Karen P. Meyers, DDS

Birmingham, MI

1875 Southfield Rd, Birmingham, MI  48009
Phone: 248-646-2450
Experience Excellence in Dental care

February is National Pet Dental Health Month

pets need dental careNo, we are not going to the dogs, but February is National Pet Dental Health Month. So today, we’ll move from our mouths to theirs and give some great oral health tips for our favorite four-legged furry friends.

1.      Sniff your pet’s breath. Most dogs and cats don’t have fabulous breath, but if it is really offensive, it could be a sign of dental disease or even gum deterioration.

2.      Smile for the camera. About once a week, try to get Fluffy or Fido still and check their mouths fully, including their lips and teeth. You should see white teeth and pink gums. Be aware of any missing or broken teeth, which can often go unnoticed because pets will continue to eat even if they are having tooth issues. Any tooth issues, bumps or areas that are discolored are cause for a trip to the veterinarian.

3.      Brush your dog’s teeth daily. There are plenty of products for brushing pet’s teeth. They really do work and they also give the owner a chance to look around at the teeth.

4.      Use doggie dental chews. Doggie dental chews are terrific for removing bacteria and plaque. The evening is a great time to distribute these treats, just prior to bedtime. When you brush your teeth, doggie gets his dental chew.

5.      See the veterinarian for well checks. Veterinarians will also check out pet’s mouths. Often a thorough examination may require anesthesia at a follow-up appointment.

Do you have pictures of your pet’s smiles? We would love to see them!

Marijuana and Your Mouth

smokeColorado dentists are concerned that the state’s recent legalization of recreational marijuana use may have an adverse effect on Colorado residents’ oral health. These dentists are urging more research into the correlation of cavities and pot smoking.

Already, the American Dental Association has found a link between smoking of all kinds, tobacco and marijuana, and the growth of lesions and other abnormalities in the mouth and on the palate.

But anecdotal evidence is now accumulating regarding an increase in cavities among those who light up several times a week. Dentists and hygienists say that excessive marijuana smoking may be leading to the following conditions, which in turn make the mouth “ripe” for cavity development:

·         Dry mouth. Smoking in any form dries out the saliva in the mouth. Adequate saliva ensures that the surfaces of teeth are regularly bathed with moisture, which washes away particles on the teeth and gum surface.

·         Poor eating choices following pot smoking can be detrimental to oral health. For many, marijuana is an appetite stimulant, and snacking on high sugar and high carbohydrate food items introduces elements into the mouth that can be harmful to teeth. These snacking sessions typically are not followed closely by teeth brushing, which exacerbates the problem.

The combination of the dry mouth and the poor eating choices can be a real one-two punch for mouths, resulting in higher cavity rates. Colorado dentists are urging smokers to floss and brush more often, to rein in their snacking and to utilize tools to combat dry mouth like sugar-free candies and mouth sprays. The ADA maintains that quitting smoking of all kind is the best choice for optimal oral health.

 

“Caramel” Yogurt Dip and Apples: Yummy Fall Treat that is Better on Bridges and Orthodontia!

courtesy of Delta Dental

courtesy of Delta Dental

“Caramel” yogurt dip and apples (a recipe from Delta Dental)

This recipe gives you a little bit of that sweet taste without all of that sticky stuff that can damage fillings and orthodontics:

Ingredients:
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp agave syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
1 6-oz container of plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
Combine the salt, syrup and sugar in a small saucepan and heat on low until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt and vanilla. Allow to cool. Now dip away! For a thicker dip, refrigerate overnight.

Dieting and Dental Health

carrot danglingIt takes a lifetime of good eating and exercise habits to maintain a healthy body weight. It also takes good habits to take care of our teeth.

It can be very tempting to sign on to a crash diet or embark on a fad diet when those pounds don’t seem to drop quickly enough. But dentists are warning that some of these diets can be detrimental to your teeth. A few cautionary tales:

  • Juice Diets and Juice Cleanses: Nutritionists and dentists agree that juices can pack quite a bit of sugar and calories per serving. Water is a better regular drink for both your waistline and your gumline. However, there are diets where juice is used not to supplement meals but as a meal replacement. Juices unfortunately accentuate the acidic property that vegetables and fruit have. That is, when you are chewing, you are actually helping your teeth rid its surface of the sugars and the acids. When no chewing is involved, the acids and sugars are actually coating your teeth and gums. If you are juicing, try to use a straw and be sure to brush your teeth afterwards (which might mean bringing a toothbrush to your workplace).
  • Starvation diets, including fasting and 5:2: Perhaps you’ve heard of the 5:2 diet; it is quite popular in the United Kingdom. It involves eating normally on five days and eating one-fourth of a calorie count or low calorie liquids on two days of the week. These diets can contribute to bad breath and to fluctuations in insulin levels. If you perceive that your breath is turning foul, then you need to eat a bit more carbohydrates and hydrate more, as well.
  • Meal replacement bars and shakes.These are still a popular alternative for people.The shakes and bars are a controlled portion size and they can be low-calorie. Often, they are not low sugar. Again, brush your teeth after consuming them and use straws with milkshakes.
  • Low-fat foods. When processed foods promote themselves as “low fat”, they are often not particularly low calorie and they tend to have replaced the fat with sugar. Again, be prepared to brush your teeth afterwards or at least rinse with water.

What Goes in Your Mouth Stays in Your Mouth: Eating Right for Optimal Dental Health

When you are choosing a healthy, balanced diet, there are so many benefits: better cardiovascular health, maintaining or attaining appropriate weight, but you should also be aware that your choices of food and drinks also can have an effect on your teeth and gums.

In general, following the guidelines of the US Department of Agriculture is a good bet. These include eating more fruits and vegetables, choosing whole grains, consuming low-fat dairy foods, lean meats and proteins and limiting fats and sweets.

woman eating yogurt

When choosing what to eat for meals and snacks, consider these things:

  • Is the food sticky or gummy?
  • Does the food or drink have a high sugar content?
  • Is the food or drink a good source of nutrition or empty calories?
  • Does the food or drink contribute to acid reflux, which can cause damage to tooth enamel?
  • Is the food particularly acidic (even healthy foods like tomatoes can break down tooth enamel)?

Too sweet!

Your body metabolizes sugars and carbohydrates for food, and your mouth turns carbohydrates into oral bacteria. So, watching your added sugar intake is good for your waistline, keeps diabetes at bay and is better for your teeth and gums.

Look out for high sugar and carbohydrate-rich ingredients in your food, and particularly note where this ingredient is listed, as prepared foods list ingredients by order of volume. In other words if the ingredients list sugar near the top of the ingredients list, that means there is quite a bit of sugar in the item than if sugar were listed near the bottom of the ingredients list.

Limit the following:

  • All sugars (cane, brown, powdered)
  • Concentrated fruit juice
  • Corn sweeteners and corn syrup
  • Honey
  • Molasses
  • Glucose
  • Dextrin

Eat lots of the following foods because they contain great nutrients for your teeth:

  • Any calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, leafy greens, almonds, calcium-fortified foods (except fruit juices, which just contain too much sugar)
  • Any foods which contain phosphorous, like poultry, fish, lean meats, eggs and milk
  • Fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin C and Vitamin A (the water in fruits counteracts the sugars, by the way).
  • Drink lots of water, the best thing for your teeth!

Regarding snacks, nutrition experts vary in their advice. Many recommend snacks between meals and for certain blood sugar issues (diabetes and hypoglycemia), snacking is imperative. The issue with snacks is really a matter of choice. If your go-to snack is a sweet or even a high-carbohydrate snack, then you are adding those elements back into your mouth. If you choose a healthier snack, then you are treating your mouth, your teeth as your gums as your best friends for life!

Brush your teeth after meals…and swimming, too!

swimming mouth in waterYou know that good dental care includes regular brushing and flossing. These activities remove the bacteria from the surface of the teeth, bacteria that can erode your dental enamel, allowing caries (cavities) to form.

 

But the truth is that we need to brush our teeth when we come into contact with anything that is harmful to our dental enamel.  One culprit that we may not necessarily consider is pool water.

 

Swimmers whose faces are submerged in the water whether for fun or for lap swimming increase their teeth’s exposure to the pool water. In general, exposure to pool water isn’t so damaging. What can  cause deleterious effects, however, is pool water that has low pH, which is a measure of the water’s acidity. When the pool water pH dips too low, the water becomes acidic and can erode teeth enamel.

 

Typically, well-maintained public pools have regular maintenance schedules, often times required by public health authorities. These maintenance routines include testing the pH and adding chemicals to the pool to restore the pool water to appropriate pH levels, which range between 7.2 and 7.8. However, swimming in a privately owned swimming pool means that you must assess if the pool water is being regularly monitored and appropriately treated.

 

“Pool teeth” isn’t pretty; it can include teeth sensitivity, staining and enamel loss.  To prevent this, make sure you are swimming in a well-maintained pool. If you are the owner, be sure to monitor pH and adjust the chemicals if necessary.

 

If you are swimming somewhere and your eyes begin to burn or your nose burns, this is a sign that the pH is too low. When the pH is too low, the chlorine is also not working appropriately and is not disinfecting appropriately, allowing harmful bacteria to thrive, in addition to contributing to the dental enamel decay. If you find yourself in this situation, we recommend you end your swimming session and pick up your toothbrush!

 

If you want to take real control of the situation, you can purchase pool pH test strips and run the tests wherever you swim.

Your Toothache Could be Your Sinuses Acting Up!

Toothaches can be so painful!

Most times, you should call your dentist when experiencing tooth pain. But did you know that sinusitis (sinus infection) sometimes feels like a toothache?

Sinuses are the cavities behind the cheeks, eyes, nasal bones and forehead.  Their function is to filter and warm the air you breathe in and to make it moister.  Sinuses also create “empty” space in our skulls to lighten the weight of our heads.

Sinuses do occasionally get infected. There are very small holes that connect the sinuses to your nasal passages. These can easily become plugged. When this occurs, the sinuses can’t drain properly. Mucus accumulates. As a result, your head begins to feel heavy and pain radiates to all of the areas that the sinuses touch due to the increased pressure.

Typically, a sinus-related toothache is bilateral, which means you feel it on both sides of your face. Also, normally when you have a toothache, if you bite down, your pain will increase a lot! But, when you have a sinus infection, this does not occur. Biting down doesn’t make your pain worse.

headacheOther Symptoms of sinusitis:

  • pain or pressure in your face
  • headache pain that worsens when you move your head
  • productive cough (where you cough up phglegm), particularly bothersome in the morning and at night
  • green or yellow mucus
  • stuffy nose
  • fever
  • bad breath (halitosis)

Films’ Attention to Detail, but not Dental….

Are Hollywood actors’ teeth too white and straight?  Does it make it hard to relate to them or see them as the characters they portray?  This article talks about the movies that were Oscar contenders this year and how some of the roles demanded some dental realism that was completely missing.

Here’s the link to a funny article from The Globe and Mail about this issue:  “Molar Opposites”

 

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Karen P Meyers, DDS 
1875 Southfield Road, Birmingham, MI  48009

Phone: 248-646-2450

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