Fluoride and the Springs

Did you know that the beneficial dental effects of fluoride were discovered right here in Colorado Springs? 

Back in 1901 a dental grad came out west to start his practice.  He was amazed to find that the residents here had weird brown stains on their teeth—but that they were extremely resistant to decay!  Back in the day, we had too much fluoride in our water (and even today, Manitou Springs has slightly higher than recommended fluoride in the water) that caused staining, AKA fluorosis.  We’ve sinced learned how to optimize levels of fluoride to take advantage of the benefits without the stains! 

In office fluoride treatments cannot cause staining.  Staining occurs when too much fluoride is ingested when teeth are forming.  Once teeth are fully formed, fluorosis is no longer a concern because treatments are directed at the surface of the tooth just like toothpaste, but in a higher concentration.  This fluoride stays localized to your teeth and is not to be swallowed.

Top Three Causes of Tooth Loss

1.   Severe cavities are caused by a highly acidic environment in the mouth, either by frequent consumption of acidic food or drink (sugar-free soft drinks, orange juice, lemon juice) or sugar/carbohydrate heavy food (soft drinks, candy, coffee, bread, crackers, starchy foods).  It is an infection of your tooth that, if left untreated, can enter the nerve of the tooth and cause it to die. 

2.  Gum Disease — Redness,  bleeding,  and bone loss around your teeth  often called the silent killer of teeth.  Gum disease is an infection of bacterial plaque into your gums.  Bacteria hides around and in between your teeth,  invades the gums, and then attacks the bone.  Your body defends itself by trying to kill off the bacteria, but when that doesn’t work and the bacteria starts attacking the bone, your body starts to eject the tooth.  Most  bone loss seen in periodontal disease is actually caused by your immune response.  The body sees the tooth as the source of the infection and wants it out!  Bone loss can happen rapidly for this reason, or slowly over your lifetime.  

3.  Occlusal Disease —   Your “occlusion” is your bite and the way your teeth function together.  If this relationship is disfunctional, it can cause trauma to your teeth.  If you hit one or two teeth more heavily than others (or a filling is “high”), almost all the force of your bite is centralized on 2 teeth rather than spread out across all 28 teeth.  You can literally beat a tooth to death this way, irritating and killing the tooth nerve. 

Occlusal disease can also cause bone loss around teeth and can be closely linked to gum disease.  If your teeth regularly take excessive side to side force,  the ligaments and bone holding your teeth can be damaged.  This leads to tooth mobility, recession, and tooth loss.  Side to side force is often caused by traumatic fit to your teeth, clenching, and/or grinding. 

Side to side force can  cause notching in the enamel and root around the neck of the tooth called abfraction.  This force combined with abfraction can cause teeth to be extremely sensitive. 

What is your best defense against these threats?  Prevention

1.  Cut out acidic foods and sugars out of your diet or reduce how often.  For example,  do not sip your latte or soft drink slowly over time.  Also, limit the amount of carb heavy snacks you have throughout the day.  After eating, your mouth stays in a dangerous range of acidity for about 20 minutes.  Snacking or eating slowly turns 20 minutes into HOURS of acid attack.

2.  Chew sugar-free/xylitol gum after eating.  This helps sweep food and plaque out of your mouth, allowing it to return to a normal pH more quickly.  Therefore, the acid attack is shorter!

3.  Brushing at least 2x a day with a fluoride toothpaste, flossing 1x plus a day (or picks, soft pics, proxy brushes, waterpick, etc), and using an anti bacterial mouth rinse like CLO-SYS or alcohol free Listerine.

4.  See your dental hygienist at least twice a year for a cleaning.   If you have had gum disease in the past, three to four times a year is more appropriate.  There is no cure  for gum disease, but you can “arrest” the disease and keep it from causing more destruction.

5.  Ask your dentist about your bite.  Orthodontics may be necessary in severe cases, but often your bite can be adjusted in office during one or two appointments. 

6. A night guard or splint may be necessary to reduce the force on your teeth at night.  You put up to 10 times more pressure when you clench in your sleep than when you are awake!  This can add years of life to your teeth and protect against wear, breakage, cracking, and tooth death!

For addition information:
Springs Oral Health, Dr Matthew Burton
Website: http://www.springsoralhealth.com/
Phone: 719-593-9025

 

Fluoride Varnishes

The prevelance of dental caries (cavities) forty years ago was much higher than it is now, but it is on the rise again due to our high sugar intake in our diet. Americans spent 4.2 billion dollars on sugared energy drinks in 2o08. It’s no wonder our society has a problem with dental caries with all the sugar we ingest.

Our first step in preventing tooth decay is changing our eating and drinking habits. One of the first big steps our society did in preventing caries was the addition of fluoride in drinking water and also in toothpaste. Next, dental professionals started implementing in-office fluoride treatments. Most recently fluoride varnishes were put into practice as caries prevention therapy.

A fluoride varnish is a topically applied high concentration form of fluoride that is applied to the tooth’s surface by a dental professional. The varnish can be used to help prevent tooth decay, hypersensitivity within the tooth, and remineralize enamel. Fluoride varnishes are painted directly onto the tooth and remain in contact with the enamel for several hours. This minimizes the risk of young children consuming excess fluoride. The varnish is great for moderate to high risk caries patients and especially for children under age 5. High risk patients include those who intake large amounts of sugar, those with poor oral hygiene, those with active orthodontic treatment, and those who have irregular dental care. Fluoride varnishes do wear off and need to be reapplied 2-3 times per year. Varnishes provide a reduction in caries of up to 38% in children who are at moderate to high risk patients. The best time to apply varnish is as soon as the first teeth erupt in the mouth.

When used appropriately, fluoride is a safe and effective agent that can be used to control and prevent dental caries. Fluoride has contributed to the improvement of dental health in the United States and other countries. It is needed regularly throughout life to protect teeth against tooth decay.

For addition information:
Springs Oral Health, Dr Matthew Burton
Website: http://www.springsoralhealth.com/
Phone: 719-593-9025