The Journal of the American Dental Association published a study recently that highlighted the negative impact that eating sour candy can have on our teeth,
compared to the original flavor versions of those candies tested.

Sour candy can pose a greater danger to your teeth.

To check for the erosive effects of sour versions of popular candies, the researchers looked at Jolly Rancher, Life Savers, Mike & Ike, and Twizzlers brands. The study reviewed the qualities of the original flavor versions and the sour versions.

It not news to anyone that the sugar in candy can cause cavities. However, the recent trend in making candy more sour, and in some cases extremely sour, can have people overlooking the strong erosive qualities that the added acids have on the tooth enamel. The extra acids give the candy it’s sour quality, and thus when people suck on a piece of sourcandy, they are increasing the exposure to those acids on their teeth.

The study concluded that the original and more sour versions of the candies tested were both potentially erosive, with sour candies being of greater concern. The natural protection that a your saliva provides the teeth was adequate against the erosive impact of the original-flavor candies. However, it was much less able to provide the same protection against the more acidic sour versions. The recommendation is clearly that the less sour candy you consume, the better it is for your teeth. If you do choose to consume sour candy, shorten the time you expose your teeth to the acids the candy contains, rinse your mouth with water afterwards, and wait for an hour before brushing to allow the softening effects of the acid on the tooth enamel to dissipate.

Do you know what substance in the human body is the strongest? It the enamel on your teeth. This hard, outer layer on your teeth has the critical job of protecting your teeth from all the normal wear and tear your teeth endure daily from chewing and biting. The enamel also helps moderate the extremes of temperature from the foods and drinks we consume as well as protecting teeth from the acids and chemicals that are contained in what we eat and drink.

The inner portion of your tooth, called the Dentin, is not as dense, and it needs the protective covering that the enamel provides. As enamel erodes, it allows access to the dentine, and then the tooth becomes more sensitive to temperature and tastes.

What Are The Causes of Tooth Enamel Erosion?

Some drinks, like orange juice, contain acids that can damage the enamel.

Poor dental hygiene is the most common culprit. By not brushing and flossing frequently, you give the bacteria that thrive on sugar to produce the acids that erode enamel. But there are other causes as well, including:

• Excessive consumption of sodas or fruit drinks.
• Consuming too many sour foods or candies. Foods that are highly acidic can erode tooth enamel.
• If you have dry mouth or low saliva volume. Saliva helps prevent decay by neutralizing acids and washing away leftover food in your mouth.
• If you suffer from acid reflux disease or consistent heartburn. Acid reflux brings stomach acids up to the mouth, where the acids can erode enamel.
• Conditions such as Bulimia, or alcoholism, or binge drinking. Any situation n which frequent vomiting exposes teeth to stomach acids.
• Certain drugs or supplements with high acid content, such as aspirin or vitamin C, can also erode enamel.
• Excessive pressure when brushing, or when you grind your teeth. These can erode enamel.

How Can You Protect Tooth Enamel From Erosion?

A solid program of good dental hygiene, coupled with regular visits to the dentist for cleaning and checkups, are the best way to prevent tooth enamel erosion. Here are some other tips that can help:

• Cut back on acidic drinks and foods, such as carbonated drinks, citrus fruits and juices. When at all possible, combine consumption of these beverages with food to minimize their effect on enamel.
• Look for alternative products to the acidic drinks you use now, such as low-acid orange juice.
• As often as possible, rinse your mouth with water after consuming acidic foods or drinks.
• Using a straw when you drink soda or fruit juice will help the liquids bypass your teeth.
• At the end of a meal, drink a glass of milk or have a piece of cheese. These help neutralize the acids in your mouth.
• If you chew gum, try using a sugar-free gum with xylitol. This reduces acids from foods and drinks. Chewing gum also increases saliva flow, which helps prevent enamel erosion because saliva strengthens teeth with key minerals.
• Drink more water during the day, particularly if you have dry mouth or low saliva problems.
• Most people can get away with using a soft toothbrush. Also, avoid brushing too roughly.
• If you do have foods, or drink something like soda that has acids, wait for at least one hour before brushing.  The acid can leave the enamel softer, and thus more prone to erosion during brushing.
• Always use a fluoride toothpaste to strengthen your teeth.
• Ask your dentist for their recommendations on the toothpaste (and brush type) that are best suited for you and any tooth sensitivity you might have, and to protect against acid erosion.
• If you have the symptoms of eating disorders that cause excess acid to get in the mouth, such as bulimia, alcoholism or GERD, get treatment from a qualified physician.

Toothbrush care is an important part of oral health care.

A trend that’s getting a lot of attention in oral hygiene lately, is that of toothbrush sanitizers. Just how germy is your toothbrush, and does it really need to be “sanitized”?

This is a area that needs additional study, to be sure. Currently, there is evidence that bacteria can and does grow on toothbrushes. However, this has been no clinical evidence to date that placing your toothbrush in  an antibacterial mouthwash, or an over-the-counter toothbrush sanitizer solution has any impact, positive or negative, on a person’s oral health. And more extreme methods of cleaning your toothbrush – like running it through a dishwasher cycle or heating it in a microwave oven,  will actually damage the toothbrush, since the brush was not designed for conditions like those.

Since there has been little research, and thus no evidence that tells us that bacteria on our toothbrushes can have negative effects on our oral health, it’s best to take a common sense approach to toothbrush care, particularly for persons that may have a greater risk for infection due to other health problems.

Here are some simple suggestions for toothbrush and oral health care, that will help everyone, particularly those at greater risk of infection, keep their toothbrush free of bacteria.

1. Replacing your toothbrush often. Possibly every month or every two months

2. Rinse your mouth with an antibacterial mouthwash before brushing. This will help keep any bacteria in your mouth from transferring to your toothbrush.

3. Soak your toothbrush in that same antibacterial mouthwash after brushing. This may help decrease the growth of bacteria on the brush.

4. Consider disposable toothbrushes, if the long-term cost is manageable.

Robert E. Stover, DDS, MS, and his brother Jamie Stover, CDT, joined forces to write an article on optimizing the new technologies in dentistry for maximizing the success for patients undergoing a variety of dental procedures such as full-mouth rehabilitation, a fixed-detachable (“hybrid”) prosthesis, or perhaps implant-bar retained overdentures. Their article was published in Inside Dental Technology in the February issue, and can be found through this link:

http://www.dentalaegis.com/idt/2012/02/optimizing-technology-to-maximize-success

The article presents a specific case study, and illustrates how cooperation and communication between the dentist and affiliated laboratories can allow for the creation of a plan of treatment that makes use of the proper and most effective technologies for a specific patient and procedure.

The research and statistics keep piling up, showing the adverse effects of smoking on your overall health. And now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that adult smokers have twice the chance of developing oral health problems as those who have given up smoking. And compared to those who have never smoked, the odds go up to four times the chance for smokers to develop conditions like mouth cancer, gum disease and cavities.

The report by the CDC also showed that while smokers are inclined to acknowledge oral health issues, they are less likely to schedule an appointment with their dentist to deal with an existing problem than are former or non-smokers. In fact, smokers are almost twice as likely than non-smokers or those who have quit, to not have seen their dentist at all in more than five years.

Inability to afford dental treatment is the reason that smokers gave for not going to the dentist. The study showed that 56 percent of current smokers couldn’t afford treatment, or had not insurance at all. Comparatively,  former smokers were at 36 percent, and 35 percent of non-smokers had similar issues with lack of ability to pay or no insurance.

The information by the CDC re-emphasized the long-standing consensus that there is a strong correlation between smoking and oral disease, as well as other serious health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Others know when you have it, and hopefully you do too! Bad breath is something everyone has experienced, and you should know the causes, and how to get rid of it as well.

The conditions that cause bad breath are quite common, and there are three primary causes:

1. Food

Be aware of the causes and cures of bad breath.

Many of the food items we enjoy can cause bad breath. From items like garlic and onions, to coffee and strong tea, and numerous types of cheese, foods that have strong odors within themselves can transfer that smell to our mouths. Food particles can remain in the teeth or on the tongue – and the longer they stay, the worse they smell.

2. Dry Mouth
The medical term for dry mouth is xerostomia. Basically, the condition comes from insufficient production of saliva. Saliva helps rinse your mouth of food particles and keeps it clean. Not enough saliva,

and bacteria that can cause odor can build up in your mouth. Certain medical conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease or diabetes can reduce the amount of saliva your mouth produces. Also, certain medications can cause dry mouth as well.

3. Tobacco and Smoking
Let’s add one more item to the already lengthy list of reasons why smoking any tobacco product is bad for you. It gives you bad breath. Not rocket science really. Cigarette smoke stinks. You inhale it into your mouth. Now your mouth stinks. And not only bad breath, but smoking also stains your teeth, will raise the risk of developing oral cancers, irritates your gums, the list goes on and on.

While food, dry mouth and smoking are the three most common causes of bad breath, other lesser known causes are things like chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, periodontal disease, infections, dirty dentures, or possibly liver or kidney problems. Consult with your doctor to help eliminate the more serious causes of bad breath.

Now you know the many causes of bad breath, how do we prevent or remove bad breath?

1. Brushing your teeth and brushing your tongue
The best way to avoid bad breath is to brush your teeth after every meal – and don’t forget to brush the surface of your tongue. Giving your mouth a thorough cleaning, including a wash with a mouthwash that will kill bacteria will do more to prevent bad breath than anything.

2. Drink Plenty of Water
Plain old water, or even some sugar-free beverages, will help keep your mouth hydrated and clean.

3. Reduce or Eliminate Drinking Caffeinated Beverages
Ironically, caffeinated drinks can leave your mouth feeling dryer than before you drank them.

4. Chewing Sugarless Gum
When you chew gum, it helps produce saliva, which helps keep your mouth clean by removing food particles and bacteria that can cause bad breath.

5. Antimicrobial Mouthwash
Not all mouthwashes are created equal. Some just mask bad breath, and don’t do anything to remove the bacteria that causes bad breath. Check with your dentist and have them recommend a antimicrobial mouthwash that will remove the cause of the problem.

Everyone knows that the common cold is common because it’s so contagious. Something else that is contagious that you might know be aware of are cavities.

For cavities to form, they need the bacteria that is created when food debris in your mouth produces an acid, which in turn forms plaque. But without that bacteria to start the process, cavities won’t form. And that bacteria can be passed from mouth to mouth by sharing food, utensils, or the acts of sneezing, coughing or kissing. Thus, cavities are contagious.

In fact, a recent study produced in the Australian Dental Journal named tooth decay as one of the most common infectious diseases. Almost eighty percent of two-year-olds, sixty percent of six-month-olds, and about thirty percent of two-year-olds were infected with a bacteria called Streptococcus mutans, a bacteria considered to be a prime cause of cavities. The study indicated that the germs and bacteria were passed from the mothers who had a history of cavities, to the children. It should be noted that children are more susceptible to these kinds of bacteria, since they haven’t had the time to build up any immunity to them. Adults are less susceptible.

So even though cavities can be contagious, there are steps you can and should take to prevent cavities from spreading in your family:

1. Regular visits to the dentist.
It is estimated that almost half of all adults did not visit their dentist in 2009. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control. A visit to your dentist to get a regular cleaning also allows the dentist to check for signs of tooth decay and cavities. Avoiding the dentist until you have severe symptoms like pain or tooth sensitivity means you may have the cavity causing bacteria, and are spreading it to your family.

2. Use mouth wash on a regular basis.
Over the counter mouth washes can help fight off the cavity-causing bacteria. But

if your dentist catches a cavity as it is beginning to form, they can prescribe a stronger mouthwash that contains chlorhexidine, a powerful antiseptic, that will do more to kill the bacteria and keep the cavity from developing further.

3. Between meals, chew some sugar-free gum.
Sugar-free gum that contains the artificial sweetener xylitol is the best. Xylitol increases the production of saliva, which helps remove food residue which helps prevent the production of the bad bacteria.

By sharing food, you could be spreading cavity-causing bacteria to your children.

4. Cut back on the sharing.

Be mindful of how bacteria can be transmitted. Avoid the sharing of food utensils, and don’t eat off each other’s plates.  And always cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.

5. Follow good dental hygiene.
Brush often, three times a day, or after each meal and snack. Floss daily and cut back on sticky foods and candy, as well as soda and sugary drinks. And drink some normal, every day tap water. Most tap water contains flouride, which also helps build resistance to plaque.

There have been many great advances and changes in dental technology and oral health care. But even with these advancements, there are still many situations where a persons natural teeth can be lost, and so it is that dentures still play an important role in helping people maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Dentures today are highly customized to each patient and fit much more comfortably than ever before. But by using dentures, that means that one has to take special care to keep your mouth healthy and clean to prevent problems from occurring.

Some of the problems denture patients can develop include gum and mouth irritation, problems with speaking and eating, dentures that don’t fit properly and shift in your mouth, and minor to serious mouth infections.

Ways To Treat Problems With Dentures

As noted above, dentures today are highly customized to fit each patient as accurately as possible. But over time, changes can occur to your gums and jaw that change how your dentures fit. Regular visits to your dentist will allow them to adjust or modify your dentures to insure a comfortable and accurate fit, so always check with your dentist if you notice your dentures aren’t fitting as well as they have in the past.

Problems with speaking easily and eating are common to denture wearers. Initially, you may have to speak more slowly than you normally would, to allow yourself to get comfortable speaking with dentures. Certain words might be more difficult to say, but be patient and you will adjust. If you have problems eating, there are steps you can take, like eating soft foods like eggs or yogurt, avoiding hard candy or sticky foods, chewing slowly and methodically, and try chewing with both sides of your mouth to prevent your dentures from shifting or moving. As you get used to your dentures, you’ll be able to expand your diet to include most, if not all the foods you once enjoyed.

When preparing you for new dentures, your dentist will take great care to accurately measure and prepare the dentures to fit into your mouth tightly and securely. However, you may still feel like you want to use an denture adhesive to help keep your dentures in place. If, for some reason, your dentures are not fitting correctly, you should not use an adhesive to try and make them stay in place. If you are just looking for a more secure fit, use the least amount of adhesive possible.

Dentures and Mouth Infections

Cheilosis, or as it is sometimes called, cheilitis, is a painful mouth infection that has been linked to wearing dentures. This type of infection can cause pain and inflammation and cracking at the corners of your mouth. If your dentures don’t fit properly, yeast can accumulate in your mouth and cause this type of infection. To prevent this, avoid licking or touching the corners of your mouth, and see your dentist to make sure your dentures are fitting properly.

Another mouth infection caused by yeast in the mouth is called Stomatitis . The symptoms of denture-induced stomatitis are more subtle, but you might start to notice small, red bumps on the roof of your mouth, or a general redness and irritation in the mouth, particularly under upper dentures.

Both of these conditions, Stomatitis and Cheilosis, can be treated with medicine and proper care of your dentures.