Tongue Piercing Can Cause Costly Gap in Front Teeth

One woman’s experience suggests a risk; other potential problems include gum trauma, infection.

THURSDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) — Tongue piercing can lead to a damaging habit that causes a gap to appear between the upper front teeth, which could cost thousands of dollars to fix, a case study suggests.

The patient was a 26-year-old woman who came to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine’s orthodontic clinic because a large space had developed between her upper front teeth. She also had a tongue piercing that held a barbell-shaped stud.

The woman did not have a gap in her teeth before she had her tongue pierced seven years before. But she developed a habit in which she repeatedly pushed the stud against her upper front teeth, which created the gap, the study authors noted.

“The barbell is never removed because the tongue is so vascular that leaving the stud out can result in healing of the opening in the tongue, so it makes perfect sense that constant pushing of the stud against the teeth — every day with no break — will move them or drive them apart,” study author Sawsan Tabbaa, an assistant professor of orthodontics, said in a university news release.

The woman was treated with braces to close the gap between her front teeth, according to the case study published in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics.

Tabbaa noted that tongue piercing can also cause chipped and fractured teeth, gum trauma, infection, hemorrhage and even brain abscess.

“The best way to protect your health, your teeth and your money is to avoid tongue piercing,” Tabbaa said.

Source: realage.com

Second-hand smoke may be a cavity risk

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People who inhale second-hand smoke may be at a higher risk from cavities.

That’s according to a study led by Dr Taru Kinnunen, director of the Tobacco Dependence Treatment and Research Programme at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Dr Kinnunen said that altought the study was still in its infancy, it found that second-hand smoke caused an increase in risk of cavities because smoke still entered the nasal cavities and the mouth – and, as a result, saliva was impacted.

The premise of the study is that when children are subjected to passive smoke, there is a rise in the number of cavities.

With around 21% of the UK’s population still smoking, the risk of developing mouth cancer, the fifth most common cancer in the UK, is a growing concern amongst those in the dental profession.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, says: ‘When you consider that your mouth and teeth are susceptible to the effects of the 4,000 or so chemicals contained in cigarettes, it is encouraging to know two thirds of people who do smoke want to give up.

‘Many people are now aware of the dangers smoking can cause, including tooth staining, dental plaque, bad breath, tooth loss and gum disease, which has been linked to serious medical problems and fatal heart and lung diseases. The habit has also been linked to premature and low birth weight babies.’

Tobacco is the most likely cause of mouth cancer, linked to around three-quarters of all cases of a disease that kills one person every five hours in the UK.

With new cases occurring all the time, many people still remain unaware of the risk smoking poses.
Dr Carter says: ‘The dental profession is in a unique position to warn patients of the risks and consequences of smoking.’

Jamie Kennedy Experiment (JKX) – Drunk Dentist

Male sex hormones singled out by perio researchers

Newswise — Sex hormones may be the biological reason why men are at greater risk than women for destructive periodontitis, an infection of the gums, according to researchers at the University of Maryland Dental School.

To establish better management and risk assessment models for periodontal disease, Harlan Shiau, DDS, DMedSc, assistant professor, and Mark Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, professor at the Dental School, have published the first comprehensive review of gender differences in the development and progression of the destructive periodontal disease.

In a review paper in the Journal of Periodontology, the authors examine evidence for a biologic basis for a sexual dimorphism, or the differences in susceptibility, to periodontal disease between men and women. They conclude that sex steroids exert effects on multiple ways on the immune system regulation of inflammation. They also conclude that the root of the difference may be genetic.

“Differential gene regulation, particularly in sex steroid-responsive genes, could likely play a part in the observed sexual dimorphism of destructive periodontal disease,” said Shiau.

“Differential gene regulation, particularly in sex steroid-responsive genes, could likely play a part in the observed sexual dimorphism of destructive periodontal disease,” said Shiau.

“We think it is a plausible explanation,” he added. The observation of men “having worse gum disease than women” was generally accepted by dental clinicians previously, says Shiau, “but we wondered if the traditional explanations were adequate. This study provides health care professionals with important comparative data for estimating gender-related differences in risk for destructive periodontal disease.”

Prior to the current review paper, the researchers conducted a systematic review of published population studies on the prevalence of periodontal disease. In their analysis they established that men, indeed, have a greater prevalence of periodontal disease than women globally.

Shiau and Reynolds explored potential biologic explanations by drawing from the extensive body of literature in autoimmune disease research, where there also exists sexual dimorphism in disease prevalence.

“Also, we considered the competing hypothesis that the environment explains the dimorphism, such as the observation that men have worse oral hygiene and compliance than women. However, there exist population studies, which control for potential co-variants, like these, and have still yielded significant gender effects.” Shiau explains.

“The innate immune response plays a considerable role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. The literature seems to indicate that a heightened innate immune response in men compared to women, as well as potential differences in regulation of amplification and termination of inflammation, provide a sound biologic basis for sex differences in periodontal disease progression,” says Shiau.

Source: perioeducation.com

Make Monitoring Oral Health A Priority

Beverly Hills, CA – The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Oral Health (CDC DOH) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) have partnered to create a program to track the incidence and pervasiveness of periodontal disease in America. The program is part of strategic planning for 2010 through 2014.

Shockingly, preliminary findings suggest the rate of periodontal disease may be two to three times higher than formerly believed, based on the results of the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES). The survey consisted of an oral health questionnaire and full oral assessment. The AAP is pressuring the CDC to investigate and authenticate the survey’s results in order to provide a benchmark of periodontal health in the United States.

The link between oral disease and general disease has been established: oral disease is associated with diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease and more. The prevalence of periodontal disease makes this correlation even more alarming. The AAP and CDC aim to use this knowledge and the survey results in emphasizing the significance of good oral health in achieving total health. If oral health is made a national priority, perhaps overall health will benefit.

Source: perioeducation.com

The Last Straw

Start Smile-Saving Early

Only about half of kids 1 to 5 years old have received preventive dental care. Bad news — prematurely losing a baby tooth because of decay may set the stage for bite problems down the road. Dental appointments should start with the first tooth. Talk with your dentist about how often your child needs additional checkups. It will vary, depending on factors such as what your child eats and how he or she cares for those budding pearly whites. More than half of kids between the ages of 5 years and 9 years have at least one cavity or filling, and more and more toddlers are getting tooth decay in their baby teeth. It’s an alarming trend, and it confirms that preventive tooth care should start long before a child even has teeth. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends cleaning an infant’s gums daily with a soft cloth or infant toothbrush and water. Professional care should begin after the first tooth erupts. Over the following years, dentist visits will include regular cleanings and checks for tooth decay. Your child’s dentist might even recommend fluoride treatments or dental sealants to help keep decay away. The American Dental Association suggests that children have an orthodontic evaluation by age 7. Early treatment can minimize a malocclusion or “bad bite.” Research suggests that about 72 percent of all kids have at least one preventive dental visit per year. Is your child one of them?

Source: realage.com

What can you do to protect your oral health?

If you’re not ready to see a periodontist, remember to brush your teeth twice every day, floss once every day, and see your dental professional every 6 months for a check-up and cleaning. It is very important to take care of your teeth even if you don’t have periodontal disease!

Source: Perio.org

Floss, Unraveled

There are probably more types of floss than there are teeth in your mouth. So, what to choose? Waxed floss may have an edge, according to one Swiss study. But if the waxed stuff is just too slippery for you to hang on to, you might do better with unwaxed. Go with what you won’t mind using. How thick or thin depends on your teeth and the size of the spaces in between. Try a few different kinds to see what type slips easily between your choppers. You might even decide to use thin floss for one area of your mouth and thicker, textured floss in another spot.

Whatever you choose, floss correctly and you can remove up to 80% of the plaque between your teeth.

Source: realage.com

Power in Motion

You can pay a lot for an electric brush with all the bells and whistles, including sensors that stop the brush from pulsating if you brush too hard, multiple settings (including massage), and timers that signal when your brush time is up. Or you can go with a bare-bones variety and save some bucks. Whatever you choose, know this: motion matters. An oscillating, rotating power brush is a bit better at plaque removal than a side-to-side vibrating one.

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