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My Blog
Posts for: September, 2014
She's an international star who's recognized everywhere she goes. As Carol Brady, she was an ambassador for the “blended family” before most of us even knew what to call her bunch. And her TV Land Pop Culture Icon Award is on permanent display in the National Museum of American History. So what item that fits inside a purse can't Florence Henderson do without?
“I will never leave home without dental floss!” she recently told an interviewer with Dear Doctor magazine. “Because I have such a wide smile, I have found spinach or black pepper between my teeth after smiling very broadly and confidently.”
Henderson clearly understands the importance of good oral hygiene — and she's still got her own teeth to back it up! In fact, flossing is the best method for removing plaque from between the teeth, especially in the areas where a brush won't reach. Yet, while most people brush their teeth regularly, far fewer take the time to floss. Is there any way to make flossing easier? Here are a couple of tips:
Many people have a tendency to tighten their cheeks when they're holding the floss, which makes it more difficult to get their fingers into their mouths and working effectively. If you can relax your facial muscles while you're flossing, you'll have an easier time.
To help manipulate the floss more comfortably, try the “ring of floss” method: Securely tie the floss in a circle big enough to easily accommodate the fingers of one hand. To clean the upper teeth, place fingers inside the loop, and let the thumb and index finger guide the floss around each tooth. For the lower teeth, use two index fingers. Keep moving the floss in your hand so you always have a clean edge... and remember, the goal is to get the tooth clean, but it shouldn't hurt — so don't use too much pressure or go too fast.
So take a tip from Mrs. Brady: Don't forget the floss! If you would like more information about flossing and other oral hygiene techniques, please contact us for a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor magazine article “Flossing: A Different Approach.”
We now have amazing therapies to replace lost teeth with life-like replicas that look and perform like real teeth. But for oral health in general it’s still better to save a natural tooth if we can.
That’s the main purpose of a root canal treatment — to rescue a tooth whose pulp (an area of tissue and nerve bundles inside the tooth) has died from trauma or ravaged by a bacterial infection that continues to progress up into the bone via the root canals. By accessing the pulp through a small opening in the top of the tooth we remove the dead and infected pulp tissue, thoroughly disinfect the empty pulp chamber and root canals, and then fill them with a special filling. We then seal the opening (and later install a permanent crown) to prevent future fracture of the tooth and re-infection.
So, how can you know your tooth is in danger? Your first indication may be an intense tooth pain that comes on quickly. This pain is emanating from the nerves in the pulp as the tissue begins to die. Once the nerves have died, they will no longer transmit pain signals: hence the pain will subside rather quickly in about two or three days.
So it is important to understand that the absence of pain doesn’t mean the infection has subsided — quite the contrary, it’s still present and active, making its way along the root canals of the tooth. At this point you may begin to notice a secondary pain when you bite down on the tooth. This is originating from other nerves located around the periodontal ligament (the main tissue that helps hold teeth in place with the bone) as the tissues become inflamed from the infection. You may also develop an abscess, an area in the gum tissue where infectious pus may collect. Depending on its location, the abscess can be acutely painful or “silent,” meaning you may not feel any pain at all. The infection is still there, though, and the tooth is still in danger.
If you encounter any of the pain symptoms just described, you should visit us for an examination as soon as possible. If the cause indicates the need for a root canal treatment time is of the essence — the longer we delay, the greater the risk of ultimate tooth loss.
If you would like more information on root canal treatments, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Signs and Symptoms of a Future Root Canal.”
