John W. Marsh, D.D.S.
| Visit Our Site | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | December 2008 |
Office News
Our goal is to develop a strong partnership with every patient. When you understand the importance of your dental health, we can help you maintain a healthy mouth, as well as treat the causes and symptoms of any dental condition.
We invite you to read our latest SmileLink newsletter and to check out our website often for new information, or contact our office with any questions or concerns. Working together, we can help you achieve a lifetime of healthy and attractive teeth and gums.
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SmileLink Articles |
When Primary Teeth Erupt
When your baby’s teeth erupt, they pop up like a marching band that lines up in a distinctive formation on a football field. And just like a marching band where the trumpets lead the way, followed by the flutes and drums, baby teeth usually erupt in pairs filling in one tooth on one side of the jaw, followed by its mate on the opposite side of the jaw. You can figure that about every 6 months your baby will have 4 new teeth as shown in the chart. Your child’s baby teeth are vulnerable to decay even before the tooth erupts. Tooth decay is the number one chronic, childhood disease in America, and decayed baby teeth can damage the permanent teeth.
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Lead Crowns are Safe
In light of concerns expressed in the media about dental devices such as crowns and bridges containing lead, we want to reassure you that we use only those dental products and materials that are in your best interest. Three agencies have investigated and arrived at the same conclusion: There is no potential harm to adults. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) produced reports about the use of lead in crowns, bridges and other dental devices. The concern focuses on the glazes and stains used to finish and stain artificial teeth to match natural shading. Dental appliances that use metal, such as braces, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and clasps on partial dentures are not relevant.
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Supernumary Teeth—Three's a Crowd
You probably had a special playmate when you were a child. When another child tried to join in, you said, “Sorry, two’s company and three’s a crowd!”
It’s the same with your teeth. People have two sets of teeth. When permanent teeth replace primary teeth, there may be a third (permanent) tooth that tries to co-exist with the first permanent tooth. This extra tooth is called a “supernumerary tooth.” While it is usually diagnosed at an early age, we see adults who have one or more extra teeth.
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Best and Worst Teeth in America
What do Madison, Wisconsin and Nashville, Tennessee have that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Lubbock, Texas don’t? More gourmet coffee shops—perhaps—but that’s not the answer. According to the Center for Disease Control, a survey of 100 cities revealed that Madison and Nashville scored first and second, respectively, for having the healthiest teeth in America! Unfortunately, Philadelphia and Lubbock scored in 99th and last place. Some of the statistics were shocking because of our perceptions about particular cities. For example, Los Angeles ranked 90th for overall dental health; and its grade was a shocking D. Just up the road, San Francisco ranked 20th and scored a healthy grade B.
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Partners in Crime: Perio and COPD
A bank robber's accomplice drives the getaway car. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) may also have an accomplice; it's called periodontal disease, or perio for short.
Ten million people in America are diagnosed with COPD every year. Many cases go undiagnosed because the person does not seek treatment: "It's only a cold." "It's just a cigarette cough." "It's allergies."
Several studies are associating perio and COPD. Perio is a chronic bacterial infection that can cause many destructive events in your body, as well as tooth loss.
Bacteria riding along in fine droplets in the oral cavity are inhaled into the lungs where they cause respiratory infections. The bacteria rapidly multiply and clog airways. Multiplying bacteria strain your immune system. COPD also puts a strain on your immune system, so the COPD sufferer cannot effectively fight off the inhaled germs. Finding perio bacteria in the lungs is a warning about the importance of good oral care.
Maintaining a rigorous oral care routine at home and having regular check-ups is critical to your health. Brush at least twice each day with fluoridated toothpaste and floss at least once each day to keep your teeth and other oral tissues healthy.
If your gums are swollen, red and bleed when you brush or floss, see us immediately. Those are warning symptoms of perio. If you have perio and you smoke, have a cough, a "cold" or "al...