Pleasanton Dentist - Stress of daily grind takes toll on Teeth - Smiles by Design in Livermore

The foreclosures, the financial meltdowns, the freaky environmental disasters — they’ve all become part of our daily grind.

But for some, that's not just a metaphor.

“I’ve gone several years without grinding but now it’s back,” says Betsy Riley, a 57-year-old program manager from Washington, D.C., who’s cracked five teeth and suffered a world of dental woes due to anxiety-provoked grinding. “All the stories about the economy, all the people who’ve lost their jobs.  Plus every time you turn on the TV, there are mudslides, earthquakes, volcanoes.”

Grinding and clenching — otherwise known as bruxism — is indeed on the rise, say dentists across the country.

“I would absolutely say there’s been an uptick of about 20 percent in terms of the number of appliances or chipped teeth or things directly related to bruxism that I attribute to these stressful times,” says Manhattan dentist Dr. Michael Sinken. “I have a friend who has a practice that’s 90 percent TMJ. He says he’s absolutely seen an increase in business. People are hurting.”

Chewing over our problems A recent study in the journal Head & Face Medicine found that sleep bruxism is more common with people who claimed to experience daily problems and trouble at work, a finding that hardly surprises former journalist Heather Draper.

“I was a business editor at a daily newspaper and had to cover the economy going into the crapper, at the same time realizing how bad it looked for my industry,” says the 46-year-old who now works as a nonprofit communications manager in Denver.

Looming layoffs and financial uncertainties (Draper was eventually laid off, forced to sell her house and take a job at a drastic pay cut) wore her down.

In turn, she wore her teeth down.

“I’ve done it for years — I have several crowns — but I’ve had a ton of anxiety in the last two years and it’s gotten worse,” she says.

Dr. Matthew Messina, a Cleveland-area dentist and consumer advisor for the American Dental Association, says his patients’ teeth are feeling the pressure, too.

“My office is close to a major NASA facility and when the Obama administration [made cutbacks], a large number of my patients worried about what that would mean for their future,” he says. “That led to a lot of stress and that led to grinding. We see it through headaches, joint pain, muscle pain and an increase in broken teeth, chipped teeth, broken old fillings, and fractured corners of teeth.”

Type A teeth According to the Academy of General Dentistry, about one in three people suffers from bruxism, particularly “people who are aggressive, competitive and hurried” (bruxism has also been linked to sleep apnea and as a side effect of certain antidepressants).

Unfortunately, many people who chew on their problems at night don’t know they’re doing it until they break a tooth. There are warning signs, though, including headaches, sore teeth, sore jaw muscles, flattened teeth, tooth sensitivity, ringing in the ears, and popping and clicking of the temporomandibular joint.

For those who sleep with a partner, there’s also that telltale creaking.

“My husband told me I was grinding again,” says Riley. “He can hear it at night.”

Figuring out you’re a grinder doesn’t necessarily cut the stress, though. Thanks to high cost of dental work – one crown can run from $500 to $3,000 — it sometimes just amps it up.

“You worry ‘If I go and do this how much is going to be?’” says Riley, who in the past two years has required two new crowns. “Just for laughs, I checked my dental insurance and they give you one dental night guard in a lifetime. When I was using night guards, I went through five in a space of two to three years.”

Teeth relief Riley says she mainly uses biofeedback techniques taught her by her dentist to control her bruxing but others swear by their dental night guards.

“I call my night guard my ‘fafa’, like the way a baby calls a pacifier a ‘binky,’” says Mark Naples, a 47-year-old media consultant from Philadelphia who’s had 10 teeth replaced thanks to his stressed-out grinding. “I have multiples — one at home, one in my shaving kit, one in my briefcase — I don’t ever want to be without one.”

Messina says these custom-fitted plastic dental appliances (which can run from $400 on up) are covered by some dental plans, but not everyone needs one.

“For some, just identifying that they’re under stress is enough to start them on the process to getting better,” he says. “We can teach techniques to notice when they’re clenching and show them how to relax.”

For others, though, a dental appliance (or occlusal guard) may be just the thing to get them through these dark nights (metaphorical and otherwise).

“One night guard is a lot less costly than fixing a broken tooth,” says Sinkin.

source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37557066/ns/health-oral_health/
by Diane Mapes

http://www.smilesbydesigninlivermore.com

Tracy Dentist - Cheers! Red Wine and Cranberries are Good for your Teeth - Smiles by Design in Livermore

When you pop open that bottle of red wine this holiday season, consider toasting its benefits to your teeth. After all, compounds in red wine can prevent cavities and plaque build-up, researchers say.

The compounds — called polyphenols — block a molecule made by the bacteria streptococcus mutans, which are found in all our mouths, said researcher Hyun Koo, a microbiologist at University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.

Normally, these bacteria break down sugar we eat and make sticky molecules called glucans, which let bacteria to cling to our teeth and damage their surfaces, Koo told MyHealthNewsDaily.

These bacteria also produce an acid that erodes the tooth enamel, leading to cavities, he said.

But the fermented grape stems, seeds and skins left over from wine production contain high amounts of polyphenols. The polyphenols can block the ability of S. mutans to make glucans, letting the good bacteria in the mouth thrive, while disabling the bad bacteria from sticking to the teeth, Koo said.

"The oral cavity is a very rich microbial environment, so you can't just smoke [the bad bacteria] out," he said. "There are beneficial and pathogenic organism.

Koo, who was a dentist for two years before becoming a microbiologist, also found that compounds in cranberries work similarly — they block the molecules that enable the sticky surface to form on our teeth.

When researchers fed rats the cranberry compounds, called A-type proanthocyanidins, they found that the bacteria's production of acid and glucans were reduced by 70 percent, and cavities were reduced by 45 percent, according to a study Koo published in March in the dental health journal Caries Research.

But Koo warned that eating heaps of cranberry sauce or downing glass after glass of red wine won't help you reap the dental benefits of these compounds. Cranberry products, such as cranberry sauce or cranberry juice cocktail, contain a lot of sugar and aren't good for the teeth, and red wine can stain the teeth, he said.

Instead, Koo and his colleagues hope to find a way to add these compounds to mouthwashes, toothpastes or chewing gum to combat plaque and cavities. He hopes to test the findings in a clinical setting in the next four years.

Pass it on: Compounds in cranberries and red wine can help prevent of plaque and cavities.

source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40719935/ns/health-healthy_holidays/
by Amanda Chan
my Health News Daily

http://www.smilesbydesigninlivermore.com

What is Involved in Getting A Dental Implant? - Smiles by Design in Livermore

What Is Involved in Getting a Dental Implant?

The first step in the dental implant process is the development of an individualized treatment plan. The plan addresses your specific needs and is prepared by a team of professionals who are specially trained and experienced in oral surgery and restorative dentistry. This team approach provides coordinated care based on the implant option that is best for you.

Next, the tooth root implant, which is a small post made of titanium, is placed into the bone socket of the missing tooth. As the jawbone heals, it grows around the implanted metal post, anchoring it securely in the jaw. The healing process can take from 6 to 12 weeks.

Once the implant has bonded to the jawbone, a small connector post -- calledan abutment -- is attached to the post to securely hold the new tooth. To make your new tooth or teeth, your dentist makes impressions of your teeth, and creates a model of your bite (which captures all of your teeth, their type, and arrangement). Your new tooth or teeth are based on this model. A replacement tooth, called a crown, is then attached to the abutment.

Instead of one or more individual crowns, some patients may have attachments placed on the implant that retain and support a removable denture.

Your dentist also will match the color of your new teeth to your natural teeth. Because the implant is secured within the jawbone, the replacement teeth look, feel, and function just like your own natural teeth.

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Gum Problems - Smiles by Design in Livermore

Gum disease is very common and can take various forms. Some forms are painful, but many are not and can go undiscovered for years without detection if someone doesn't see a dental professional (dentist or hygienist) for help. The key to dealing with gum disease is to prevent it from developing into a form that is dangerous to the long-term use of teeth. This is relatively easy for most of us as it simply involves daily brushing and flossing as well as regular cleanings and exams with a dental professional.

There are a great number of different forms of gum disease and a few of the most common types include:

1. Gingivitis - this type of gum problem is so common that it could be considered normal and is not dangerous to the teeth and gums at this stage. This condition is relatively easy to improve and should be done to prevent development of additional gum disease.

2. Periodontitis - this type of gum disease takes different forms and can only be properly diagnosed by a dentist. All forms require treatment and the more severe form may not be treated successfully; in other words, it can, in late stages, cause loss of some or all the teeth.

• Mild periodontitis - will slowly and without pain get worse. At this stage, the disease is very treatable. This form afflicts almost all adults at some point during a lifetime.
  
• Moderate periodontitis - a more advanced form of gum disease than mild periodontitis. This form is also very treatable, but the treatment is considerably more involved as the bone underneath the gums has been affected.
  
• Advanced periodontitis - a very dangerous disease not only to the teeth but even the general health may be affected at this stage or even at earlier stages. All patients with cardiovascular disease and heart problems as well as diabetes should ensure that any form of gum disease is treated. This type of gum disease frequently results in tooth loss and is not hard to detect but can be very difficult or even impossible to treat without loss of the teeth.

The traditional methods of dealing with gum disease still apply and serve as the basic level of treatment. These include cleaning the teeth mechanically with a variety of instruments such as the usual metal scalers and the polishers, but also the ultrasonic cleaners which spray water and use high frequency sound waves to loosen the plaque and tartar that clings to the teeth and which provides the environment for bacteria and the associated infection so characteristic of gum disease.

There have been a number of new developments and improvements over the past 5-10 years including:

• Laser therapy - lasers can be used in a variety of ways to help either kill bacteria or remove diseased tissue.
• Neutraceuticals - dietary supplements which can help provide benefits to the immune system which can help with gum disease.

The most important aspect of any treatment program is the maintenance care following the active treatment phase. There have been a significant number of improvements to the methods of cleaning your teeth at home. When a good home care habit is combined with an active maintenance cleaning program provided by your dentist and hygienist, most cases require little, if any, further active treatment.

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