Sometimes it feels like kids will do anything to stay away from keeping a healthy lifestyle. From eating vegetables to brushing their teeth, it just feels impossible. But it is important as parents to make sure that these daily routines are kept, especially brushing and flossing. As dental professionals, we don’t see our patients every day, so it makes it hard for us to be on top of everybody. But what we can do is teach parents how to get their kids into that a healthy lifestyle, and how to make brushing and flossing fun at home! Here are some ways to do this:
Make it a fun game – Competition is a big motivator for kids, so try and make a game out of it, whether it is with both kids or mom and child, making a game out of brushing their teeth at night will definitely push them to brush more!
Try an electronic toothbrush – Kids don’t have much patience for hassle and tedium. An electronic toothbrush can reduce some of the frustration and make it fun for the kids to brush their teeth. While it is easier than using a manual toothbrush, it actually helps them brush their teeth a little better, with less work. Even adults love their electric tooth brushes!
Let them pick out thesupplies – Let’s be honest, what kid doesn’t like to pick out their own toys? By
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Scientists from the University of Nottingham and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University hope to find a way to end the dreaded root canal. At the moment they are developing a treatment strategy that may be able to repair the damaged tooth using the patient’s own stem cells.
Root canal treatment consists of the removal of damaged or infected gum tissue and then sealing the canals and tooth with dental material. These scientists are hoping to create a material that will aid in the regeneration of the pulp tissue.
At the moment, the procedure is in the earliest stages and they do not expect that they will be able to test it on humans in the near future.
The proper flossing technique, according to the Canadian Dental Association, begins with a piece of floss the length of a person’s hand to their shoulder. The floss should be wound around the index and middle finger with about two inches of space between. Each tooth should be cleaned by wrapping the floss in a C-shape around the base of the tooth and sliding the floss from base to tip two or three times. If you have braces, follow the same guideline but use a floss threader to get the floss through your braces.
Teeth should be brushed after flossing, according to the guidelines.
Bleeding is a common side effect when a person begins flossing, but it should stop after a few days. If it does not stop, the Canadian Dental Association recommends visiting a dentist.
In “Your Oral Healthy.ca” magazine, the article “All The Juicy Details” talks about how good juicing your fruits and vegetables really is, and what the benefits are of drinking lemon water. Dietitian, Julia Stanislavskaia, says that consuming fresh juice with an at-home juicer, or buying cold-pressed juices do provide people with most of the nutrients they need, however, to get the most vitamins and nutrients, it’s best to consume them whole. When it comes to replacing a meal with a juiced drink, essentially, you are only consuming liquid sugar by the body. This can also be an issue for your oral health. When consuming liquid fruits and veggies, Dr. Stephen Abrams says “this creates a very acidic oral environment, and if it is the only nutrient at a meal, it takes a long time for the saliva to return to its neutral pH.”
Many people drink lemon water first thing in the morning, claiming that it boosts their metabolism, clears skin, and helps with their overall health. Both Dr. Abrams and Stanislavskaia say they have not found any studies that states this information is true. However what studies do tell us is that drinking a lot of water in general can increase the feeling of satiety, which does help with weight management. Just
Although the mouth is part of the body, we often think of it as something separate. We often ignore bleeding or tender gums, while an irritation or pain elsewhere in the body would mean a trip to the doctor.
Poor oral health can affect a person’s quality of life. Oral pain, missing teeth or oral infections can influence the way a person speaks, eats and socializes. These oral health problems can reduce a person’s quality of life by affecting their physical, mental and social well-being.
The reality is that oral health problems could be a sign of something serious such as oral cancer. Every year approximately 3,200 Canadians are diagnosed with oral cancer and 1,050 deaths from oral cancer occur. This devastating disease has a low survival rate because it is often diagnosed very late. With early detection the survival rate of oral cancer can be greatly improved. This means going to your dentist for regular dental exams. Your dentist has the training and experience to detect oral cancer early.
Everything that happens in your mouth affects your whole body, which is why it is so important to visit your dentist regularly. Only your dentist has the training, skills and expertise to properly address all your oral health care needs. Regular dental exams help prevent small problems from getting worse.
Smoking has always been one of the hardest habits to break with many gizmo’s and appliances to help curb the cravings. One of the more recent and popular devices to help substitute or quit smoking are E-Cigarettes. For quite some time these colourful devices commonly known as “vapes” have become popular as they appear to be a beneficial substitute over a real cigarette. E- cigarettes have three major components; a battery, a cartridge and a heating element all without the use of many harmful chemicals and tobacco. At a first glance these e-cigarettes appear to be a great alternative for smoking, however, studies have shown that over time they can be equally as harmful to your mouth as a traditional cigarette. This may be because a 10ml liquid solution used to refill the e-cigarettes is comparable to 200 cigarettes worth of nicotine. Some key oral issues that Dr. Saxena has discovered are:
Regular e – cigarette usage puts users at a significantly higher risk of periodontal disease from increased exposure to nicotine.
Persistent dry mouth
Gum tissue and microflora may be affected by the e – cigarette liquid solution and can create an environment conducive to gum tissue mutation and changes in the microflora.
A recent study was conducted comparing the effectiveness of e-cigarettes vs. nicotine patches over a 6-month period and the results were inconclusive. This further proves that e
Scientists at the University of São Paolo have developed a new pain-free way of administering dental anesthetic. Say goodbye to those unfavourable needles. In their study, scientists applied a topical anesthetic to the mouth lining of a pig and stimulated it using a tiny electric current. They found that this electric current caused the anesthetic to diffuse more effectively. This method, a process called iontophoresis may be a potential replacement of injectable anesthetics. At the moment, researchers are trying to create an iontopheretic device that can be properly used in the mouth. So now we all wait with bated breath.
