Category Archives: Oral Care

How to Cure Smokers Lips

Smokers lips - fine lines around the mouth

Before we start discussing about lip care for habitual smokers let us first have look at what smoking does to your mouth and lips. Smoking is not only bad for your health, it spoils your facial beauty too by causing lip darkening, dry skin and it also sometimes cause what is commonly known as smoker’s lips. Smoker’s lip refers to those fine lines around the mouth. These lines, even though are not always due to smoking, the latter is responsible to a great extent for those drawstring like lines around the mouth. It gives your mouth a puckered look and makes you look much older. Now let us see what other damage smoking does to our health and looks. Continue reading →

Fluoride Dental Treatments

© oralb.com

Lifelong protection against tooth cavitiesresults from continuous use of low-concentration fluoride. When communal-water supplies are available, water fluoridation clearly represents the most effective, efficient, and economical of all known measures for the prevention of tooth decay. Unfortunately, fluoride in water is available to only about two-thirds of the population. Thus it is obvious that additional measures by the dental profession are needed to provide greater protection against cavities. Continue reading →

How Does Plaque Affect the Teeth?

What is dental plaque?

Dental plaque is a biofilm (consists of bacteria, saliva )  which is found on tooth surface. It is normally pale yellow in color and initially can be scraped/removed by tooth brushing and flossing. Continue reading →

How to Design a Dental Office

One of the most valuable and lasting improvements that any dentist can contribute to a successful practice is an investment in great office design. Whether remodeling an existing office or creating a brand new facility from scratch, there are several essential elements to focus on in designing an office that will help create a more productive, comfortable, quiet and user-friendly practice. There are many distinct styles of practice. Clearly, dental office design is an individual matter based on one’s needs and budget. Nevertheless, the following key issues are common to any office: esthetics; the empowerment of key personnel; controlling noise; and creating rapid access to key equipment and materials. Continue reading →

Dental Fluoride Safety

© Vital Press · Geir Bjørklund

In general, safety concerns about dental fluoride and fluoridation relate to a number of factors, including toxicity of fluoride, total fluoride intake, fluoride absorption, the impact on human health, the effect on the environment, water quality, and the engineering aspects.

Anti-fluoridation groups frequently and inappropriately exhibit photographs of children and/or adults having severe fluorosis in which pitting or mottling of the enamel and brown stains are evident and put the blame on  water fluoridation, often describing dental fluorosis as a major risk factor for people of all ages. In making dental-health decisions, the risk of developing very mild fluorosis versus the benefit of decreased tooth cavities and dental treatment costs should be considered. Continue reading →

How to Evaluate Electric-Toothbrush Brands

A majority of dental problems, such as tooth decay, cavities, gum disease and bad breath can be prevented by simple, home oral care. Unfortunately most of us don’t do a very good job of it. Using an electric toothbrush can alleviate many of the mistakes we make when brushing our teeth, from applying too much pressure, or just not brushing long enough. Electric toothbrushes are powered-tooth cleaners that are designed to give a deep cleaning to get rid of plaque and food debris within the mouth. Some electric toothbrushes can retail for less than $20 while other higher-end models run upwards of $100. Here are some things to look for to get the best electric toothbrush for yourself and your family. Continue reading →

How to Ease A Toothache By Acupressure

Picture 1: Position the tip of a finger in front of your ear hole

Acupressure uses gentle but firm hand pressure against meridian points in the body to release tension, enhance body circulation and promotes body relaxation and is an ideal treatment to relieve pain. Long before the invention of modern pain medication, people used pressure points to relieve toothache pain. Unlike acupuncture–which involves inserting thin needles into meridians and requires more training–a novice can generally perform acupressure anytime pain rears its head. And few pains are as frustrating as toothaches. Acupressure to relieve toothache pain is slowly becoming popular nowadays. As a number of over-the-counter medications become available to relieve toothache pain, the awareness to explore alternative relief also increases. All you have to do is press the points shown to you here. Continue reading →

What Is Dental Fluoride?

© greenuphealth.com

Fluoride is widely used to prevent cavities or tooth decay. The cavity reduction that has been achieved by the use of fluoride has been a major public health accomplishment. However the use of fluoride has been subjected to dissent by anti-fluoride organizations for its side effects. But before you join en-masse, you should know the importance and safety precautions of fluoride, then decide for yourself whether you could benefit from using fluoride. Continue reading →

How Does Toothpaste Work?

© Health Now Medical

Dentifrices and mouthrinses are the major products for routinely administering effective cosmetic and therapeutic agents in the mouth. These products are the most widely used by consumers, generating the largest sales of all dental products. Besides attempting to prevent tooth decay, it is also becoming increasingly common for manufacturers to add therapeutic or preventive agents to reduce gum disease (gingivitis) and tartar (calculus) formation. A few toothpastes also contain desensitizing agents. Continue reading →