Dental care tips for older adults

Dental care for older adults is particularly special due to their higher tendency to have yellow teeth, dental cavities, teeth decay, among others.

So here we share some tips for seniors and people taking care of them to take into account to keep their healthy teeth and prevent dental problems:

- Use an electric toothbrush. These devices count with built-in timers that make sure you have spent at least 2 minutes brushing your teeth, and they also provide a through cleaning.

- Visit regularly your dentist to rule out any dental problem, and discuss with your dentist any inconvenience you have with your teeth.

- Get a dental cleaning 3 or 4 times a year.

- From time to time you can chew sugar-free gum (with an ingredient called xylitol) after meals to stimulate saliva and protect your teeth.

Source: RGJ.com

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Older Adults Teeth - Taking care of your teeth today will pay-off tomorrow

Everything we do with our bodies now will take its toll over the years, and the best example of this is teeth. The less care we give to our teeth will make them go worse faster.

The two biggest problems of aging teeth are by far a bad oral hygiene and the neglect on doing it. The result: senior people have higher tendency to suffer from tooth decay and recurrent decay under old dental restorations. Moreover, many senior adults do not count with dental insurance.

Another aging dental problem is related to diabetes. Around 10 million Americans over 60 years old have it. Diabetics are highly prone to gum inflammation which can spread to the ligaments and bones that support the teeth.

In addition, diabetic patients may have some healing problems after a dental procedure; and dry mouth that leads to the formation of bacteria that cause cavities, plaque and gum infections, is more severe in the elderly due to pharmaceutical side effects.

As you can see, paying more attention and care to your teeth in your younger years can save you many problems and money in the years to come.

Source: RGJ.com

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How energy and sports drinks damage teeth

Teeth erosion is at its height among people in their 20’s in the U.S. And one great contributor to this according to dentists is the increase of sodas, sports and energy drinks consumption.

And how come energy and sports drinks can cause tooth decay?

We can get some answer from a General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s clinical journal, the damage by non-cola and sports drinks is 11 more severe than the damage produced by cola drinks, being energy and bottled lemonades the most harmful.
There was also identified enamel harm produced by fitness water and canned ice tea.

Cola drinks contain one or more acids as phosphoric and citric acids, whilst energy drinks contain other additives and organic acids than can seep up dental erosion. Organic acids are particularly damaging because they can breakdown calcium, the prime element to strengthen teeth and prevent gum disease.

Sources: Ecanadanow.com – Medical News Today

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List of America’s best teeth cities

If Lubbock, Texas, won the Razzie for worst teeth in America, then the Oscar goes to Madison, Wisconsin.

Men’s Health magazine realized a study based on data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention n number of annual dentist visits, canceled appointments, regular flossers households using fluoride and oral hygiene routines.

Here, the rest of the top ten of America’s best chompers:

2. Nashville
3. Raleigh, N.C.
4. St. Paul, Minn.
5. Auroro, Colo.
6. Charlotte, N.C.
7. Yonkers, N.Y.
8. Grand Rapids, Mich.
9. Fargo, N.D.
10. Minneapolis

At the bottom of the list, along with Lubbock are:

99. Philadelphia
98. Spokane, Wash.
97. Salt Lake City
96. Jackson, Miss.
95. El Paso, Texas
94. Portland, Ore.
93. Tulsa, Okla.
92. Tucson, Ariz.
91. Baton Rouge, La.

Source: Wxii12.com

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Lubbock, Texas ranked as city with worst teeth in America

According to a study of Men's Health magazine, this West Texas city has the worst teeth among 100 large U.S. cities. Other cities that don’t take the best honors either are El Paso (Nº 95), San Antonio (89) and Dallas (87).

On the other side, the queen cities of best teeth are Madison, Wis.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Raleigh, N.C.

And why does Lubbock have this bad teeth problem? Some blame the high level of fluoride in the water, which may cause the teeth enamel go rough and leaving brown and yellow stains. And others blame financial factors as the high cost of dental care that leaves poor people without dental assistance.

What do you think is the cause of Lubbock’s lousy dental health? Do you agree with the study?

You can check the entire ran king at: Men’s Health

Source: AP

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Cool Light Technology gives you a whiter smile in just 30 minutes

Quick, easy and painless are the words that better define this teeth whitening technology. Oh yeah, we also have to add “durable” since it can last up to 2 years, if maintained properly.

In 30 minutes your teeth can get back their lost whiteness, unlike conventional treatments that take long time because it took one tooth at the time to be whitened.

This technology that works through an advanced light filtration system that filters high-intensity blue light released from a powerful 150 watt halogen bulb through a coated optical lens, then through over 12 000 optical fibers.

The filters remove harmful ultraviolet light and prevent potential damage to the soft dental tissues, and produce a tailored beam of light.

You can have cool light whitening as many times you need it and you can see the results immediately. However, the duration of the results depend only on the maintenance you give to your teeth.

Source: Khaleej Times

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Teeth whitening might help you quit smoking

How many programs, products and what have you can find online to help your quit smoking? Millions of course, and how many of them do they really work? Who knows?

The thing is tooth whitening is not the “new” panacea anti-nicotine, but it has been reported that smokers who have had laser teeth whitening and see how wonderfully white and nice look their teeth, they think it TWICE before ruing them again with cigarettes. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Laser teeth whitening or zoom whitening as they know it also in the U.S., consists of applying gum dam on your gums –oops a pun!- to protect them, and then it is applied a stain removing gel before proceeding with the laser.

The process takes no more than 1 hour, it can remove from 6 to 8 shades of stains and last for an average of 18 months, depending on the maintenance you give to your teeth, and that means minimizing the cause of what caused the teeth staining, and that is, smoking!

Source: Pr-usa.net

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Home Kits or In-office whitening treatments, which is the winner

Which actually works better a do-it-yourself kit for teeth whitening at home or getting the visit of a dental professional wherever you need him?

Both treatments are practical, affordable and much more efficient than regular over-the-counter whitening products that have a lower concentration of whitening material and non-fitting whitening trays.


But now, which of the two is the winner?

Let’s see their pros and cons so you can choose your very own winner:

Home Whitening Kits

Best for: People who want to lighten one or two shades

Pros

• Less expensive
• Can be applied in the comfort of your home

Cons

• More labor-intensive
• Require more frequent treatments
• Trays aren’t tailored to fit your individual mouth

In-office whitening treatments

Best for: People who want to lighten more than two shed and have severe teeth discolorations

Pros

• More expensive
• Whitening done by a trained professional
• Lasts longer
• Uses personalized trays to fit your teeth exactly (the better the tray fits; the better your results because you teeth will be in constant contact with the whitening gel).

Cons

• More expensive
• Requires additional trip to dentist’s office
• If you have strongly-stained frontal teeth, the best way to get a bright smile might be either porcelain veneers or dental bonding, which conceal your stained teeth and simultaneously correct gaps or crookedness.

Source: Best Syndication

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