic fields

Changes in handheld cell phone antenna design

Exposure of more parts of the body to radiofrequency energy due to texting, emailing and Bluetooth technology

What do you think about the possible risks of cell phones?

check it on http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com