Month: July 2020

Oral hygiene is a part of a more significant spectrum of health. You need to understand its significance and take care of it accordingly. If not, it leads to much bigger problems like gum recession, hypersensitivity, cavity and many other unpronounceable medical terms.

Many times, in a hurry to get started with the day, you can brush your teeth too aggressively, or sometimes you forget to brush your teeth in the night. This practice leads to many serious problems. One of them is an exposed root of a tooth.

What is an exposed root?
Gums are protectively attached to your teeth. These gums can start to recede due to simple reasons like intense brushing, poor oral hygiene, or it could be caused by bruxism; i.e., tooth displacement. Another primary reason can be a gum disease, medically known as a gum recession or periodontal disease. The gum tissues slowly fade away wearing down the gum, exposing the roots of the tooth. An exposed root if left untreated and cause unidentified is an invitation to many other dental issues.

Why should you take care of an exposed root?
One of the most common oral diseases which follows gum recession is tooth sensitivity. Tooth sensitivity increases simultaneously with gum recession. The severity of tooth sensitivity calls for a treatment as soon as possible. The gum disease can also lead to inflammation in the gum and aesthetic or functional deficiencies. You need to get them treated immediately before it gets severe and costs you big bucks and discomfort.

How can you treat it?
Since gum recession involves wearing off the gum tissue, the treatment requires covering up the exposed portion. Gum grafting or gingival grafting is the procedure applied for the same. It helps in restoration of gum tissues and treating exposed roots. There are three ways to go about this procedure.

• Pedicle graft: In this procedure, the dentist takes tissue for replacement near the area of treatment. A flap is partially cut and is stretched over to the exposed area.
• Free Gingival graft: Under this, a flap of tissue is taken from the palate or the roof of the mouth. It is then stitched over the exposed area.
• Connective tissue graft: This is a much more complicated process than the other two. At first, a flap of tissue is taken from the roof. The connecting tissues are removed and then stitched over the exposed area.

The kind of procedure a patient needs depends on the extent of the exposure of the roots.

How to prevent it?
The primary aspect is to take good care of your oral hygiene. It prevents any gum disease, which is the reason for exposed roots, followed by tooth sensitivity.

• Make a habit of brushing at least twice a day with a soft-bristled brush and lighter chemical formula toothpaste to avoid sensitivity and gum recession.
• Floss every day followed by a thorough rinsing of the mouth with a mouthwash.
• Avoid sugary and acidic food for healthier teeth.
• Last but not least, don’t forget to visit your dentist regularly to keep a tab on your oral health.

A Simple set of a few practices done right avoids you suffering from severe dental issues and undergoing elaborate and expensive dental surgeries.

Book an Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Let’s be honest! No one likes a trip to the dentist. It is scary, and the pain is unimaginable, leave alone the cost of it. People often resort to home remedies and oral hygiene routines to avoid the same. In this digital world, everyone has a platform to put out health practices and habits. Most of the time, these practices don’t have scientific backing and can even carry severe long term adverse effects.

What is the Charcoal Teeth Whitening Trend?
One such recent trend is the substitution of regular toothpaste with activated charcoal powder or toothpaste containing the same. This very trend is catching up at a swift pace in countries like the UK, the US, Japan, India, Thailand, China, etc. Here, the production of charcoal induced toothpaste is at a high. Before getting into further details about the effects of activated charcoal on your teeth, you need to understand how this trend came about.

Activated charcoal has been in use from the time of Egyptians and Ancient Indians who discovered its antiseptic properties to treat intestinal ailments and purify the water. The 1800s brought out its medical usage. Its absorbent nature made it the primary ingredient for removing any toxins from the body. Since then, it has been used in cosmetics, medical facilities, and now toothpaste.

Even if you are not a so-called social media bee, you might have come across people boasting about whiter teeth by using activated charcoal. So, before you impulsively decide on falling for this trend, let’s dissect the reasons why you shouldn’t.

Your Tooth Enamel Protects You
Activated charcoal is abrasive. Yes, it’s been proven that it cleans off old stains of wine, coffee, etc. But, you also need to understand the underlying effects of its long term use. Your tooth enamel is a protective coating that is stronger than your bones itself. This protects your teeth from decaying. Regular use of charcoal can corrode this and leave your teeth unprotected, leading to more severe issues like plaque and decay.

One Way Ticket to More Yellow Teeth
As mentioned above, once the activated charcoal works, it charms and cleans the extrinsic (surface) stains off your teeth, it does leave them whiter. But, with regular use, it eventually spoils your tooth enamel, exposing the dentin; a calcified yellow tissue that lies under the enamel. Moreover, charcoal doesn’t work on cleaning intrinsic (internal) stains.

Your Teeth Need the Fluoride
Often people substitute the regular toothpaste with a charcoal one. It leaves teeth deprived of a vital mineral called Fluoride. This mineral helps in breaking off the enamel and forming a new layer of the same which is more resistant to acid—thus avoiding tooth decay. It also helps in the remineralization process.

Due to activated charcoal’s adsorbent nature, charcoal-based toothpaste often doesn’t contain Fluoride. This eventually leads to the cavity and permanent tooth decay and several trips to the dentist.

Reverses Its Short-term Benefits
Made of coconut shells, olive pits, slowly burned wood, and peat, activated charcoal can actually lead to staining of the teeth. It can fill up the crevices of older teeth and can also leave dental restorations like veneers, crowns, fillings, and bridges with a black outline.

Although activated charcoal has been the first choice of your ancestors, it doesn’t have to be ours. Moreover, there’s no scientific backing to the teeth whitening property of activated charcoal. Until then, try to stick to your regular oral hygiene routine of brush, floss, and rinse. When it comes to teeth whitening, refer to your trusted dentist, and stay clear of social media trends for healthier and stronger teeth.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.