Organizing Your Dental Gear

Have you ever actually organized the set up of your bathroom? Like, really sat down and thought about how your different toiletries, towels, soaps, towel racks, and everything else were organized?

I haven’t. It all just kind of came together somehow over time, and now I’ve got things all in a state of disarray in my medicine cabinet, a small glass container of my facial hair grooming tools, my lotion dedicated to a certain spot on the sink, and my contact lense station posted up on the other side of the sink.

It all just sort of happens.

What’s the best way to handle your dental gear set up, though? I mean, most people sort of have their floss hidden away, their listerine out in the open, and toothbrushes in a cup, right?

While that’s what the norm is, I feel that it could be organized in a way that will get you to brush more often, floss every day, and even rinse your mouth out at least once daily.

Toothbrushes

No matter what you choose to place these in (from a cup to a specifically made toothbrush holder), they should be standing upright in order for your bristles to dry properly and not collect bacteria. I would suggest having your toothbrush holder somewhere above the sink or next to it yet not on the sink itself simply because you want to keep it away from water or moisture build up for the sake of your bristles keeping dry. Also, these two areas would be in your vision enough every time you visit the bathroom so that you’d be reminded to brush not just once a day but the recommended twice.

Mouthwash

Since most bottles of mouthwash are quite big, they take up a lot of space. Having this in a dedicated cabinet but visible to you helps to keep using it often enough.

Floss

This is perhaps the piece of dental gear that is hidden from sight the most, meaning you’re far more likely to forget to floss daily simply because you don’t see it. Rather than have it hidden in your medicine cabinet, have it out in the open near your mouthwash or even in your toothbrush holder. If it’s right by your toothbrushes, you’ll remember to floss every single time you reach for your brush.

Ultimately, this is all about keeping your stuff visible so that you don’t lapse and forget to brush, wash your mouth out with rinse, or floss your teeth.

Need For Antibiotics to Support Dental Procedures

American Heart Association has recently announced that antibiotic treatment is no longer required for the prevention of infective endocarditis which prevails in certain dental patients. With this announcement, many people tend to think whether antibiotics are required before other dental procedures.

Well, the answer of this questions is ‘yes’.

American Dental Association and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons suggest patients to get antibiotic treatment before any dental procedure which could be required any time during two years following a total joint replacement treatment. Patients with compromised immune systems or the ones with certain health conditions are also required to get antibiotic treatment before certain dental treatments.

Patients with artificial heart valves, previous history of history of endocarditis, congenital heart conditions, and transplanted heart are also required to get antibiotic treatment before certain dental procedures, as suggested by AHA and ADA. A patient with any problem with the heart valve is also going to require antibiotic treatment prior to certain types of dental treatments.

You may not require any antibiotic treatment before the dental treatment if you have one or some of the following conditions:

• mitral valve prolapse
• rheumatic heart disease
• bicuspid valve disease
• calcified aortic stenosis
• certain congenital heart conditions

There are certain dental treatments on which the updated guidelines can be applied. Those dental treatments mainly include teeth cleaning and tooth extraction. The updated dental health guidelines mainly suggest taking care of the dental health in such a way that invasive and non-invasive dental treatments could be avoided. Moreover, the guidelines also suggest sticking to preventive dental care in such a way that the need for antibiotic treatment before dental treatments could be eliminated.

The updated guidelines are based on comprehensive studies which tell that infective endocarditis can occur if bacteria enter the bloodstream. Having that said, it is quite important to make sure that you are taking care of your oral health and hygiene because poor oral hygiene can eventually lead to the gum disease. And then bacteria find their way to the bloodstream.

Practices best oral hygiene on daily basis is important. Make sure that you are brushing and flossing your teeth on daily basis. Moreover, you are going to have to make sure that you are visiting your dentist regularly.

Restoration after Root Canal Therapy

Many of us know about the root canal therapy. It is the procedure that is aimed at removing infected tissues and nerves from the inner chamber of an infected tooth in order to prevent infection from spreading further. While this procedure itself is quite important to maintain integrity of the tooth, the importance of restoration after the procedure cannot be overlooked.

Infection usually starts with a cavity. An injury to the tooth can also serve as a precursor to the infections that can make the condition of any tooth quite miserable. While there is always a non-invasive way to deal with the infection before it reaches the tooth pulp, there is no option left for a dentist other than root canal when the infection reaches the tooth pulp.

A root canal treatment typically involves drilling of a hole from the chewing surface of the tooth. This hole makes a tunnel which reaches the infected area of the tooth pulp. The main purpose of this tunnel is to make the removal of infected pulp possible. The infected pulp is removed and the emptied chamber is filled with a medicated material in order to avoid further infection.

Above mentioned is the major part of root canal procedure but it is not complete yet. There is an effective restoration needed for the tooth to remain strong, functional and aesthetically normal. Normal root canal involves drilling of a hole to remove the tooth pulp. If this drilling of hole is the only structural damage done to the tooth, the only restoration needed is the filling of the tooth.

However, the root canal procedure can get complicated when there is major structural damage to the tooth already done due to cavity or tooth decay. In this scenario, filling is not going to restore the tooth. Crowning seems to be the most suitable option in order to ensure proper restoration of the tooth. Prior to crowning, the dentist may choose to build up a base for the crown to sit well. This buildup can also be referred to as core. To hold the core in place, a metal or ceramic post may be used.

A post can be pre-made in order to use with the core. Or the core and the post can be custom-made in case the patient has specific requirements. The second scenario, in which custom-made objects are used, is considered when there is sufficient damage done to the tooth and only extensive measures can save it. This entire work is done after taking proper measurements. When the tooth is fixed with the help of core and post, a custom-made crown is attached to finalize the treatment.

Dental Implant for Smile Restoration

Missing a tooth can be nothing less than a setback in your life. All of a sudden you see a gap in your smile. Good news is that you can get it covered with the help of dental implant. The best thing about dental implant is that it restores the functionality aside from restoring the natural smile.

Here in this article, we are going to discuss why dental implants are being preferred by many people.

Choosing dental implants

If you want to go for the permanent solution for the gap in your smile, you can go for the dental implant. The procedure begins with insertion of a tiny titanium post in the jawbone area of the lost tooth. This post is going to be in place of the tooth’s root. On the top of this post, an abutment is placed. This abutment is like a holder of the crown. Dentist prepares a replica crown of 3D image of the tooth. That image is of the supposed tooth which fits perfectly in the place of your lost tooth. It means that this tooth is not only going to look great but it will also make your smile the balanced one from the perspective of functionality.

According to survey, most of the people using dental implants have said that they have found dental implants more useful and fulfilling than any other restoration option available.

How painful is the dental implant?

Due to the surgical procedure involved in the dental implant treatment, it tends to seem like an overall painful treatment. But the matter of fact is that it is only negligibly painful process. Many patients report that they had very little to no pain after the treatment. Due to modern technology, dentists have found a way to complete the treatment in a single day. It means that you are going to get the surgery initiated, completed, and the abutment and crown attached in a single day. Nevertheless, more complex cases may require more than a month to complete. Even the complicated processes are usually successful.

In order to get the dental implant, you first need to visit the dentist for evaluation. They are going to see if you are eligible to get the dental implant. This eligibility test mainly involves analysis of the health of gums and jawbone. If there is not very dense jawbone in the area, the dentist may decide bone grafting procedure before the dental implantation.

After bone grafting, you will be asked to wait until the new bone becomes the part of the jawbone. In some cases, the patient might not qualify for the dental implant at all.

Caring for the dental implant

You need to care for the dental implant by taking care of your oral hygiene. Good news is that you are not going to have to do anything special in order to maintain the health of this implant. Visit your dentist biannually to get your implant and other teeth checked.

What Is the Right Age for Getting Dental Braces?

Parents are usually always concerned about the health of their children. They also take care of their dental health. If you look around, you may be able to see that many children have misaligned teeth. Parents of such children wonder about the best option to get the teeth of those children aligned. The most common and effective solution in this regard is the attachment of dental braces. Here, most of the parents ask about the best age at which the braces can be applied.

Main function of the braces

There are several issues which can be solved with the help of braces. Some of those problems include teeth crowding, missing or extra teeth, improper bite and tooth spacing. Certain misalignment issues can cause damage beyond the looks. Since misaligned teeth are hard to clean, they can have plaque buildup and, hence, they can suffer decay.

Visit to the orthodontist

The early signs of misalignment start appearing at the age of 7. Therefore, it is the right age to take your kid to the orthodontist if your child has started having these issues. Since teeth and jaws are developing at this age, it is going to be easier for the orthodontist to treat misalignment.

One thing worth mentioning here is that your child may not be comfortable about this visit to the orthodontist. But you can leave it up to the orthodontist to deal with the apprehensions of your child. A good orthodontist will first make every effort to make environment friendly for your child. Before the treatment starts, there are going to be dental x-rays tests conducted.

Types of misalignment

Typically, there are three types of misalignments that you need to watch out for.

• The first type of misalignment is not a severe one. The upper teeth barely overlap the lower teeth. This one is the most common type of misalignment.
• The second type of misalignment involves upper teeth severely overlapping the lower teeth. This misalignment is usually known as overbite.
• The third kind of misalignment involves protrusion of lower teeth beyond the upper teeth. This case is mostly referred to as under-bite. This one of the least common type of malocclusion.

Getting the braces

While you may be quick to decide about getting your child the dental braces, he may not be comfortable with the idea of having brackets attached to the teeth and a wire running through those brackets. But then, getting your child the braces at an early age can help him get the best smile in least possible duration. All you have to do is to tell your child about the benefits of braces. Tell them about the smile they are going to get after the braces are off.

Braces are also ideal for adults

Although the teeth at adult age are hard to move, braces still tend to provide desirable results no matter at what age. If you are an adult and you are worried about misalignment of your teeth, you can discuss this option of getting braces with your dentist.