Tooth Tip Tuesday

Fructose damages more than just teeth. Studies find link to cancer.

By Craig @ 2010-08-03 09:20:21 / 0 comments

Fructose, found mainly in high fructose corn syrup, does damage to more than just your teeth. Constant consumption of sugar leads to decay and possible loss of your teeth. But what happens beyond the chompers?

A team from UCLA found that tumor cells fed and proliferated on fructose. Their research links fructose intake with the deadly pancreatic cancer.

"These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation," Dr. Anthony Heaney of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and colleagues wrote.

"They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth."

Here is a link and credit to the actual article by Maggie Fox and Reuters. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38528161/ns/health-cancer/

We would also like to remind others to donate to cancer research. Also please let others know that we provide a free smile makeover to a survivor of breast cancer through our Survivor Bright Smiles program.

Elephant teeth

By Craig @ 2010-07-16 21:04:37 / 0 comments

Now that we know why we have wisdom teeth. See previous blog about previous use of our 3rd molars. How is the wisdom teeth example like elephants?

Elephants have a better example of that conveyor belt of teeth as explained before. Tusks are their incisors or anterior teeth. Elephants usually have 8 teeth in their mouth at one time. There are 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom.

Baby elephants start with a smaller 1st molar and a 2nd. Elephants chew in a front to back motion rather than a side to side one like cows. So the very front of the anterior molar does the hard work and eventually chips. Then the back tooth pushes forward. Just like a conveyor belt. They have 6 sets of these teeth pushing forward as one gradually chips off. They also get progressively bigger. The last one is about 8in x 3in (21cm x 7cm) and weighs 8 lbs (4 kgs). Looks like a brick.

So this conveyor progression continues with the last tooth. The last one wears away around 60 years old in certain species. Sorry, no dentists to make dentures for the old elephants. And there tends to be a lack of applesauce and yogurt in the wild. Older elephants migrate to marshy and swampy areas because the food is softer and easier to eat. These elephants then die of malnutrition and starvation. The places where they die have been given the term "elephant graveyard". And it's due to their teeth or lack thereof.

Why do we still have wisdom teeth?

By Craig @ 2010-07-16 20:15:15 / 0 comments

So why do we have still have wisdom teeth or 3rd molars? We don't use them. They errupt around 18-26 years old. Most of the time coming in impacted leading to jaw pain and ruining perfectly aligned teeth.

The answer is simple. Modern dentistry has rendered wisdom teeth useless. The 1st molars errupt around the age of 6 years old. They are then hammered by acids and sugars in food. They hold up remarkably well considering the human jaw can generate 200 lbs of pressure. Then the 2nd molars erupt at 12 years old giving the mouth a fresh new pair of chompers.

Now, teeth like to move or touch each other. So if the 1st molars have been broken down, the 2nds try to fill "the hole". Round 3, or wisdom teeth, come in later making a crude attempt to push things forward if any tooth anterior to it didn't handle 18 years of getting beat up. Compare it to a curde conveyor belt of replacement teeth.

Today, teeth can be protected by sealants. If necessary, they can be repaired by fillings or crowns. Now there are no holes for that conveyor belt to work properly. Humans and modern technology created their own problem - impacted wisdom teeth. But then, what is worse? Impacted teeth that can be easily removed or several abcesses caused by infected teeth.

Here's a very interesting comparison to the animal kingdom. The link will lead to another page of this blog.

Photo credit: wikipedia

Canker sores vs cold sores

By Craig @ 2010-07-13 15:53:26 / 0 comments

Canker sores [apthous ulcers] are often confused with fever blisters [cold sores]. They are quite different, however. Canker sores are only found inside the mouth on the gums, cheeks, tongue or floor of the mouth. They cannot be transmitted from one individual to another.

Cold sores are found outside the mouth, usually on the lips but may appear on the chin, outside of the cheek or the nostrils. They begin as a red blister, burst and crust over. The cycle takes 7-14 days to heal. Cold sores, caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus, are contagious, being transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. The virus is dormant most of the time and is carried by almost everyone. Fever blisters occur most often in young adults and adolescents and decline in people over 35 years of age. Certain factors activate its outbreak, particularly stress, colds, fevers and/or sunburn.

To reduce occurrences, avoid kissing when the blisters are visible; don't squeeze or scrape the blister; wash your hands thoroughly before touching someone else; and use UV sunscreen on your lips before spending time in the sun.

Treatment of cold sores includes avoiding spicy and hot foods that will irritate them, application of phenol-containing over-the-counter ointments and administration of some anti-viral antibiotics that will shorten their duration but not prevent their outbreak. With a quick visit to our office, we can prescribe this medication.

Canker sores begin as small red circular swellings that usually ulcerate [rupture] within a day, after which they become white, surrounded by reddish inflammation. They last 8-10 days. As open sores, they can be very painful to the touch. Canker sores afflict about 20% of the population. Their cause has yet to be discovered, although they appear to breakout more in stressful situations, from getting a small "nick" in the skin [mucous membrane] or from foods such as citrus fruits and tomatoes. While they can occur in very young children, they are usually first seen between the ages of 10-20. It's not uncommon for them to erupt 3-4 times a year, but they occur less frequently or stop all together in adults.

When experiencing canker sores, avoid rough textured or spicy foods that will irritate them. Try not to touch them with eating utensils or your toothbrush. Apply ointment that contains a topical anesthetic or some other active ingredient that will relieve the irritation. At our office we have Negatan which stops the irritation and starts the healing.