Tooth Whitening

Almost two-thirds of California children have dental disease, making it a more pervasive problem than obesity or asthma, according to two reports released Monday.

In Alameda County, half of all children have tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten. By third grade, 69 percent have tooth decay. And nearly one out of 10 have tooth abscesses, according to a study by the county’s Public Health Department.

“This is a quiet, unspoken health reality that doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said Dr. Anthony Iton, Alameda County’s public health officer. (more…)

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke experience a higher rate of tooth decay, according to a March 11, 2003, news release from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Data from household interviews and health examinations of approximately 4,000 children between ages four and 11 revealed that those who had high levels of cotinine (ie, a by-product of nicotine consistent with secondhand smoke exposure) had increased risk of tooth decay. Approximately 32% of children with high cotinine levels had decayed surfaces on their baby teeth compared to 18% of children with lower cotinine levels. The study did not find an association between secondhand smoke exposure and decay in permanent teeth.

Tooth decay is a public health problem that costs an estimated $4.5 billion in the United States per year. Although dental cavities in children have declined in the United States, children living in poverty with less access to dental care still are vulnerable to tooth decay. In this study, the risk of cavities in children exposed to secondhand smoke persisted after researchers controlled for factors such as poverty and frequency of dental visits.

 

Sugary soft drinks promote tooth decay. However, sports drinks are more damaging to teeth than soft drinks. According to a study in General Dentistry, sports drinks, bottled lemonade, canned ice tea, and energy drinks are 11 times more damaging to tooth enamel than colas.

In addition to sugar, cola drinks contain phosphoric and citric acids. Both are harmful to enamel. The non-cola drinks contain flavor additives, malic acid, and other organic acids which are more aggressive at eroding teeth than what’s found in cola drinks. Root beer is the safest soft drink since it contains the least amount of flavor additives. (more…)

Dry mouth is more than an uncomfortable condition; lack of saliva contributes to tooth decay. In a news release from the University of Rochester Medical Center, Gene Watson, DDS, PhD, director of the Salivary Dysfunction Center, says: “Our saliva washes away sugars and other substances that help promote cavities. It neutralizes the acids in our mouths…. And it’s concentrated with minerals like calcium and phosphate. When you eat sugar, bacteria on your teeth produce acid that demineralizes the teeth a little bit, but then the saliva flows in and replaces the layer that has been removed.”

Over 600 medications lessen saliva flow, affecting millions of people–particularly the (more…)

TACKLING TOOTH DECAY: NFL running back Tiki Barber of the New York Giants teams up with Colgate-Palmolive Company and students at the Harriet Tubman Learning Center to unveil the U.S. Surgeon General’s Seven Steps to a Bright Smile during National Children’s Dental Health Month. During the festivities, the children received a special videotaped message from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard H. Carmona, who told them that prevention “is key to ensuring good oral health.” The surgeon general tips are part of a comprehensive campaign launched by Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program to provide free dental screenings, treatment referrals and oral health education to 100 million children by the year 2010. The U.S. Surgeon General’s tips–which are designed to assist children in developing and maintaining good oral health habits–include: Brush teeth and gums with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day. Visit the dentist regularly. Floss your teeth daily, and limit the number of times you eat snacks each day.

 

Definition
Tooth decay, which is also called dental cavities or dental caries, is the destruction of the outer surface (enamel) of a tooth. Decay results from the action of bacteria that live in plaque, which is a sticky, whitish film formed by a protein in saliva (mucin) and sugary substances in the mouth. The plaque bacteria sticking to tooth enamel use the sugar and starch from food particles in the mouth to produce acid.

Description (more…)

There are so many things to be concerned about when you axe a parent of a baby, and this is one of those things. Letting your baby fall asleep every night with a bottle of milk. formula or juice puts him at risk for Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD). When your baby falls asleep with a bottle nipple in his mouth, the liquid continues to drip out and pools around your baby’s teeth. A baby who uses a bottle frequently throughout the day for comfort and security, as well as nutrition, is also at risk for BBTD.

What Causes Baby Bottle Tooth Decay? (more…)

Definition

Tooth decay, which is also called dental cavities or dental caries, is the destruction (more…)