Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
Porcelain Veneers / Lumineers
Dentistry has many amazing options to restore and replace teeth, and to improve function, and esthetics. Chewing well and beautiful smiles are both very valuable assets for physically and emotionally healthy individuals.
Porcelain veneers are one way to improve esthetics which are popular due to recent publicity. Lumineers is one brand of porcelain veneer which has patented the particular porcelain which it uses. Lumineers is also the name for a 3 person band which plays “timeless melodies and soul-stirring lyrics”. But I digress, dental veneers are a great oral treatment, in the right situation. Veneers, however, are not the answer to all dental problems. Veneers, in many cases, can restore chipped, discolored, even some crooked teeth. They may also be used to close gaps between teeth. Veneers are ideal in some situations but may not be used in all situations. They can be placed over existing crowns but other options may be better with people who are heavy grinders. A thorough diagnostic exam needs to precede any treatment with veneers or any restorative dental work.
Most dentists are able to place porcelain veneers/lumineers. Take the time to talk to your dentist. Most treatments have pros and cons. Make informed decisions on treatment with your dental professional.
Be sure you understand your diagnosed problems and the treatment options you have for restoring your teeth and smile, both the assets and drawbacks. If you feel a second opinion is needed, don’t hesitate.
Your teeth and smile are very significant assets to your health and self-esteem. Help insure your health and happiness by taking good care of your teeth and smile.
Keep brushing,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Straight Teeth – A Precious Gift
Straight teeth can be easily attained in our modern world with orthodontics. Orthodontists are specialized dentists who have the ability to move teeth in the jaws and even to realign the bones involved with chewing. The results of their labors are readily evident in beautiful smiles with straight teeth. Big smiles build self-esteem.
Beautiful smiles and straight teeth may be the end result but, during the process of teeth movement, cleaning the teeth is more of a challenge.
Healthy teeth and gums are important for everyone and good brushing and flossing with well-defined patterns of cleaning can be the difference between disease and health. Frequently, good brushers and flossers are best trained while in braces. The brackets, bands, wires, rubber bands, and general hardware make it more difficult to reach and clean all the nooks and crannies. If a patient is able to clean teeth well, while in braces, he/she will probably have developed the proper oral care to do a good job for life.
However, because of the areas created by this orthodontic hardware, which are more difficult to reach with brushes and floss, such effort becomes more even critical. Plaque is bacteria with all the sticky toxins and waste products it produces while residing on one’s teeth and gums. In orthodontic treatment, reaching all the hidden areas while cleaning becomes a seemingly never-ending challenge. Acids, a waste product that may be left on enamel for longer than 24 hours, begin to etch or demineralize (decalcify) teeth producing, if left unchecked, chalky surfaces or decay on teeth.
Proper brushing and flossing cannot be replaced, but…fluoride can be topically applied to the surface of teeth to recalcify or remineralize tooth enamel. Fluoride treatments, with various formulas, can be prescribed by your dentist or orthodontist to make your teeth “super teeth” and drastically more resistant to tooth decay. Again, just as with brushing and flossing – Repetition is the mother of skill – the more you brush and floss, the more proficient you become. Likewise, the more you apply fluoride to the surfaces of your teeth, the more skilled (if enamel can have skill) your teeth become at resisting decay. Voila! – super teeth!
The results of people who have worn braces without proper oral care is readily evident on teeth with chalky or decayed areas at the gum line (below brackets holding orthodontic wires) once braces are removed.
Dentists can, at the non-brushers’ expense, restore these teeth, but isn’t diligent care while in braces a good investment?
Keep brushing and flossing,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Please join us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/drjameshood
and visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/drjameshood
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Autoimmune Diseases and Oral Disease
Autoimmune diseases are the result of the body responding in an inappropriate manner to normal tissues and/or substances present in the body, causing prolonged inflammation followed by tissue destruction. The body is fooled and can’t recognize the difference between healthy tissue and disease. The body, therefore, mounts an immune response (directs antibodies against its own tissues) against itself, as if allergic to itself. The cause of this dysfunctional behavior is unknown, it may be caused by a drug or toxin or bacterial or viral infection or environmental exposure to foreign substances. The result of the body’s inability to recognize the difference between normal tissue and disease results in destruction. As we age, this alone causes our immune system to decline in effectiveness. Autoimmune diseases affect over 24 million Americans and are one of our society’s leading causes of death and disability. Autoimmune diseases are ranked as the number one cause of heart disease, cancer, and all diseases.
A couple of the most common autoimmune diseases are diabetes (Type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and allergies. Many autoimmune diseases also may have a genetic or traumatic component.
Here is a short additional list of autoimmune diseases and more are being discovered all the time. All of these diseases should have the autoimmune prefix:
| Achalasia | Pancreatitis |
| Addison’s disease | Parkinson’s disease |
| Behcet’s disease | Pemphigus/pemphigoid |
| Celiac disease | Pernicious anemia |
| Crohn’s disease | Polymyositis |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Reactive arthritis |
| Dermatomyositis | Rheumatic fever |
| Eosinophilic esophagitis | Sarcoidosis |
| Fibromyalgia | Scleroderma |
| Graves disease | Sjögren’s syndrome |
| Guillain–Barre syndrome | Systemic lupus erythematosis |
| Hashimoto’s thyroiditis | Ulcerative colitis |
| Hepatitis | Uveitis |
| IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) | Vitiligo |
| Menier’s disease | Wegener’s granulomatosis |
| Multiple Sclerosis | Wilson’s disease |
| Myasthenia gravis |
Autoimmune Disease Causes: The immune system is also thought to be suppressed by multiple factors, including abuse of:
- alcohol
- caffeine
- tobacco
- sugar (this cannot be over-emphasized)
- drugs
- food (poor diet or contaminated with herbicides, hormones, etc.)
- sleep (lack of)
As well as exposure to environmental pollution, including:
- automobile exhaust
- chemical fertilizers
- cigarette smoke
- heavy metal
- herbicides
- industrial waste
- pesticides
- stress
So, what has autoimmune diseases and oral disease (periodontal disease and tooth decay) have in common? Well, much more than one might think: Plaque and calculus left on teeth cause inflammation, initially gingivitis, followed often by periodontal disease (which we used to refer to as periodontitis). Any time you see –itis on the end of a word, it is screaming inflammation. Remember: it is always means it is inflammation. Chronic inflammation causes destruction of tissue. Periodontal disease causes destruction of all periodontal tissues, gum, bone, and periodontal ligament, causing loss of teeth. Tooth decay causes loss of tooth structure. Since periodontal tissues are all tissues supporting teeth in the mouth, without them – no teeth.
How periodontal disease (inflammation of all periodontal tissues) leads to loss at of oral tissues, including teeth, is a simple model demonstration for what happens to a body with autoimmune diseases.
Anything that a patient can do to minimize or eliminate inflammation will lessen the effects of the disease. A few of the things a patient can do to lessen the effects of many of these diseases are to avoid abuse of/or exposure to the above mentioned factors. Also, as always, eat lots of antioxidants found in fresh fruit and vegetables. Include vitamin C, vitamin E, green tea extract, beta-carotene, grape seed-skin extract, coenzyme Q-10 (coQ10) and selenium in your diet.
Also, talk to your dental and medical professionals on current treatments. Find support groups, ask others with your particular autoimmune disease how they cope.
Good luck…keep brushing and flossing,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Dry Mouth? Sjogrens Disesase?
Sjögren’s syndrome is a common autoimmune disorder affecting nearly four million people in the U.S. If you have Sjögren’s syndrome, you may have dry mouth symptoms. Dry mouth (xerostomia) can have multiple sources, for example:
- Lifestyle (smoking, chewing tobacco, mouth breathing)
- Dehydration
- Chemotherapy
- Nerve damage (to head and neck)
- Medications used as, or to treat:
| Acne | Muscle relaxers |
| Allergies | Nausea |
| Anxiety | Obesity |
| Asthma | Pain |
| Colds | Parkinson’s disease |
| Depression | Psychotic disorders |
| Diarrhea | Sedatives |
| Epilepsy | Urinary incontinence |
| Hypertension |
And certain diseases such as:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
- HIV/AIDS
- Hypertension
- Mumps
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sjögren’s – a disease which I also am affected with
- Stroke
SJÖGREN’S DISEASE
Sjögren’s disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the exocrine glands of the human body. The most common first symptom of the disease is DRY MOUTH and dry eyes. Because of the gradual onset of the disease, most patients are affected by the disease for five to seven years before a diagnosis of Sjögren’s disease is made.
Your dentist is often the medical professional to first recognize the symptoms of this chronic disease. Your dentist is also a most significant professional to have to support you if you are diagnosed with Sjögren’s or any of the above listed maladies, which result in DRY MOUTH.
People with dry mouth should carry water with them where ever they go, have it readily available at work, in the car, and next to their bed. The simplest solutions to a problem often offer the most immediate benefit.
Dry mouth leaves teeth without the protective enzymes found in saliva, making teeth much more prone to rampant decay. We, as dentists, can fluoridate teeth in various ways, to remineralize teeth and make them more resistant to tooth decay.
Anyone with Sjögren’s disease needs a dentist as part of their support group, to advise and treat the results of this disease. Anyone with dry mouth, for any reason, would benefit with a support dentist.
Always here for your support,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Criss-Cross Let’s Floss
Most people would do well to floss more frequently. Brushing should be done twice daily as a minimum. Flossing however, if done well, is sufficient once daily and preferably done before bed or whenever your clean teeth will go the longest before being exposed to food or drink. I would bet that a simple technique will help the average flosser feel better about flossing, I’ll call if Criss-Cross let’s floss.
Before I describe this technique let me review a few flossing basics:
- The best floss is the one you use most frequently.
- It is estimated that 30-40% of the surfaces of teeth are between teeth where only flossing not brushing can reach.
- The closer you hold your hands together when flossing the tighter the floss, and the better the floss removes plaque (bacteria and the waste products it produces).
- The bigger the spaces between teeth the thicker the floss which should be used (embroidery thread (as floss), can be specifically gauged, for individuals with periodontal disease).
- Never floss haphazardly. As with brushing develop a pattern to insure that all tooth surfaces are thoroughly flossed daily.
- Toothpaste when smeared on teeth before flossing can add an abrasive that supplements the action of the floss as well as increasing the exposure of fluoride on the tooth surfaces between teeth.
A few areas of the mouth are difficult to clean and more prone to calculus build-up. To explain why let me first give a marine biology analogy.
Having taught marine biology for two years before attending dental school I had first-hand experience exploring coral reefs. Coral are tiny multi-cellular marine organisms which live in coastal waters and attach to rocks, shells, even sunken boats. During the life of coral they extract calcium from sea water and incorporate the calcium in to their system which remains when they die. Then all their coral relatives live and die on their back and they also incorporate and deposit calcium. After hundreds, even thousands, of coral generations a coral reef remains. The Great Barrier Reef, a large structure of coral skeletons off the east coast of Australia, can even be seen from the surface of the moon. Wow! But I digress.
In a similar fashion, in the human mouth bacteria live on our teeth, certain salivary glands have more calcium salts dissolved in them. These glands have ducts which empty on the teeth in certain areas. The submandibular salivary gland empties under the tongue (you may have gleeked someone with this gland). Single-celled bacteria on the tongue surface of the lower front teeth incorporate the calcium found in the saliva from these salivary glands much like coral in the ocean. Voila! This is the most common area of the mouth for calculus to form. Calculus forms as generations of bacteria die and leave their skeletons of calcium on the teeth. The parotid glands in each cheek empty next to the outside surface of upper molars. This is the second most common area in the mouth for calculus to build up.
Finally, we arrive at our criss-cross, let’s floss technique. When using floss on the lower front teeth, wrap the floss from the front side of one incisor around the tongue side to the back side of the same tooth. With the floss drawn taut around the tooth now one can shoe-shine back and forth with hands in front of the mouth to polish the tongue side of the tooth. Additionally, when you now criss-cross the floss in front of the tooth you may use the hand with the strip of floss on the top to guide the floss down into the gum. Likewise, the hand with the floss below being shoe-shined back up on the tooth until the tongue side and the front of the tooth is polished. As the flosser gets proficient with this criss-cross technique the tongue can be coordinated to keep the floss from popping off the top of the tooth when shoe-shining up on the tooth.
Now with this criss-cross technique one may not remove reefs of calculus, but once your teeth are professionally cleaned this will keep your teeth clean and slick.
Criss-cross, let’s floss.
Thanks for reading and blogging!
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
RECENT COMMENTS