Yaeba occurs because of overcrowding; the lack of space causes the canine teeth to be pushed forward and stick out. It is often seen in children when the adult teeth arrive before the departure of the baby teeth. The effect is canine teeth that stand out considerably amongst the rest.

In American society, where straight and white set the standards for perfect teeth, it is hard to believe that a procedure meant to intentionally disarrange them exists. The $109.6-billion dollar dental industry (IBIS World) has seen an increase in revenue because of new procedures and technology, such as Invisalign, dedicated to straighten an individual’s teeth.

Luckily for companies like Invisalign, this is not a trend that I see making its way to  the U.S. If you want perfect, straight teeth contact Cedar Cliff Dental Center; your Invisalign Preferred Provider.

Some of the benefits include:

· Reduced Plaque Acid
· Strengthened Enamel
· Decreased Tooth Decay

Chewing sugar-free gum after eating or drinking can enhance oral health because it stimulates your body to create saliva. Saliva is your body’s natural way to neutralize harmful acids that lead to plaque build-up. If not dealt with, plaque can be the cause of tooth decay. In addition to these benefits, the larger amounts of saliva produced carry calcium and phosphate which strengthen tooth enamel. According to the American Dental Association, “chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can prevent tooth decay.” The ADA supports the research and use of sugar-free chewing gum and has created the “Stamp of Approval” which is awarded to gum manufactures who contribute to a persons’ oral health.

Despite the benefits to chewing sugar-free gum, it should not be a replacement for daily brushing and flossing. As with most dental offices, Cedar Cliff Dental Center recommends that you come in two times a year or more to maintain oral health. Check us out on Facebook and schedule and appointment today!

In case you haven’t been keeping up on the latest and greatest in dental technology, we’ve got you covered. Last month we talked about the Diagnodent, a tool that uses lasers to detect cavities inside your teeth that traditional methods can’t detect. This month, we bring you one of our favorite tools, the Panorex X-ray.

The Panorex differs from traditional X-rays because it allows dentists to get a panoramic view of your entire mouth and jaw. The dental X-rays that you’re probably most familiar with are called “bitewing” X-rays and they’re the ones that use a small tube, placed against your cheek, to take images of a few teeth at a time. Bitewing X-rays are still a very useful diagnostic tool for dentists and reveal detailed information about cavities and other issues with your teeth, just with a smaller scope.

The cool thing with having a panoramic X-ray is that you can see so much! With a Panorex single FMX, your dentist can view:0

• Your entire upper and lower jawbone
• Your temporomandibular joints (TMJ), or jaw joints
• The nasal sinuses and their surrounding bone
• The mandibular nerve, which provides sensation to the teeth and gums of the lower jaw

The process of getting a Panorex X-ray is pretty quick and easy. The patient stands under the X-ray machine, and their head is supported to maintain the correct position. The patient is asked to stay very still while the Panorex machine travels around the outside of their head. The entire scan takes approximately 20 seconds.

Dental X-rays are an important part of your exams and give valuable information that helps in the treatment and prevention of a wide range of dental issues. Cedar Cliff Dental Center uses all digital X-rays for many reasons, and the Panorex is no exception. Digital X-rays are a better option for many of the same reasons digital photos have become popular compared to traditional ones; they are easy to use, access, store and offer greater clarity. Digital X-rays also expose patients to lower amounts of radiation than traditional X-rays and are reported to expose the patient to the lowest dosage of radiation of any health care technology today.

Panorex X-Ray Example

For more information on X-ray radiation, be sure to check out another blog post of ours, Dental X-rays and Brain Tumors.

The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) recently acknowledged the very comprehensive review of literature undertaken by the American Heart Association (AHA) on the relationship between periodontal disease and heart disease. This review, published online for the journal Circulation,  included reviews of more than 40 epidemiologic observational studies and concluded that those studies did support an association between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD).

The study was unable to demonstrate support that a cause-effect relationship exists between the two conditions or that periodontal treatment might prevent ASVD or modify its outcome. A main issue that the authors of the study encountered was a lack of long-term studies on the effects of periodontal treatment and its relationship to cardiovascular health. According to the AARD president, Rena D’Souza, “The validation of an association between periodontal disease and heart disease from the American Heart Association is an important statement from a public policy perspective,” The findings of this study are an important statement to researchers, practitioners and the public that more research is required to fully understand the relationship our oral health has to our overall health.

According to Livestrong.com, research by the AHA states that heart disease, which causes heart attacks and strokes, kills more people than all forms of cancer combined in America and is one of our top health concerns. Fully understanding the causes for cardiovascular diseases is essential to creating a solution and research such as this study give us a different look at how we view our health.

Proper oral hygiene and regular dental exams are the best actions to prevent periodontal disease, also known as gingivitis. This includes brushing your teeth at least twice a day, daily flossing, replacing your toothbrush every three to four months, and eating a healthy diet and limiting snacks between meals. There is not a cure for periodontal disease but the goal of treatment is to reduce inflammation of the gums and remove bacteria through procedures such as scaling and root planing.

The CNN article released last week cited study by the journal Cancer that described a connection between frequent dental X-rays and the formation of benign meningioma brain tumors. Since this study was released a week ago, there has been an enourmous amount of confusion and concern regarding the need for dental X-rays and a potential risk of brain tumors. Evaluating this study, an absensce of epidemiological method evaluation has been found, resulting in the lack of scientific, evidence-based conclusions. Participants with an average age of 57.5 years were asked to report the number of times they received dental X-rays at 10 years of age or younger. The use of validated dental records was limited, and the reliance for accuracy was based on patient’s memory recall. The participants also received the bulk of their dental exams in previous decades, when X-ray equipment exposed patients to significantly higher levels of radiation than current machines. This type of retrospective study is memory-biased, imperfect and an unreliable way to report statistical data.

The study suggested a potential correlation, not a cause and effect. The study had numerous limitations, including an inaccuracy in the number of dental X-rays received, dental X-ray film speed advances, reportedly higher radiation values than today’s higher film-speeds and the use of digital radiology, both with substantially lower radiation exposure. No consideration was given to air pollution, pesticides, sitting too close to television sets or the use of cell phones. Today, the X-ray beam used is more focused and emits much less radiation than in the past. An individual can receive more radiation playing two rounds of golf, traveling in an airplane, or just doing yard work in the sun than with the routine digital dental X-ray.

Advances in X-ray technology have lowered radiation doses by an average of 70% in the last two decades since digital imaging has been introduced. According to Dr. Mark Barnes, “Dental radiographs are reported to be the lowest dose radiation of any health care technology today.”

Use of dental imaging is based on a professional judgment to make a diagnosis of a potential disease that can include dental decay, abscessed teeth and bone tumors of the jaw structures. Digital X-rays provide dental professionals with the diagnostic tools necessary to save natural teeth and to prevent systemic diseases. According to the American Dental Association, the use of dental X-rays depends on the patient’s oral health condition, age, risk for disease and any signs or symptoms of oral disease that a patient may be experiencing. At Cedar Cliff Dental Center in Eagan, MN, the proper use of digital X-rays and all possible precautions are taken to provide our patients with the most accurate and safe diagnosis possible. Call us today with any questions or to schedule a comprehensive exam.

Photo from: http://www.wadentalcare.com/

Each tooth functions both individually and as a part of your bite. When you lose a tooth, there is empty space left behind that affects the surrounding and opposing teeth if not replaced. The remaining teeth will shift to a new spot, and as the teeth shift, your bite can be disturbed. This causes a food trap to form that will increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay. If you lose enough teeth, you will be unable to chew your food properly.

Replacing the missing teeth promptly can prevent movement of your remaining teeth and can help stailize your bite. When a tooth is lost, the supporting bone in the jaw begins to dissolve. This continues until you replace the missing tooth with a dental implant. The longer the tooth is missing, the more bone that is lost, making it difficult to replace. Dental implants can stabilize your bite and bone, and improve your ability to eat a variety of foods.

If you do have missing teeth, Dr. Hatcher and the staff at Cedar Cliff Dental Center will be able to help correct your smile with dental implants and other forms of cosmetic surgery.

Image from: http://www.nwsmiles.com/

Even though piercings today are fairly safe and, when cared for properly, cause few issues, there are some problems that can arise from tongue or other oral piercings that might not come to mind right away.

• Tooth chipping – One of the biggest concerns with metal tongue piercings, especially barbells, is that they can be in constant contact with your teeth. This is a concern because the piercing will move a lot in your mouth and whenever it hits your teeth, it has a chance of wearing them down and chipping them. The wear and chipping can lead to more serious problems over time.
• Gum recession – In addition to being in contact with your teeth, the piercing will be in contact with your gums. According to recent studies, gums inside the front of the mouth are more likely to recede if the tongue is pierced. This is caused by repeatedly pushing the piercing against the front teeth. When gums recede, the bone underneath is reabsorbed by the body. This can loosen the teeth and ultimately cause them to fall out.
• Infections – As with any piercing, during the healing process, there is a risk for infection. Food and bacteria in the mouth can be constant sources for infections. It is very important to follow proper care instructions for your tongue piercing to decrease the risk of serious infection.
• Crown fracturing – Similar to tongue piercings chipping your teeth due to constant contact, dentists also suggest that a piercing could fracture some types of restorations, such as crowns made of porcelain or porcelain and metal.

Why do I need a three-month Periodontal Maintenance recare visit?

There is no cure for periodontal disease, it can only be managed or controlled. The bacteria that cause periodontal disease can re-establish in three months after treatment. A three month recare visit is critically timed to disrupt these bacteria in pockets greater than four millimeters in order to disable the destructive process at its critical stage. In this critical stage, the bacteria do the most damage on the periodontal attachments. For patients with adult periodontitis, a three-month recare visit is not an option but a requirement for successful therapy. Do not wait until six months to schedule this active part of your therapy. This could compromise your therapy and cause unneeded inflammation and discomfort.

How does a Periodontal Maintenance recare visit differ from a “Regular Cleaning”?

A “Regular Cleaning” is mainly above the gumline, where you brush and floss. At a Periodontal Maintenance recare visit, therapy is delivered below the gumline at the source of the infection. It is critical to disrupt the bacteria in pockets greater than four millimeters as this will disable the destructive process of the bacteria and help prevent the periodontal disease from progressing.

X-rays and probing with a dental explorer are limited in detecting sub-surface decay, particularly when the cavity is in its early stages. DIAGNOdent is a major breakthrough that allows our office to monitor the areas below the hard surfaces of your teeth and detect cavities in their earliest stages, before they progress into a potential tooth ache or worse.