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The Top 5 Causes of Bad Breath and Its Treatment

October 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Robert had Eleanor intrigued ….

…until he got close enough to reveal his bad breath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original sketches by Suzanne Conway

 

A whiff of bad breath can sour a social encounter. An occasional “morning breath” doesn’t qualify as a case of chronic bad breath – also referred to as “halitosis.” When it’s from a meal of onions or garlic, chewing gum or breath mints can tide you over until you can brush  your teeth. However, when bad breath is chronic, it indicates a more serious matter. Chronic foul breath usually accompanies one or more of the following common factors:

1. Plaque Buildup. Cavities and tongues with deep grooves serve as prime reservoirs for bacteria we commonly call plaque – a sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on teeth. The bacteria produces volatile sulphur compounds that give bad breath, or halitosis.

2. Periodontal Disease. Gums that are puffy or bleed when you brush indicate infection.

3. Medications. According to the most recent research 7 out of the top 10 medications used in the US during 1998 had “dry mouth, bad breath, or taste disorders” as a side effect.

4. Tooth Decay. Tooth decay is just what the name implies–dead, decayed matter. Dead stuff smells bad by itself,and since the decay is fairly soft, it absorbs juices from the foods you eat, and that decays as well. Every area of decay is a potential source of bad breath. You cannot hope to eliminate bad breath permanently without first having the decay repaired.

5. Diseases. Some diseases are directly related to chronic bad breath such as diabetes, sinus and tonsil infections and lung, kidney and liver diseases.

Since chronic bad breath can be either medical or dental in origin, the first approach is improving oral hygiene. This includes the following:

•Scrape Your Tongue.

•Brush and Floss every day

•Get regular professional cleanings

•Treat gum disease with deep cleanings that eliminate bacteria that has penetrated into gum tissue that has pulled back from the teeth – called “pockets.” This allows the gums to heal and reattach to the teeth.

If the above treatments don’t address the situation, seek medical treatment for any chronic infections that are contributing to the condition.

Filed Under: Dentistry, General Health, Teeth and Gums, Teeth Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

George Clooney or Simon Cowell?

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

George Clooney Is Said to Have a Natural Smile

Magazine covers, billboards and television barrages us with images of gorgeous women and chiseled men. Seems we just can’t get away from the subject of looks. Notice that one element in common with all of these “beautiful people” is a great set of teeth.

Over 2000 people were surveyed in Great Britain on the subject of attractiveness and teeth. Overall, the study revealed that nearly 1/3 of those between the ages of 45-54 have had some cosmetic dentistry vs. 20% of 18-24 year olds.

The same study also revealed that those seeking a new smile would prefer the more natural look of a celebrity like George Clooney to the dazzling white “Hollywood” grins of the likes of Simon Cowell. The academy’s Dr James Goolnick said “People want a nice healthy smile that looks natural. They don’t want people to say, ‘Where did you get that done? ‘”

Seems women in their late 40s and early 50s are the most inclined to have cosmetic dentistry. The British survey also found that almost twenty percent of those responding are so concerned about the state of their teeth that they refuse to smile when photographed.

Another independent study conducted on behalf of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry discovered that the most common answer to the question “what would you most like to improve about your smile?” was whiter teeth.

Simon Cowell's Smile is Described in Survey as More "Dazzling"

According to the same survey:
-99.7% of Americans believe a smile is an important social asset.
-96% of adults believe an attractive smile makes a person more engaging to members of the opposite sex.
-74% of adults believe an unattractive smile can lessen a person’s chances for career success.
-88% say they remember someone with an attractive smile.

Only half of Americans are satisfied with their smiles.

Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , , ,

In Uncertain Economic Times What Is Your Safest Investment?

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Your Smile. It Increases Earning Power.

Research and polls done in the last few decades repeatedly show that your smile influences how you are perceived and treated by others in every situation in life.

A survey done by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that 74% of American adults believe an unattractive smile can harm a person’s chances of career success. Julia Roberts was at one time the highest paid actress in Hollywood. She also was voted as having the best smile in the business. Think there’s a connection?

People see your smile or teeth as the first or second thing they notice when they look at you. Some studies say it’s the eyes – others say the smile. Either way, when you come into contact with other people they will notice your teeth and smile no matter what, since the mouth and eyes are the chief vehicles for communication.

Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, General Dental, Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

What is Orthopedic Cosmetic Dentistry?

September 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
This is not a recognized specialty in dentistry. Rather, it’s a term we use in
our office to describe the Pagano Protocol – the sequence in which your
teeth, gums and structure are treated which results in a dazzling smile that
sits in a structurally sound foundation.
What do we mean by “orthopedic cosmetic dentistry?” Think of your teeth
and gums as the inside of a house and your jaw and head bones as the
structure and foundation. Once Doc ensures that the structure is balanced
and stable – which often includes treatment that eliminates headaches,
teeth grinding and other unwanted conditions – then the restorative and
cosmetic treatments on your teeth and gums can be performed on a stable
foundation. This results in cosmetic treatment that lasts, a bite that feels
natural, and eliminates redoing your work.
One patient with lifelong headaches experienced complete relief. Her
treatment included straightening her teeth and getting a gorgeous
smile. You can read more in Doc’s free downloadable ebook: Lifetime Smile
at www.stlouisdentistdrpete.com.

This is not a recognized specialty in dentistry. Rather, it’s a term we use in our office to describe the sequence in which your teeth, gums and structure are treated. A dazzling smile should sit on a structurally sound foundation.

What do we mean by “orthopedic cosmetic dentistry?” Think of your teeth and gums as the inside of a house and your jaw and head bones as the structure and foundation. Once Doc ensures that the structure is balanced and stable – which often includes treatment that eliminates headaches,

teeth grinding and other unwanted conditions – then the restorative and cosmetic treatments on your teeth and gums can be performed on a stable foundation. This results in cosmetic treatment that lasts, a bite that feels natural, and eliminates redoing your work.

One patient with lifelong headaches experienced complete relief. Her treatment included straightening her teeth and getting a gorgeous smile.

You can read more about orthopedic dentistry in Doc’s free downloadable ebook available on our home page.

Graphic courtesy of Humor Illustrator Suzanne Conway

Filed Under: Blog, Dentistry, General Health, St. Louis, Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do You Have Symptoms of Imbalance?

September 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Headaches or migraines.
Neck aches.
Facial pain with increased pressure in your head and sinuses.
You wake up with headaches or develop them by midday.
You have pain behind your eyes for no apparent reason.
You have sounds in your ears, but your doctor can’t find anything wrong.
You notice your smile is getting crooked as teeth wear down unevenly.
You’ve had an increase in root canals, especially on one side of your
mouth.
You have neck and low back pain that creates stiffness and inability to
perform tasks.
Your bite isn’t the same since getting cosmetic dental work.
You have head pain since your orthodontics.

Correct the Problem and These Symptoms Go Away. That’s Done By Balancing Your Head, Neck and Jaw Before Doing Dental Work. That’s What Orthopedic Dentistry Is All About. It Also Ensures Your Cosmetic Enhancements Don’t Create An Imbalance.

In a perfectly constructed mouth, the teeth and jaw fit together to perform the function of chewing. The slightest adjustment to a tooth can throw this precise functioning off-balance. Even the replacement of a filling can make your bite feel different if it’s not balanced correctly and if not adjusted, can cause your jaw joints to move out of place.

If just a simple filling requires such precision, imagine the skill required in placing veneers or implants while ensuring they not only look great but are completely natural in their feel and fit.

Like a perfectly balanced bridge constructed to withstand the elements of weather and carry immense weight, your teeth and jaw are designed with a similar precision. The ability to work with the precision of an engineer and the talent of a master artisan ensures your dental outcome is both sound and beautiful.

Filed Under: Dentistry, General Health, Orthopedic Dentistry, Teeth and Gums, Teeth Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Have Your Teeth Shifted Position?

September 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Shifting Teeth Have Causes and Effects

Did you know that your teeth position are constantly subjected to forces that cause them to shift? Those forces may be due to muscle tension, biting, chewing or uneven jaw joints. The teeth will move in response to those forces. As you age, your teeth wear down and get shorter. Your jaw joints can wear down. You lose a tooth and maybe decide to not replace it. These factors create imbalances in your mouth.

When that occurs, instead of your teeth all sharing equally in the function of chewng, some are forced to work overtime to compensate for missing, broken or shorter teeth.

If you were driving your car with two bald tires and two new tires, it would create a rough ride.The analogy is comparable when it comes to your teeth. If you chew on an uneven surface a tooth can crack, resulting in more chewing force on the remaining teeth.

It’s not only for cosmetic reasons that you straighten your teeth position, get crowns or implants. These treatments improve the way your teeth mesh together. They also balance your bite. They can even enhance or even create entire body balance. You may not notice an immediate effect from imbalance and uneven chewing, but like the “perfect storm,” many health conditions are the result of long-term, non-optimum conditions that have been ignored.

Filed Under: Blog, Dentistry, General Health, Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Designer Dentures?

September 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Designer Dentures?
Rather Than Dread Dentures, Views Them as a
Chance to Design Your Own Smile
Morton came in as a new patient asking for a new
set of dentures. In collaborating with him so we
could make him dentures he would be proud to
wear, I asked him questions such as:
Do you want spaces between your front teeth?
What type of smiles do you like?
Who do you want to look like?
Do you want big teeth, little teeth, long teeth,
wide teeth?
• Do you want personalization, such as little
character flaws built into your teeth?
• Do you want perfect alignment?
•
•
•
•
Morton told me he’d never been consulted to that
degree like when getting dentures made previously.
He said for the first time ever, he was excited to get
his new denture appliance.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of
every 4 adults over 60 have lost all of their natural
teeth due to gum disease and tooth decay. Another
CDC report says 1 out of every 5 adults over 65 have
lost all of their teeth. Once that occurs, your choices
are dentures or implants.
Although dental implants are an excellent alternative
to dentures, not everyone can get them. This doesn’t
mean you have to dread dentures. The biggest
reason denture wearers switch to implants is:
• Their dentures are ill-fitting and uncomfortable;
• They don’t like how their dentures look.
You can dread dentures or view them as an
opportunity to design your smile. If you want to pay
$99 and get “teeth-on-a-plate” then the old adage
“you get what you pay for” applies.
On the other hand, if you want someone to craft an
appliance that feels and looks natural, you can spend
the money and get something that will make you
feel confident.
As an Art Minor in college, I see beyond the science
of dentistry. Although an appliance needs to be
engineered perfectly, the aesthetic appeal must also
be present.
If you need a denture, view it as an opportunity to
design the smile you’ve always wanted.
*BLOG is short for “weblog,” a journal posted online.

Rather Than Dread Dentures, View Them as a Chance to Design Your Own Smile

Morton came in as a new patient asking for a new set of dentures. In collaborating with him so we

could make him dentures he would be proud to wear, I asked him questions such as:

Do you want spaces between your front teeth?

What type of smiles do you like?

Who do you want to look like?

Do you want big teeth, little teeth, long teeth, wide teeth?

Do you want personalization, such as little character flaws built into your teeth?

Do you want perfect alignment?

Morton told me he’d never been consulted to that degree like when getting dentures made previously.

He said for the first time ever, he was excited to get his new denture appliance.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of every 4 adults over 60 have lost all of their natural teeth due to gum disease and tooth decay. Another CDC report says 1 out of every 5 adults over 65 have lost all of their teeth. Once that occurs, your choices are dentures or implants.

Although dental implants are an excellent alternative to dentures, not everyone can get them. This doesn’t mean you have to dread dentures. The biggest reason denture wearers switch to implants is:

• Their dentures are ill-fitting and uncomfortable;

• They don’t like how their dentures look.

You can dread dentures or view them as an opportunity to design your smile. If you want to pay $99 and get “teeth-on-a-plate” then the old adage “you get what you pay for” applies.

On the other hand, if you want someone to craft an appliance that feels and looks natural, you can spend the money and get something that will make you feel confident.

As an Art Minor in college, I see beyond the science of dentistry. Although an appliance needs to be engineered perfectly, the aesthetic appeal must also be present.

If you need a denture, view it as an opportunity to design the smile you’ve always wanted.

Filed Under: Anti Aging Dentistry, Blog, Dentistry, General Health, Teeth and Gums, Teeth Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dr. Pete’s Top 5 Dental Health Trends

September 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Trend #1. The explosion of implant dentistry will bring costs down. Like computer technology costs came down with demand, so it is with dental implants. The cost of materials that kept prices high for implants and crowns is coming down simply because more people are getting implants for missing teeth and instead of dentures. 

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry reports, “As the Baby Boomers begin filing for Social Security, they’re replacing teeth weakened from periodontal disease with dental implants instead of bridgework and removable dentures. Further incentive is that highly precise computer-guided dental implant surgery has made the procedure faster, highly predicable and long-lasting with a success rate of 97 percent.”

Trend #2: Teeth straightening will increasingly become the first step in a cosmetic makeover. It’s been a common practice to place porcelain veneers on crooked teeth. While this gives the appearance of straight teeth, it does nothing to address the health conditions caused by uneven teeth. These create uneven bite pressure which can lead to health problems, including headaches and migraines. With more dentists understanding the connection between the bite and jaw joints and head, neck and back pain, concern for health will lead to correcting the uneven bite rather than covering it up with veneers.

Trend #3: Gum Contouring Will Become More Popular. Just like lip plumping or botox improve appearance without surgery, contouring gum lines will become popular as more dentists investing in acquiring and learning how to use laser dental equipment. With laser technology being used in everything from skin care to knee replacement surgery, it was only a matter of time before it would be more routinely employed in your dental care. In addition to gum contouring which, by the way, is also great for men, lasers can disinfect diseased gum tissue. They can also cut into the teeth, making it faster and more comfortable to get fillings.

Trend #4: 3D x-rays will enable more precise dental treatment. Technology called “cone beam” takes two dimensional x-rays and makes them 3D. This allows your dentist to provide more precise dental treatment. For example, with a 3d picture, your dentist can see the nerve tissue surrounding impacted wisdom teeth. This allows for a better surgery. With implants, we’re able to determine more exactly their correct placement.

Trend #5: Teeth whitening will become part of a daily makeup routine for women. Whitening pens like Liquid Smile will make a professional in-offce whitening last a lot longer. Instead of bulky whitening trays sitting in your mouth for an hour with saliva coming out the side of your mouth, pens allow you to touch up the teeth that are visible.

 

Filed Under: Dentistry, General Dental, General Health, Teeth and Gums, Teeth Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Want to Keep Your Teeth and Gums Healthier

September 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Want to Keep Your Teeth and

Gums Healthier? Try Adding

This Little Known Step to Your

Daily Dental Routine

Everyone pretty much knows by

now brushing and flossing after

every meal and getting a

professional cleaning at least

every six months has a huge

impact on dental health.

But there’s another facet to

personal daily dental hygiene

that has a big impact on dental

health: scraping your tongue.

Perhaps we don’t hear that

much about it because tongue

scrapers are not well promoted.

One inexpensive one can

practically last a lifetime.

Studies suggest that by

removing the soft plaque from

the tongue, you’re removing

most of the bacteria and other

debris that are the primary

source of bad breath, hard

plaque (tartar) and mineral

leaching acids (tooth decay).

The latest research associates

the bacteria in our mouths with

heart disease and other

ailments. The bottom line – for

dramatically better oral hygiene

and health just add cleaning

your tongue to your routine.

You can get a tongue scraper at

your next appointmentTry Adding

Tongue Scraper

Try Adding This Little Known Step to Your Daily Dental Routine

Everyone pretty much knows by now brushing and flossing after every meal and getting a professional cleaning at least every six months has a huge impact on dental health.

But there’s another facet to personal daily dental hygiene that has a big impact on dental health: scraping your tongue.

Perhaps we don’t hear that much about it because tongue scrapers are not well promoted. One inexpensive one can practically last a lifetime.

Studies suggest that by removing the soft plaque from the tongue, you’re removing most of the bacteria and other debris that are the primary source of bad breath, hard plaque (tartar) and mineral leaching acids (tooth decay).

The latest research associates the bacteria in our mouths with heart disease and other ailments. The bottom line – for dramatically better oral hygiene and health just add cleaning your tongue to your routine.

You can get a tongue scraper at your next St Louis dental appointment.

Filed Under: Dentistry, General Health, Teeth and Gums, Teeth Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are You Putting Acid On Your Teeth?

December 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Probabllemon teethy not, but your sodas are nearly as bad.

Acid damages tooth enamel. Acid is measured by “ph.” The ph of battery acid is 1.0. The ph of water is 7.0 (alkaline). Sodas range from 2.387 to 4.038 ph, with root beer having the least amount of acid. Citric acid is the most erosive acid found in soft drinks and is the predominant acid in non cola drinks like root beer, sports drinks and citric juices.

LIKE SUCKING LEMONS. What you may not realize is that over time, wearing of the enamel, which is that hard outer surface layer of your teeth, can lead to some pretty uncomfortable sensitivity to hot and cold. Also, it may force you to have to invest in veneers and other procedures to restore your smile.

Filed Under: Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , ,
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