October 11, 2010 - Monday
The position of a successful person today is a health fashion: playing sports, giving up bad habits, visiting cosmetologists and massage therapists... However, not everyone, not everyone, monitors the condition of their teeth. And an important role in this is played by misconceptions that have taken root in people’s minds. Indeed, in the age of developed technologies and the active implementation of innovative projects, the other side of the crazy intensification of life is the desire to get away from the hustle and bustle and the desire to believe in the miraculous and unreal.
However, if you still think that dental treatment is painful, or that a miracle paste will preserve your smile, and chewing gum will protect you from caries, congratulations, you still have not managed to separate myths and reality, and your knowledge Dentistry is full of prejudices.
How to ensure that these stereotypes, or one might say myths, do not prevent you from taking care of your smile and what really needs to be done to correct the situation, will be explained by the chief dentist of the Sverdlovsk region, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Regional Dental Clinic Marina Pavlovna Kharitonova .
Fact : The Sverdlovsk region is one of the regions with a high prevalence and average intensity of dental diseases: 14% of 6-year-old children already have permanent teeth affected by caries. Recently, diseases of periodontal tissues have also become much “younger” - more than half of adolescents aged 12-15 years have been diagnosed with tartar and increased bleeding of the gums. 96% of people over 35-40 years old have teeth affected by caries and inflammatory processes in the tissues surrounding the teeth (periodontitis). More than 70% of people over 65 years of age need orthopedic treatment, i.e. in prosthetics.
No one has ever died from a bad tooth
Reality: Infection coming from a diseased tooth (odontogenic infection) is one of the most dangerous. A diseased tooth is a source of pathogenic environment in the body. Numerous colonies of microorganisms live and multiply in the mouth, some of them quite aggressive. From a “neglected” diseased tooth, microbes can travel throughout the body, both independently and by causing allergization of the body, which leads to a decrease in immunity. In addition, ulcers on the roots with a decrease in immunity can lead to the development of serious complications (abscesses, phlegmon, osteomyelitis, etc.), and sometimes cause conditions incompatible with life.
Fact: Scientists have proven that the presence of multiple chronic foci of infection in untreated teeth in pregnant women leads to miscarriage and low fetal weight during childbirth.
What to do?
At least 1-2 times a year, undergo examination and professional hygiene at the dentist, which will help identify and effectively eliminate pathology in the initial stages of development.
Fact: Expenses of Russian residents, according to data at the beginning of the century, on certain types of goods and services (per year): - for vodka, beer, cigarettes - $12 billion, - for medicines - $2.2 billion, - for dental care – $600 million
Debunking health myths
You can often hear from acquaintances, neighbors, friends or colleagues that something is useful and something is very dangerous for teeth. Such conversations do not always confirm the professional opinion of dentists. Below are common myths and debunk them.
Myth 1 – pregnant women and children should not go to the dentist
This is a completely false statement! Dental treatment for pregnant women has become overgrown with myths due to the ban on anesthetics containing adrenaline (epinephrine). But now there are other anesthetic drugs that do not harm the expectant mother and baby. If caries is left unattended, it will “grow” into pulpitis, then spread to the roots. Therefore, at any hint of toothache, you should go to the dentist and get treatment. Otherwise, there is a risk of inflammation and the spread of infection through the bloodstream - which is very dangerous during pregnancy.
Treatment in children must be mandatory. Because Milk enamel is thinner and more fragile than permanent enamel. It succumbs more quickly to aggressive factors, which, if left untreated, can provoke severe inflammation and also disrupt the formation of a permanent bite.
Myth 2 – whites are healthier than yellows
If we are talking about tartar or plaque, then the statement is correct. If the teeth are initially yellow, then most likely this indicates a thicker layer of dentin (it is located immediately under the enamel). Dentists note that naturally yellow teeth are stronger and less susceptible to caries than white teeth.
If a tooth falls out, you can do just fine without it.
Reality: Each tooth in our wide smile is a link in the dental chain. Each group of teeth performs its own function: some bite off food, others chew it. When a tooth is removed or falls out, the shape of the teeth and jaws changes. The teeth adjacent to the missing one begin to shift and fill the vacated space, which can subsequently cause difficulties with prosthetics.
Fact: Significant tooth loss leads to eating more monotonous and less balanced food, a lack of vitamins and microelements, which can affect brain activity.
What to do?
Lost teeth need to be restored, which can be done in various ways. The options of choice are restorative orthopedic structures supported either by implants or by natural teeth. Fact: The fewer natural teeth a person has, the higher the risk of developing coronary heart disease and heart attack. People with fewer than 10 natural teeth are seven times more likely to die from a heart attack than those with more than 25 teeth.
What is an ideal smile?
Probably, every person has his own idea of a beautiful smile. But in dentistry this concept has clear parameters. When a dentist makes a Hollywood smile, he strives for these criteria:
- Geometry. On a person’s face, you can draw several conventional lines that form the eyes, lips, edges of the incisors and fangs. For a beautiful smile, the parallelism of these lines to each other is important.
- Teeth are physiologically correct size. Ideal teeth don't just have different sizes. The largest teeth are the incisors. Then the size of the teeth gradually decreases. With this size, the smile looks attractive.
- Correct bite. Antagonist teeth must touch each other at physiologically correct points.
- Upper lip. When smiling, it only exposes the teeth, but not the gum line.
It is customary to call a Hollywood smile a smile that meets all these criteria. She's not just beautiful. It makes you more attractive, younger.
Chewing gum, floss and toothpaste are a panacea for caries
Reality: Even the best toothpaste in the world will not cure your tooth! Chewing gum only restores the acid-base balance disturbed during meals. Floss, or, as they more often say, dental floss, is also not a doctor for our teeth. All of the above remedies are good for preventing the occurrence of carious lesions, but given the existing pathology, they are not able to not only cure, but even stop the process.
What to do?
It is necessary to use all of the above means, but only along with systematic visits to the dental office for preventive examinations, professional hygiene and sanitation of the oral cavity, i.e. treatment and maintenance in proper condition of all teeth with one or another pathology.
The more expensive the toothbrush and toothpaste, the better they are.
Reality: The cost of hygiene products is not an indicator of their usefulness specifically for you. The structure of dental tissues, their location, color, shape, as well as characters, are different for everyone.
What to do?
The selection of oral hygiene products should only be carried out by your treating dentist. In addition, the doctor will evaluate the correctness of your usual cleaning method and make the necessary adjustments.
Fact: The quality of teeth cleaning is influenced not so much by the toothbrush and toothpaste you choose, but by the correctness and duration of this manipulation. It has been proven that with a recommended time of about 3-5 minutes, most often the average person on the planet spends about 30 seconds brushing their teeth. Tip: To stay on time, turn on your favorite song and brush your teeth from the first chord to the last. On average, the duration of songs is the 3-5 minutes we need. Both fun and useful!
If you take several x-rays in a row, you can get high levels of radiation
Reality: According to one of the leading specialists in dental radiology, D.V. Rogatskin, one intraoral photograph of a tooth corresponds to approximately one microsievert.
The radiation dose when taking one three-dimensional image on a dental tomograph is approximately equal to the radiation dose from a panoramic image and is about 20-50 microsieverts. What to do?
You should not apply to a peaceful dental office the same concepts that are used at a nuclear test site. During the treatment process, you can and should take as many x-rays as your doctor needs, and if necessary, do not be afraid to do 1-2 studies per year on a dental tomograph. It is necessary to understand that your attending physician takes a picture, or a series of pictures, so that the quality of treatment is at the proper level and the tooth will serve you for many more years. And such a modern method as tomography of the maxillofacial area goes beyond the boundaries of conventional x-ray examination and often allows the doctor to see in volumetric form the pathology that cannot be determined on ordinary photographs.
Preventive measures to preserve immunity
There is a whole range of measures that can be followed to ensure that the immune system does not weaken over time.
It is useful to brew and drink infusions of medicinal herbs (chamomile, calendula, sage). These herbs not only heal the body, but also have an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect on the condition of the oral cavity.
But you should be careful about medications that strengthen your immune system. Of course, vitamins and minerals are useful for promoting health, especially during periods of vitamin deficiency, but you should not overdo it with the use of vitamin complexes. It is better to consult a doctor and determine how much your body needs a course of vitamins.
Heredity is to blame for bad teeth
Reality : The role of heredity in the health of our teeth is extremely small and is manifested in the structure and properties of tooth tissue: enamel and dentin. In fact, a person even with not very good heredity has every chance of keeping his teeth healthy.
What to do?
Take proper care of your teeth throughout your life and make regular visits to your dentist.
Fact: Today, there is an opposite theory that lesions of specific teeth may indicate a predisposition to the pathology of a particular organ or an already existing disease.
Correlation of teeth affected by caries with pathology of internal organs
Orthodontic stage: bite correction
A physiologically correct bite is one of the important criteria for a Hollywood smile. According to statistics, malocclusion occurs in 90% of patients. These can range from minor problems to serious pathologies. In any case, if you decide to get a Hollywood smile, you cannot do without consulting an orthodontist.
Getting a beautiful smile doesn't always require wearing braces. Minor deviations can be corrected by other methods. After the examination, the orthodontist will give you his recommendations on the optimal methods of treating the bite in your case.
Mouth guards for bite correction
One of the correction methods is treatment with mouth guards. A set of mouth guards is made from dental impressions, individually for each patient. The polymer is soft but elastic. The mouthguard puts pressure on the teeth, so they begin to gradually move. But unlike braces, the pressure is gentle. Creating a Hollywood smile takes place without discomfort. Due to the fact that the polymer is transparent, the aligners are not visible on the teeth even when smiling.
Treatment with mouthguards has one peculiarity. The effectiveness of the correction directly depends on how carefully you follow the orthodontist’s recommendations. If you are not ready for this, it is better to use other orthodontic methods to create a beautiful smile.
It's easy to use mouthguards:
- Wear it on your teeth daily, for a period of time calculated by the doctor when developing a bite correction plan.
- As the teeth move into the desired position, the set must be replaced with a new one.
The number of sets required to create an ideal smile will also be determined by the orthodontist at the preparatory stage.
Correction with braces
Braces are one of the most effective methods for treating malocclusion and creating a beautiful smile. It can be used even for serious pathologies. The correction period depends on the complexity of the case.
Traditional metal braces had one serious drawback - they spoiled the appearance of your smile. This caused psychological discomfort for many patients, and some refused treatment because of it. Modern braces are made from different materials. They look aesthetically pleasing on the surface of the teeth, and during long-term orthodontic treatment your smile will be beautiful, you won’t have to be embarrassed.
We offer braces from different materials: ceramic, sapphire. They will cost more than metal ones, but if a beautiful smile is important to you, it is better to opt for them.
Depending on the type of pathology, the doctor will offer you one of the types of braces:
- Lingual. They are fixed on the inner surface of the teeth, so they are absolutely invisible while wearing. Such systems are suitable for the treatment of serious pathologies.
- Vestibular. The brace lock is installed on the outside of the teeth and the arch is fixed to them.
Vestibular braces also differ in the method of correction. In ligature systems, the arch is fixed using ligatures. When the teeth move, the doctor adjusts the position of the arch. Self-ligating systems do not require correction.
Traditional metal braces are still used in orthodontics and can successfully treat malocclusions. When creating a Hollywood smile, we can recommend them if quick results are more important to you than aesthetics during treatment.
