Do these genes make my teeth look unhealthy?

DNA contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. These genetic instructions are the genes that have been passed down to you by your parents. Your genes determine your height, your hair color, your eye color, and your body shape. But, did you know that genes may also play a role in gingivitis?

Researchers from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Procter & Gamble Oral Care have identified more than 9,000 genes (approximately 30% of the human genome) that are expressed differently during the onset and healing process of gingivitis. Gingivitis, which literally means inflammation of the gum tissue, is part of an immune response to bacteria. Bacterium is found in plaque-buildup on and around your teeth. Even though the area of plaque may be small the bacteria release large amounts of endotoxins. The endotoxins cause the gum tissue to become swollen, red, and inflamed. Due to the swelling the cells inside the gum tissue do not receive enough oxygen; to compensate for this lack of oxygen the cells trigger the body to produce additional capillaries near to the surface of the gums. More capillaries forming on the surface of the gums means easier bleeding when you brush or floss. This whole inflammatory process is activated by your immune system to fight the bacteria. The research team found that the specific gene expression pathways associated with stopping the plaque overgrowth and bacteria are the same as those involved in wound healing and skin repair.


The study's main author, Steven Offenbacher, DDS, PhD, is quoted as saying, "The study's findings demonstrate that clinical symptoms of gingivitis reflect complicated changes in cellular and molecular processes within the body. Understanding the thousands of individual genes and multiple systems involved in gingivitis will help explain exactly what is occurring in a person's body at the onset of the disease and how it relates to their overall health." By studying the genes and the pathways that result in gingivitis it may be possible in the future to develop new medicines that may help to prevent gingivitis. Traditionally, gingivitis has been attributed to poor oral health habits; however, with this new clinical research it may be possible to prevent and fight gingivitis using a person’s specific genes.

Dr. Jason McCargar, DMD a Scottsdale Dentist says, “While these results are promising for the future of dentistry, the most important way to treat gingivitis is to prevent it.” Currently, gingivitis can be very difficult to treat. The focus of the treatment is to remove the causative agent, the bacteria. Periodontal scaling, antibiotics, antiseptic mouthwashes, and gum surgery are just a few examples of treatment options. Gingivitis can easily progress beyond just inflammation of the gums and can infect bone tissue of the jaw. Complications of gingivitis include recurring infection, bone loss, tooth loss, and periodontitis. Dr. McCargar stresses that regular oral hygiene appointments every 6 months, and brushing and flossing twice daily helps to remove bacteria-causing plaque, keeps your teeth and your gums healthy, and helps to prevent gingivitis.

Will your teeth flunk out of school this semester?

College students have a higher incidence of tooth decay than some other age groups according to research. The tooth decay in this age group is likely caused by nutritional choices and acid erosion. College is difficult and stressful. Students cram late into the night studying for tests, then wake up early each day for class. This schedule causes students to choose sodas, coffee, chips, starchy foods like pizza or pasta, and sports drinks. This on-the-run nutrition contains acids and sugars that can deplete the tooth of needed minerals to stay healthy. Without the protective minerals your teeth can become weak and vulnerable to decay.

So, don't let your teeth flunk out of college. There are many ways to improve the health of your teeth and your nutritional habits. Every once in awhile, substitute water for your soda or coffee. Eat carrots or other crunchy vegetables instead of chips for a snack. (Studies show the rigidity of the vegetables can actually help to scrape off some plaque as you chew). It is fine to have sweets in moderation, but try to chew a gum containing xylitol (Trident) immediately after to help prevent decay-causing bacteria. It takes less than 5 minutes to brush and floss, so make sure you are doing this morning and night. Even if you are far from home, you should still see a dentist twice yearly for a cleaning and an exam. Often your campus health office will have a licensed dental hygienist or a dental hygiene student who can clean your teeth for a lesser cost if you do not have insurance. Dr. McCargar, a dentist in Scottsdale, Arizona says, "Remember, you are studying hard to better your mind and your life. Don't sabotage your health and your teeth by neglecting them. You will want to make a good first impression at your first job interview after graduation!"

Ask the Dentist: How often do I need X-Rays?

As a society we are taught that radiation is scary and bad. That it can cause cancer. We have seen the three-eyed fish exposed to nuclear waste on the Simpsons and watched as an ordinary man was bit by a radioactive spider and turned into Spiderman. But, are you aware at how beneficial radiation can be? X-rays are a type of radiation that help to diagnose bone disease, bone loss, infections in the root of the tooth, abscesses, cysts, unseen decay between teeth and sometimes even tumors.

When an x-ray is taken of your tooth, the film is the small square that is placed on the tongue-side of the tooth. The camera is then aimed at the tooth that will be imaged and a picture is taken. The act of the "picture" is really a small amount of radiation that leaves the camera in the form of a gamma ray, it cannot pass through thick material such as a tooth. So, the image left on the film only shows dark areas where the rays passed through air or your skin to react on the film. The rays can pass through cavities or cracks in your teeth (because these areas are mostly air) and these will show up as small, dark, cloudy areas on the film as well. Your dentist has many years of schooling to determine how to read the radiograph and to look for areas of the tooth that appear darker or cloudy.

Dr. McCargar at Scottsdale Dental Arts says, "The need for x-rays is dependent on the patient's particular situation. Patients with high risk factors for decay might require x-rays every 6 months during their cleaning and exam. High risk factors include dry mouth, recent decay, or gum disease. Patients with low risk factors for decay might require an x-ray every 12 to 24 months." Often dental insurance does not cover x-rays more frequently than every 12 months.

This small amount of radiation that you receive during an x-ray is not dangerous or hazardous for your health. High speed films and lead apron shields allow dentists to take a complete oral series with exposure 800 times lower than a chest x-ray. Digital dental x-ray systems further reduce exposure by 50 percent.

Is your morning tea helping to fight cavities?

http://www.newbeauty.com/dailybeauty/entry.aspx?id=3677
You probably get most of your cavity-preventing fluoride from toothpaste and tap water—unless you're a fan of black tea. Previous estimates of the fluoride level in this popular breakfast brew have been miscalculated, according to recent research.

Past studies have used a measuring technique that determined black tea's fluoride to be between one and five milligrams per liter. However, Dr. Gary Whitford, professor at the Medical College of Georgia's School of Dentistry, used a new method of analysis that revealed black tea could contain as much as nine milligrams per liter.

The average American ingests approximately two or three milligrams of fluoride every day.

Although this is good news for the moderate tea drinker, it could spell danger for constant consumers of black tea. Excessive fluoride can lead to skeletal fluorosis, a painful bone disease. However, sufferers whose diagnoses have been linked to black tea are believed to have drunk over a gallon of it every day for more than a decade.

If you decide to up your black tea intake to help protect your teeth, you may also want to consider incorporating a whitening toothpaste or treatment into your dental hygiene routine, as it's one of the biggest staining culprits.

American Idol contestant is smiling a little bigger

Crystal Bowersox, the American Idol contestant, has a lot to smile about. She is currently on tour with other American Idol contestants and she just had a smile makeover.

Bowersox had previously turned down a public offer for a smile makeover earlier in the year. "I had turned down an offer that I thought was very rude," Bowersox, 24, says. "There was a dentist that made a public offer -- he didn't contact me personally, and so I turned him down publicly. It's not that I didn't want to do it. I've always wanted to do it... I had braces when I was young and I couldn't afford to finish treatment." She said in a "Good Morning America" interview.

The singer says that it has helped her confidence. "I'm smiling with pure confidence for the first time in my life," she said. "And it's a good thing."

As a cosmetic dentist in Scottsdale, Arizona Dr. Jason McCargar has seen what a smile makeover can do to help one's self-esteem. "Having undergone an extensive smile makeover myself, I understand the feeling of satisfaction that is gained with the end product."

The Perfect Day Starts with the Perfect Smile

We would like you to meet one of our patients. Her name is Theresa. Theresa came to Scottsdale Dental Arts because she was unhappy with her current smile. She was getting married and wanted the perfect smile for her wedding day. Dr. McCargar replaced her bridge and also did several crowns for Theresa. Next, we whitened her teeth with Zoom! She also went home with an at-home whitening kit to maintain her perfect smile. If you are getting married soon and want to have that picture perfect smile, then give us a call to discuss your options.

Forget Botox. Floss your teeth

by: Lisa Zamosky
msnbc.com contributor
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37692310/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/
June 18, 2010

If you're like most of us, your dental hygienist scolds you every six months for not flossing. You hear the warnings that sticky plaque tucked between your teeth can lead to gum disease and health problems, but still you have trouble squeezing it into your daily routine.

But here’s some news that may inspire you to remember: Flossing your teeth, experts say, may do more to fight the effects of aging — at least over the long-term — than plastic surgery.

If you’re not flossing every day, you’re leaving 40 percent of your teeth surfaces dirty — coated with gummy bacteria — and that causes staining and yellowing between and around teeth, explains Dr. Eugene Antenucci, a dentist in Huntington, N.Y., and spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.

An overgrowth of plaque can also lead to gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, which creates inflammation, bleeding and tenderness in gum tissue that can lead to gum recession and bone loss.

“You register an older look because you see more spaces, less and uneven gum tissue,” according to Antenucci. Hence the quaint term for aging, “long in the tooth.”

And matters can get even worse. Gum disease can eventually cause the bones underneath to dissolve away, explains Dr. Donald S. Clem, a dentist in Fullerton, Calif.

“When gum disease begins to eat away at the bone, there are changes in facial appearance. Once a tooth is lost the bone has no reason to be there,” says Clem, who is also president-elect of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. “In later stages of periodontal disease we would see disfigurement in terms of caving in of the lips and cheek and wrinkles around the lips and cheeks.”

And don’t count on plastic surgery to save the day. In a recent study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, researchers found that bone loss in the jaw, as well as the eye sockets and cheeks, aged people in ways that cosmetic procedures that tighten and plump the skin, can’t fix.

“Even if tooth replacement is considered after a tooth is lost, there might not be enough bone left to place an implant in the most aesthetically desirable place,” says Dr. Laura Torrado, a cosmetic dentist in New York City.

Flossing won’t give you the immediate gratification of Botox or Restylane, Antenucci acknowledges. But who really care if you’ve got smile lines when you’re missing teeth?

Dry Mouth

In dry mouth little or no saliva is present to help break down food. It can cause food to taste bland and therefore people will often add more salt or sugar which can increase disease risk for diabetes and hypertension. Dry mouth can also create an environment that bacteria thrive in. Bacteria in the mouth can cause cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. There are treatment options for dry mouth and ways to prevent it.

Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, can be caused by certain medications. Common medications that cause this are: anticholinergics (ie: dicyclomine, Atrovent®), antihistamines (ie: diphenhydramine, Claritin®), and tricyclics (amitriptyline, nortriptyline). {We have a complete list of medications in a past April, 14 2009 article: http://makingpeoplesmile.blogspot.com/2009/04/medications-that-can-cause-dry-mouth.html} Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have dry mouth and you are taking one of these medications.

Discontinuing the medication that is causing dry mouth will often result in the cessation of the dry mouth. However, a medication should never be discontinued without your doctor approving it first. If your doctor recommends that you should continue taking one of the medications that is causing dry mouth there are over-the-counter treatment options to help with the dry mouth. There are 3 different types of products to help treat dry mouth. The first products work quickly and are portable for relief on-the-go. There are gels, liquids, and sprays to sooth the dry mouth quickly. The second type of product is to help prevent the dry mouth by daily cleaning. Biotene makes mouthwashes and toothpastes specifically designed for people with dry mouth. The third type of product helps to stimulate salivary flow throughout the day in a gum.

Dr. McCargar, a dentist at Scottsdale Dental Arts, states that Biotene is a product he frequently recommends to patients that suffer from dry mouth. "Often, by using a series of the Biotene products, patients see improved salivary production and decreased dry mouth." Dr. McCargar also stresses that if you are experiencing dry mouth not to ignore it because it can be causing other more serious health problems.

The Super Tooth

Researchers at the Tel Aviv Univeristy School of Mechanical Engineering, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and George Washington University have been studying what makes the human tooth so resilient. The researchers discovered that tooth enamel owes its strength to a network of micro-cracks that diffuse pressure and stress. The structural make-up of the enamel is wavy and arranged in several layers. This structure makes is strong because it does not allow a clear pathway for pressure to break down the tooth. The pressure instead is spread out over the entire tooth due to the network of layers and wavy patterns. The research was originally planned to be used in composing a newer generation of stronger and lighter aircraft. The researchers are trying to develop a new aircraft composite material to replicate the tooth structure. Currently, aircraft uses cmoposite materials made from layers of glass or carbon fibers held together in a single layer grid matrix. The researchers are also now studying ways to replicate this matrix for the use in dentistry to create stronger crowns and dental materials.

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