Spring is in the air, Let's keep our teeth for a lifetime

 

Spring is in the air (the snow is starting to melt). Soon all the seedlings will sprout and new plants will crop up everywhere.  If only it were so easy with teeth.  We only get two sets.  Most of the time, if everything is normal, we grow a total of 20 primary teeth.  These baby teeth are replaced between the ages of five and twelve (on average) with adult teeth.  New adult teeth also erupt distal to (further towards the back of the mouth than) the full set of primary teeth. The total number of permanent teeth, including wisdom teeth which erupt in adulthood, is 32.  We do not get replacements for the “second set.”  Despite the fact that we call adult teeth “the permanent dentition”, if we don’t take care of these adult teeth they do not last for a lifetime. Neglect can lead to a lifetime of restoring the damage with fillings, gum grafts, and replacement teeth (bridges, implant crowns, and dentures.)

In my recent agricultural volunteer experiences, I have learned that growing plants is not effort-free. It is not simply waiting for new plants to crop up everywhere. In addition to planting seeds in containers, clearing and fertilizing the fields and planting the seedlings in the ground, keeping the plants well-watered, and weeding out the unwanted vegetation, the plants need pruning (removing extra leaves that are sapping nutrients and removing extra fruits that are too heavy for the plant), pests have to be kept away from the plants, the plants need to be protected from the weather, and the fruits need to be harvested, boxed, and sent to market. (Did you know that cauliflower gets sunburned [i.e. it turns brown] if it gets too much sun?  The farmers need to bent the leaves over the head of the cauliflower daily to keep the cauliflower white.) Farmers don’t just plant the seeds and harvest the fruit.

People have to take care of their oral health with just as much effort.  We need to properly brush and floss to remove bacteria from our teeth daily in order to prevent cavities and gum disease.  We can also use other aids for cleaning our teeth like the Waterpik Dental Irrigator and ultrasonic electric toothbrushes like the Philips Sonicare toothbrush. Many of us need to use fluoride rinse daily to strengthen the enamel to resist decay and discoloration. We can use special rinses to keep the gums healthy (examples are The Natural Dentist Healthy Gums rinse, StellaLife VEGA rinse, warm salt water, or a combination of hydrogen peroxide and water.) We need to visit our dentist every 6 months to make sure that we are keeping the disease processes at bay.  If we are having issues, like cleaning the crooked teeth, or having enough space for the adult teeth to erupt properly, we need to visit the orthodontist to make the teeth easier to clean.  The orthodontist also puts the teeth into their best positions to withstand the functional forces of chewing and talking.  If we have parafunctional habits that put excessive forces on our teeth, we need to have the orthodontist make acrylic devices to wear on our teeth at night to protect our teeth from habits like grinding our teeth, leaning our tongue on our teeth. We also need to break habits like chewing our shirtsleeves, sucking our fingers, or biting our pens. Keeping teeth for a life-time is a lot of work!

 

Valentine’s Day is coming and millions of Americans are planning to take their loved ones out to eat, buy them flowers, and buy them jewelry.  Relationships take effort and time to maintain, even relationships with family members, friends and co-workers.

Teeth also take effort and time to maintain. We need to clean them effectively (brushing and flossing daily (https://www.okunortho.com/brushing-and-flossing) is the number one priority, because all diseases of the mouth are caused by the bad bacteria which build up when you don’t clean effectively. Eating fewer sugary things, keeping the time that the sugar is bathing your teeth to a minimum, and rinsing the sugar off your teeth after eating, will all help to minimize dental decay.  Eating fewer acidic things, and rinsing after having acidic beverages (like carbonated beverages, fruit smoothies and sports drinks) will help to keep decay and erosion to a minimum. 

Teeth that are well aligned are easier to clean than teeth that are crowded. Dr. Okun will happily show you how to clean difficult areas, but she will also recommend orthodontic treatment (braces) when it is indicated for the longevity of your teeth. Properly aligned teeth are in positions and angulations that help them to function at their best, and to hold up to the functional forces of chewing and speaking. But even well aligned teeth have trouble holding up to excessive forces that are generated by clenching and grinding your teeth (bruxism) and generated by leaning your tongue on your teeth at rest or when swallowing (tongue thrust).  Obviously, it’s best to eliminate these damaging habits, but it’s impossible to monitor habits when you are sleeping.  Therefore, if Dr. Okun diagnoses you with one of these habits, she will recommend that you wear acrylic appliances (such as a hard full occlusal coverage maxillary guard, or a Hawley retainer) at night (indefinitely) to protect your teeth and their supporting structures from these damaging habits.

(NOTE: This blog was written in January, and  did not post on it's scheduled post date. Sorry it's late.)