teeth

Clean eating: Your teeth are what you eat

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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

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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?

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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?

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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

No Drill Dentistry Can Prevent Tooth Decay

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Research published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology has shown that the need for fillings can be reduced by 30 to 50% through preventative oral care. This means that many previous fillings are not needed when dental decay occurs. As such a preventative approach can be beneficial when compared to current dental practices. Dentistry has been traditionally practiced with the believe that tooth decay rapidly progressed and the best way to manage it was to identify early decay and remove it quickly to prevent the tooth surface form developing cavities. After the decay is removed the tooth is restored with a filling material. Fifty years of research studies have shown that decay is not always progressive and develops more slowly than previously thought. It can take an average of four to eight years for decay to progress from the tooth’s outer layer to the … Read more