Many years ago, doctors believed that worms were the reason for tooth decay. They also believed that there were many ways to kill the worms, including rinsing the mouth in one’s own urine both day and night. Although this is sick to say the least, this remedy was discarded in 1728, proven to be non effective and replaced by other more suitable treatment. As time passed, doctors proved that the best way to stop the pain was to clean and remove the nerve and pulp of the tooth.

Root canals are a very common procedure these days, as they help to save the tooth by removing the dead or dying pulp. The pulp exists inside of the tooth, and can spread to abscess if it isn’t taken care of. The tissue in the pulp is kept alive by the blood vessels that come from the tip of the root and travel along the root canal into the tooth.

Decay is the main reason for pulp in the tooth dying. Once the decay has reached the pulp, it will keep eating away until the pulp has died. Once it dies, the toxins from the decay will be released into the root tip and make it’s way into the jawbone. If not taken care of properly, the jawbone can become infected, which can lead to death in rare cases.

To fix this problem, the dentist will need to perform a root canal. During the procedure, he will numb the area then drill a hole into the tooth. Using various tools and equipment, he will go down inside of the tooth and scrape away the nerves and dead pulp. This is a very effective procedure, although very time consuming as well. In most cases, a root canal can take several hours, although it is the only way to stop the dying pulp and save the tooth. Even though it may take a long time - it is more than worth it when it saves your tooth from being extracted.

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The barrier at times can be the person himself or herself and their inability to understand the need for dental care or what is being done during procedures. Sometimes all they need is to be able to overcome anxiety associated with dental care. They may need more than patience and explanations; they may need sedation during procedures in order to be able to cope with having dental care performed. Sometimes anesthesia is required if the patient has uncontrolled bodily movements or have an inability to comprehend the proceedings and may become overly distraught or combative. General anesthesia should only be used when absolutely necessary due to the risk that anesthesia carries with it. Facilities designed to offer general anesthesia are also limited and not available in all areas.

The dentists who treat patients with special needs are going to have to address some special issues. These issues revolve around medical, consent, and equipment or product needs. Dentists who care for patients with special needs also need to have staff willing to be compassionate, and understanding of these very special patients.

Dental visits may require extra time for special needs because of equipment or for the time involved in explaining, soothing or assessing the ability of the patient to give legal permission to complete dental work. If the patient is unable to understand what the dental proceedings are about, a relative or legal guardian may need to be present that can act on the patient's behalf.

Those in need of special care dentistry can find them in general dental practices, dental care given by health boards or dental clinics and dental hospitals. Not only do patients with special needs require at times special facilities or equipment; they also need dentists with compassion and the ability to understand the unique needs of their dental patients with special needs. Unfortunately parents or caregivers of young children with special needs may experience greater difficulty in finding appropriate dental care due to the nature of the specialty and special needs of children in general.

Adults and children with special needs still require the same kind of quality dental health care as those of us without special physical or mental needs.

Those who are searching for special care dentistry can ask for referrals from local dentists, their primary care physician or look in the phone book under "special care dentistry". You may be able to locate special care dentistry registries online by searching using Google or other search engines. Websites such as "Hands On Health – South Carolina" is just one such Special Care Dentistry Directory, where dentists can register as being providers for special needs patients.

Cavities are a very serious situation, and if left untreated, can result in the destruction of the tooth. This can also destroy the nerves as well, resulting in an abscess. An abscess is very serious, as it infects the root tip. If left untreated, an abscess can result in death. Although you may not realize it, cavities are a very serious matter that can quickly spread to something even more serious.

If you visit your dentist on a regular basis, he will check for cavities. Without visiting the dentist, it is impossible to tell whether or not you have a cavity. Most cavities develop below the gums, and you won’t be able to see them. If the cavity exists in the tooth, you will be able to see it, as it will change the color of the affected area. If you notice a color change or a blackened area in your tooth, you should make an appointment with your dentist immediately.

What you eat is a big contributor to cavities. If you eat a lot of sweets or drink a lot of soda, you will be at a higher risk for cavities. Foods that are rich in sugar or starch are eaten by bacteria found in plaque, which will produce acids that eat through teeth. This acid is very harmful to teeth, as it can eat through the dentin and enamel in no time at all. If you don’t do something about it, the acid will continue to eat at the tooth until there is nothing left to say - leaving you no choice but to get the tooth extracted.

Over time, the tooth enamel will start to break down beneath the surface of your tooth, even though the surface will appear to be fine. Once the acid has managed to eat away enough of the enamel below the surface, the surface will collapse, which results in a cavity. After this has happened, if you don’t get it treated, the tooth will continue to be eaten and the cavity will continue to spread until all of the tooth has been eaten, after which the enamel will be gone and your root will be exposed - which can be very painful.

Cavities will more than likely develop in the pits of chewing areas around the back teeth, between your teeth, or near the gum line. No matter where they occur, the easiest way to spot them is to visit your dentist. Your dentist will be able to do x-rays and find out just how bad they are and tell you what options you have. If you visit him in time, he will be able to save the tooth and stop the cavity before it spreads throughout your tooth.

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Think about all the sports where you can get injured. They are not limited to football. How about a line drive coming right at your child during a baseball or softball game? Think about flying arms and legs in sports such as gymnastics, boxing, skateboarding, skydiving, surfing, volleyball and wrestling. If you or your child gets a blow to the head, you could be facing a missing or chipped tooth. To prevent this from happening, you need to protect your mouth with a mouth guard.

A mouth guard is an important part of keeping your teeth safe during any type of physical activity where you could get injured. If you are unsure about the type of mouth guard to buy, here are some common guards that can help keep your teeth safe.

Stock guards: These guards are generally inexpensive and come packaged and ready to wear. All you do is place them in your mouth and go. They are quite bulky and are not adjustable. If these guards are all that are available, then use them; otherwise, find a better quality mouth guard.

Boil guards: These guards are very good and can be purchased where sporting supplies are sold. These usually fit better than a stock guard. To use these, you will be instructed to boil the guard in hot water to soften the plastic and while it is hot, you will place it in the mouth and bite down. This will make an impression of your teeth, giving you a more custom fit.

Custom fit protectors: If you play professional sports or wear orthodontics, then you may want to have a custom fit mouth guard. Most dentists can help you with a custom guard. Impressions of your teeth will be made and then the guard is made to fit your mouth. These offer the most comfortable fit and the best protection during contact sports.

If you do not wear a mouth guard and a tooth gets knocked out, there is hope. First of all, do not touch the root. This could permanently damage the tooth, whereas if you handle it by the top, it could be replaces. Next, despite what your first instincts are, do not clean or handle the tooth. Instead, place it back in the socket and bite down on a piece of gauze or clean cloth. If the socket is too injured, you can place it in a glass of milk or water. Then you must get to a dentist immediately. In many cases, if you follow these instructions, your dentist can work quickly to reinsert the tooth quite successfully. of the extra time and work involved, this custom-made mouth guard is more expensive than the other types, but it provides the most comfort and best fit and protection.

Another problem with Wisdom Teeth is that they often get ignored when it comes to brushing. Decay can settle in quickly when the molars are not brushed.

So, if the wisdom teeth can cause so many problems, why do we have them? They actually had more use in years past, when people used to lose more permanent teeth; they were considered to be replacement teeth. Through good dental hygiene and advanced dental care, most people keep most if not all of their permanent teeth, therefore not having room for the wisdom teeth when they come in. Should you be lucky and your wisdom teeth come in straight, your dentist will check them periodically to be sure they are not becoming decayed. If they came in crooked or sideways, your dentist will likely recommend that they be pulled.

Symptoms

You may notice that may signal that your wisdom teeth need to be removed:

Pain

Swelling around your wisdom teeth

What The Dentist Will Do

X-Rays will be taken to see if there is infection. The x-rays will also show if they are impacted. If they are impacted, they will not have any room to come up thru the gum.

There are times when the dentist may decide to remove the wisdom teeth even if they are not impacted, because of the threat of chronic bacterial infection. This infection can lead to infection in the gum or possible danger to the other teeth. It is a known dental fact, that often times the bacteria that causes decay starts in the wisdom teeth; so taking them out can increase the chance of the rest of your teeth staying healthy.

Your dentist may also tell you that the wisdom teeth are easier to take out while you are younger. The jawbone is less dense and the root of the wisdom teeth are not yet fully developed yet.

Why Is It That Bacteria Attacks Wisdom Teeth More?

Your front teeth are surrounded by the gum and keeps bacteria out. It is also more difficult to floss or brush way in back of your mouth and many people do not do a good job of flossing or brushing back there. When you have poor dental care (neglecting to brush or floss), bacteria can gather and cause decay.

Removal

Wisdom teeth are usually removed in the dental office of an oral or maxillofacial surgeon. Your regular dentist will give you a referral to this kind of a surgeon. The surgeon will examine your teeth and look at the x-rays your regular dentist took. The surgeon will also discuss anesthesia with you. Usually you will be told to wear something comfortable on the day of your surgery. You will need someone to come along with you, who can drive you home afterwards. You will also be handed instructions to follow the night before. You will be told when to stop eating or drinking (usually at least 6 hrs. prior to surgery).

Your dentist will usually cut the tooth into smaller pieces to make removal easier. You should not feel any pain because of the sedation. You will have stitches in your gum where the wisdom teeth were removed.

Possible Complications

Infection

Sinus Complication

Injury to other teeth

Temporary numbness

Temporary jaw joint problems

Very rarely - fracture of the jaw

The surgeon will advise you to eat soft foods for a week if your jaw seems weak after surgery as a precaution

Often you look like "chipmunk cheeks", after surgery and you may have some bruising along the jaw line. You may also have some pain or swelling. These after surgery symptoms will disappear within 48 to 72 hours.

Older kids and teens have been known to have aggressive periodontitis in their first molars and incisors. It can cause severe loss of alveolar bone, even if they have experienced very little dental plague or calculus. Generalized aggressive periodontitis can involve the entire mouth and usually begins around puberty. The symptoms are inflamed and red gums and a very heavy accumulation of plaque and calculus. If untreated the teeth will begin to loosen.

If your child has Type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome or Papillon-Lefevre syndrome they may be more susceptible to gum disease.

Look out for these signs:

Bleeding during tooth brushing, or flossing.

Puffiness anywhere in the gum area

Bright red gums

Gums that have receded away from the teeth

Exposed roots of teeth associated with receded gums

Bad breath that is not caused by anything else and does not clear up

It is important to form good dental habits when kids are young to help motivate teens to continue these good habits. Hormonal changes that occur in the teen years put your older child at risk for gum disease. Not brushing during these teen years when they are at most risk for gum disease can lead to an increased risk for gum disease.

Parents can help their sons and daughters to have healthy teeth by scheduling regular dental exams and encouraging them to continue good dental hygiene at home.

If your child experiences any severe form of gum disease, it is important to schedule a medical exam as often times severe gum disease is a sign of systemic disease.

Certain medications can lead to dry mouth, which may put the child at risk for gum disease. Be sure to inform the dentist of all mediations that your child takes, or has recently taken.

Grinding teeth can put the individual at higher risk for gum disease as well as to cause cracking and chipping of teeth.

Gum disease can easily be passed from one family member to another through saliva, so it is important is one family member is diagnosed with a gum disease, that all family members see a dentist for a checkup.

Remember the following tips for good dental health:

Teach kids good dental hygiene

Make regular dental checkups for all family members

Be a good role model for your child by having good dental hygiene yourself.

Examine your young child's mouth for signs of gum disease on a regular basis.

You can make a difference in the dental health of your child now and in the future by encouraging good dental habits now. Good habits in their youth will encourage older kids and teens to continue these habits, as they grow, when they need them most.

First off, you need to understand what causes bad breath. Bad breath occurs due to the release of sulfurous compounds from the bacteria that live inside of your mouth. To that end, you need to do your best to keep the level of bacteria present in your mouth as low as possible. Brushing your teeth and flossing regularly is helpful since you can rid your mouth of excess food particles that bacteria feed off of. Another thing that you may want to consider purchasing, though, is known as a tongue brush or a tongue scraper. Many people have no idea what a tongue brush is, or why they would need one, but the truth is that they are a wonderful device for helping to maintain the health of your mouth and stop the effects of bad breath. Tongue brushes remove the bacteria present on your tongue, where most of the bacteria reside in the mouth. While you can use a toothbrush to brush your tongue, tongue brushes generally provide a much more suitable medium for the removal of bacteria from the tongue.

Bacteria thrives in your mouth when it is dry, so you should be sure that you keep yourself well-hydrated in order to ensure that you will have enough saliva in your mouth. You also may want to consider chewing sugarless gum or having sugar-free candies in order to ensure that you have enough saliva. Mouthwash can be helpful when it comes to killing the bacteria present in the mouth, but they generally are only effective in combating bad breath for a short period of time.

The best way to keep your breath smelling fresh is to ensure that you brush your teeth at least twice a day, flossing once a day, and using a tongue brush at least once a day. Unfortunately, some people's cases of bad breath persist even after taking good care of their oral hygiene. If you have a case of bad breath that won't go away regardless of how well you take care of your teeth and mouth, you should visit a doctor. Sometimes, bad breath can be an indication of a larger problem with your health such as diabetes or a gastrointestinal issue.

For most people, all it takes to get over a case of bad breath is maintaining proper oral hygiene routines and knowing the causes of bad breath and avoiding them. Recovering from a case of chronic bad breath can truly make a noticeable difference in your life.

What is my risk for developing gum disease?

To discover if you are at risk for gum disease ask yourself if your gums ever bleed? Do you have any loose teeth? Look in the mirror and see if your gums are receding or do your teeth look longer? Do your smoke or use tobacco products? Has it been longer than two years since a dentist has seen you? How often do you floss? Do you suffer from diabetes, heart disease, high levels of stress, osteoporosis, osteopenia? Have any of your family members been diagnosed with gum disease? Take the answers to these questions to your dentist and you will find out what your gum disease risk factor is.

Is there a connection between tobacco smoking and gum disease? Smokers are more likely to have calculus on their teeth, or have deeper pockets between their teeth and gums and as a result lose more of the bone and tissue needed to support their teeth.

Is gum disease genetic? There may be a genetic factor in gum disease and research also shows that the bacteria found in saliva can be passed from family members.

How do I avoid gum disease?

The best way to avoid gum disease is to see your dentist on a regular basis, and to practice good dental hygiene.

What can I do to treat gum disease?

Your dentist will go over the treatment options with you. He/she is obligated to use the most non-invasive procedures to treat gum disease which may include non-surgical procedures.

Is gum disease harmful to a pregnant woman?

Research has linked gum disease with preterm birth, which may result in low-birth weight babies. Pregnant women need to seek dental care prior to becoming pregnant if possible or soon after discovering they are pregnant.

Is there an age at which, I can stop worrying about gum disease?

Gum disease can strike at any age. The risk actually increases with age. Factors that can contribute to gum disease are not necessarily age related but these factors tend to increase with age. Factors for gum disease include: a diminished immune status, certain medications, depression, decreased flow of saliva, lower financial status.

What are the symptoms of gum disease?

If you notice the following symptoms, you should seek dental care:

If your gums bleed when you brush your teeth or floss them.

You notice that your gums seem to have pulled away from your teeth.

You have persistent bad breath

You see pus in between your teeth and gums

You have loose teeth

These and any other questions you may have about gum disease should be discussed with your dental care professional. Information about gum disease can help you to have healthier teeth and gums.

The enemy of your gums is plaque. Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria. You can find plaque on the surface of your teeth before you brush. It also clings to the gum line around each tooth. When plaque produces toxins, that is when the gums and supporting tissues can become damaged.

If you do not remove plaque within 48 hours, it can harden. Hardened plaque is called calculus (tartar). Individuals cannot remove calculus on their own. The only way to remove it is with the help of a dental professional.

When calculus gets below your gum line it can cause inflammation and infection. Usually this is not felt by the individual so they are unaware they have it until they see the dentist.

There are certain factors that can worsen gum disease. These factors are:

Smokers are 2 to 7 times more likely to develop periodontitis than nonsmokers because their immune system slows its response and also has decreased oxygen in the mouth.

The disease, diabetes can worsen periodontal disease because the individual with diabetes often times has poor control over their blood sugar level. This results in poor healing, an increase in the infection and an increase in the bone loss and connective tissue involvement.

Those individuals, whom are under a lot of stress, increase their susceptibility to gum disease because stress increases certain hormones that make them more susceptible to infection.

Pregnancy and the associated hormones make pregnant women susceptible to gum disease for the same reason (hormones).

Birth control pills also increase your hormone levels, therefore those women who take birth control pills increase their chance for gum disease.

Certain medications like those used to fight cancer, control blood pressure, antiseizure medicines and steroids can affect the gum increasing risk of infection. Other drugs are known to decrease the flow of saliva such as antihistamines. A decrease in saliva irritates the mouth, making it prone to infection.

The symptoms of Gingivitis:

Those who have gingivitis may notice that their gums look swollen, and may bleed when they brush their teeth. They may notice that they have bad breath or may have a bad taste in their mouth. You have the power to reverse gingivitis by developing and continuing good tooth brushing and flossing habits.

Those who develop Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG), which is, advanced gingivitis in that your gums are sore and you have a white membrane on them. ANUG requires that you take antibiotics as treatment for it.

Symptoms of Periodontitis:

You may notice more of your tooth being exposed as your gum draws back and the roots become exposed.

Your teeth may be more sensitive to temperature changes (cold air outside, hot or cold liquids and food). You may also experience more cavities.

The gap between the tooth and the gum deepens. Plaque that gets into this gap is difficult to remove and bacteria then overcome the surrounding structure. When this happens you may notice pus between your teeth. Your teeth may become noticeably loose.

The knowledge of this potential resistant to antibiotics has scientists and researchers working to create new strategies to reduce the chance that a resistant to an antibiotic will occur. What happens sometimes is this- a person is prescribed an antibiotic for a bacterial related infection. The antibiotic may kill off most of the harmful bacteria but a few of the germs may remain behind in the body. These germs then will mutate or they will develop resistance genes that they take from other bacteria found in the body. These resistance genes can then quickly go to work to multiply, thereby creating strains that are resistant to the antibiotics that are meant to do away with them. These strains in the body mean that the next time the individual has a similar infection, the same drug will get rid of it. This is especially frightening for people with serious illnesses who require antibiotics on a frequent basis.

Three new antibiotic drugs have recently been approved by the FDA that has been proven to not have problems with resistant. These drugs are applied directly to the periodontal pocket and are to be given in sustained-release does. The drugs are Atridox (doxycycline hyclate), Arestin (minocycline) and PerioChip (chlorhexidine gluconate). Antibiotics that are applied directly to the surface of the gums do not affect the functioning of the entire human body in the way that taking antibiotics orally does.

A variety of medications are presently used for people who suffer from gum disease:

Prescription Antimicrobial Mouth Rinse
This prescription mouth rinse is composed of an antimicrobial substance known as chlorhexidine that effectively inhibits bacteria formation during gingivitis treatment and following gum surgery.

Antiseptic “Chip”
This is a small piece of gelatine that contains chlorhexidine and is used to inhibit bacteria and decrease the size of the pockets at the gum line. This antiseptic “chip” is placed into the mouth after root planning has been done.

Antibiotic Gel
This gel contains the antibiotic ingredient doxycycline and has the same purpose as the antiseptic “chip”. The gel is used after SRP and is released into the system slowly over a period of approximately seven days.

Enzyme Suppressant
This contains a small dose of doxycycline and helps to keep harmful enzymes in their place. The enzyme suppressant is a pill that is commonly used in conjunction with SRP.