It is advise that a baby should have their first dental visit around the age of one.  Pediatric dentist are specialized in child psychology and the first dental visit should be a positive experience for your child.  It also a time for the parent to ask questions about teething, and oral health care.  The dentist will be able to go over brushing techniques. The first visit is the time where the parents and dentist can set the tone for future dental visits.

According to a study done, women were thirty-three percent more likely to receive preventive dental care than men. Women tend to visit their dentist more often for their preventive dental care needs compared to men.

According to a new study, people with health/dental insurance were 138% more likely to receive preventive dental care. Therefore having dental insurance is an important step in taking care of your dental health.

It is important to maintain good preventive dental care habits. Neglect of dental care can have some serious consequences such as tooth decay, inflammation, and loss of teeth, and an increased risk of malnutrition.

In addition, gum disease has been implicated in an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Easy access to affordable preventive dental care in the form of regular checkups and cleanings by dentists or dental hygienists, can help to improve the quality of your life.

Preventative dental care has increased over a ten-year period in the United States, but there still remains a large disparity among ethnic groups, was reported by one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on the subject, which was published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Public Health.

Cell Phones are not the only things that are smart. The Kolibree’s smart toothbrush analyzes your brushing and lets you track your habits over time through an app for Android and iOS devices, the Verge reported.

The device has a sensor that tracks the areas of your mouth that you’re brushing, and will let you know what sections might need a little more attention.

Most people either know someone or are someone that have had bad experiences with their dentist or just simply are afraid of any pain that may occur.  Sometimes this leads to high anxiety for many that can make them avoid regular dental care because of anxiety and fear. However with  Conscious Sedation you will be able to be in a comfortable and relaxed state of mind.

Conscious Sedation Dentistry is administered by simply taking a pill, no need to worry if your body will act funny, because all body functions will remain completely normal. Advantages to conscious sedation is that  the pill is easy to administer, it’s safe and easy to monitor, and works well for most people and it can be given at a low cost.

Also unlike  anesthesia where a patient is completely unconscious, under conscious sedation  are able to respond to commands or questions.  With  conscious sedation there is no real reason why you should not take care of your dental health and see your dentist regularly.  Talk to your dentist about  conscious sedation and see if this is a good choice for you

There is an ongoing debate about the role of psychological disorder symptoms as risk factors for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. Previous studies have associated depression and TMJ pain but large scale studies have not been performed. German researchers writing in The Journal of Pain evaluated community subjects and found that those with depression and anxiety had increased risk for temporomandibular pain upon palpation.

When finding a new dentist people are turning to the internet.  More dentist are seeing that the phone book and word of mouth are not always enough to get them notice.   They are opening their practice to the online community.  By doing so it not only helps them get new patients they might not had have otherwise but provides added service to people who visit their sites.  Many dental office websites provide information on not only their practice but provide for  for increased knowledge of dental healthcare.  Dental offices may also provide specials on their website for dental services you may not get otherwise.

Two new studies published this week suggest that a type of gut bacteria found in the mouth may trigger colorectal cancer by influencing the immune response and switching on cancer genes.

The researchers believe their findings may lead to more timely and improved ways of diagnosing, preventing, and treating colorectal cancer.

Scientists agree that dental amalgam fillings slowly release mercury vapor into the mouth. But both the amount of mercury released and the question of whether this exposure presents a significant health risk remain controversial.

Porcelain veneers can completely transform your teeth and smile.  Porcelain veneers still remains as one of the most popular cosmetic dental treatments in the United States. Veneers can be use to fix many dental problems.  With veneers,  a dentist can control the color, position, shape, and size of your new teeth.  They also can correct crooked, worn, or chipped teeth. Ask your dentist about dental veneers to see what your options are.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, have conducted stress analyses on gorilla teeth of differing wear stages. Their findings show that different features of the occlusal surface antagonize tensile stresses in the tooth to tooth contact during the chewing process. They further show that tooth wear with its loss of dental tissue and the reduction of the occlusal relief decreases tensile stresses in the tooth. The result, however, is that food processing becomes less effective. Thus, when the condition of the occlusal surface changes during an individual’s lifetime due to tooth wear, the biomechanical requirements on the existing dental material change as well – an evolutionary compromise for longer tooth preservation.

A Study done on Antiboitic Prophylaxis shows that patients who are undergoing invasive dental procedures do not benefit from it use.  In the British Medical Journal it suggested that patients that are at risk from infective endocarditis (an infection of the inner surface of the heart) will not benefit from antibiotic prophylaxis before undergoing invasive dental procedures.  Dr Lockhart noted that dental offices have been in the spotlight for more than 50 years because dental procedures can cause bacteria to enter the blood stream, but stated there is no strong scientific data to show that dental procedures cause infective endocarditis.

During the last 25 years Kim McFarland, D.D.S., associate professor in the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in Lincoln, has seen an increase in the number of dental patients with erosion of the tooth enamel.

According to the new research root beer could be the safest soft drink for your teeth, however, may other popular diet and sugared sodas are nearly as corrosive to dental enamel as battery acid.

Prolonged exposure to soft drinks can lead to significant enamel loss, even though many people consider soft drinks to be harmless or just worry about their sugar content and the potential for putting on pounds, the study says.

It has been suggested that breast-feeding over bottle-feeding is better for the overall health of your baby.  However with regards to early childhood cavities breast-feeding is no better or worse then bottle feeding both can cause dental decay in baby teeth if proper dental care is not taken.

To help prevent dental decay:  Avoid overnight feedings, letting your baby nurse at will can make milk pool in baby’s mouth which will cause acid to form contagiously throughout the night which can lead to tooth decay.  This is the same with bottles so avoid letting your child walk around with a baby bottle.   Whether you  are breast feeding or bottle feeding your baby, wipe your baby’s teeth and gums with a clean damp washcloth after feedings.

The ADA (American Dental Association) suggest that you encourage your child to drink from a cup by the time they reach their first birthday.  Dentist suggest that you should take  your child to their first dental appointment by the time they reach their first birthday.  We suggest having either dental insurance or a dental plan in force in order to help make going to the dentist more affordable.  And remember preventive dental care starts from home.

Stem cell research is opening up the way for new teeth “grown” from an unlikely source – human urine.   Chinese researchers describe how stem cells derived from urine could be used to generate solid organs and tissues, including teeth. Their study is published this week in the open-access journal Cell Regeneration. The researchers hope the technique might one day help provide new, tailor-made teeth for dental patients.

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay or BBTD is cause by frequent and prolonged exposure to any liquids except plain water.  Liquids such as: Formula, milk any fruit juices or any liquids containing sugars. If these liquids pool around baby’s teeth and gums for a long period of time they will lead to  cavities that first develop in the upper and lower front teeth.  This normally happens when one leaves a baby with a baby bottle to sleep with or as a means of pacifying a baby from crying.

You should not let your baby fall asleep with a baby bottle filled with anything other then plain water, or use a pacifier.  See if your dentist has a pacifier they would recommend for you to use. If you are breast feeding try to avoid letting your child nurse continuously.  Also remember to wipe your baby’s teeth and gums with a clean damp washcloth after feedings.  BBTD is preventable with proper dental healthcare.  Ask your dentist of any more dental care tips for your child and make sure they have regular dental check ups.

A study has found that people with poor oral hygiene or gum disease could be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared with those who have healthy teeth.

Lancashire (UCLan) in the UK, discovered the presence of a bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of patients who had dementia when they were alive. The bug is usually associated with chronic periodontal (gum) disease.

Having good oral healthcare starts right from the beginning of your child’s life.   You need to take care of your child oral health even before their first teeth emerge. There are certain factors that may affect your child teeth appearance. Such as  tetracycline an antibiotic that can cause tooth discoloration.  This is something to beware of and should not be use by nursing mother or expectant mothers in the last half of pregnancy.

Baby teeth will normally start emerging around six months of age.  The standard brushing and flossing healthcare procedures are not required for infants.  Though infants do have special oral healthcare needs that that need to be met.  Parents should know about how to guard against baby bottle tooth decay.  Parents also need to take their child to see a dentist at the cutting of their first tooth or by the time they are one year old.  Prevention is the key so the sooner you start with proper dental care the better.