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Yes, you do need to clean your tongue. Here’s how and why

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dileep-sharma-1562149">Dileep Sharma</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p>Has your doctor asked you to stick out your tongue and say “aaah”? While the GP assesses your throat, they’re also checking out your tongue, which can reveal a lot about your health.</p> <p>The doctor will look for any changes in the tongue’s surface or how it moves. This can indicate issues in the mouth itself, as well as the state of your overall health and immunity.</p> <p>But there’s no need to wait for a trip to the doctor. Cleaning your tongue <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21797979/">twice a day</a> can help you check how your tongue looks and feels – and improve your breath.</p> <h2>What does a healthy tongue look like?</h2> <p>Our tongue plays a crucial role in eating, talking and other vital functions. It is not a single muscle but rather a muscular organ, made up of eight muscle pairs that help it move.</p> <p>The surface of the tongue is covered by tiny bumps that can be seen and felt, called papillae, giving it a rough surface.</p> <p>These are sometimes mistaken for taste buds – they’re not. Of your 200,000-300,000 papillae, only a small fraction contain taste buds. Adults have up to 10,000 taste buds and they are invisible to the naked eye, concentrated mainly on the tip, sides and back of the tongue.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uYvpUl7li9Y?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>A healthy tongue is pink although the shade may vary from person to person, ranging from dark to light <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24600-tongue-color">pink</a>.</p> <p>A small amount of white coating can be normal. But significant changes or discolouration may indicate a disease or <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/tongue-problems-2">other issues</a>.</p> <h2>How should I clean my tongue?</h2> <p>Cleaning your tongue only takes around 10-15 seconds, but it’s is a good way to check in with your health and can easily be incorporated into your teeth brushing routine.</p> <p>You can clean your tongue by gently scrubbing it with a regular toothbrush. This dislodges any food debris and helps prevent microbes building up on its rough textured surface.</p> <p>Or you can use a special <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26865433/">tongue scraper</a>. These curved instruments are made of metal or plastic, and can be used alone or accompanied by scrubbing with your toothbrush.</p> <p>Your co-workers will thank you as well – cleaning your tongue can help combat <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24165218/">stinky breath</a>. Tongue scrapers are particularly <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15341360/">effective</a> at removing the bacteria that commonly causes bad breath, hidden in the tongue’s surface.</p> <h2>What’s that stuff on my tongue?</h2> <p>So, you’re checking your tongue during your twice-daily clean, and you notice something different. Noting these signs is the first step. If you observe any changes and they worry you, you should talk to your GP.</p> <p>Here’s what your tongue might be telling you.</p> <p><em><strong>White coating</strong></em></p> <p>Developing a white coating on the tongue’s surface is one of the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31309703/">most common changes</a> in healthy people. This can happen if you stop brushing or scraping the tongue, even for a few days.</p> <p>In this case, food debris and microbes have accumulated and caused plaque. Gentle scrubbing or scraping will remove this coating. Removing microbes reduces the risk of chronic infections, which can be transferred to other organs and cause <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41368-022-00163-7">serious illnesses</a>.</p> <p><em><strong>Yellow coating</strong></em></p> <p>This may indicate oral thrush, a <a href="https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/oral-thrush-adults">fungal infection</a> that leaves a raw surface when scrubbed.</p> <p>Oral thrush is <a href="https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2008/1001/p845.html">common</a> in elderly people who take multiple medications or have diabetes. It can also affect children and young adults after an illness, due to the temporary <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7636666/">suppression of the immune system</a> or <a href="https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=candidiasis-in-children-90-P01888">antibiotic</a> use.</p> <p>If you have oral thrush, a doctor will usually prescribe a course of anti-fungal medication for at least a month.</p> <p><em><strong>Black coating</strong></em></p> <p>Smoking or consuming a lot of strong-coloured food and drink – such as tea and coffee, or dishes with tumeric – can cause a furry appearance. This is known as a <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17918-black-hairy-tongue">black hairy tongue</a>. It’s not hair, but an overgrowth of bacteria which may indicate poor oral hygiene.</p> <p><em><strong>Pink patches</strong></em></p> <p>Pink patches surrounded by a white border can make your tongue look like a map – this is called “<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/geographic-tongue/symptoms-causes/syc-20354396">geographic tongue</a>”. It’s <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/geographic-tongue/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354401">not known</a> what causes this condition, which usually doesn’t require treatment.</p> <p><em><strong>Pain and inflammation</strong></em></p> <p>A red, sore tongue can indicate a <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003047.htm">range of issues</a>, including:</p> <ul> <li>nutritional deficiencies such as folic acid or vitamin B12</li> <li>diseases including <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22377-pernicious-anemia">pernicious</a> anaemia, <a href="https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/kawasaki_disease/">Kawasaki disease</a> and <a href="https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/health-a-to-z/scarlet-fever">scarlet fever</a></li> <li>inflammation known as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560627/">glossitis</a></li> <li>injury from hot beverages or food</li> <li>ulcers, including cold sores and canker sores</li> <li><a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/burning-mouth">burning mouth syndrome</a>.</li> </ul> <p><em><strong>Dryness</strong></em></p> <p>Many medications can cause dry mouth, also called xerostomia. These include antidepressants, anti-psychotics, muscle relaxants, pain killers, antihistamines and diuretics. If your mouth is very dry, it may hurt.</p> <h2>What about cancer?</h2> <p>White or red patches on the tongue that can’t be scraped off, are long-standing or growing need to checked out by a dental professional as soon as possible, as do painless ulcers. These are at a <a href="https://oralcancerfoundation.org/cdc/premalignant-lesions/">higher risk</a> of turning into cancer, compared to other parts of the mouth.</p> <p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36852511/">Oral cancers</a> have low survival rates due to delayed detection – and they are on the rise. So <a href="https://youtu.be/Y6QkKhEjS5M">checking your tongue</a> for changes in colour, texture, sore spots or ulcers is <a href="https://www.dhsv.org.au/oral-health-programs/oral-cancer-screening-and-prevention">critical</a>.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237130/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dileep-sharma-1562149">Dileep Sharma</a>, Professor and Head of Discipline - Oral Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-you-do-need-to-clean-your-tongue-heres-how-and-why-237130">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Why isn’t dental included in Medicare? It’s time to change this – here’s how

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-breadon-1348098">Peter Breadon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-griffiths-94706">Kate Griffiths</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a></em></p> <p>When the forerunner of Medicare was established in the 1970s, dental care was left out. Australians are still suffering the consequences half a century later.</p> <p>Patients pay much more of the cost of dental care than they do for other kinds of care.</p> <p><a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/Schneider_Mirror_Mirror_2021.pdf">More</a> Australians delay or skip dental care because of cost than their peers in most wealthy countries.</p> <p>And as our dental health gets <a href="https://theconversation.com/reform-delay-causes-dental-decay-its-time-for-a-national-deal-to-fund-dental-care-217914">worse</a>, fees keep on rising.</p> <p>For decades, a litany of reports and inquiries have called for universal dental coverage to solve these problems.</p> <p>Now, with the Greens <a href="https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/tax-big-corporate-profits-fix-peoples-teeth-greens">proposing</a> it and Labor backbenchers <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/dental-on-medicare-must-be-next-frontier-for-labor-backbenchers/news-story/1c69314d7609815b937ced5af4542ba0">supporting</a> it, could it finally be time to put the mouth into Medicare?</p> <h2>What’s stopping us?</h2> <p>The Australian Dental Association <a href="https://ada.org.au/ada-responds-to-the-greens-dentistry-in-medicare-proposal">says</a> the idea is too ambitious and too costly, pointing out it would need many more dental workers. They say the government should start small, focusing on the most vulnerable populations, initially seniors.</p> <p>Starting small is sensible, but finishing small would be a mistake.</p> <p>Dental costs aren’t just a problem for the most vulnerable, or the elderly. More than <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-services/patient-experiences/2022-23/patient_experience_202223_tables_13_to_15.xlsx">two million</a> Australians avoid dental care because of the cost.</p> <p>More than <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/a053aa74-c471-436e-ab7e-a82e83ae73a3/aihw_den_231_dentalcare_oralhealthanddentalcareinaustralia_tranche7_21NOV2023.xlsx">four in ten</a> adults usually wait more than a year before seeing a dental professional.</p> <p>Bringing dental into Medicare will require many thousands of new dental workers. But it will be possible if the scheme is <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/915-Filling-the-gap-A-universal-dental-scheme-for-Australia.pdf">phased in</a> over ten years.</p> <p>The real reason dental hasn’t been added to Medicare is it would cost billions of dollars. The federal government doesn’t have that kind of money lying around.</p> <p>Australia has a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-budget-is-full-of-good-news-but-good-news-isnt-the-same-as-good-management-230110">structural budget problem</a>. Government spending is growing faster than revenue, because we are a relatively <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/can-we-talk-about-a-fairer-more-prosperous-australia/">low-tax country with high service expectations</a>.</p> <p>The growing cost of health care is a major contributor, with hospitals and medical benefits among the top six fastest-growing major payments.</p> <p>The structural gap is only <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/publication/2023-intergenerational-report">likely to grow</a> without major policy changes.</p> <p>So, can we afford health care for all? We can. But we should do it with smart choices on dental care, and tough choices to raise revenue and reduce spending elsewhere.</p> <h2>Smart choices about a new dental scheme</h2> <p>The first step is to avoid repeating the mistakes of Medicare.</p> <p>Medicare payments to private businesses haven’t attracted them to a lot of the communities that need them the most. Many rural and disadvantaged areas are <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-you-live-in-a-bulk-billing-desert-its-hard-to-see-a-doctor-for-free-heres-how-to-fix-this-204029">bulk-billing deserts</a> with too few GPs.</p> <p>The poorest areas have more than <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/A-new-Medicare-strengthening-general-practice-Grattan-Report.pdf">twice</a> the psychological distress of the wealthiest areas, but they get about half the Medicare-funded mental health services.</p> <p>As a result, government money isn’t going where it will make the biggest difference.</p> <p>There are about <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dental-oral-health/oral-health-and-dental-care-in-australia/contents/hospitalisations/potentially-preventable-hospitalisations">80,000</a> hospital visits each year for dental problems that could have been avoided with dental care. If there is too little care in disadvantaged and rural communities, where oral health is worst, that number will remain high.</p> <p>That’s why a significant share of new investment should be quarantined for public dental services, with those services targeted to areas where people are missing out on care.</p> <p>Another problem with Medicare is its payments often have little relationship to the cost of care, or the impact that care has on the patient’s health.</p> <p>To tamp down costs, Medicare funding for dental care should exclude cosmetic treatments and orthodontics. It should be based on efficient workforce models where dental assistants and therapists use all their skills – you might not always need to see a dentist.</p> <p>The funding <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2019-06/apo-nid241086.pdf">model</a> should take account of a patient’s needs, reward giving them ongoing care, and have a <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/915-Filling-the-gap-A-universal-dental-scheme-for-Australia.pdf">cap</a> on spending per patient.</p> <p>Oral health should be measured and recorded, to make sure patients and taxpayers are getting results.</p> <h2>Tough choices to balance the budget</h2> <p>Those steps would slash the cost of The Greens’ plan, which is hard to estimate but might reach more than <a href="https://www.pbo.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/Putting%20dental%20care%20into%20Medicare.pdf">$20 billion</a> a year once it’s phased in. Instead, the cost would fall to roughly <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/filling-the-gap/">$7 billion</a> a year.</p> <p>That would be a good investment. But if you’re worried about where the money will come from, there are good ways to pay for it.</p> <p>Many reforms could reduce government health budgets without harming patients.</p> <p>There is waste in government funding of <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/935-blood-money.pdf">pathology</a> tests and <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/823-Premium-Policy4.pdf">less cost-effective</a> medicines.</p> <p>In some hospitals, there are <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/806-costly-care.pdf">excessive costs</a> and potentially harmful <a href="https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/qhc/28/3/205.full.pdf">low-value care</a>.</p> <p>Over the longer-term, investments in <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-Australian-Centre-for-Disease-Control-ACDC-Highway-to-Health-Grattan-Report.pdf">prevention</a> can reduce demand for health care. A <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sickly-Sweet-Grattan-Institute-Report-May-2024.pdf">tax on sugary drinks</a>, for example, would improve health while raising hundreds of millions of dollars a year.</p> <p>Measures like this would help the government pay for more dental care. But demand for health care will keep growing as the population ages, and as expensive <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-11/proposal-to-speed-up-medicine-approvals/104338766">new treatments</a> arrive.</p> <p>This means a broader strategy is needed to meet the three goals of balancing the budget, keeping up with growing health-care demand, and bringing dental into Medicare.</p> <p>There are no easy solutions, but there are many options to reduce spending and boost revenue without hurting economic growth.</p> <p>Choosing Australia’s infrastructure and defence megaprojects <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/back-in-black-a-menu-of-measures-to-repair-the-budget/">more wisely</a> could save several billion dollars each year.</p> <p>Undoing Western Australia’s special GST funding deal – <a href="https://www.austaxpolicy.com/western-australia-gst-deal-the-worst-australian-public-policy-decision-of-the-21st-century-thus-far/">described</a> by economist Saul Eslake as “the worst Australian public policy decision of the 21st Century thus far” – would save another <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/back-in-black-a-menu-of-measures-to-repair-the-budget/">$5 billion</a> a year.</p> <p>Reducing income tax breaks and tax minimisation opportunities – including by reining in superannuation tax concessions, reducing the capital gains tax discount, limiting negative gearing, and setting a minimum tax on trust distributions – could raise more than <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/back-in-black-a-menu-of-measures-to-repair-the-budget/">$20 billion</a> a year.</p> <p>Major tax reform like this offers economic benefits while creating space for better services such as universal dental coverage.</p> <p>No one likes spending cuts and tax hikes, but they will be needed <a href="https://theconversation.com/chalmers-has-a-70-billion-a-year-budget-hole-here-are-13-ways-to-fill-it-203331">sooner or later</a> regardless. Dental coverage might be just the sweetener taxpayers need to accept it.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/239086/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-breadon-1348098"><em>Peter Breadon</em></a><em>, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-griffiths-94706">Kate Griffiths</a>, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-isnt-dental-included-in-medicare-its-time-to-change-this-heres-how-239086">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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You’re probably brushing your teeth wrong – here are four tips for better dental health

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clement-seeballuck-583867">Clement Seeballuck</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicola-innes-388237">Nicola Innes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a></em></p> <p>We all know the advice for healthy teeth – brush twice daily and don’t eat too much sugar. So why do those of us following these instructions find we sometimes need a filling when we visit the dentist? The truth is, there’s a little more to preventing tooth decay than these guidelines suggest. Here’s what you need to know.</p> <h2>Brush up on your skills</h2> <p>How you brush makes a big difference. The mechanical act of brushing removes the very sticky dental plaque – a mixture of bacteria, their acids and sticky byproducts and food remnants. It forms naturally on teeth immediately after you’ve eaten but doesn’t get nasty and start to cause damage to the teeth until it reaches a certain stage of maturity. The exact amount of time this takes isn’t known but is at least more than 12 hours.</p> <p>Bacteria consume sugar and, as a byproduct, produce acids which dissolve mineral out of the teeth, leaving microscopic holes we can’t see. If the process isn’t stopped and they aren’t repaired, these can become big, visible cavities.</p> <p>Taking two minutes to brush your teeth is a good target for removing plaque and you should brush at night and one other time daily. Brushing frequently stops the bacteria developing to a stage where the species which produce the most acid can become established.</p> <p>Electric toothbrushes can be <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD002281/ORAL_poweredelectric-toothbrushes-compared-to-manual-toothbrushes-for-maintaining-oral-health">more effective than manual brushing</a> and a small toothbrush head helps to reach awkward areas in the mouth, while medium-textured bristles help you clean effectively without causing harm to gums and teeth. The main thing, however, is to get brushing!</p> <h2>Use fluoride toothpaste and disclosing tablets</h2> <p>Most of the benefit from brushing comes from toothpaste. The key ingredient is fluoride, which evidence shows <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD002278/full#CD002278-abs-0003">prevents tooth decay</a>. Fluoride replaces lost minerals in teeth and also makes them stronger.</p> <p>For maximum benefit, <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD007868/ORAL_comparison-between-different-concentrations-of-fluoride-toothpaste-for-preventing-tooth-decay-in-children-and-adolescents">use toothpaste with 1350-1500 ppmF</a> – that’s concentration of fluoride in parts per million – to prevent tooth decay.</p> <p>Check your toothpaste’s concentration by reading the ingredients on the back of the tube. <a href="https://theconversation.com/childrens-toothpaste-the-facts-80508">Not all children’s toothpastes are strong enough</a> for them to gain maximum benefit. Your dentist may prescribe higher strength fluoride toothpaste based on their assessment of your or your child’s risk of tooth decay.</p> <p>Plaque is difficult to see because it is whitish, like your teeth. Disclosing tablets are available in supermarkets and chemists and they make plaque more visible, showing areas you may have missed when brushing.</p> <h2>Spit, don’t rinse</h2> <p>At night, you produce less saliva than during the day. Because of this, your teeth have less protection from saliva and are more vulnerable to acid attacks. That’s why it’s important to remove food from your teeth before bed so plaque bacteria can’t feast overnight. Don’t eat or drink anything except water <a href="https://www.sign.ac.uk/assets/sign138.pdf">after brushing at night</a>. This also gives fluoride the longest opportunity to work.</p> <p>Once you’ve brushed, don’t rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash – you’re washing away the fluoride! This can be a difficult habit to break, but can <a href="https://www.sign.ac.uk/assets/sign138.pdf">reduce tooth decay by up to 25%</a>.</p> <h2>No more than four ‘sugar hits’</h2> <p>Intrinsic sugars are found naturally in foods like fruit and they are far less likely to cause tooth decay than added or <a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/sugar-salt-and-fat/free-sugars">free sugars</a>. Free sugars are generally those added to foods by manufacturers but also include honey, syrup and fruit juices.</p> <p>These are all easy for bacteria to consume, metabolise and produce acids from. However, it can be difficult to tell which are the worst sugars for teeth. For example, although normal amounts of fruit are fine, fruit juices have sugar liberated from the plant cells and heavy consumption can cause decay.</p> <p><a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/guidelines/sugars_intake/en/">The World Health Organization</a> and <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/how-much-sugar-is-good-for-me/">NHS</a> recommend free sugars should ideally make up less than 5% of your daily calorie intake. So what does this look like? For adults and children over about 11 years old, this is around 30g – about eight teaspoons – of sugar daily.</p> <p>A 330ml can of Coke has <a href="https://www.coca-cola.co.uk/drinks/coca-cola/coca-cola">35g of sugar</a>. The <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phe.c4lfoodsmart&amp;hl=en_GB">change4life app</a> is helpful to track how much sugar you consume in your diet.</p> <p>Although not as important as how much, how often you eat sugar also matters. Simple carbohydrates like sugar are easier for bacteria to digest than proteins or complex carbohydrates. Bacteria produce acids after they metabolise sugar which causes demineralisation.</p> <p>Fortunately, through the actions of fluoride toothpaste and the remineralising effects of saliva, your teeth can recover from the early stages of these attacks. It’s like having a set of scales – trying to keep the balance between sugars on one side, fluoride toothpaste and cleaning on the other.</p> <p>Typically, your teeth can be exposed to four “sugar hits” – episodes of sugar intake – daily without irreversible damage to the teeth. Why not try counting how many sugary hits you have a day? This includes biscuits, cups of sugary tea or coffee and other snacks with refined carbohydrates like crisps. A simple way of cutting down would be to stop putting sugar in hot drinks and limiting snacking.</p> <p>Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, spit don’t rinse, eat and drink nothing after brushing, and don’t have sugar more than four times daily. Easy!<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103959/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clement-seeballuck-583867">Clement Seeballuck</a>, Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicola-innes-388237">Nicola Innes</a>, Professor of Paediatric Dentistry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/youre-probably-brushing-your-teeth-wrong-here-are-four-tips-for-better-dental-health-103959">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Dental staff fired for mocking cancer patient’s private diary

<p>Shocking video has emerged of two dental staff reading a cancer patient's private diary aloud while laughing and mocking her concerns. </p> <p>The video which captured the American employees at  Premier Dental Group (PDG) of Knoxville laughing as they read the private diary entries was captioned: "Found a patients journal and now it's story time lmao."</p> <p>The footage was reportedly filmed by another staff member who could be heard giggling throughout the video, according to the<em> New York Post.</em> </p> <p>A woman in black scrubs was filmed reading passages from the diary to others in the room and describing the radiation treatments  the worried patient faces. </p> <p>Another woman was sitting cross-legged on the office floor and listening intently, a male employee was also in the room but he did not intervene or join in with the women.</p> <p>It’s not clear how staff obtained access to the patient’s private journal, or why they decided to read it.</p> <p>The video sparked outrage across social media, with  Premier Dental Group of Knoxville having to share an apology on Facebook acknowledging the incident. </p> <p>"Premier Dental Group of Knoxville is aware of a recent incident involving an inappropriate video created and shared by some of our employees that addressed an individual’s medical condition in a disrespectful and unprofessional manner.”</p> <p>“We deeply regret this incident and the hurt [it] has caused,” they wrote in the statement which has now been deleted. </p> <p>A spokesperson for PDG confirmed to the <em>New York Post</em> the female employees involved in the incident were fired “effective immediately”.</p> <p>After an investigation it was determined that the male employee in the video did not participate and kept his job. </p> <p>“We are committed to maintaining a respectful and professional environment for everyone, and we will continue to take necessary actions to uphold these standards,” the practice said.</p> <p><em>Images: news.com.au</em></p>

Caring

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Eating leafy greens could be better for oral health than using mouthwash

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mia-cousins-burleigh-1201153">Mia Cousins Burleigh</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-west-of-scotland-1385">University of the West of Scotland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/siobhan-paula-moran-1506183">Siobhan Paula Moran</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-west-of-scotland-1385">University of the West of Scotland</a></em></p> <p>Over half the adult population in the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26052472">UK and US</a> have gum disease. Typical treatments include <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61912-4">mouthwash</a> and in severe cases, <a href="https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/vetn.2017.8.10.542">antibiotics</a>. These treatments have side effects, such as dry mouth, the development of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30967854/">antimicrobial resistance</a> and increased <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61912-4">blood pressure</a>.</p> <p>But research has indicated that a molecule called <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69931-x">nitrate</a>, which is found in leafy green vegetables, has fewer side effects and offers greater benefits for oral health. And it could be used as a natural alternative for treating oral disease.</p> <p>Inadequate brushing and flossing leads to the build up of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69931-x">dental plaque</a>, a sticky layer of bacteria, on the surface of teeth and gums. Plaque causes tooth decay and gum disease. Sugary and acidic foods, dry mouth, and smoking can also contribute to bad breath, tooth decay, and gum infections.</p> <p>The two main types of gum disease are gingivitis and periodontitis. <a href="https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/etm.2019.8381">Gingivitis</a> causes redness, swelling and bleeding of the gums. <a href="https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/etm.2019.8381">Periodontitis</a> is a more advanced form of gum disease, causing damage to the soft tissues and bones supporting the teeth.</p> <p>Periodontal disease can therefore, lead to tooth loss and, when bacteria from the mouth enter the bloodstream, can also contribute to the development of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam2015163">systemic disorders</a> such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.</p> <h2>Leafy greens may be the secret</h2> <p>Leafy greens and root vegetables are bursting with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666149723000312">vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants</a> – and it’s no secret that a diet consisting of these vegetables is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight, boosting the immune system, and preventing <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2048004016661435">heart disease, cancer and diabetes.</a> The multiple health benefits of leafy greens are partly because spinach, lettuce and beetroots are brimming with <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69931-x">nitrate</a>, which can be reduced to nitric oxide by nitrate-reducing bacteria inside the mouth.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7zrRlMGeBes?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Popeye knew a thing or two about the health benefits of eating leafy greens. Boomerang Official, 2017.</span></figcaption></figure> <p>Nitric oxide is known to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006295222004191">lower blood pressure</a> and improve <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243755#:%7E:text=Nitrate%2Drich%20beetroot%20juice%20offsets,healthy%20male%20runners%20%7C%20PLOS%20ONE">exercise performance</a>. However, in the mouth, it helps to prevent the overgrowth of bad bacteria and reduces <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243755#:%7E:text=Nitrate%2Drich%20beetroot%20juice%20offsets,healthy%20male%20runners%20%7C%20PLOS%20ONE">oral acidity</a>, both of which can cause gum disease and tooth decay.</p> <p>As part of our research on nitrate and oral health, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243755#:%7E:text=Nitrate%2Drich%20beetroot%20juice%20offsets,healthy%20male%20runners%20%7C%20PLOS%20ONE">we studied competitive athletes</a>. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9839431/">Athletes are prone to gum disease</a> due to high intake of carbohydrates – which can cause inflammation of the gum tissues – stress, and dry mouth from breathing hard during training.</p> <p>Our study showed that beetroot juice (containing approximately 12 <a href="https://www.nursingtimes.net/students/an-easy-guide-to-mmols-09-02-2012/">millimole</a> of nitrate) protected their teeth from acidic sports drinks and carbohydrate gels during exercise – suggesting that nitrate could be used as a prebiotic by athletes to reduce the risk of tooth decay.</p> <p>Nitrate offers a lot of promise as an oral health <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69931-x">prebiotic</a>. Good oral hygiene and a nitrate rich diet could be the key to a healthier body, a vibrant smile and disease-free gums. This is good news for those most at risk of oral health deterioration such as <a href="https://www.news-medical.net/health/Periodontitis-and-Pregnancy.aspx">pregnant women</a>, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8771712/">the elderly</a>.</p> <p>In the UK, antiseptic mouthwashes containing <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61912-4">chlorhexidine</a> are commonly used to treat dental plaque and gum disease. Unfortunately, these mouthwashes are a blunderbuss approach to oral health, as they indiscriminately remove both good and bad bacteria and increase oral acidity, which can cause disease.</p> <p>Worryingly, early research also indicates that chlorhexidine may contribute to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30967854/">antimicrobial resistance</a>. Resistance occurs when bacteria and fungi survive the effects of one or more <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4768623/">antimicrobial drugs</a> due to repeated exposure to these treatments. Antimicrobial resistance is a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02724-0/fulltext">global health concern</a>, predicted to cause 10 million deaths yearly by the year 2050.</p> <p>In contrast, dietary nitrate is more targeted. Nitrate eliminates disease-associated bacteria, reduces oral acidity and creates a balanced <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2944498/">oral microbiome</a>. The oral microbiome refers to all the microorganisms in the mouth. Nitrate offers exciting potential as an <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69931-x">oral health prebiotic</a>, which can be used to prevent disease onset or limit disease progression.</p> <h2>How many leafy greens for pearly whites?</h2> <p>So how much should we consume daily? As a rule of thumb, a generous helping of spinach, kale or beetroot at mealtimes contains about 6-10 mmol of nitrate and offers immediate health benefits.</p> <p>Work we have done with our collaborators has shown that treating <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69931-x">plaque samples</a> from periodontal disease patients with 6.5 mmol of nitrate increased healthy bacteria levels and reduced acidity.</p> <p>For example, consuming <a href="https://aap.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/JPER.20-0778">lettuce juice</a> for two weeks reduced gum inflammation and increased healthy bacteria levels in patients with gum disease.</p> <p>Growing evidence suggests that nitrate is a cornerstone of oral health. Crunching on a portion of vegetables at mealtimes can help to prevent or treat oral disease and keeps the mouth fresh and healthy.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221181/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mia-cousins-burleigh-1201153"><em>Mia Cousins Burleigh</em></a><em>, Lecturer, School of Health and Life Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-west-of-scotland-1385">University of the West of Scotland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/siobhan-paula-moran-1506183">Siobhan Paula Moran</a>, PhD candidate, School of Health and Life Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-west-of-scotland-1385">University of the West of Scotland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/eating-leafy-greens-could-be-better-for-oral-health-than-using-mouthwash-221181">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Dental care for cats

<p>Do you brush your cat’s teeth?</p> <p>Probably not. You’re not alone either. Most cat owners, even cat-owning veterinarians, choose not to risk furry fury or injury to themselves and avoid brushing their cat’s teeth. We would all prefer not to offend our feline friends by poking around in their mouths, even if it may be for their benefit – just try telling your cat flossing is for their own good! But we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of feline dental care. Tooth and gum problems don’t just cause pain to your cat but can lead to serious systemic disease.</p> <p>Estimates vary, but all agree that most cats will get some form of dental disease in their lifetime. Cats can get a variety of problems such as build-up of tartar, fractured teeth or gum disease that can lead to infection and subsequent tooth loss and pain. But with proper care of your cat’s teeth, you can help to avoid some of these problems. </p> <p><strong>What does dental disease look like?</strong>  </p> <p>You might notice:</p> <ul> <li>Bad breath </li> <li>Loss of appetite </li> <li>Yellow/brown tartar on teeth</li> <li>Reddened or bleeding gums </li> <li>Drooling </li> <li>Missing teeth </li> <li>Pawing at the mouth</li> </ul> <p>If your cat has any of these symptoms, or you have difficulty examining your cat’s mouth, you should consult your veterinarian as soon as possible. Bacteria from plaque can cause infection in your cat’s vital organs: dental health is essential to good health.</p> <p><strong>Dental diets and treats </strong>  </p> <p>A relatively simple way to reduce the risk of tooth problems is to use specifically designed cat foods, such as Hill's Science Diet Oral Care. These cat biscuits help to reduce plaque and tartar, leaving your cat’s teeth cleaner and their breath fresher. </p> <p>Don’t suddenly change your cat’s diet, as this can upset their stomach. Any dietary changes should be slowly transitioned, and biscuits such as Oral Care, which are complete and balanced from a nutritional standpoint, can form a part of your cat’s normal daily diet. Treats such as Greenies are designed with dental care in mind and can also help prevent dental disease. </p> <p>Some people like to give their cats raw bones but be very careful as these can shatter, and they can present a choking hazard. You should never let your cat eat bones unsupervised. There are other risks associated with raw meat, so consult your veterinarian if this is something you’re considering for your cat.</p> <p><strong>Brushing your cat’s teeth</strong> </p> <p>Depending on your cat’s temperament, brushing your cat’s teeth can be an option. It’s important to consult your vet first, as your cat’s dental health needs to be considered when it comes to whether, how, and how often you brush your cat’s teeth. </p> <p>Your vet or vet nurse will be able to show you how to brush your cat’s teeth in a stress-free way (but remember, some cats simply won’t tolerate it at all). It is best to start gradually, using a pet finger toothbrush or gauze around your finger to familiarise your cat with the feeling of having their gums and teeth touched. </p> <p>Be sure to provide positive reinforcement by using treats or toys. Over time, more teeth can be brushed, and pet toothpaste can be incorporated to increase the effectiveness of brushing. NEVER use human toothpaste; it will make your cat sick.</p> <p>Tooth brushing is something many cats will not enjoy. If your cat seems stressed during brushing, don’t persist. </p> <p><strong>Water additives</strong></p> <p>There are also products on the market that can be safely added to your cat’s water to decrease plaque and tartar build-up. However, it is important to slowly introduce these to ensure your cat still drinks enough water with these additives. </p> <p><strong>Regular veterinary dental clean</strong> </p> <p>Yearly dental health checks are highly recommended and are easy to schedule with your cat’s yearly vaccination and general health check. Senior cats should have six-monthly check-ups.</p> <p>If your cat has early-stage dental disease, your vet might recommend a ‘scale and polish’ under general anaesthesia. During this process, vets will thoroughly remove tartar using an ultrasonic scaler and polish any unevenness of the tooth surface. If your cat has chipped teeth or baby teeth that haven’t fallen out, they might also need extractions. </p> <p>Follow your veterinarian’s advice after any dental procedure as your cat might not be able to eat normally for a little while afterwards. </p> <p>Even if brushing your cat’s teeth is out of the question, you can protect your cat’s pearly whites with regular dental check-ups, a scale and polish when needed and a good diet, which will also help to keep your cat’s breath sweet, and their mouth and body in optimal health.</p> <p>For general advice on cat care and everything feline, call the Cat Protection Society of NSW on 02 9557 4818 or visit their website, <a href="https://catprotection.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catprotection.org.au</a> </p> <p><em>Images: Supplied by Cat Protection Society of NSW</em></p> <p><em>This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with the <a href="https://catprotection.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cat Protection Society of NSW</a>. </em></p>

Family & Pets

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4 ways to straighten your teeth

<div title="Page 1"> <div> <div> <p>Crooked and misaligned teeth are common in many children and adults. If your teeth are not severely crooked, there’s no need to straighten them. However, if you’re hiding your smile and the condition is taking a toll on your confidence or causing speech or health issues, modern dentistry makes it possible to realign them.</p> <p>In this article, we share some dental procedures to help straighten your smile or at least reduce the appearance of slightly crooked or misaligned teeth.</p> <p><strong>1. Braces </strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p>In terms of straightening teeth, metal braces are the most popular procedure used. Braces are a great choice for people of any age, provided that their gums and teeth are strong enough to hold them. It’s particularly beneficial for kids who still have flexible and malleable bone tissues and gums.</p> <p>In general, braces work by exerting constant pressure on your jaws and teeth to change their position and straighten your smile. Due to the gradual pressure, the treatment can take about two to three years, subject to the dental brace type you choose and the severity of teeth misalignment. You may choose from the following types of dental braces:</p> <p>● Metal Braces</p> <p>This is what most people think of when talking about braces. This classic brace comes with individual brackets glued and attached to each tooth. A flexible archwire then connects each bracket, putting pressure on your jawline and teeth. This archwire is attached to the brackets using elastic O-rings.</p> <p>Metal braces are often the best choice for someone with more complicated dental alignment problems.</p> <p>● Invisible Braces</p> <p>This type of dental brace is nearly invisible and is meant to be worn by adults and teens only. Unlike metal braces, invisible braces like Invisalign use clear plastic aligners that are custom- made to fit your teeth. They have a snug fit, much like a mouth guard, that creates pressure and gradually moves your teeth into position. In general, this should be removed and replaced twice a month to ensure a perfect fit.</p> <p>Take note, however, that invisible braces may take a lot longer to straighten your teeth than metal braces. The upside is that it’s painless and more flexible than traditional braces. You may check out the <a href="https://www.ariadental.net.au/dental-articles/how-does-invisalign-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Invisalign procedures explained</a> online if you want to learn more.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div title="Page 2"> <div> <div> <p>● Ceramic Braces</p> <p>Ceramic braces work like metal braces; however, they are less visible and more discreet. This is because ceramic braces are made of clear, tooth-coloured material, so they don’t stand as much as metal brackets.</p> <p>Ceramic braces are popular among patients who want the aligning power of braces but want it to be discreet like Invisalign. They are also more affordable than metal braces, making them an appealing option for those on a budget.</p> <p>However, ceramic braces are slightly bigger than metal braces. Besides, depending on your brushing habits and diet, ceramic braces may be prone to staining. They are also less durable than metal brackets and can break easily.</p> <p>● Lingual Braces</p> <p>Did you know that the side of your teeth facing your tongue is called the lingual surface? That said, lingual braces are a type of invisible braces placed on this surface. This means that brackets are attached to the back sides of your teeth.</p> <p>Lingual braces are the most specialised and least common type of braces available. This is because they require a different set of orthodontic skills. Due to their rarity, lingual braces can be expensive.</p> <p>Because they are placed in the teeth, it’s best for those who don’t want noticeable braces. This type of dental brace may also take longer to work and get used to. Plus, it’s more difficult to clean. Lingual braces are also not suitable for severely crooked or misaligned teeth but are more effective in correcting most bite issues.</p> <p>● Self-Litigating Braces</p> <p>Self-litigating braces are similar to metal and ceramic braces, relying on brackets and wires to move your teeth into place. The only difference is that self-litigating braces use brackets with clips or doors to hold the wire, instead of an elastic rubber O-ring.</p> <p>Like traditional metal braces, self-litigating braces will still need periodic adjustments. However, orthodontist visits are generally shorter because your dentist only needs to open, adjust, and shut the self-litigating brackets instead of replacing individual O-rings. Self-litigating braces are also easier to clean because there are no rubber ligatures that trap food particles. Likewise, some patients experience less discomfort with self-litigating braces.</p> <p><strong>2. Veneers </strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p>Veneers are wafer-thin shells of tooth-coloured materials attached to the front of your teeth. This helps cover minor imperfections, including discoloured, stained, chipped, crooked, and misaligned teeth. If you’re dealing with minor teeth misalignment, then veneers can help create the appearance of straighter, <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/beauty-style/9-foods-to-avoid-to-keep-your-teeth-white" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brighter teeth</a> without the pain and discomfort of regular braces.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div title="Page 3"> <div> <div> <p>However, note that veneers are semi-permanent. Thus, you’ll need to replace them every 5-10 years, depending on your oral hygiene. Additionally, your dentist will need to buff away some of the enamel on the teeth’s surface to attach the veneers.</p> <p><strong>3. Dental Crowns </strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p>Dental crowns, also known as dental caps, are used to cover and reinforce a damaged tooth or set of teeth. In addition to protecting a severely decayed tooth after a root canal or filling, dental crowns can also be used to straighten your smile.</p> <p>In particular, crowns are useful when you need to change the colour, shape, or size of a tooth to match neighbouring teeth. You can choose crown materials that match your natural teeth as closely as possible. This creates the appearance of a straight and perfectly aligned smile. Dental crowns are also quite durable, allowing you to have a straighter smile for years to come.</p> <p><strong>4. Teeth-Straightening Surgery </strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p>If you have severely crooked teeth and you want a faster way to straighten them, then teeth- straightening surgery is your best option.</p> <p>For slightly crooked teeth, your orthodontist may suggest a minor surgical procedure to reposition your gums and bones to hold your teeth in place.</p> <p>However, for severely misaligned or crooked teeth that affect your chewing or speech, your dentist may recommend a more involved surgery designed to completely realign your jaw, also known as <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/jaw-surgery/about/pac-20384990#:~:text=Jaw%20surgery%2C%20also%20known%20as,also%20improve%20your%20facial%20appearance." target="_blank" rel="noopener">orthognathic surgery</a>.</p> <p><strong>Takeaway </strong></p> <p>Having straight, perfectly aligned teeth not only gives you a charming and beautiful smile but also offers several health benefits, including a cleaner mouth and reduced risk of developing tartars and tooth decay.</p> <p>As you can see, you have various options to get your teeth realigned. However, the best procedure to straighten your teeth will depend on several factors, including your oral health history and the severity of the issue. In general, your dentist can help you decide on the best solution for your needs.</p> <p><em><strong>This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with <a href="https://www.ariadental.net.au/dental-articles/how-does-invisalign-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aria Dental</a>.</strong></em></p> </div> </div> </div>

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Using a dental scanner on corals like a “magic wand”

<p>Dr Kate Quigley’s trip to the dentist might have revolutionised coral reef research.</p> <p>The intra-oral dental scanner her dentist was using turned out to be the perfect thing for scanning baby corals and learning critical information about their growth.</p> <p>“Baby corals and teeth are actually not too different. They’re both wet,” says Quigley, now a senior research scientist at the Minderoo Foundation.</p> <p>“Which might not seem like a big deal – but if you’re scanning something, that creates diffraction. […] Having tech that can work in a wet environment and handle a texture that’s wet, is actually really important.”</p> <p>There are a few other things that bring dental scanners and coral together, too.</p> <p>“The properties of teeth and baby coral skeletons are very similar. They’re calcium-based, slightly different, but similar enough that the resolution of the laser was tailored to coral skeletons, just by accident,” says Quigley.</p> <p>While conducting research at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and James Cook University, Quigley managed to get one of the tooth-scanning devices she’d seen at the dentist (the ITero Element 5D Flex), and test it on corals.</p> <p>Quigley has published a description of the new method in Methods in Ecology and Evolution.</p> <p>Monitoring coral growth is key to restoring and preserving it.</p> <p>“Growth and survival are really the currency of any monitoring program. It doesn’t matter what organism you’re looking at,” says Quigley.</p> <p>But it’s very difficult to monitor the growth of corals – because of their shape and size.</p> <p>“How most coral growth studies are done is really just taking 2D flat images. And that works really well when the coral is really young, say a month or two months, because they’re like little flat pancakes,” says Quigley.</p> <p>As they grow, corals develop very complex three-dimensional structures. Scanning these structures is time-consuming, and often destructive: the coral has to be killed in order to be scanned.</p> <p>The dental scanner takes quick, harmless scans and uses AI to combine the images into a 3D picture almost immediately.</p> <p>“Instead of taking all day and into the night, it takes two minutes,” says Quigley.</p> <p>It also provides better detail.</p> <p>“Baby corals start off really small. They’re almost invisible,” says Quigley.</p> <p>“Being able to measure those really fine scale differences, smaller than a millimetre, was also really important.”</p> <p>Quigley describes the scanner as “effectively a magic wand”.</p> <p>So far, the scanner’s been shown to work in a lab (at AIMS National Sea Simulator) and in the field – on a boat above the water.</p> <p>Unfortunately, it’s not waterproof enough to take diving. Yet.</p> <p>Quigley hopes it will become a regular tool used by coral researchers and restorers.</p> <p>“If we are thinking about scaling up reef restoration in the future we’re going to need a way to measure and monitor these individuals more effectively. It wouldn’t be sustainable if it’s one individual a day.”</p> <p>Quigley says that this discovery demonstrates the importance of thinking laterally.</p> <p>“In science I feel like there’s less and less room to just be creative anymore,” she says.</p> <p>“This has been a really interesting time for me – to dabble in dentistry and look at all the tech that’s available and may be useful in conservation.”</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/coral-dental-scanner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian.</strong></p> <p><em>Images: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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How to clean your dogs teeth

<h4>The importance of clean teeth</h4> <p>Good dental hygiene for dogs goes beyond improving pungent breath. About 80 percent of dogs develop dental disease by age four. That not only affects canine health but also leads to plenty of other problems down the road. And veterinary dentistry procedures hit you in the heart and the pocketbook. But learning how to clean dogs’ teeth isn’t typically the hottest topic in any pet care manual.</p> <p>Because dogs don’t open wide and say “ah,” veterinarians must use pricey anaesthesia to perform root canals, extract a tooth, or straighten crooked fangs. Pets almost never get cavities filled, though. Damaged or decayed teeth get removed, and plaque – it looks like yellow or brown deposits on the teeth and leads to tooth loss and pain – is cleaned away.</p> <p>You can reduce the frequency of required professional cleanings by learning how to clean dogs’ teeth at home. So grab a dog toothbrush, read the step-by-step instructions below, and get ready to brush your dog’s teeth daily.</p> <h4>How to clean your dogs teeth</h4> <p>Cleaning your dog’s teeth is a part of dog grooming and is just as important as giving your dog a bath. You already know how to brush your own teeth, and the same technique applies to cleaning your dog’s teeth.</p> <p>But your dog won’t willingly open wide for you. So part of cleaning its teeth includes teaching it what to expect so it won’t feel scared. Training your dog to accept teeth cleaning keeps it healthy and can also improve the bond you share with each other.</p> <p>Teaching your dog takes time. Don’t rush or force your pet. It may take three days or three weeks before your pup is ready to let you clean its teeth. But once it understands and accepts the procedure, the teeth cleaning won’t take more than a few minutes a day. Ideally, you’ll want to clean your dog’s teeth after each meal, just like humans do. But if you can manage once a day, or even two or three times a week, count that as a win.</p> <h4><strong>Supplies</strong></h4> <p>Chew toy: Dogs love to chew anyway, but a favourite toy helps with training. Choose a non-fabric toy that won’t hold moisture. Something your dog likes to hold or carry gets bonus points. A dental toy for big dogs, or one sized for smaller dogs, is ideal.</p> <p>Dental treats: Use dental treats along with the toy to teach your dog to accept holding something in its mouth. The treats reward the behaviour you want your pet to learn, so it trusts that even if you ask it to do something weird, it’ll get good things out of it.</p> <p>Bath towel: No, you won’t dry him off with the towel. But toothbrushing can involve drooling and head-shaking that leads to dribbled toothpaste. A towel provides an easy-to-clean surface for training and eventual teeth cleaning. Using the same towel each time signals to your dog what happens next.</p> <p>Dog toothpaste: Never use human toothpaste with your dog. Dogs can’t spit and shouldn’t swallow the fluoride that human products contain. Dogs also hate the foaming action. Instead, choose a toothpaste designed specifically for dogs. Pet toothpaste contains flavours dogs love, like peanut butter.</p> <p>Gauze pads: You don’t have to use a toothbrush, and dogs may accept other materials more readily. Gauze pads work well and are disposable. They also work as a first step. Once your pup accepts cleanings with gauze, you can move on to other cleaning options.</p> <p>Wipe: A washcloth also works to clean dog teeth. Simply wrap it around your index finger and apply the paste. As an added bonus, you have a towel handy if you need to wipe off your dog’s face. Another option is using dental wipes for dogs.</p> <p>Finger toothbrush: Dogs are funny. They’ll pick up nearly anything in their mouths but object to you sticking something weird inside. Yours may more easily accept a finger – or a finger toothbrush. You might find it easier to use too.</p> <p>Baby toothbrush: Baby’s first toothbrush, with its extra-oft bristles, may work for some dogs, especially those with tiny mouths.</p> <p>Dog toothbrush: If you like, you can work up to using an official dog-specific toothbrush.</p> <p>Dental rinse: There are products you can use to rinse off your dog’s teeth, as well as those you can add to your dog’s water, to help keep its teeth clean.</p> <p>Ready to get brushing? The steps below will guide you from training to regular brushings.</p> <p>Chew toy: Dogs love to chew anyway, but a favourite toy helps with training. Choose a non-fabric toy that won’t hold moisture. Something your dog likes to hold or carry gets bonus points. A dental toy for big dogs, or one sized for smaller dogs, is ideal.</p> <p>Dental treats: Use dental treats along with the toy to teach your dog to accept holding something in its mouth. The treats reward the behaviour you want your pet to learn, so it trusts that even if you ask it to do something weird, it’ll get good things out of it.</p> <p>Bath towel: No, you won’t dry him off with the towel. But toothbrushing can involve drooling and head-shaking that leads to dribbled toothpaste. A towel provides an easy-to-clean surface for training and eventual teeth cleaning. Using the same towel each time signals to your dog what happens next.</p> <p>Dog toothpaste: Never use human toothpaste with your dog. Dogs can’t spit and shouldn’t swallow the fluoride that human products contain. Dogs also hate the foaming action. Instead, choose a toothpaste designed specifically for dogs. Pet toothpaste contains flavours dogs love, like peanut butter.</p> <p>Gauze pads: You don’t have to use a toothbrush, and dogs may accept other materials more readily. Gauze pads work well and are disposable. They also work as a first step. Once your pup accepts cleanings with gauze, you can move on to other cleaning options.</p> <p>Wipe: A washcloth also works to clean dog teeth. Simply wrap it around your index finger and apply the paste. As an added bonus, you have a towel handy if you need to wipe off your dog’s face. Another option is using dental wipes for dogs.</p> <p>Finger toothbrush: Dogs are funny. They’ll pick up nearly anything in their mouths but object to you sticking something weird inside. Yours may more easily accept a finger – or a finger toothbrush. You might find it easier to use too.</p> <p>Baby toothbrush: Baby’s first toothbrush, with its extra-oft bristles, may work for some dogs, especially those with tiny mouths.</p> <p>Dog toothbrush: If you like, you can work up to using an official dog-specific toothbrush.</p> <p>Dental rinse: There are products you can use to rinse off your dog’s teeth, as well as those you can add to your dog’s water, to help keep its teeth clean.</p> <p>Ready to get brushing? The steps below will guide you from training to regular brushings.</p> <h4>1. Gather Supplies</h4> <p>Bring everything you plan to use to the location you’ll be cleaning your dog’s teeth. You may want to keep teeth-cleaning tools in the same place as your other grooming supplies. Your pup should eventually enjoy the experience and expect the event. To speed up the process, choose somewhere your dog already associates with fun times or yummy rewards, like in the kitchen near the food bowl.</p> <p>And think about a convenient schedule. Dogs love routine, so cleaning your pet’s teeth in the same location and at the same time can help your furry friend view teeth cleaning as part of a normal day.</p> <h4>2. Touch your dogs mouth</h4> <p>Have a small dog? Spread the towel on your lap so your pet can sit during the cleaning. For big dogs, lay the towel on the floor and kneel next to your pup. The towel becomes your dog’s cue that it’s teeth-cleaning time.</p> <p>Start with petting your pup, paying particular attention to the outside of its mouth and lips. If it’ll allow it and you feel comfortable, let it mouth your fingers. Even better, slip a finger inside its cheek to stroke the sides of its teeth. It doesn’t need to open its jaws at all. Its tongue keeps the inside surface of its teeth clean, so you only need to take care of the outside surface. Do this for five minutes and offer a treat each time your dog lets you stroke its gums or touch a tooth.</p> <p>Repeat this step once or twice a day for three to five days. After the dog accepts your handling of its mouth, move to the next step.</p> <h4>3. Flavour the toy</h4> <p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Spread dog toothpaste on a non-fabric toy and let your pet lick it off. Many dogs enjoy the paste-like treat. It has ingredients that help clean teeth even without brushing, so that’s a great first step. You want to associate the toy with the yummy flavour.</span></p> <h4>4. Prop open the dogs mouth</h4> <p>If your dog wants to take the toy into its mouth, let it. But use your hand to hold its mouth closed around the toy. That way, the flavoured toy it holds and enjoys also props open its jaws just enough for you to clean its teeth. Spend about five minutes playing with the toy, taking it from your dog to add paste, and then letting your dog hold the toy while you grasp its muzzle. Repeat this step once or twice a day for several days in a row.</p> <p>Don’t let your dog swipe the toy away to chew. Reserve this special toy for teeth cleaning so your pet only gets the yummy paste and other treats for this purpose. When it acts excited at the sight of the towel, toy and paste, move on to the next step.</p> <h4>5. Prep the applicator </h4> <p>Whether you’re using a finger toothbrush, gauze pad or a washcloth, you’ll want to spread dog toothpaste onto the brushing material. You won’t need a lot of paste, so just add enough to cover the end of your finger.</p> <h4>6. Clean teeth on one side</h4> <p>With one hand wrapped around your dog’s muzzle as it holds the toothpaste-coated toy, use the toothpaste-covered applicator to wipe the outside of its teeth on one side of its mouth. Do the top jaw first, and if your dog is still fine with it, finish with the bottom teeth on the same side. You don’t need to scrub – simply wipe the paste from side to side.</p> <p>Release its muzzle and remove the toy. The dog will lick its lips and savour the paste you’ve left on its teeth. Quit for the day, after offering your pup a few more treats for being such a good dog.</p> <h4>7. Clean teeth on the other side </h4> <p>The next day, repeat the previous step. This time, you’ll wipe the teeth on the other side of your dog’s mouth. Remember, there’s no need to clean the inside of the teeth since the dog’s tongue keeps those surfaces clean.</p> <p>Poking inside its mouth also risks an accidental bite should his jaws slip off the toy. Just wipe the outside of the teeth.</p> <p>Always quit before your dog asks you to stop; it’ll leave your pup wanting more. Praise and treat generously.</p> <h4>8. Make sure every tooth is clean</h4> <p>After two or three days of one-sided teeth cleanings, your dog should understand the process. Hopefully, it also looks forward to this teeth-cleaning routine. Now it’s time to graduate to cleaning all of the teeth at once. This shouldn’t take more than five minutes, including preparation time. If possible, brush daily.</p> <h4>9. Add a dental rinse</h4> <p>In between brushes, you can add a dental rinse to your dog’s drinking water. This will keep its mouth fresh and help improve its overall dental hygiene.</p> <p>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/pets/how-to-clean-your-dogs-teeth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Three-year-old dies after dental visit

<p><span>A mother in the US has been left broken-hearted and in desperate need of answers after a simple dental procedure for her three-year-old son resulted in his passing.</span><br /><br /><span>Nancy Valenzuela, a mother of three from Scott City, Kansas, said she took her son, Abiel Valenzuela Zapata, into Tiny Teeth Pediatrics Dentistry for a check up.</span><br /><br /><span>A simple procedure was necessary – a teeth extraction after a nasty gum infection.</span><br /><br /><span>“We didn’t expect to come out of there without a child,” Valenzuela explained.</span><br /><br /><span>Abiel died on Tuesday after being transported to a Wichita hospital.</span><br /><br /><span>Valenzuela revealed she and her son had visited two dental offices in southwest Kansas, but was told both times that her son needed to have teeth pulled.</span><br /><br /><span>She sadly went on to say her boy was fine before he went into surgery, and only asked for comfort while getting a shot.</span><br /><br /><span>“I told him, ‘Papi, everything’s going to be okay. You know you’re fine,’” said Valenzuela.</span><br /><br /><span>Wichita police officers later reported that the anesthesiologist claimed Abiel was doing fine for about 30 minutes under sedation.</span><br /><br /><span>However, disaster slowly ensued for the family.</span><br /><br /><span>While the specific details surrounding Abiel’s procedure, the doctor reported he’d never seen “anything like that”, especially in someone so small without any known allergies.</span><br /><br /><span>Valenzuela said she didn’t know there was a medical emergency at the office for her son until he was brought out to the ambulance.</span><br /><br /><span>“As a mother, you feel like you failed him because you didn’t do anything to protect him,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I really thought that I made the right choice.”</span><br /><br /><span>Valenzuela sadly never saw her son alive again, but that didn’t stop her from making one final promise to him.</span><br /><br /><span>“‘I couldn’t do anything for you, but I will investigate.’ It’s what I told him. It’s the only thing I can do and bring awareness,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>The mother said it’s been difficult on her other children, including Abiel’s older brother.</span><br /><br /><span>“I asked him later on in the night, ‘Where is Abiel,’ and he pointed up, and he said he is with God,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>She said the family would have to take it one day at a time.</span><br /><br /><span>“He’s in a better place, he was just so young, and we loved him a lot,” said Valenzuela.</span><br /><br /><span>Police officer Trevor Macy said in a statement that there is no criminal investigation underway “at this time.”</span><br /><br /><span>The Tiny Teeth Pediatric Dentistry has released a statement on the three-year-old’s death.</span><br /><br /><span>“Tiny Teeth Pediatric Dentistry is devastated by the death of Abiel Valenzuela Zapata,” the statement reads.</span><br /><br /><span>“Like Abiel’s family, we, too, want to understand how this tragic event may have occurred.</span><br /><br /><span>“Our practice has never experienced an incident like this, and we had no reason to expect this procedure would be anything other than routine.</span><br /><br /><span>“We would like to thank the EMS first responders who arrived only a few minutes after we called 911.</span><br /><br /><span>“They continued the CPR efforts we had begun and worked feverishly to save Abiel.”</span><br /><br /><span>The family has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for funeral costs.</span></p>

Caring

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Do I need to floss my teeth?

<p>As a dentist, my patients often ask whether they still need to floss even though they brush their teeth. The answer is – that depends.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008829.pub2/abstract">review of the research</a> on this topic found flossing, combined with regular brushing, reduced the chance of bleeding gums. But the review could not provide evidence flossing prevented holes (tooth cavities) from forming.</p> <p>This is likely <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1532338216301877">because</a> all of the included studies were conducted within one to three month periods. A few months is long enough to detect bleeding gums, but not for cavities to grow substantially.</p> <p>So studies in the review looked at the effectiveness of flossing on preventing gum disease rather than cavities.</p> <p> </p> <p>But at the very least, we know regular flossing protects our gum health, which in turn protects our teeth. So it’s definitely worth doing.</p> <p>The advice may be different if you have certain dental conditions – but we’ll get to that later.</p> <p><strong>Why should I floss?</strong></p> <p>Cavities and gum disease are mainly caused by plaque that accumulates on our teeth and gums. Dental plaque is part of a complex ecosystem that includes <a href="http://www.homd.org">800 different types</a> of bacteria found in our mouth.</p> <p>Our plaque’s unique <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/108/10/4152.short">ecosystem</a> is a like a major city, and brushing is like Godzilla destroying the infrastructure. But plaque bacteria can rebuild infrastructure fairly quickly, which is why we brush frequently.</p> <p>Brushing, however, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-051X.1991.tb00109.x">isn’t very effective</a> at cleaning in between your teeth. And it’s the plaque that remains in these areas that leads to most <a href="http://www.parodontologie-utrecht.nl/media/boeken/boekintraoralhygieneevidence.pdf">cavities</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-051X.1992.tb02174.x">gum disease</a>. So that’s where flossing comes in – to clean between the teeth.</p> <p> </p> <p>If plaque on our teeth and gums are left long enough, the mineral in our saliva hardens it to form a white chalky substance called calculus. The calculus acts as a home to many different types of bacteria that can advance gum disease.</p> <p>Once formed, calculus is impossible to remove by brushing or flossing alone. It needs to be removed using special tools at the dentist.</p> <p><strong>What’s the big deal about bleeding gums?</strong></p> <p>Similar to the way doctors measure health by checking your blood pressure, dentists and hygienists gently <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-051X.1990.tb01059.x">poke</a> your gums to see if they bleed.</p> <p>Bleeding gums often signal the presence of uncleaned plaque and/or calculus in the area. You may even notice bleeding after you brush your teeth or eat certain foods.</p> <p>To a dental practitioner, bleeding gums indicate you’re at risk of developing advanced gum issues, called <a href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/gum-disease/more-info">periodontal disease</a>. This condition sees the foundations that hold your teeth in your jaw bone deteriorate, eventually causing your teeth to loosen and fall out.</p> <p>Socially embarrassing by-products of advanced gum disease include:</p> <ul> <li>loose teeth</li> <li>a yellow/brown smile</li> <li>large black gaps appearing between your teeth where the gums have shrunk away</li> <li>bad breath.</li> </ul> <p>So the act of flossing can serve to safeguard your smile.</p> <p>Current evidence also suggests periodontal disease is associated with an <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1185/03007990802131215">increased risk</a> of heart disease and diabetes, among other health issues.</p> <p><strong>OK, so I should definitely floss then?</strong></p> <p>This depends on your current situation. Just like you wouldn’t mop your rug or vacuum the shower recess, we have specific <a href="http://168.176.239.58/cursos/odontologia/2016549/pdf/Claydon2008Cepilladoylimpiezainterdental.pdf">tools</a> to suit every cleaning situation. Flossing (effectively) is great if:</p> <ul> <li>you still have most of your teeth</li> <li>your teeth are tightly jammed together</li> <li>your gums haven’t receded to leave triangular gaps between your teeth.</li> </ul> <p>While for a lot of us this may be the case, for some of us, simply flossing our teeth and gums will be ineffective. Particularly if you have:</p> <ul> <li>gaps between your teeth that are too large for floss to clean</li> <li>complex dental work such as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/prd.12189">crowns, bridges</a> and <a href="http://www.quintpub.com/userhome/qi/qi_47_5_clark_p417.pdf">implants</a></li> <li>partial dentures (dentures that replace some missing teeth)</li> <li>orthodontic appliances such as <a href="https://orthodonticsaustralia.org.au/caring-for-braces/">braces</a>.</li> </ul> <p>In these instances, we have to start thinking about interdental cleaning, or using other tools to clean between your teeth such as special Christmas tree-shaped brushes or sticks.</p> <p> </p> <p>If you don’t think flossing is right for you, ask about interdental (between teeth) cleaning during your next visit to the dentist. Your dentist or hygienist will be able to recommend products and a cleaning routine to suit your needs.</p> <p><strong>Tips for good flossing</strong></p> <p>To floss effectively, keep in mind:</p> <ul> <li>floss at least once a day</li> <li>floss before brushing so it becomes part of your routine</li> <li>cut 30-40cm of regular floss for each use</li> <li>wrap most of it around the finger of one hand and 2-3cm around the finger of another</li> <li>slowly move the floss towards the gums to ensure you clean both teeth.</li> </ul> <p>Flossing can cause some bleeding, but this will resolve over time.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KypRbdD68QQ?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>Flossing can take some time to master. But the more often you floss, the faster and better you’ll become. And what better time to practise than when you’re stuck at home during a pandemic?</p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/arosha-weerakoon-792707">Arosha Weerakoon</a>, Lecturer, General Dentist &amp; PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-i-need-to-floss-my-teeth-133245">original article</a>.</em></p>

Body

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How to have fabulous teeth at any age

<p>Oral health is important for all of our wellbeing and prevention is the key.</p> <p>According to the National Oral Health Plan, three out of ten adult Australians have untreated tooth decay. Oral hygiene is an important health issue that affects all of us. Poor oral health is among the most common health problems experienced by Australians and it can lead to a slew of other problematic health-related issues.</p> <p><strong>Why is oral health important?<br /></strong>The last National Survey of Adult Oral Health showed more than fifty per cent of Australians 65 and older suffered from periodontal (gum) disease.  As well as causing discomfort and social difficulties, poor oral health can lead to a suite of other serious health problems.</p> <p>An analysis by the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry indicated that people with gum disease were twice as likely as others to die from a heart attack and three times as likely to have stroke. Why? The researchers found that the bacteria that cause periodontal disease can release toxins into or travel through the bloodstream and help to form fatty plaques in the arteries. These plaque deposits can lead to serious problems, such as blood clots, which can block blood flow.</p> <p>Poor oral health may even be connected to Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the UK discovered the presence of a bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis in the brains of dementia patients. The researchers noted that this bug is also usually associated with chronic periodontal disease.</p> <p>People with diabetes must be particularly vigilant with their dental hygiene as they have a lower resistance to infection and thus their gums are more susceptible to bacteria. Consequently, diabetics should regularly visit their dentist for advice on how to keep their teeth and gums healthy.</p> <p><strong>Prevention is key<br /></strong>Not surprisingly, the best way to avoid dental problems is through prevention. The National Oral Health Plan recommends that Australians receive an oral health check up and preventatively focused oral health care a minimum of once every two years. However, the consultation report also notes that four out of ten Australians with good oral health visited the same dentist at least once a year for a check up.</p> <p>Every individual has different dental needs, so consult your dentist to find out yours. On top of regular check ups, be sure to visit your dental practitioner urgently if you have pain in your mouth, bleeding gums or any sores, lumps or discoloured patches in your mouth.</p> <p><strong>Did you know?  Replacing your toothbrush every three to four months and after a cold is important because bristles contain bacteria. </strong></p> <p><strong>Brushing, flossing and mouthwash<br /></strong>Brushing twice daily is crucial for removing plaque from your teeth. Aim to brush your teeth and along the gum line with a soft toothbrush after breakfast every morning and before going to bed each night. Also, be sure to brush your tongue to remove particles and bacteria that can build up on its surface, particularly towards the back.  Finally, don’t brush too quickly after eating as this can brush acid onto your teeth, a process which erodes tooth enamel. Try to wait at least thirty minutes between your last meal and brushing or rinse your mouth out with water first. </p> <p>Getting into the habit of flossing (by sliding the floss between the teeth and using a saw-like motion) every day is important for removing plaque where your toothbrush can’t reach. In doubt if you are doing it right? Ask your dentist to show you how on your next visit.</p> <p>By flossing, you can effectively prevent - or at least cut down dramatically - on cavities and gum disease. Mouthwash can also help to ward off gum disease, but that’s only if you use a bacteria-fighting, non-alcoholic rinse after brushing and flossing. Ask your dentist for the best options for you. It is also important that dentures be cleaned with soap and water after every meal, to remove food particles and bacteria. </p> <p>Did you know? Chewing gum is good for you. Numerous studies have confirmed that chewing sugar-free gum can in fact reduce your risk of tooth decay. Chewing gum increases the production of saliva and makes your salivary glands larger and more efficient. This helps to protect teeth by keeping them clean and strengthening the natural production of enamel. </p> <p><strong>Fluoride<br /></strong>In the 1930s, American scientists discovered that towns with higher levels of fluoride in the water-supply experienced less tooth decay. Most Australian towns and cities were fluoridated in the 1960s and 1970s, and today around 90% of Australians enjoy the decay-fighting benefits of fluoride. According to the Australian Dental Association, it contributes to fewer fillings, fewer extractions and fewer visits to the dentist. Fluoridated toothpaste has also had similar effects.</p> <p><strong>Did you know? Smoking has been proven to cause mouth cancer and gum disease. Quitting smoking will improve the health of your mouth, gums and teeth.</strong></p> <p><strong>Medication<br /></strong>Medication with added sugar isn’t ideal for your teeth. Consequently, try and get sugar free medication, or if that isn’t possible get into the habit of rinsing your mouth out every time you take medication which includes sugar. Some medications can also cause xerostomia (dry mouth), which increases risk of tooth decay. Seek professional medical advice if your medication is giving you a dry mouth.</p> <p><strong>Dental diet<br /></strong>Eating foods with high levels of sugar is a leading cause of tooth decay. Aim to limit your intake of food with added sugars and try not to add sugar to tea or coffee. Fruit juices and soft drinks can also contribute, so aim to stick to tap water (bottled water doesn’t contain fluoride). Also, limit between-meal snacks as this reduces the number of acid attacks on your teeth and gives them a chance to ‘repair themselves’.</p> <p>Beneficial foods include ones that make you chew, such as raw fruit and vegetables. Calcium rich foods such as salmon, almonds and kale are also highly beneficial. Don’t forget to also consume plenty of dietary fat and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K2, which are found in quality butter, organic meats, avocados and eggs.</p> <p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/how-to-have-fabulous-teeth-at-any-age.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a>. </em></p>

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Is ‘dental tourism’ worth the risk?

<p>Need crowns or an implant or two and heard about the growing trend of ‘dental tourism’?</p> <p><strong>How to have fabulous teeth at any age</strong></p> <p>Well, your answer could be Asia. Specifically, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. WYZA® reader Phil Hawkes shares his personal experience.</p> <p>Why should you consider ‘dental tourism’? From my very recent experience, you can afford to have all your dental work done at roughly one-third of the cost, and enjoy a holiday at the same time in Thailand or Malaysia. And still come out ahead, if you fly there with a low-cost carrier like Scoot or Air Asia.</p> <p><strong>Those horror stories</strong></p> <p>Sound too good to be true? In some cases, you’d be absolutely right. It doesn’t work for everyone. We’ve heard horror stories about crowns falling out, implants that are made with human bone [the mind boggles] and choppers that are so bleached that they’re scary.</p> <p>Those outcomes can happen in Australia, too. You can be unlucky with your choice of dentist wherever you are in the world. I’ve had some awful experiences here, and some good ones in places like Poland and England.</p> <p>But to be specific, Kuala Lumpur is at the top of our list for high class dental work.</p> <p><strong>Should you get dental work done overseas?</strong></p> <p>We [and our friends] have found standards in Kuala Lumpur can be better than in Australia, again if you know where to go. We know a woman who was quoted $47,000 in Brisbane for what amounted to, basically an entire new mouth. Implants, crowns, gum repair, the works. After getting the quote, she almost had another medical problem. . . a heart attack.</p> <p>So on a recommendation from a friend, she had the whole lot done in Kuala Lumpur for $17,000, plus the cost of three trips including several days in Penang while waiting, for about $3,000. Total: just over $20,000. And a perfect job.</p> <p>The irony was that the dentist obtained his Masters degree in Brisbane! Also, his clinic had state-of-the-art equipment which she’d never seen in Australia.</p> <p><strong>A not so good experience in bangkok</strong></p> <p>Our recent experience was somewhat different. We rocked up in Bangkok, were met by a driver at the airport, and spirited away to an apartment building owned by a dental clinic. A free night there, and next morning to the clinic. After a long wait, we were “interviewed” by the head of the clinic and after rejecting offers of extra services like “deep cleaning” and “ultra whitening”, we were placed in the tender care of two female dentists who looked about 16 years old.</p> <p>Well, they were pretty competent and did the basics adequately [two crowns for each of us] but the place was a bit chaotic and worse, my wife developed an infection which took days of antibiotics to clear up. Other people we know, who’ve been to the same clinic, had no such problems. So you can be unlucky.</p> <p>The cost in Bangkok was about the same as in Kuala Lumpur and was two crowns for $1,200 including the accommodation and airport transfers.</p> <p><strong>The lesson</strong></p> <p>Do your research carefully and read the testimonials online. Better still, ask your friends who may have had personal experience. Then, book cheap flights and enjoy your holiday for free Compared with paying $1,500 per crown, or more, in Australia minus whatever you can manage to extract from the private health insurer. However, be very careful before making a decision and always ensure you are covered by travel insurance.</p> <p><strong>Be aware</strong></p> <p>The Australian Dental Association warn that getting complex dental treatment overseas can come at a very high cost. Australian dentists are appropriately trained to deal with dental emergencies. Consider this before thinking of going overseas to get your dental work.</p> <p><em>Written by Phil Hawkes. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/lifestyle/wyza-life/is-dental-tourism-worth-the-risk.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p> <p><em> </em></p> <p> </p>

Beauty & Style

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How often should I get my teeth cleaned?

<p>If you went to your dentist for a check-up and dental clean in the last year, give yourself a pat on the back. Not everyone loves the dentist, but <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dental-oral-health/dental-attendance-patterns-oral-health-status/contents/table-of-contents">research</a> shows people who visit at least once a year for preventative care are happier with their smile.</p> <p>Regular dental visitors are also <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022034509356779">less likely</a> to need a filling or have a tooth removed.</p> <p>So how often do we need to go to the dentist? Most of us can get away with an annual trip, but some people at higher risk of dental problems should <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29984691">visit more often</a>.</p> <p><strong>Why do I need to get my teeth cleaned?</strong></p> <p>While we all do the best we can on our own, professional teeth cleaning removes plaque, the soft yellowish build-up, and calculus (hardened plaque) we can’t get to. This soft build-up is made up of billions of different types of bacteria that live and reproduce in our mouth by feeding on the food we eat.</p> <p>Most bacteria live in our bodies without causing too much trouble. But certain bacteria in dental plaque, when they grow in numbers, can lead to cavities (holes in the teeth) or gum disease.</p> <p>A dental clean will reduce your chance of getting cavities or gum disease by <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-051X.2004.00563.x">significantly reducing</a> the amount of plaque and calculus in your mouth.</p> <p><strong>So how often?</strong></p> <p>As a dentist, my patients often ask me how regularly they should get their teeth cleaned. My response is usually: “That depends”.</p> <p>Most private health insurance schemes cover a dental check-up and clean once every six months. But there’s no hard and fast evidence, particularly if you’re a healthy person who is less likely to get a cavity or gum disease.</p> <p>However, some people are at higher risk of getting dental cavities or gum disease – and this group should get their teeth cleaned more often.</p> <p><strong>Hole in one</strong></p> <p>We know certain <a href="https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-018-0585-4">health and lifestyle factors</a> can affect a person’s risk of developing cavities. Here are some yes/no questions you can ask yourself to understand whether you’re at a higher risk:</p> <ul> <li>is your drinking water or toothpaste fluoride-free?</li> <li>do you snack a lot, including on sweets?</li> <li>do you avoid flossing?</li> <li>do you brush your teeth less than twice a day?</li> <li>do you visit your dentist for toothaches rather than check-ups?</li> <li>do you need new fillings every time you visit the dentist?</li> <li>is your dentist “watching” a lot of early cavities?</li> <li>do you have to wear an appliance in your mouth such as a denture or braces?</li> <li>do you suffer from a chronic long-term health condition such as diabetes?</li> <li>do you suffer from a dry mouth?</li> </ul> <p>If you answered “yes” to most of these questions, you’re likely to need to see your dentist or hygienist at least every six months, if not more often.</p> <p>As well as removing the bug-loaded plaque and calculus, people prone to cavities <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002817714615269">benefit</a>from the fluoride treatment after scaling.</p> <p>Evidence shows professional fluoride treatment every six months can lead to a <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD002280.pub2/full">30% reduced risk</a> of developing cavities, needing fillings or having teeth removed.</p> <p><strong>Dental health is related to our overall health</strong></p> <p>Some people with <a href="https://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?pid=S0042-96862005000900004&amp;script=sci_arttext&amp;tlng=es">chronic health issues</a> such as heart conditions or diabetes will need to see their dentists more frequently. This is because they are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1586/erc.10.109">more prone to gum disease</a>.</p> <p>People taking blood thinners and other medications, such as pills and infusions for <a href="https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jbmr.3191">osteoporosis</a>, may need to visit the dentist more regularly too. These medications can complicate the process of an extraction or other dental work, so regular checks and cleans are best to help detect problems before they become serious.</p> <p>People with bleeding gums should also see their dental practitioners more often. This is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26698003">especially important</a> if you have been diagnosed with advanced gum disease, known as periodontal disease.</p> <p><strong>What about the budget?</strong></p> <p>The <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/dentists-and-dental-care/dental-treatment/articles/dental-fees">average cost</a> of a check-up, dental clean and fluoride treatment is A$231, but the cost can vary from A$150 to A$305. You can contact your local dentist to find out what they charge. Your dentist may offer you a payment plan.</p> <p>If you can’t afford this, you may qualify for <a href="https://www.ada.org.au/Your-Dental-Health/Home">free or discounted treatment</a> if you hold a concession card. Children from families that receive a Family Tax Benefit A may be eligible for free dental treatment through the <a href="https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/child-dental-benefits-schedule">Child Dental Benefits Schedule</a>.</p> <p>People with private health insurance with extras or ancillary cover will also have some or all of their dental treatment covered.</p> <p><strong>Protecting your smile</strong></p> <p>So you don’t really get cavities or have gum disease, but would prefer to see your dentist every six months? Great. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2010.796">Some people</a> prefer to go twice a year to reduce the chance of a nasty toothache.</p> <p>Parents often wish to set a good example for their children by making regular check and clean appointments for the whole family.</p> <p>There are many benefits to regular checks and cleans. Visiting your dentist regularly helps reduce the chance of needing more complex and expensive dental treatment later on.</p> <p>And touching base with your oral health practitioner provides that nudge we all need now and again to eat healthily, brush better and floss more often.</p> <p><em>Written by Arosha Weerakoon. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-often-should-i-get-my-teeth-cleaned-121310">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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The reason why 2 million Aussies are skipping their dental appointments

<p>Dental care in Australia is a policy anomaly; for some reason, the mouth is treated very differently to other parts of the body. <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/health-welfare-expenditure/health-expenditure-australia-2016-17/contents/data-visualisation">About 58% of dental costs</a> are met directly from patients’ pockets, compared to 11% for medical primary care, and 12% for prescriptions.</p> <p>As a result of these large out-of-pocket costs, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4839.0~2017-18~Main%20Features~Dental%20professionals~4">two million Australians each year</a> defer visits to a dentist or miss out on dental care. Poorer people are more likely to miss out.</p> <p>Every few years <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp0809/09rp01">the Commonwealth government introduces a new dental scheme</a> to fill the dental gap in our health system, and then a few years later the scheme is abolished with a change of government.</p> <p>This start-stop nature of dental policy has to change. What’s required is a long-term vision to reunite the mouth with the rest of the body.</p> <p><strong>The architecture of a universal scheme</strong></p> <p>Medicare is widely embraced as the central pillar of Australia’s health system. There is no logical reason why this coverage should not be extended to oral health.</p> <p>But we should learn from the Medicare experience. The expansion of dental access should be based on a <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/health">new, better model</a>. Here’s how this can be done.</p> <p><strong>Like Medicare, a universal dental scheme should be based on a mix of public and private services</strong></p> <p>State public dental services are struggling valiantly to meet demand, with <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2018/health/primary-and-community-health">waiting times of more than a year in most states</a>.</p> <p>Investing money into these schemes – as the Commonwealth has done for the past few years – has made almost no dent in the waiting lists. And the risk remains that extra investment will be discontinued with changes of government, as has happened in the past.</p> <p>Even if Commonwealth funding increased to adequate levels, it’s unlikely the state schemes could be expanded sufficiently to provide the amount of care needed.</p> <p>Nor would a monolithic public-only scheme, with no choice of provider, be consistent with the way the rest of health care is provided.</p> <p>A mixed public-private scheme could harness the existing investments by private dental practices, as has been done in the existing <a href="https://www.dhsv.org.au/public-dental-services/childdental">Commonwealth Child Dental Benefits Scheme</a>.</p> <p><strong>A universal scheme should be ‘opt-in’: it should be based on dental practices agreeing to be part of the scheme</strong></p> <p>Practices would be allowed to participate only if they agreed to certain conditions, most notably that they will bulk-bill all patients – thereby removing the financial barriers to dental care.</p> <p>Participating practices would also be required to provide information on the results of their care, and to participate in approved programs to improve the quality of their care.</p> <p><strong>Quality care should be rewarded</strong></p> <p>Although the universal scheme would initially make fee-for-service payments to participating practices, in a similar way to Medicare paying GP clinics when you visit a doctor, the payment system should become more sophisticated over time.</p> <p>This could include rewarding dentists and practices that get the best results for their patients, by supplementing fee-for-service payments with <a href="http://www.acffglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Towards-paying-for-health-in-Dentistry-Policy-Lab-Report.pdf/">performance-related payments</a>based on following evidence-based practice and achieving better dental <a href="https://www.ichom.org/portfolio/oral-health/">outcomes</a>.</p> <p><strong>Not all aspects of oral health care should be covered under the universal scheme</strong></p> <p>The priority should be to ensure the scheme funds primary dental care and treatments that are aimed at preventing problems and disease from developing. This includes check ups, treatment for tooth decay – <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30107377">which now may not involve drilling</a> – and dentures.</p> <p><strong>The funding arrangements for the universal scheme should be designed to encourage reform and expansion of the dental workforce.</strong></p> <p>A universal dental scheme will require a bigger dental workforce. All oral health professionals should be encouraged to work to the top of their expertise and qualifications.</p> <p>Under the new scheme, for example, oral health therapists would be able to perform many of the services now performed by dentists.</p> <p><strong>How much will it cost?</strong></p> <p>A universal dental scheme would cost about an extra A$5.6 billion a year. That sort of money could not be found overnight. Nor could the number of professionals required to staff such a scheme.</p> <p>Instead, the federal government should announce that Australia will move to a universal dental scheme over the next decade – and it should produce a roadmap to get there.</p> <p>The first step should be for the Commonwealth government to assume funding responsibility for oral health care for pensioners and health care card-holders – the group covered by existing state public dental schemes.</p> <p>The Commonwealth funding should be on the basis of the mixed public-private model described above.</p> <p>This initiative would cost an extra A$1 billion a year. That is a more affordable price tag – and sufficient dental professionals are already available to meet the anticipated extra demand.</p> <p>Offsets against this extra funding could come from savings elsewhere in the health system. Previous Grattan Institute reports have identified opportunities in both <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/home/health/hospitals/">hospitals</a> and <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/home/health/pharmaceuticals/">pharmaceuticals</a>, or from the introduction of a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks, as recommended in <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-sugary-drinks-tax-recovering-the-community-costs/">another Grattan report</a>.</p> <p>An A$1 billion a year investment in expanding access to dental care for pensioners and health care card-holders would eliminate the waiting lists for existing public dental services, address a key inequity in health care, and set the stage for the big reform: <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/home/health/">a universal dental scheme for Australia</a>.</p> <p><em>Written by Stephen Duckett. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/two-million-aussies-delay-or-dont-go-to-the-dentist-heres-how-we-can-fix-that-113376"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Ask the experts: Is teeth whitening bad for your teeth?

<p>If you’re anything like me, celebrity smiles and Colgate ads make you feel guilty about your regular consumption of coffee, red wine, tea, and all the other fun things we’re told will stain our teeth.</p> <p>And the solution seems so easy – a box of whitening strips from the supermarket shelf tells us so. But does whitening teeth also remove some of what keeps them healthy? And might they be more easily stained afterwards?</p> <p>We asked five experts if whitening is bad for teeth.</p> <p><strong>Five out of five experts said no…</strong></p> <p>But they all had a pretty big caveat. It’s safe provided it’s done by a dentist. So for this you’re looking at upwards of a few hundred dollars, rather than just a trip to the supermarket.</p> <p>Here are their detailed responses:</p> <p><strong>Alexander Holden – Dentist</strong></p> <p>“Provided a custom-fitted tray is used to keep the whitening agent in contact with the teeth and away from the mouth's delicate soft tissues such as the gums and the oral mucosa (skin of the mouth), <a href="https://theconversation.com/50-shades-whiter-what-you-should-know-about-teeth-whitening-102474">whitening is safe</a>. Non-dentists can provide agents that release up to 6% Hydrogen peroxide; while lower than the concentrations dentists can use, this is still strong enough to cause damage if improperly used.”</p> <p><strong>Kelly-Anne Hennessy – Dentist</strong></p> <p>Tooth whitening is safe if it is provided by and monitored by a <a href="https://www.ada.org.au/getattachment/Your-Dental-Health/Resources-for-Professionals/Resources-for-Teens-12-17/Teeth-whitening-the-best-result-for-your-smile/Teeth-whitening,-getting-the-best-result-for-your-smile.pdf.aspx">registered dental professional</a>. It's important to have professionally-fitted dental trays and to use the correct concentration of whitening products for the correct amount of time. Some non-professional whitening products are acidic and can dissolve tooth enamel. Whitening is not recommended for people with a lot of sensitivity or who are pregnant or breast-feeding. Whitening will not whiten existing fillings.</p> <p><strong>Madhan Balasubramanian – Oral health research</strong></p> <p>While teeth whitening can be an effective treatment for patients, it's prudent to seek necessary guidance and expert advice from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19543926">dental personnel</a>. A trained eye can help identify patient-specific reasons behind tooth discolouration, sensitivity to gums and desired cosmetic appearance. Initial chair-side assessment in a dental facility can help uncover these issues, before a viable solution is adopted.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/50-shades-whiter-what-you-should-know-about-teeth-whitening-102474">Teeth whitening</a> procedures performed by dental personnel can provide a more reliable solution for patients. Home-based teeth whitening materials prescribed and monitored by dental personnel have been shown to be safe, effective and suitable for patients during their home-based whitening treatment. But this doesn't apply to strips or gels you might find in supermarkets.</p> <p><strong>Michael Foley – Public health</strong></p> <p>Tooth whitening is usually safe for teeth. Most genuine tooth whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Higher concentrations (only available through dentists) are more effective, with longer lasting whitening. Peroxides can also cause tooth sensitivity and irritation or chemical burns to the gums, mouth and throat. But providing care is taken, whitening can be achieved with minimal risks. A few words of caution though. Not all teeth are suitable for whitening, and fillings and crowns won’t change colour, so seek advice from your dentist first.</p> <p>Many products advertised as ‘tooth-whitening’ contain no peroxides, only abrasives. While they may remove tea, coffee and tobacco stains (and unfortunately even tooth enamel – some are very abrasive), they will not ‘whiten’ teeth. And finally, Hollywood white, newsreader white, and supermodel white are not natural tooth colours. Please don’t overdo it. A healthy smile is the most beautiful smile.</p> <p><strong>Rebecca Chan – Oral health therapist</strong></p> <p>No, but you need to be seeking the care of an oral health professional (dentist, oral health therapist, dental hygienist or dental therapist). They will first perform a thorough assessment to identify the cause of your tooth discoloration and inform you about whether in-office whitening is a suitable option for your teeth. In fact, they may provide you with better solutions. For example, if the discolouration is a result of extrinsic staining, commonly from foods, treatments to mechanically remove stains will be more effective.</p> <p>Dental hypersensitivity is often a side effect from any whitening procedure. If the whitening procedure is provided by an oral health practitioner, formulations will often have remineralising agents aimed to strengthen the tooth immediately after the treatment to minimise these possible side effects.</p> <p><em>Written by Alexandra Hansen. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-asked-five-experts-is-whitening-bad-for-teeth-120828"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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6 tips for healthy white teeth

<p><strong>1. Go on a white-teeth diet </strong></p> <p>If you’re quaffing red wine and black tea, or smoking cigarettes, expect the results to show up as not-so-pearly whites. Other culprits include colas, gravy, soya sauce and dark juice.</p> <p><strong>2. Chuck away your toothbrush or electric toothbrush head every two to three months</strong></p> <p>Otherwise, you’re just transferring bacteria to your mouth. According to dentist Harold Katz, the best way to brush is by placing your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against your gums and gently moving it in a circular motion. Grip the toothbrush like a pencil so you won’t scrub too hard.</p> <p><strong>3. Use a tongue scraper every morning to remove tongue plaque and freshen breath</strong></p> <p>One cause of bad breath is the build-up of bacteria on the tongue, which a daily tongue scraping will help banish. It’s more effective than brushing your tongue with a toothbrush too, says Katz.</p> <p><strong>4. Eat “detergent” foods that are firm or crisp to help clean teeth as you munch</strong></p> <p>Apples are good, as are raw carrots, celery and popcorn. For best results, make “detergent” foods the final food you eat in your meal if you know you won’t be able to brush your teeth after eating.</p> <p><strong>5. Stay fresh</strong></p> <p>Check by licking your palm and smelling it while it’s wet. If you smell something, it’s time for a sugar-free breath mint. Shopping for mouthwash? Make sure it’s alcohol-free. Mouthwashes with too much alcohol can dry out mouth tissue, making it more prone to bacteria.</p> <p><strong>6. Brushing your teeth first and last thing </strong></p> <p>Are the two most crucial times of the day, as saliva which keeps plaque off teeth, dries up at night, so it’s best to have all plaque cleaned off the teeth before sleep. It’s also important to brush first thing in the morning to remove plaque and bacteria built up as you slept.</p> <p><em>This article first appeared in </em><em><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/6-Tips-For-Healthy-White-Teeth">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA93V"><em>here’s our best subscription offer</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Beauty & Style

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How to keep your teeth as you age

<p>It wasn’t so long ago that anyone over 50 would be pretty much guaranteed not to have any teeth of their own left. Indeed, if we think back to our grandparents’ era, it seems that most older people had dentures.</p> <p>Nowadays there is an increasing number of Australians reaching old age with most of their teeth. However, while this change seems positive, according to Dr Lesley Russell of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy of the University of Sydney, it does present a whole new set of issues.</p> <p>“It has, ironically, made the oral health of the most vulnerable older people – especially those who live in residential care – even worse,” she says.</p> <p>“Dental decay is surprisingly active in older people; the importance of being able to engage in the activities of everyday living is highlighted by the fact that dental decay among older people in nursing homes is more than twice that of people of the same age living in the community. And the rate is twice as high again for people with dementia.”</p> <p>Poor oral health can lead to under-nutrition, Dr Russell says, creating a vicious cycle, which “can lead to preventable illness and premature death”.</p> <p>Looking to improve the health of your mouth and teeth? Here are some simple measures everyone can take, courtesy of the NSW Department of Health.</p> <p><strong>1. Eat well</strong></p> <ul> <li>Tooth decay is related more to the frequency of sugar intake, than the total amount of sugar eaten.</li> <li>Reduce the frequency of eating sticky and sugary foods – limit biscuits, cakes, sweets and other sugary foods.</li> <li>Eat a variety of nutritious snacks daily, such aws fruit, nuts and yoghurt. Care should be taken by people with dentures if eating nuts.</li> <li>Eat from each food group (vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat, cereals/grains) to support oral and general health.</li> <li>Eat fresh, crunchy foods like apples, celery and carrots. Slicing these foods can make for easier eating.</li> <li>Eat meals or snacks containing milk or cheese to help reduce acid that causes tooth decay.</li> <li>Drinking water with fluoride is one of the easiest ways to help prevent cavities</li> </ul> <p><strong>2. Drink well</strong></p> <ul> <li>Fluoride in tap water helps to strengthen teeth and reduce acid that initiates tooth decay. Sugar is the source of bacterial energy causing tooth decay.</li> <li>Drink tap water daily – in most places in NSW tap water contains fluoride.</li> <li>Drink water after meals and snacks, and after taking medications (especially if they have been crushed and mixed with a sweetener).</li> <li>Keep the mouth moist by frequently rinsing or sipping with water.</li> <li>Avoid sugar in tea and coffee and reduce the intake of caffeine drinks.</li> <li>Limit the intake of acidic and sugary drinks (like fruit juice, soft drink and cordial)</li> </ul> <p><strong>3. Clean well</strong></p> <p>Poor oral hygiene allows the bacteria in dental plaque to produce acids and other substances that damage teeth, gums and surrounding bone. The daily removal of dental plaque and maintenance of sound dental health practices are the key aspects to preventing oral diseases. Tooth brushing with a fluoride toothpaste is the most effective and economical method of physically removing dental plaque from gums, tongue, teeth and/or dentures. Fluoride protects natural teeth by remineralising and strengthening tooth enamel.</p> <p><strong>Natural teeth:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Brush morning and night, using a soft toothbrush on gums, tongue and teeth.</li> <li>Use a pea-size amount of standard fluoride toothpaste.</li> <li>Spit out residue toothpaste but do not rinse the mouth after brushing. This allows the fluoride to pass effectively into the teeth.</li> <li>Replace a toothbrush:</li> <li>when the bristles become shaggy;</li> <li>every three months; and</li> <li>following an acute infection, such as thrush.</li> <li>This helps to prevent harm to the mouth.</li> <li>Use dental floss and interdental brushes (with care) to remove debris from between teeth.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Dentures:</strong></p> <p>People who wear dentures are at risk of developing fungal infections. Fungal infections can be associated with: wearing dentures at night; poor cleanliness of dentures; denture plaque; deterioration to the denture resin; diet; and pre-existing general health factors, such as diabetes. Further, a scratched denture can be a source of irritation and increase the risk of oral infections.</p> <ul> <li>Clean dentures daily with a denture brush and liquid soap to remove plaque from all surfaces, then rinse well under running water.</li> <li>Do not use toothpaste as it is abrasive and can damage the denture surface.</li> <li>Hold the dentures carefully while brushing, and clean them in a bowl of water placed in a sink to protect from breakage if dropped.</li> <li>Brush gums and tongue with a standard toothbrush to remove plaque in the mouth.</li> <li>Remove dentures overnight and store in cold water. This allows gum tissue to rest.</li> <li>Cleaning your teeth daily is important to prevent the build up of plaque which can cause tooth decay and gum disease </li> </ul> <p><strong>4. Play well</strong></p> <ul> <li>As with maintaining general health, exercise is important. Exercises for stronger cheek and tongue muscles and a healthy saliva flow help to maintain a moist mouth.</li> <li>Put air in the cheek and slide the mouth from side to side to exercise facial muscles.</li> <li>Run the tongue around the inside of the cheek to exercise the tongue muscles.</li> <li>Massage the sides of the face using a circular motion to improve saliva flow.</li> <li>Exercise facial and lip muscles by “oo” and “ee” movements of the lips.</li> <li>Mouth rinses and tongue cleaning may help keep your breath fresh.</li> </ul> <p><strong>5. Stay well</strong></p> <ul> <li>Visit a dental professional regularly, even if you wear dentures.</li> <li>Protect the body from the sun with sunscreen, lip block, a hat, clothing, sunglasses.</li> <li>Use sugarless medicines, where possible.</li> <li>Use walking frames and do balancing exercises to reduce falls.</li> <li>Limit alcohol and don’t smoke or chew tobacco.</li> </ul> <p><em>Written by Lynne Testoni. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/how-to-keep-your-teeth-as-you-age.aspx"><em>Wyza.com.au.</em></a></p>

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Say goodbye to bad breath

<p>If you suffer from bad breath, there are simple things you can do in addition to regularly brushing and flossing your teeth. Don’t forget to brush the top of your tongue with your toothbrush, too, to get rid of food particles and bacteria.</p> <p><strong>1. Drink plenty of water</strong></p> <p>Coffee, beer, wine and whisky leave residues that infiltrate the digestive system, so that for some time afterwards each breath expels traces of them.</p> <p><strong>2. Cloves, fennel and anise seeds</strong></p> <p>These are effective breath fresheners. Mix together a small amount of each and carry a small bag of them so you can chew some after meals – if you don’t mind the rather strong taste.</p> <p><strong>3. Avoid highly spiced foods</strong></p> <p>Foods such as garlic, onions, chillies, salami, strong cheeses and smoked foods recirculate through essential oils left in your mouth.</p> <p><strong>4. Chew a few sprigs of Mint or parsley</strong></p> <p>The chlorophyll in these green plants neutralises odours.</p> <p><strong>5. Try gargling lavender</strong></p> <p>Lavender is an effective mouth-freshener. Put a few drops of lavender essential oil in warm water and gargle.</p> <p><strong>6. Try a sea salt rinse</strong></p> <p>Rinse your mouth with a teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water after flossing. Salt’s mild antiseptic properties help to get rid of bacteria that cause bad breath.</p> <p><strong>7. Brush with tea-tree oil</strong></p> <p>Use a toothpaste that contains tea-tree oil, a natural disinfectant. If you can’t find it in the pharmacy, look for it in health-food shops.</p> <p><em>This article first appeared in </em><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/tips/Say-Goodbye-to-Bad-Breath">Reader’s Digest.</a><em> For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA93V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

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Dental tourism: Things to consider before going that extra mile for your smile

<p>Australians spend up to <a href="https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2015/januaryfebruary/medical-tourism/">A$300 million</a> each year on health-care costs abroad. As part of this phenomenon, each year <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/hospitals-and-medical-procedures/medical-treatments/articles/cosmetic-surgery-holidays">around 15,000 of us</a> are travelling overseas for cosmetic surgery tourism, including dental procedures.</p> <p>We don’t have firm numbers on exactly how much Australians spend on dental procedures. But we know for sure dental implants, crowns and bridges (prosthetic devices implanted to cover a damaged tooth or missing teeth), endodontics (such as root canal treatments) and other cosmetic dental procedures are becoming highly desirable.</p> <p>There has never been more pressure to have a straight, bright and white set of teeth.</p> <p><strong>The rise of dental tourism</strong></p> <p>Health-care tourism refers to people travelling overseas to undergo a medical or dental procedure. People travel for a range of dental procedures including having implants, crowns and bridges fitted, or for dentures, root canal treatment, fillings, veneers and teeth whitening.</p> <p>In Australia, <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dental-oral-health/oral-health-and-dental-care-in-australia-2015/contents/cost-of-dental-care">three in ten people</a> have avoided visiting a dentist due to cost, while <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dental-oral-health/oral-health-and-dental-care-in-australia-2015/contents/cost-of-dental-care">one in five</a> were unable to afford treatment recommended by a dentist. Dental care in Australia is <a href="https://chf.org.au/sites/default/files/health-voices-may12_web.pdf">not subsidised</a> for the majority of Australians, and <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-statistics/health-conditions-disability-deaths/dental-oral-health/overview">about half</a> don’t have any private dental insurance, which makes the allure of dental tourism clear.</p> <p>Some companies offer all-inclusive packages for sun, sea and smiles, meaning you can receive dental care as part of your holiday.</p> <p>Dental treatment abroad including flights and luxury hotel accommodation is often still cheaper than some dental treatments at home. For Australians, the most popular destinations are countries in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.</p> <p>Patients who travel tend to be ordinary people with modest incomes. And, like medical tourism, a substantial part of overseas dental travel involves diaspora patients returning to their home country for more familiar (and cheaper) care.</p> <p><strong>What are the risks?</strong></p> <p>Dentistry, whether provided at home or abroad, is never risk-free. You might pay top dollar to see the best provider and still have something go wrong.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.ada.org.au/Your-Dental-Health/Younger-Adults-18-30/Dental-Tourism">Australian Dental Association</a> advocates for patients to reconsider mixing holidays abroad with their oral health care. The association says the standards of dentistry overseas aren’t as good as in Australia and there could be issues with cleanliness and infection risk.</p> <p>While there are no strong population-based studies that prove overseas dental treatment leads to poor outcomes, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1834-7819.2010.01267.x">case studies</a> do exist. These have shown lack of accountability and regulation are the main issues with dental tourism, particularly when complications arise.</p> <p>Education, training and practice philosophies of overseas-trained dentists might be different to those of Australian-trained dentists. Dental education systems in a few major tourist destinations in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent are facing several challenges in terms of rapid privatisation, quality and regulation.</p> <p>On the other side on the coin, Australia has also had <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/up-to-10000-sydney-dental-patients-are-being-urged-to-get-blood-tests-for-hiv-hepatitis/news-story/9195b8da90deda723ac9093f2b66360e">reported cases</a> of poor infection control practices.</p> <p><strong>Things to consider</strong></p> <p>Whether you choose to have dental treatment overseas or in Australia, here are some things to consider:</p> <p><strong>Have you had enough time to think about your treatment?</strong> If you have a plane to catch and a tight schedule, you need to be wary about being pressured into committing to treatments before you feel ready. Holidays come and go but the effects of dental treatment stick around for a lot longer.</p> <p><strong>Have you been able to ask questions?</strong> Most dentists are really good at telling patients about treatments and different options. If you don’t feel you can ask questions, or that you are getting answers that satisfy your needs, you should be able to have a second opinion. Don’t be afraid to ask for one.</p> <p><strong>What happens if things don’t work out?</strong> Dentistry is as much of an art as it is a science. No matter how skilled your dentist, sometimes things don’t go to plan or are more complex than first thought. It usually isn’t too much of a problem to put things right, but if you need to see a dentist again, is this going to be difficult?</p> <p><strong>From dental tourism to transnational dental care</strong></p> <p>In this era of globalisation, overseas travel for dental care seems unavoidable. On a positive note, increased international flows of patients are likely to stimulate debate and develop solutions to enable more effective and cheaper access to dental care in Australia.</p> <p>Host countries that benefit from dental tourism and have modified their clinical facilities for an international clientele may be encouraged to offer similar levels of quality care to local patients.</p> <p>Professional and patient regulation and other mechanisms (such as insurance) that are preserved for national interests will need to widen to include the concerns of overseas health-care travellers.</p> <p>Regional cooperation across countries where dental tourism occurs will need to be actively pursued. This includes streamlined support for understanding dental tourism such as the inflows and outflows of patients, types of treatments, care providers and after care. Better data on dental tourism are vital for tracing and explaining this phenomenon.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102910/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Madhan Balasubramanian, NHMRC Sidney Sax Research Fellow, University of Sydney and Alexander Holden, Lecturer in Dental Ethics, Law and Professionalism, University of Sydney</span>. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/dental-tourism-things-to-consider-before-going-that-extra-mile-for-your-smile-102910"><span>The Conversation</span></a>.</em></p> <p> </p>

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