Fine artist Steven Heward is the pioneer of tooth art called “Tattooth”.  He started designing on false teeth in a mini lab and has inked around 500 teeth since then. The images can range from animals,logos, letters and pretty much any other art form that you may want.

The Heward Dental Lab known world wide for their quality crown and bridge work are now also training tooth artists to apply custom hand painted tattoos on a porcelain crown for your tooth.A person can choose whether they want to have a permanent or temporary Tattooth. A permanent type is done by etching the design on the false tooth, which is then sealed with the help of a glaze. Later, the dentist simply incorporates it on a set of teeth. The temporary Tattooth (which is very much in vogue now) is similar to nail art that can be just stuck on the tooth and removed at will.

Did you know that your diet can play a large role in the health of your teeth and gums.   Here are some tips suggested by the American Dental Associations (ADA) in maintaining teeth and gums health.  Try to limit the amount of sodas and fruit drinks sweetened with sugar. Limited your consumption of cookies, candies, cakes and other desserts with added sugar. Eat nutritious snacks that are low in sugar.  Brush and floss daily and drinking water often throughout the day.

Make sure to drink plenty of water.  Water helps to keep your mouth moist which in turn minimize the amount of bacteria in your mouth that can cause bad breath. Drinking water is also very good for your over all health care.

It is important to keep your dentures clean in order to help maintain a healthy mouth.  The ADA suggestions on how to properly take care of dentures. Dentures are fragile, so make sure while cleaning them you hold them over something soft such as a towel.

You want to make sure you thoroughly brush your dentures daily using a denture brush or soft-bristled toothbrush to remove food particles and plaque. Clean your dentures with a gentle hand soap or mild dish detergent. Never with bleach or an abrasive powdered cleaners. Store your dentures in water or a dental cleansing solution in a safe place, and out of reach of kids and pets

One good dental heath care tip is to keep an extra toothbrush and paste at work.  By keeping a spare toothbrush and paste at work you are able to brush your teeth after having lunch.  This is extra helpful if you have eaten food that left a film on your teeth or leaves you with bad breath.

Dental fear is a large issue that prevents many people from getting and receiving the necessary dental care needed for good oral health care.  A new innovative device which helps to cancel out the noise of the dental drill could help end some people anxiety and fears about going to the dentist.

The prototype of the device works in a similar way to noise-canceling headphones but is designed to deal with the very high pitch of the dental drill. By simply plunging the device into an MP3 player or mobile phone, and then plug the headphones into the device,it allows a person to listen to their own music while completely blocking out the unpleasant sound of the drill and suction equipment. The patient will still be able to hear the dentist and other members of the dental team speaking to them but other unwanted sounds are filtered out by the device.

In a study done by Joanna Bisgaier, MSW, from the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Dentists in the USA are much more likely to offer an appointment to children with private health insurance than those in the combined Medicaid/CHIP. Out of 170 paired calls to 85 dental practices, 41 of them participating in the Medicaid program some of the results showed: 36.5% of Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries got an appointment 95.4% of privately insured Blue Cross children got an appointment Of the dental practices that were enrolled in the Medicaid program, Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries were 18.2 times more likely to be turned down for an appointment compared to the Blue Cross children

If you travel and want to use your toothbrush make sure to keep int in a plastic toothbrush case. By doing so you will protect the toothbrush bristles from becoming squashed or flattened in your traveling kit.

However keep in mind after brushing your teeth to let your toothbrush dry out before putting it back in the case to help reduce the spread of germs.

Make sure to keep your toothbrush fresh by replacing your toothbrush every three to four months. Old toothbrushes are dirty, ineffective and bad for your health. Studies show that after three months of normal wear and tear, toothbrushes are much less effective at removing plaque from teeth and gums compared to new ones.

It is also important to note that you should change your toothbrush after having a cold, flu, mouth infection or sore throat. That is because germs can stay on the bristles of the your toothbrush which could lead to reinfection.

Many people have bad breath or suffer from chronic bad breath. If you suffer from bad breath you may be looking for ways to help manage the problem. If so, you may want to  consider a tongue scraper. Tongue scrapers are relatively inexpensive and available at most pharmacies. Tongue scrapers are often touted as the way to improve bad breath, but there is very little research to show that they are any more effective than simply brushing the tongue with your toothbrush as part of your tooth brushing routine.

However, trying a tongue scraper can not hurt, and they are easy to use. Simply hold the scraper at the back of your tongue, and bring it forward, scraping gently but firmly along the tongue as you go.

Dentists warn consumers about the safety of tooth whitening, now being offered at many beauty salons and clinics.  The risk of teeth whitening procedure is manifold when it is performed by unqualified staff.  The BDA and the General Dental Council have both reiterated that tooth whitening should be carried out only by registered dental practitioners.

A study done by Faculty of Dentistry at Malmö University that followed a cohort of dentists throughout their adult lives, show that our jaws decreases with age. The study showed that over forty years there was less and less room for teeth in the jaw. This crowdedness comes from shrinkage of the jaw, primarily the lower jaw, both in length and width. While this is only a matter of a few millimeters, but it is enough to crowd the front teeth.

In Ontario 45% of people 65 and older did not see a dentist in the last year.  Studies show a lack of regular dental care increases their risk of chronic diseases and a reduced quality of life. Poor oral health can contribute to many serious medical conditions as well as affect a person’s ability to chew and digest food properly. With dental services not covered under the universal health-insurance program and many older adults not visiting dentists regularly, the study findings suggest that there should be more thought given into services provided to seniors in order to keep them healthy as they age.

The unexpected findings could pave the way for the development of preventative measures in tackling gum, by manipulating the normal bacteria in the same way that probiotic yoghurt works to protect the intestine.  Researchers at Queen Mary’s Blizard Institute, including Medical Research Council Clinical Research Training Fellow Mark Payne, worked with scientists in the US; they published their findings in the journal Cell Host and Microbe

It has been established in a study from the Faculty of Odontology at Malms University in Sweden that the size of teeth in premature children is smaller. Our knowledge about premature children, and their physical and mental development as they grow up, is constantly expanding. In recent years several studies of children’s dental health have been published by researchers at the Faculty of Odontology in Malma. Liselotte Paulsson-Bjarnsson, a specialist in orthodontics, has studied 80 children born before week 33 of pregnancy

Many people can wake up to bad breath or what is otherwise know as “Morning Breath”.  Saliva stops flowing while you sleep, so you may be prone to bad breath in the morning. If so, mornings may be the best time for your daily dental flossing.

Be careful when trying to mask bad breath.  Sugarless gum should not replace brushing and flossing your teeth after a meal, but in a pinch it can freshen breath by masking odors and is another way to increase saliva production to rinse away plaque and bacteria. Make sure to go for sugarless gum and or mints, since sugar creates plaque, and no one wants a mint that makes breath worse.

It is important to understand that bad breath that seems to have no other cause may indicate an infection elsewhere in the body. If you have chronic bad breath and your dentist rules out any oral problems, see your doctor for an evaluation. Bad breath can be a sign of a range of conditions including respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis or bronchitis, diabetes, or liver and kidney problems.

Crunchy foods such as apples, carrots, celery—basically and any fiber-rich fruit or vegetable is your friend when it comes to fighting bad breath. According to Cynthia Sass, ADA spokeswoman and registered dietician. “Eating foods that increase saliva production keep the mouth moist—and rinsed out. Also, many carbs and proteins can get stuck in your teeth—even healthy foods like whole grain cereal or chicken breast.” So follow a meal with a Granny Smith Apple to cleanse the mouth.

Your saliva does a good job of breaking down food and washing it down your throat and into your stomach through swallowing.  However, some food are either fibrous or sticky and thy can easily get stuck in between your teeth.  These left over good particles over time will act as fuel for odor causing bacteria causing you to have bad breath. That is why daily flossing after eating is so important not only to help rid yourself of bad breath issue but to protect your teeth from tooth decay.