Tooth Extraction and Healing

Tooth Extraction is nothing but a simple process of removing your tooth from the mouth. Extractions are done for variety of reasons. Dental decay that has almost killed the entire structure of tooth is the frequent signal for the tooth extraction. Tooth extractions of problematic wisdom teeth or impacted teeth are regularly done, as are removal of permanent teeth to make room for this orthodontic treatment.

Extraction Types

Dental extractions are categorized as surgical or simple. Surgical extractions normally involve removing the teeth that is not easily accessible or not reachable for surgery, may be either because it has not completely erupted or it has broken below the gum line. In surgical tooth extraction the dental surgeon may lift up or elevate the soft tissues which is covering the bone and tooth and may remove the surrounding bone tissue with osteotome or with a drill. Process involves in splitting the tooth into multiple pieces to ease its removal. Simple extraction is the other type of extraction, normally done on teeth that are easily accessible and visible, requires only the instruments to lift up the visible tooth portion, often done under local anesthetic. In this process using the elevator, the tooth is typically lifted up and at the same time using the dental forceps, tooth is rocked forth and back until the supporting alveolar bone has been widened and the periodontal ligament has been sufficiently broken to make the tooth loose from its original position to remove it completely.

Post Dental - Extraction Healing

After successful tooth removal, it is normal for a clot to form in the socket. Rarely this formed clot can become dislodged that results in dry socket condition or called as alveolar osteitis. This occurs and it is not uncommon, happens totally after the removal of lower molars due to the less supply of blood than their maxillary corresponding item. There are some factors that adds to its development, like smoking, birth control, age, surgery extent to remove the tooth, time duration of tooth extraction site that was exposed surgically and other various factors. Alveolar osteitis or dry socket normally lengthens the curing process and causes irritation and discomfort that is not controllable even with pain drugs.

This is treated with surgical packing or medicated gauze that is replaced in every three to four days until granulation tissue covers the bone at the tooth extraction site. Tooth extraction dressing often contains an essential oil, derived from cloves which alleviate the dry socket irritation.

Dental Phobia

Dental phobia is a phobia or fear that is defined traditionally as an exaggerated and irrational fear of dental surgeon and even fear of their dental procedures. Even now some controversy still exists related to this fear to find out whether this fear is irrational since this kind of phobia is caused due to some bad dental experience felt by the patient.
This dental phobia is of many sub types, which has not been described or explained to this date and still appears to be an reasoning one, example, “fear of certain dental” procedures verses “fear of dental surgeon” even phobia which is resulting from previous bad dental experiences. But not all these fears can be deemed as irrational.

This phobia can be defined in a better way as persistant and extreme fear which finally results in individual, avoiding to attend dentist or to take up any dental procedures unless when his/her dental problem reaches chronic stage. Hearing or even thinking about going to a dentist will cause psychological distress and this dental phobia may even interfere in regular social functioning.

Commonly caused due to accidental dental experiences or traumatic experiences, but there can also be other causes for this dental phobia. This is mostly seen with children who are influenced by their parents mind set towards this dental treatment.

Oral Cancer - Check Yourself

Oral Cancer may occur

• If you drink excessive alcohol
• If you use products that has tobacco in it.
• If you have this habit like cheek chewing or lip biting
• If your face is highly exposed to direct sunlight on a regular basis
• If you have some dental problems

It is always good to know how to test yourself for the possible signs of oral cancer and have to do regular checks to prevent it before it progresses.

Check Yourself for Oral Cancer. Simple 6 steps to follow.

Look at your:

1.) Head

Neck and face in a mirror, to see whether the left and right side of your face has the same shape. Also look at for any kind of bumps, lumps or swellings available on only one side of your face.

2.) Lips

Try pulling your lower lips and upper lips to see for any color changes or sores and then with the help of your forefinger and your thumb to feel and identify your lip for changes in texture, bumps and lumps.

3.) Neck

Try pressing the sides of your neck for feeling any kind of lumps or tenderness.

4.) Face

Check your face in front of the mirror for any color change or size change, extra growth, moles, sores. Do you see any of this?

5.) Roof of your mouth

Try tilting you head towards back and open your mouth widely to check the color change or for any lump. Also with the help of fore finger try running it over the roof of your mouth to check for any lumps.

6.) Cheek

Using your fingers try pulling out your cheeks to see it inside for white, red or any dark patches. With the help of index finger inside your cheek and thumb outside your cheek, try rolling and squeezing it smoothly your cheeks to check for any lumps or tenderness. You can repeat this on your other side cheek

Mouth Ulcer

This is the name given for the appearance of the open sore occurred inside the mouth that is mainly caused by a simple break in the epithelium on the lips or in the mucous membrane or due to the break surrounding the mouth. Mouth ulcers are of diverse types with number of associated causes that includes chemical trauma or physical trauma, medications or medical conditions, infection from disease causing viruses, non specific processes and sometimes cancerous. After the formation this mouth ulcer may be well maintained by secondary infection and/or inflammation. There are generally two types of mouth ulcers. They are as cold sores and canker sores. Canker sores are also called as aphthous ulcer and herpes simplex virus which causes the cold sores.

Mouth Ulcer Symptoms

Mouth ulcer symptoms may vary according to the ulcerative process causes. There are some mouth ulcers that will start with a burning sensation or tingling exactly at the site where the future mouth ulcer will be. After some days this will further increase and progress itself to form a bump or a red spot which is followed by an ulcer.

Appearance of mouth ulcer will be generally yellow or whitish yellow oval shaped with a sore red as its border. One can also observe a halo or a white circle kind of structure around the affected area. Other colors such as grey, yellow, white surface that is seen within the red circle is caused because of the fibrin layers formation, fibrin is nothing but a protein substance that is involved in the blood clotting. Mouth ulcer when agitated will be extremely painful and is accompanied often by a irritating swelling of lymph nodes present below the jaw. Sometimes this irritating pain can be mistaken for tooth ache.

Causes of Mouth Ulcer

There are many processes that can lead to mouth ulcer. Sometimes this mouth ulcer is caused simply by the overreaction of your body’s own immune system. This is provoked due to many factors such as fatigue, injury, over stress, hormonal changes, food allergies, sudden weight loss, menstruation and even due to deficiency of iron, vitamin-B12 and folic acid.

Mouth Ulcer Prevention

Ulcer can be prevented by controlling the vitamins & minerals imbalances which is related to mouth ulcer and managing or completely restricting the processes has reduced the mouth ulcer to a greater level.

Tooth Decay and its Prevention

Tooth Decay is a slow process resulting in dental cavities or dental caries. This tooth decay normally occurs when disease causing bacteria slowly makes a kind of acid that entirely eats away at a tooth. This may even cause infection like tooth loss if not treated properly.

Tooth decay can be easily prevented by regular flossing and brushing your teeth, and by consulting your dental surgeon for cleaning and check ups, also by avoiding taking foods that are very high in sugar

Causes of Tooth Decay

Combination of food and bacteria causes tooth decay. Clear substance which is sticky in nature called plaque, containing disease causing bacteria always forms on your gums and teeth as this disease causing bacteria feed in the food that you eat with high sugar content, this creates acid to destroy the teeth. 20 minutes after eating this acid will start attacking your teeth and over a period of time acid will completely destroy the tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay.

Tooth Decay Symptoms

This Tooth decay normally does not cause any kind of symptom unless and until you have an infected tooth or if you have dental cavity. Toothache is the normal symptom appears for an infected person.

Tooth Decay Diagnosis

Tooth decay diagnosis can be done by your dentist by various ways.

They are as

• By taking X rays of your mouth and teeth.
• Using small mirror and pointed tool, examining your teeth
• By asking your past medical and dental problems.

Tooth Decay Treatment

This treatment completely depends on how bad your tooth condition is. By using fluoride even you may be able to completely reverse tooth decay. Your dental surgeon may use a filling to fix cavities that are caused by mild tooth decay. You may need a root canal for severe tooth decay and in extreme cases your dental surgeon may finally have to remove your affected tooth.

Dental Flossing for Health Teeth

Flossing always helps your teeth in the surfaces that tooth brushing cannot reach under the gum line and between the teeth. Brushing and flossing helps to remove plaque, a substance that adds slowly and hardens along the teeth over a period of time. If this is left without treating, then slowly deposits of plaque leads to tooth decay and gum disease

It is very important to learn how to floss your white teeth. Dental surgeons or hygienist will happily demonstrate the technique of proper flossing. Flossing techniques basics are explained clearly below.

This dental floss is of different types, so only one type of this dental floss will not work all. People can select between unwaxed or waxed,unflavoured or flavoured, and tape types or regular types. Generally, it was foun that a waxed dental floss slides easily between your teeth than an unwaxed dental floss. Also flavoured dental floss always leaves a good fresh taste in your mouth and is good for those situations when rinsing or brushing is not possible. Another typical type is the tape dental floss which is thicker than the regular dental floss, the one that is preferred by people having wide gaps between their teeth.

Nowadays dental companies are trying to market this dental floss which is newly made up of space age materials. These space age materials gives extra smoothness and also very stronger than the dental floss followed traditionally. It is always good that you ask your dental surgeon to know which dental floss is best fit for you.

People with arthritis or limited dexterity easily cannot manipulate floss. They may wish to use other devices such as intra dental cleaners or dental floss holders.

Dental floss is a kind of multi sensory experience where you will have a set of flavors and choices. Your preferences or needs are bound to a general product that benefits you in cleaning under the gum line and between your teeth. Floss and regular brushing will help to ensure your teeth health always

Proper Brushing Tips

Dental surgeons say that the minimum brushing time you should spend is 3 minutes twice in a day. Here are some useful tips on how you can bush your teeth properly:

• Hold your tooth brush exactly at a close 45 degree angle against your tooth gum line. Now softly and gently start brushing from where the gum and tooth meet to the chewing area that is about half a tooth wide stokes.

Hard tooth brushing can also cause gums to recede, tooth sensitivity, loose teeth and also in over time

• Make sue of the same method so that you brush all inside and outside areas of your teeth.

• Chewing areas of your teeth can be cleaned by short sweeping strokes, by tipping your brush bristles into the crevices and pits.

• For cleaning inside surfaces of your teeth and bottom front areas of your teeth and gums, just hold your tooth brush in vertical position. With front and back motions, try to bring your front part of your tooth brush over the gums and teeth.

• Gently and softly brush your tongue and your mouth roof by using a effective forward sweeping motion to eradicate the bacteria that causes tooth decay.

• Play a favorite song or make use of an egg timer when brushing your white milky teeth for a complete 3 to 4 minutes twice in a day. This will help you in brushing your teeth continuously for 4 minutes twice a day.

Also if possible make use of an electronic tooth brushes to know the timings.

Dental Caries Information

Dental caries, also called as dental cavities or tooth decay, is a kind of disease which is resulting out of entire tooth structure damage. Occurrence of dental cavities is greatly spread worldwide, and this dental caries can even lead to infections, pains, tooth loss and in some cases if severe also caused death. But the number of dental caries cases has now decreased in some developed countries, happened because of good oral hygiene and better preventive steps taken such as exposure of fluoride. In developing countries around the world this tooth decay or the dental cavities still continues to be a problem.

Causes

This dental cavities is caused because of four major factors. They are as

• Surface of the tooth( dentine)

• Cariogenic bacteria( potentially carries-causing)

• Sucrose( fermentable carbohydrates)

• Time

Dental Caries Types

Dental caries can be broadly classified into different categories based on caries location.

Two distinctions have been made between this cavities are basically found in the pits and fissures and on the smooth surfaces.

Initiation, progression and the location of these types greatly differs between each other.

Signs & Symptoms of Dental Caries

These are the common symptoms seen before caries. They are as

• Visible holes or pits in the teeth
• Toothache – after cold or hot foods or drinks or after sweet
• Bad breath

How to diagnose dental caries?

Larger caries are often apparent visually, whereas smaller caries may always require examination with visible light and magnification, dental explorer, or imaging with the use of dental radiographs. Usage of laser will do vital role in diagnosis of smaller cavity cases in the fissures of teeth and in the pits.

Family Dental Insurance Information

Family dental insurance is highly important for your health maintenance. Finding the right dental insurance provider for your entire family is a tedious task. It totally depends on what exactly your family’s dental needs at present and also for future will clearly determine the best plan you always want to search out.

Many Organizations offer this family dental insurance with some coverage for an cheap price. These dental plans cover the whole year X-rays and cleanings in full. But services such as root canals, crowns or braces may also be covered but coverage degree will always be much lesser for this. Depending on your work area and the type of benefits offered you may purchase a better dental insurance coverage which is extremely at a very lower employee rate if there is a need for other high cost services.

Things to Consider

Some type of plan under family dental insurance requires the patients always to select a dental surgeon from a limited list of other surgeons, so always see that your dentist is on the lit mentioned. If not get your own dental surgeon recommendation or from his/her friend. In some cases just informing your dental surgeon that your dental insurance is making you to leave will simply prompt them to consider or add that type in their own list of accepted insurance

Most dental plans have been designed just to pay only a part of your dental expenses, with additional preventive maintenance to be the most covered part of dental plan. Always read your dental plan more carefully and know its limitations, there can be many services which you really need that are not covered in the plan. If the dental plan does not cover any procedure recommended by your dental surgeon then that doesn’t means that the entire treatment is not good or needed; but rather means that they are not ready to pay.

Some basic questions to be asked before choosing a family dental insurance plan:

Can you choose dentist of your own?

Is that the dental insurance company for the dentist determines the treatment is good for you?

Whether the plan covers all the emergency and preventive services, procedures?

Oral Hygiene

Oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene is nothing but keeping your mouth clean. This hygiene is considered to be the best means of prevention of cavities, periodontitis, gingivitis, and other related dental disorders. This oral hygiene also helps you to prevent bad teeth which are called as halitosis.

This kind of hygiene is necessary for all to maintain their mouth and their teeth. Healthy teeth with good oral hygiene will have fewer cavities. Health teeth are clean and they normally have less or no deposition of plaque. Also healthy gums are always firm and pink in color.

This oral hygiene normally consists of both professional care and personal care.

As a part of routine professional examinations this dental X-rays are performed.