Smoking and Gum Disease

Smoking and tabacco can have devastating effects on the heart, lungs, and other organs. However, you might not be familiar with the whole other "mouthful" of problems caused by tabacco use. Tabacco users are more likely to have calculus, a hard substance that can only be removed from your teeth during professional cleanings. If this calculus is not removed and it remains below the gum line, the bacteria in the calculus will infect the gums and release toxins that cause redness and swelling (inflammation). The inflammation and toxins cause destruction of the tissues that support the teeth, including the bone. When this happens, the gum separate from the teeth, forming pockets. Smokers and tabacco users have deeper pockets than people who do not use tabacco. These pockets fill with more plaque and bacterial toxins leading to more infection. If these pockets are left untreated, the gums may shrink away from the teeth, making the teeth appear longer and possibly causing them to become loose and fall out.

Nicotine and other chemicals found in tabacco hide the symptoms commonly associate with gum disease, such as bleeding gums, therefore the diagnosisof the condition is more difficult. Smoking and tabacco use reduce the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the gums, weaking the body's defense mechanisms. In addition to causing periodontal diseases, there are many other conditions cause by tabacco use. Many of these can affect a person's appearance, health, or self-steem: oral and lip cancer, stained teeth, bad breath, loss of taste and smell, mouth sores and spots, hairy tongue, etc.

There are more than 4,000 different toxins in cigarettes. Toxins impair the body defense mechanisms, which can leave smokers more susceptible to infections. Oral cancer causes more than 31,000 deaths each year in US. Smoking increases the person's risk of being diagnosed with oral cancer by six times more than non smokers. Men are most likely to develop the condition than women. Smoking and other tabacco use are associated with about 75% of oral cancer cases, caused by irritation of the mouth tissue from toxins and heat of cigarettes. Tabacco contains over 19 known carcinogens (causing cancer agents).

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What Is In A Smile?

You couldn't attract a mate without an inviting smile. Your employment prospects would be rather limited too.

Traditionally dentists relied on the GOLDEN RATIO, a set of mathematical proportions that date back to the Egyptian pyramids. But some researches have questioned whether these proportions have any connection to the way real people react to smiles.

The size and visibility of teeth and upper lip position are probably the most predictive variable for smiles attractiveness. Women like to see expressive smiles in men. On the other hand, tooth color and visibility of gums correlated with the men's own satisfaction in their smiles.

According to a research done in Netherlands, after administering the DUTCH PERSONALITY INDEX QUESTIONNAIRE to over one hundred smiling military men, it was found that the less a man's gums showed, the more likely he was to be neurotic. The more his gums showed, the more likely he was to have high self-steem. Men with more visible teeth were more likely to feel dominant.

The personality traits are related to smile attributes. The kind of smile a person can make apparently helps to shape the person's self-image.

Do you have bad breath?

Chronic bad breath, or halitosis, is often caused by the breakdown of bacteria in the mouth, producing foul-smelling sulfur compounds. It's estimated that 25 percent of adults suffer the embarrassment of chronic bad breath and the percentage may be as high as 50 percent in older adults.
Brushing twice a day with antibacterial tooth paste, like Triclosan- found in Colgate Total tooth paste, and using a tooth brush with a built-in tongue scraper can eliminate chronic bad breath. Triclosan is an antibacterial agent used in acne medications, hand soaps, detergents, and deodorants.
The fear of halitosis, known as halitophobia, sometimes is so great that up to 25 percent of people claiming to have halitosis actually don't. Halitophobia could be associated with obsessive compulsive disorders, so there's a need for effective treatments for this condition.
Here are some tips for helping patients who suffer from halitosis:
-Good oral hygiene is important for avoiding bad breath. Regular cleanings (at least twice a year) with a dentist or dental hygienist are essential. Flossing twice a day is key to remove build up between teeth to alleviate bad breath.
-Food maybe a factor in bad breath. Certain foods, like onions and garlic should be avoided. Not skipping meals is also helpful in preventing halitosis. Eating helps remove bacteria on the tongue and stimulates the washing action of saliva. Furthermore, constant snaking is bad for oral hygiene and breath since saliva doesn't have time in between meals to wash away food naturally. It's also important to emphasize that we should drink water regularly, specially with meals.
-Mouthwashes don't have long-lasting effect on bad breath. Rinsing with peroxide wash twice a day offer better results. Mix one part water, one part hydrogen peroxide, and add a little baking soda and sea salt. Rinse for 30 seconds and spit.
-Sweetened mints increase the amount of sugar in saliva, which feeds the bacteria that cause bad breath, while chewing sugarless gum increases salivary flow, which has a bathing or cleansing effect on teeth.
Halitosis may also be a sign of a serious medical disorder, that is why your dentist and your physician may have to work together. The condition can be caused by sinus infections, stomach problems, diabetes, lower respiratory tract infections, carcinoma, etc.
If you need more information or need assistance with your condition, go to my website:
http://www.designdentalatelkgrove.com/
Posted by Dr. Pereira at 12:06 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Welcome to my blog

Hi everyone,


Thanks for checking out my blog. My goal is to provide information about dentistry that will be useful to you, after all, knowledge is the foundation for wise decisions. I will appreciate your comments, suggestions, and ideas.

What is Oral Sedation Dentistry?

Sometimes referred to as "comfortable" or "relaxation" dentistry, the terms describe the feelings most patients experience during their oral sedation appointments. The purpose of the oral sedation is to allow a dentist to work more effectively by helping a patient become as comfortable as possible with the use of sedative medications administered orally and sublingually.
Some of the medications are in the benzodiazepine class, which has
"amnesic" properties meaning that patients remember little to nothing of their time in the dental chair by the next day. Other medications sometimes used in sedation protocols include antihistamines and insomnia medications, which aid in relaxing and calming a patient.

Which patients benefit the most from sedation?

-High dental anxiety and fear
-A severe gag reflex
-Time constraints- those who need to get more dentistry done in fewer visits
-Chronic or acute jaw soreness
-Physical limitations such as back and neck problems
-Difficulty getting numb
-A reluctance to previously complete treatment plans
-Extensive treatment needs
-A desire to have dentistry done comfortable while they are fully relaxed




You can also access my website for more information about this issue:
http://www.designdentalatelkgrove.com/

Dr. Pereira