THUMB WARS

May, 2013 »  

Thumb Wars —
“1,2,3,4  I declare thumb-sucking no mo!!”

If you were anything like me when I was a child, thumb sucking has literally sucked years out of your life!  If it is now happening to your child — we are here to help!  First and foremost WHY do children suck their thumbs or fingers?  Well because it’s soothing when they're bored, tired or anxious.  It is important to know when your child’s habit has crossed the line of a comforting pastime to becoming a potential problem.  Prolonged finger and thumb sucking can cause minor physical problems like chapped skin, calluses, teeth alignment issues and fingernail infections.

If you’re confused on when to start taking action, first know that more than three-quarters of infants suck their thumbs or fingers through the first year of life. Most children will give up the habit on their own before they enter kindergarten.  If thumb sucking persists past their 5^th birthday, however, there are some ways to help your child break the habit.

First and foremost we suggest positive reinforcement.  We recommend making a fun progress chart with your child.  Together you can track the days your child goes without their habit and reward them with small prizes as incentives to do well each day!  For some kids, a chat with the dentist about why it's important to stop thumb sucking is more effective than a talk with mom or dad.  On the bright side, most children will give up the habit on their own, but pressuring a child to do so can end in rebellion.

So what if kind words don’t work?  You’ve explained to your child it’s time to stop and you’re showering them with positivity, yet you continue to find your child holding their blankee with thumb in mouth?  Well I was that child!  My parents tried everything from putting mittens on me to using bad tasting polish on my thumbs to wake me and remind me to stop – none worked. We did our research and there are options on the market specifically made to help end the habit once and for all!  First we found ThumbGuard.  It advertises that it takes less than 4 weeks to completely break the habit with a success rate greater than 95%!  They also sell FingerGuard for breaking the finger sucking habit.  They both sell for $69.90.  If this is too pricey for your household, there is another product on the market called Thumbusters.  Thumbusters is recommended for children ages 4-12 who want to stop sucking their thumb but need a little reminder at difficult times such as bedtime, while watching T.V. or even at school.  These guards are $12.95 each and come in blue, pink and green colors. 


Hopefully one of these remedies does the trick and your child’s thumb wars becomes something of the past – call us today at Szmanda Dental if you have any questions or need any in person discussions to help aid your child.


Information compiled from WebMD, Mayo Clinic, ThumbGuard, Thumbusters and Staff at Szmanda Dental Center  © Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013

WHAT MAKES A TOOTH ABSCESS SEXY: NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

April, 2013 »  

Let's Talk About What Makes a Tooth Abscess Sexy: Nothing. Absolutely Nothing.

First of all, what the heck is a tooth abscess?  Generally a tooth abscess occurs when a tooth dies (rest in peace little buddy).  When the tooth dies, an infection forms at the root tip.  This infection, if left untreated, eats away at the bone in the jaw and can cause you to lose the tooth. 

Abscesses usually follow a toothache that is sharp or the kind that wakes you up at night.  You may feel cold sensitivity that lingers after let’s say, eating ice cream.  This will eventually stop, and the tooth will feel better.  Usually this means that the tooth was in the process of dying and is now dead.  That is when the abscess starts to form.  The dead tissue that is left in the canals of your tooth ends up feeding the infection.  You may think that when the pain stops, that the infection will go away, but unfortunately, it won’t and you will then need to make the decision in how to treat it. 

There are two ways to treat an infected tooth.  One is to have it extracted.  This will obviously leave a space and you may want to have this space replaced depending on where it is located in your mouth.  Your options are a dental implant (which is becoming a very popular option), a bridge or a partial denture.  The other way to treat an infected tooth is to have endodontic treatment, otherwise known as a root canal.  Ah yes, the dreaded two words of the dental industry, root canal.  Root canals are very common and have become a fairly routine procedure.  The dentists at Szmanda Dental do them often and are quite good at them.  If the dentist feels that there might be a complication, you will be referred to a specialist who has lots of little gadgets to deal with an atypical case.

Why does a tooth die?  There are numerous reasons why including decay, a deep filling, defects in a tooth and trauma.  A tooth could have a large filling in it that was placed and then will decide to die several years later.  Sometimes a tooth can experience trauma, such as hitting the handlebars of a bike with your mouth or a soccer ball to the face as we are kids and not much will happen.  But, there is always a chance that the injured tooth or teeth will eventually become abscessed as we get older.  And, there are times when there just isn’t a reason for the tooth to die, which is always perplexing. 

What are the signs of an abscessed tooth?  As mentioned before, a toothache that throbs, lingering cold sensitivity, heat sensitivity, darkness is color, swelling or drainage, which can cause a bitter taste.  There may be a pimple that forms on the gum tissue.  Another sign is pressure to chewing. 

Sometimes patients aren’t sure which tooth is causing the problem as pain can radiate. One of the easiest ways to detect an abscess at our dental office is a simple tapping of a dental instrument on the infected tooth.  This usually causes pain or irritation and makes it easier to pinpoint which tooth is having the problem.  An x-ray also can let us know where the problem is coming from.  We may also check with ice or have you bite on something that will cause pressure.

One of the crazy things about a tooth abscess is that the patient may not feel pain at all.  They may have had it for years and not even know it.  This type is called a chronic periapical abscess.  In this case, we tend to find out about those by taking a panoramic (entire jaw) x-ray or a full-mouth series of x-rays, which will show all of the root tips of the teeth.  At Szmanda Dental, we like to take these particular x-rays every 3-5 years and this type of abscess is one of the reasons we do it. 

There have been numerous times at our office when a full-mouth set of x-rays is taken and an abscess shows up on the film.  Even though the patient may not have experienced any pain, it is still an infection that is running through the body and needs to be taken care of.  A course of antibiotics may be given to curb the infection, but it will not go away until the dead tissue from the tooth or the tooth itself is removed.

The best way to avoid getting an abscess is by practicing great dental hygiene, and having regular dental cleanings and check-ups.  But even though you may have the most awesome, dental hygiene, things happen and there just may be no way to avoid it.  All the candy and soda one had as a teen may have given us some larger fillings and even the best care can still leave us with a dying tooth as an adult.

As far as trauma goes, we obviously do not live in bubbles.  Go out and enjoy life, but a great way to protect your teeth is to wear a mouth guard when participating in sporting activities.  It’s really important to do this, especially kids.  But, even adults can get a little crazy playing racquetball, basketball or any contact sport.  Believe me, as my husband can attest, a racquetball racquet is not the most enjoyable when it comes in contact with your mouth.

Just remember, if you are having a toothache, please don’t hesitate to call us at Szmanda Dental Center.  Even if the toothache has gone away, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are out of the woods.  We would love to help you and if you are in pain, you will be seen the day that you call thanks to our Urgent Care program.

Information compiled from Staff at Szmanda Dental Center  © Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013

YOUR MOUTH'S NEMESIS: DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUN...HALITOSIS

March, 2013 »  

Your Mouth's Nemesis:  DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUN...Halitosis —

We have all at one time or another experienced bad breath, or medically termed, halitosis.  Unfortunately, some people may not know that they have it.  It’s an awkward situation when someone you know has chronic bad breath and you aren’t sure how to tell him or her.  In actuality, bad breath could not just come from the onions your friend ate; it could be something actually wrong with their system.

Bad breath usually stems from not brushing and flossing enough.  When food sits on your teeth, gums and tongue, bacteria thrives on it and causes odors to start forming.  This is easy enough to resolve.  Try as much as possible to brush your teeth after meals and floss at least once a day.  The one thing that people are missing is brushing their tongue.  Tongues are tricky little organs due to the fact that they have numerous taste buds and papillae that trap food particles and bacteria.  Some people even have cracks and crevices in their tongue that make for even worse food traps.  If you suffer from bad breath, try brushing your tongue first and see if that helps.  There are things called tongue scrapers that have a saw blade pattern to them that can help you scrape debris from your tongue. You would be surprised at what comes off of your tongue when you use these little gadgets. There are also special brushes and special cleaning liquids that are made to help clean the tongue, but in general, using your toothbrush works just as well.

Obviously, we equate bad breath with eating something strong like onions, garlic or spicy foods.  Foods begin to break down in your mouth and end up being absorbed into your blood stream, which then feeds your lungs.  So, when you eat something like, garlic, for instance, you may smell like garlic for a while until it is through your system.  Obviously, things like that can’t be helped unless you swear off garlic.  Try to drink a lot of water with your spicy meal to help it hydrate through your system.

Another problem adding to bad breath is smoking or chewing tobacco.  Now is the time to quit.  Ask your dentist or hygienist for suggestions on kicking the habit.

Bad breath can also come from having periodontal disease or even a cavity or cracked tooth.  The best way to handle this situation is to see your dentist regularly.  Having a dental cleaning and then brushing at least twice a day and flossing once a day can cure beginning stages of periodontal disease.  If your periodontal disease has progressed beyond the beginning stages, having your teeth cleaned more regularly can keep it in check and maintain it so you aren’t getting pass the point of no return.

Cavities start from bacteria and generally the enamel is eaten away from the tooth, which can cause food to get stuck, causing bad breath.  Also, a cracked tooth can harbor bacteria causing the same problem.  At Szmanda Dental, we recommend having your teeth cleaned twice a year if you are in good periodontal health and having the dentist check your teeth also twice a year for any problems.

There are other things that are more systemic that can cause bad breath.  Things like acid reflux, medications, diabetes, kidney problems, lung infections, postnasal drip, and enlarged tonsils, to name a few.  If you feel that your bad breath does not improve with your best effort in dental hygiene and your dentist gives you the thumbs up for everything checking out orally, you may want to get checked out by your medical doctor for other problems.

There are numerous things that can cause bad breath, so start with some easy solutions first to see if they help. 

• Brush your teeth and tongue and floss more frequently. 
• Use antibacterial mouthwash to help kill off those little bacteria bugs.
• If you aren’t able to brush right after a meal, drink a glass of water to help clear out bacteria and food particles. 
• Try to eat fruit or vegetables that have a high water content like apples or celery after your meal. 
• Chew sugarless gum.
• Stop smoking or chewing.
• See your dentist regularly for check-ups!

At Szmanda Dental Center, we would love to address any questions you have about halitosis or any other dental inquiry you have.  Don’t be afraid to bring up any questions or concerns that you have about your dental health to your hygienist or dentist.  That is what we are here for!  Schedule your next cleaning today.

Information compiled from WebMD and Staff at Szmanda Dental Center  © Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013

FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL PET DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

February, 2013 »  

February is National Pet Dental Health Month —

Do I really need to brush my pet’s teeth?  Well, the answer varies depending on your pet and breed, but, in most cases, the answer is yes.

One of the main indicators of your pet needing oral care is bad breath.  Many people may think that all pet breath is bad, but when you are a pet owner, you notice when there is a distinct change in your pet’s breath.  Bad breath stems from food particles that get trapped within the gum tissue or sit along the animal’s teeth.  Bacteria thrive on this debris and that is where bad breath begins.   Us humans, of course, can easily brush and floss food debris away, but when we aren’t providing any type of oral health care for our pets, this can cause problems, and not just bad breath.

Once bacteria sits on your pet’s teeth and gums, it forms plaque which then hardens and turns into tartar.  This can create pocketing in the gum tissue, which leads to inflammation and gum disease.  Dogs are 5 times more likely to get gum disease than humans due to the alkaline nature of their mouth and the fact that, basically, they don’t have opposable thumbs to use a toothbrush.  Gum disease is reversible with oral health care, but, once bone loss sets in, that can’t be corrected and generally teeth will loosen and need to be removed.  Even with just gum disease, animals can have a hard time eating their food, so with the issue of losing teeth, that will also increase the chance of your pet having a harder time not only eating their food but also digesting it due to larger pieces being swallowed.

What do you need to do to help your pet out with their oral health?  You can start by buying treats and toys that are designed to help control plaque and tartar (please make sure treats are made in the USA due to the large issue of health problems with treats from overseas causing illness and death).   Make sure you monitor your pet with certain treats like Greenies ® so that your pet doesn’t swallow too large of a piece. Toys and treats are a start, but most likely, this is not going to get the job done completely. 

If you are taking your pet to a veterinarian, it is part of the examination to check your pet’s teeth.  Your vet can give you a heads up on the health of your pet’s mouth.  If your pet’s dental health is to the point of needing a cleaning, (yup, that’s what I said, a cleaning for your pet) it’s not a bad idea to do it.  It is somewhat costly due to the fact that your pet has to be put under anesthesia to do it.  I have had several of my pets teeth cleaned, and it made a huge difference in the quality of their breath.

The easiest way to prevent bad breath and plaque is to start brushing your pet’s teeth.  Start at a young age to get them used to it.  There are finger brushes that you put on the end of your finger with little nubs to rub along the pet’s teeth.  Please make sure that if you are using toothpaste, that it is one specifically designated for animals.  Do not use toothpaste made for humans due to the fluoride content.  There are toothbrushes designed for animals also.  The earlier you can start getting your pet used to having their teeth brushed, the easier it will be.  This can potentially prevent oral health issues or at least slow them down.

If you are experiencing bad breath issues with your pet or are noticing that they have bleeding gums when chewing toys, not wanting to eat food or are favoring one side of their mouth, have your vet check it out.  Problems caught earlier can save money in the long run.

Now, let’s talk about your flossing…….

Information compiled from Healthy Pet Magazine, WebMD and Staff at Szmanda Dental Center  

© Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013