Month: June 2020

There are lots of tools and methods widely used for the protection of the teeth and their shine. From the basic activities like brushing and flossing every day to getting a dental visit periodically, you try everything. One such tool is dental sealant! The concept of dental sealants was first introduced in the early 1900s. Now it’s been long, and a lot has changed in the application and materials used. However, these changes have made dental sealants more useful than they were before.

What are dental sealants?
Dental sealants, also called pits and fissure sealants are the thin plastic coating applied at the surface of the molar or premolar teeth. The coating quickly sticks to the chewing surface providing protection against decay and guarding the pits and fissures of our teeth. Now the sealants are not at all a substitution for brushing and flossing, but additional protection.

Procedure to place the sealants
Placing dental sealants is an easy procedure with a few necessary steps involved. If you are amongst those wanting an alternative to fillings, have a look at the steps below:

STEP1: Cleaning the tooth
First of all, the dentist will clean the tooth, so that the coating adheres to the surface. Cleaning is done with the help of a small brush attached to the dental drill.

STEP2: Conditioning the surface
This is a preparatory step and consists of applying an etching gel on the surface. This is done with the help of a brush, a cotton pellet, sponge, and other applicators. The etchant is allowed to rest at the surface for around 60 seconds and then washed.

STEP3: Evaluating step 2
After washing the tooth thoroughly, the dentist will use the air syringe to blow the tooth dry and check if the conditioning is done effectively. The conditioned part of the tooth must look frosty, white, and dull.

STEP4: Applying the sealant
The dentist will now apply the sealant, which is a liquid plastic coating on the grooves of the teeth. This is done with a brush or a syringe. You need to know that the sealant is filled only in those areas of the tooth where it has pits and fissures.

STEP5: Setting the sealant
After positioning the sealant, a blue cloured dental flashlight is shone on the applied sealant. The light acts as a catalyst to trigger its functioning.

Benefits of dental sealant
Dental sealants are mainly recommended for a child and teenagers who are prone to frequent cavities and decays. Apart from acting as a guard against the cavities, there are following benefits of fitting a high-quality dental sealant:

• Applying dental sealants is a painless procedure.
• Sealants provide an additional back to the oral care routine.
• Dental sealants last as long as 5-10 years.
• Sealants have an easy repair and maintenance process.
• Dental sealants keep away the severe dental issues.

Since their inception, the dental sealants have been widely used for the patients at the dental clinic. You only need to make dental visits to get the worn or chipped sealants fixed.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Braces are the dental tools to straighten and correct the teeth. No doubt, they are worth making a future investment, but the only thing is the user has to know every detail about them before wearing, most importantly, the care it is to be given. After knowing the steps to take care, one can get committed sincerely to oral health even during the orthodontic treatment.

Why Should You Clean Your braces?
Braces are for the improvements in the teeth not to worsen their condition. Thus, it is very important to clean them from time to time and keep up the oral health. Moreover, not cleaning the braces invites decay. The process is very easy, starting with the accumulation of the small germs around and in between the teeth and the braces. These germs create large colonies of bacteria causing plaque, later leading to the damaged teeth.

Tips for Cleaning the Braces at Home
Well, cleaning the braces can be a challenging task because you cannot remove them each time you want. But the fact is it is essential to perform this task. The removal of the remaining pieces of food debris, germs, biofilms, and acids is necessary to keep the teeth away from any serious dental issue.

Thus, the proper procedure and tips to clean them are given below:
Right toothbrush: Whether it is a manual brush or the electric one, it should have soft bristles and a compact head. You are advised to hold the brush at an angle of 45 degrees and then take it back and forth, gradually taking towards the biting surface. The top and bottom surface of the brackets have to be brushed properly in order to remove the food debris. It is imperative to hold the lip with one hand while performing this step with another hand.

Cleaning tools: Patients can also use a few other tools available in the market like proxy brushes, woven dental floss, soft picks, etc. These can be used when he doesn’t have time for the actual flossing. Though they can do some part of the floss, it is still recommended to try doing the actual floss with the thread as it is more effective.

Waxed dental floss: Among all the methods to floss, the waxed dental floss is recommended to prevent it from snagging on the wires.

Use mouthwash: For convenient cleaning, you can use a therapeutic mouthwash and rinse with it regularly.

Fluoride treatment: As your teeth are more prone to the decay and damage when you are wearing the braces, you surely need to include Fluoride in the form of toothpaste.

Now, the fun and excitement of having a new and healthy smile after removing the braces can be snatched and replaced by the sorrow of being diagnosed with decays and cavities. But, fortunately, you can prevent this from happening and take the measures mentioned above.

Besides, your dentist can prescribe you the right set of tools and toothpaste for the time period and also guide you for the same. You just need to raise several questions during the treatment.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Food becomes the worst enemy when it comes to maintaining dental health. There is a long list of food items which the doctor prescribes to avoid to manage healthy teeth and gums. Undoubtedly, sugary and sticky food makes the major part of that list. Moreover, you must have heard your parents telling you to avoid any remains of food to stay in the corners. They know how harmful these remains can be for your oral health. Now the thing is what comes in the category of healthy food when dental hygiene is included? Is a healthy meal like oatmeal safe for our teeth?

What are Oats Made Up of?
Oats make a significant part of our healthy breakfast. It is a quick and best recipe for most of us. Especially, people who are in a hurry to rush to their work find it an excellent breakfast as it is full of nutrients that are essential for growth. It contains fibre that we require to sustain. Now, oats are simply grains that are broken and processed to make it an easy cook. That makes it as healthy as the grains in the form of chapati. But you need to know that the presence of grains brings in it-phytic acid. No doubt, phytic acid has got several health benefits, but the concern is that the acid restricts the absorption of a few minerals, including Zinc, Iron, and Calcium.

Is Oatmeal a Reason for Decay?
Having known about the constituents of oatmeal, it becomes easy to create an idea for the relation between oats and tooth decay. Moreover, everyone knows the importance of Calcium to bind the teeth together, and above, we have discussed how phytic acid opposes the absorption of Calcium. So, the risk of teeth decay in the context of oatmeal depends on the amount of phytic acid in it.

What are the Other Sources of Phytic Acid?
Not only the oatmeal but almost all the grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes contain phytic acid. So, too much consumption of these will not help you have excellent oral health. They can be a cause to undermine all our efforts to develop excellent dental health and prevent our body from the gains of essential minerals like zinc, Calcium, and Iron.

Now the point to be noted is oatmeal is a healthy food, and there is no great harm when it’s taken. The only thing is one must avoid too much consumption of the meal with a massive amount of phytic acid as it may lead to the deficiency of the required minerals.

Take Proper Dental Measures
It would be best if you remembered all the dental rules, so that you can compensate for the little harms you cause. The first thumb rule is the two minutes brushing twice a day and flossing once in a day. Secondly, you need to use mouthwash if you ever feel the brushing and flossing are not doing enough.

One must be preventive in approach when it comes to dental health. A periodic dental check will help in this case. You can also discuss with your dentist the amount of food you have been taking and their effects on oral health.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.