Keeping little teeth clean: It all starts with the toothpaste

Few parents will disagree; teaching your child to brush their teeth on a consistent basis is easier said than done. On most occasions there will be tears, tantrums and everything else involved in avoiding the habit. In simple terms, it’s just something that a little person doesn’t want to do. While we could mull over all of the techniques to make the “convincing process” easier, we’ll leave that to the parenting experts. Instead, we’re going to look at the role of toothpaste and how this is crucially important in developing young teeth. Sure, the previous sentence may sound obvious, but some of the facts regarding infant toothpaste aren’t well-documented yet can make life of the parent easier. It’s something that the children’s dentist Great Portland Street, London would back up and that in itself highlights just how this information simply … Read more

Clean eating: Your teeth are what you eat

It’s something of a cliché, but when it comes to your teeth few would disagree with the notion that “you are what you eat”. While a solid dental routine is obviously going to cover you, if you can couple this with a diet that isn’t going to wreak havoc for your teeth then you’re onto a winner. For children, who are seemingly more susceptible to problems, this is even more crucial. This Children’s dentist in Meath has highlighted how important eating the right foods can be for infants and we have therefore created the following guide. Of course, it’s going to be relevant for any adult who wants to take care of their teeth as well. Rather than concentrate on all of the sugary foods which are renowned to be detrimental to your teeth, we’ll instead take a look at … Read more

Why you must start flossing

From an early age, we are taught the importance of looking after our teeth. It becomes a daily routine to brush our teeth, something that we don’t even think about, and it’s a routine that stays with us throughout our lives. It is an important part of personal health, for teeth serve a very important purpose: without them, eating your favourite meals would be very difficult! Teeth can decay easily if they are not looked after, which results in the need to have fillings or extraction. So, what can we do to make sure we have healthy, clean teeth? We’ve already mentioned how important regular brushing is, but have you considered flossing? It is highly recommended by dentists, and many believe it should be a vital part of your daily routine. Even if you have a busy schedule – perhaps … Read more

Is it Possible to Regrow Teeth Enamel?

According to the National Institutes of Health the most prevalent form of chronic disease is tooth decay. Janet Moradian-Oldak at USC has  investigated methods to regrow tooth enamel which is a difficult undertaking as tooth enamel is not a living tissue. She collaborated with Sauma Prajapati and others to investigate matrix metalloproteinase-20, an enzyme found only in teeth which facilitate organized enamel crystal formation. Her team is the first to define the function of an enzyme for preventing protein occlusion inside a crystal. MMP-20 is released at a very early stage of enamel formation. MMP-20 chops up proteins during the crystallization of enamel. Together with other enzymes, it gets rid of ‘sludge’ so the enamel making cells in the body can add more mineral and make enamel, the hardest bioceramic in the human body. The team also looked an amelogenin-chitosan hydrogel which could repair early tooth decay … Read more

Does the Sound of the Toothbrush Brushing Effect Quality?

A group  of researchers in Japan have discovered that how effectively we clean our teeth and how satisfied we are with quality of the brushing depends on the sound of the bristles scrubbing against the enamel.  The team used a tiny microphone in a modified toothbrush to ‘sample’ the sound being made in the mouth during brushing and to modulate it and then feed that sound back to a group of volunteers via headphones to see what effect the sound has on cleaning efficacy and satisfaction. The team found that if they manipulated the pitch, or loudness and frequency, of the brushing sound they could change the volunteers’ perception of comfort experienced and accomplishment of brushing. It was also demonstrated that if they gradually increased the frequency as teeth cleaning progressed, the volunteers felt like the process was more comfortable and at the end of … Read more