Most people know that brushing and flossing are the daily tips to maintaining teeth and gum health.  However there are others ways to also help maintain teeth and gum health. Having a well-balanced diet provides the minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients essential for healthy teeth and gums. Fluoride, occurring naturally in foods and water, or added to the water supply, can be a powerful tool in fighting decay. It can reduce the rate of cavities by as much as 60 percent

Just like health problems like cholesterol and high blood pressures, parents can also pass on bad breath and dental disease.  Cavities are not genetic but oral bacteria that causes dental diseases are contagious.  Parents that share  utensils, drink out of the same cup, kiss or share toothbrushes with children, they can spread bacteria to their children’s mouths. Children can also spread the bacteria amongst themselves by such actions as mouthing the same toys.  Establishing good oral health care habits is very important for you and your family dental care.

Retired Dentist Invents Color Changing toothpaste called Vortex. St. Louis dentist, inventor and retired Chaminade chemistry teacher Dr. Howard Wright has invented Vortex, which bills itself as the world’s first color-changing toothpaste. Dr Howard Wright hopes the color-changing process, from red and blue to purple, will make kids want to brush their teeth longer and more vigorously. Kids from the Hazelwood Community Center Tiny Tots program were the first to try the FDA-approved Vortex at the Delta Dental Health Theater.

The American Dental Association advise a child should see a dentist by the time they are one or before their first birthday. Even though this is best advise many children do not see a dentist until they are much older.  By having your child see a pediatric dentists early on you can help to avoid dental fear later on in life.

Published in the Journal of Dental Research is a report on a preclinical investigation titled “Flagellin Enhances Saliva IgA Response and Protection of Anti-caries DNA Vaccine,”  Wei Shi the leading Author at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team of researchers demonstrate that anti-caries DNA vaccines, including pGJA-P/VAX, are promising for preventing dental caries. However, challenges remain because of the low immunogenicity of DNA vaccines.

Study done by Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers found the human body is better at fighting gum disease when fat cells, which trigger inflammation, disappear.  The pilot study of 31 obese people with gum disease. Half of the group with an average body mass index (BMI) of 39 had gastric bypass surgery and had fat cells from the abdomen removed. That half fared better than a control group of obese people with a BMI of 35 who also were treated for gum disease but did not have the gastric bypass surgery or fat removed.

Treating periodontal disease not only makes for a healthier mouth, but also freshens breath.  Researchers treated 102 people with gum disease.  Everyone in the study done also had bad breath.  Dentists used a device that measured their levels of three chemicals that commonly cause bad breath.

In the Study some people were randomly assigned to get periodontal treatment first, followed by tongue cleaning. The rest of the people got tongue cleaning first, and then periodontal treatment. Everyone’s breath was tested twice. This was done after the first type of treatment and again after the second. Tests showed that both types of treatment helped bad breath.

For patients with periodontal disease, periodontal treatment improved people’s breath more than tongue cleaning did. This study appears in the July 18th issue of the Journal of Periodontal Research.

Some of the sings and symptoms of dry mouth can include

* Trouble speaking
* Eating or Tasting food
* Swallowing
* Dry mouth may cause chapped lips
* Persistent cough
* White Tongue
* Fungal infection like  yeast
* Bruning tongue
* Gum disease
* Dentla decay

Oral Health and Depression in the Homeless.  According to Scottish researchers homeless people with tooth decay or missing teeth are more prone to depression than those with health teeth. The study was done on about 850 homeless.  the research found that people with poorer dental health were more likely to be depressed. In addition, homeless people with decayed and missing teeth also tended to have lower quality of life and more dental anxiety. Both of these could lead to depression, said the authors

Although diabetes can cause many different health issues one effect that it has on your dental care is dry mouth. One sign of diabetes is often chronic dry mouth, which occurs when blood sugars are high and uncontrolled diabetes. When this occurs, ketones lose fluid or inadequate saliva is produced in order to keep your mouth moist. The end result is severe dehydration and dry mouth as well as difficulty chewing and swallowing food. If you are a diabetic make sure to talk to your dentist about proper dental care in order to maintain your dental health.

According to a Brazilian study with included 160 Children ages 3 – 15, children with asthma had higher levels of S. mutans. Those with a longer history of asthma tended to have higher levels of these bacteria. The study did not find that levels of S. mutans were linked with asthma drugs or other treatments. Researchers also did not find a link between higher levels of S. mutans and more tooth decay.

A poor diet along with bad dental hygiene habits can lead to cavities and decay along he gum line.  This gradual dental decay will result in reduced saliva production beneath the tongue, and eventually chronic and uncomfortable dry mouth, which will exacerbate tooth and gum rot even further.  Make sure to visit your dentist regularly and maintain good dental habits in order to maintain good dental health and avoid dry mouth issues.

A recent study suggest that no enough dentist are using dental sealants to help protect back teeth.  Temple University’s dental school researchers who did the study, surveyed 595 general dentists and 176 pediatric dentists. The dentist were asked about whether they would use sealants on teeth with different signs of early decay. They also were asked how they felt about using sealants in different groups of people. In 2008 the ADA endorsed the use of sealants n teeth with the earliest stages of decay.

In these stages, a molar or premolar is discolored on its chewing surface, but there is no cavity in the tooth yet. Research has shown that sealing teeth like this can prevent cavities. However the new survey found that many dentist do not either know about the ADA panel’s advise or the dentist that do know do not agree with it.  It also show that Pediatric dentist were more likely to follow the recommendations then general dentist. This study appears in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

When humidity levels are low, dry air can shrink mucous membranes and leave you parched. It is vital to keep your mouth and nose moist so that you are not prone to colds, flues, and allergies. So wisely invest in a humidifier and drink water throughout the day

Two more small studies have strengthens the evidence that links periodontal disease with other health conditions. One Study focused on atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).  The researchers took samples of diseased arteries from 53 people.

They also took samples of healthy arteries from 21 other people. They tested the arteries for bacteria that cause periodontal disease. The study found that 53% of the diseased arteries had periodontal bacteria in them and only 24% of the healthy ones did. The other study focused on people with type 2 diabetes which included 60 people. Twenty had periodontal disease and diabetes. Another 20 had periodontal disease, but not diabetes. The last 20 had diabetes, but not periodontal disease.

People with diabetes and periodontal disease had higher blood sugar levels and poorer blood-sugar control than people who had diabetes only. The  people with both conditions also had more of a protein called C-reactive protein. Higher levels reflect more inflammation in the body. This group also had the lowest levels of HDL. The study is in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.

One way to help or avoid dry mouth is to drink plenty of water throughout your day. By being dehydrated, can be enough to dry out the mucous membranes in your mouth, decreasing your saliva. If you tend to develop dry mouth with physical activity, it is important to carry a water bottle with you at all times to combat dry mouth and nose.

According to Japanese researchers, older adults with more gum inflammation are at risk for kidney problems. The study was done on 317 people who where all 75 years old.  At the start of the study each person had an oral exam. The researchers calculated how much of each person’s gum tissue was inflamed. The people were followed for 2 years. During that time, 45 of them developed kidney problems. Those with the most inflammation were more than twice as likely to develop kidney problems as the rest of the people in the study.

Other studies have suggested a link between periodontal disease and kidney disease. A 2010 study focused on people with both conditions. It found that by having periodontal treatment also improved kidney disease symptoms  This study appears in the October 14th issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

Prolong dry mouth can start to cause dental issues like bad breath, periodontitis, and dental decay. Certain medications such as chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer are linked to dry mouth. However, the most common culprits as far as drugs are antihistamines and anti-depressants. If your prescriptions are causing dry mouth, talk to your doctor about swapping to another.  In addition make sure to see your dentist regularly to prevent dental damage due to dry mouth.

Long term study done suggest that Dry mouth is common in those over the age of fifty particularly in older women. In the Swedish study, started in 1992 researchers sent questionnaires to every 50-year-old in 2 Swedish counties. Fifteen years later, they sent the same questions to every 65-year-old in those counties. They also sent them to a sample of 75-year-olds.

The study showed that in every age group, dry mouth was more common in women than in men. The authors speculate that the higher prevalence of dry mouth in women may be the result of decreased saliva production in the mouth following menopause. Dry mouth occurred more often as people got older, and more at night than during the day.

According to the scientists from the University of Toronto who reviewed published research.  The scientists reviewed the last 61 years of studies on xylitol and ear infections. They found four studies that included a total of about 3,000 children up to the age of 12. Three of the studies included healthy children. Those who consumed xylitol gum, candies or syrup had 25% fewer ear infections.