Xecs Dental Advice

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by Xecuter, Mar 7, 2017.

  1. TRex

    TRex Almost "Made"

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    Amazing thread, mate! I try to follow the recommended procedure, but flossing is cumbersome & toothpaste aftertaste is plan nasty. My question is very basic, as I'm too young for serious dental diseases. :p

    Which OralB brush head do you recommend? I'm using the floss action, which featured 4 thin rubber bristles to simulate flossing. I doubt it really works, but it's the best-rated brush head on Amazon.
     
  2. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    - I do rinse and floss after every single meal
    - I do tend to snack though :confused: or more like a whole bunch of mini meals during the day
    - snoring yes, but dry mouth no
    - I get cleaning/scaling twice a year

    With my slightly receeded gumline, I have gaps between my teeth. The tartar builds up and solidifies in between all my teeth closes those gaps and is annoying. This doesn't pose a health risk though? It just looks gross and it gets so thick sometimes I can even chip it out with my fingernails.

    What is the purpose of chewing gum after a meal?
     
  3. frenchbat

    frenchbat Almost "Made"

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    chewing gum makes you produce saliva, which protects your teeth.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    A few years ago, I ended up with a cavity on the edge of one or my upper molars. I think it was the result of damage to the enamel from using my teeth to strip wires and then getting sick when my immune system couldn't fight bacteria. There was a little bit of discomfort for a while when I bit down on food, until this small bit of tooth came off. The exposed area of the tooth self-healed and re-mineralized after I made efforts to rinse with tap water a few times every day.
     
  5. ohhgourami

    ohhgourami Friend

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    @Xecuter , is there anything I can do about abrasion around the gum line? A lot of my molars have a cut there and my dentist have told me it's due to the pressure against the brush from the edge of my mouth. Assuming I try to mitigate further damage, what will eventually happen since the "cuts" are there?
     
  6. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    So, in my experience, it is actually important to floss your kids teeth.
     
  7. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    I'll post some stuff about age/serious disease here later today. You are not immune.

    I recommend the sensitive head that Oral B makes. However some people prefer the standard brush as it is a lot firmer. The sensitive one gets deeper between the teeth and beneath the gums but it wear out pretty quickly.

    Unfortunately this is not reversible. If it is not sensitive/does not have active decay, I wouldn't even proceed with fillings here. Some dentists like to do them but the margins are always crap. There is some argument this sort of damage may also be caused by Abfraction from grinding/clenching (controversial)
    Be mindful of when you brush (never immediately after eating), think of getting a tooth brush with a pressure indicator, never scrub your teeth, always use soft tooth pastes, minimise acid intake/frequency in your diet. Make sure your dentist keeps a close eye on it and hopefully you won't have to do anything if you stop causing further damage.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2017
  8. ohhgourami

    ohhgourami Friend

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    The sensitivity comes and goes. I try to be mindful about how I brush to prevent further damage. I'm still pretty young (26), so I mostly worry about effects when I'm old. Hopefully we find a way to regrow teeth by then, along with limbs and organs.
     
  9. Jokko

    Jokko Friend

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    Xec, what´s the best way to get whiter teeth?
     
  10. Ryu

    Ryu Friend

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    From the rumor mill, I hear that brushing your teeth twice a day will get them nice and white over time.
     
  11. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Teeth discolour either due to external staining (coffee, nicotine, tea, red wine, dark chocolate, licorice, berries, supplements etc) or just become less white as you age (more rapid if you have a lot of staining agents in your diet). @Ryu more brushing will not reverse internal staining and also won't remove stains (unless you are brushing very hard or using a whitening tooth paste (sand paper)). I do sometimes suggest the occasional use of slightly abrasive tooth paste for patients who tend to stain rapidly.
    External staining should be removed during a normal dental clean, however intrinsic (internal discolouration) can only be reversed by doing some whitening.

    General whitening advice:
    I tend to suggest professional at home kits that Dentists supply. The Dentist will make 'medicament trays' that fit your teeth and have small pockets for the whitening gel to sit on the teeth. You can usually buy whitening gel through the practice which is much stronger than the over the counter pharmacy or beauty therapist stuff . Hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide based gels work great. Your dentist will tell you to wear them for either a few hours or sleep with them in depending on the strength of the gel and quality of your enamel. I usually suggest 4 days every week for a few weeks until you're happy with the result. Maybe do an extra few days because the teeth will revert to a creamier darker colour as they re-hydrate.
    I also suggest minimising the staining agents you have in your diet whilst whitening and the weeks after.
    Cost is usually about $250-350 for the tray/gel and advice.

    We used to do a lot of 'in chair' whitening with Zoom. I found the results were pretty hit and miss and the cost was about $800.
    the whole UV light thing is a bit of a gimmick IMO.

    The at home kit gives you the ability to top it up however frequently you feel you need to do it.

    Warnings:
    There is a very good chance your teeth will become significantly more sensitive during and a few weeks after you whiten. Often patients are not able to complete treatment due to this. Using a remineralising agent like tooth mouse plus prior and post whitening will reduce this. Switch to a sensitive tooth paste such as sensodyne or colgate pro-relief will also help.

    Teeth which are severely discoloured which have been dead (had root can treatment) or traumatised (bled internally) won't respond to this type of bleaching. They will require internal bleaching pellets or veneers.

    Crowns/veneers and fillings will not respond to whitening. Sometimes people need to have these replaced as they will stand out much more compared to the natural teeth after whitening.

    Post-whitening. Try to minimise staining agents, rinse with water if you do indulge. Consider the use of tooth mousse plus in the medicament trays (applied topically 2-3 days a week in the evening) as the teeth will be weakened by any sort of whitening.

    Final: Whitening treatment is case by case depending on the patients goals and what we have to work with. I would recommend a consultation with your Dentist to discuss what option is best for you.
     
  12. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    @TRex, here is a 20 year old patient with aggressive early onset periodontal disease causing severe bone loss.
    He is healthy, does not smoke, has NO fillings and no significant risk factors, other than slightly less than perfect oral hygiene and high susceptibility.
    He has lost 50-60% (red dash where bone should be) of bone in some areas and will likely lose teeth despite early detection.
    There is no pain with this disease and this was only detected by a thorough Dental Hygienist.
    We can only work to stabilise this disease, there is no actual cure.

    Is this super rare? No, about 50% of people have some degree of Periodontitis.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2017
  13. TRex

    TRex Almost "Made"

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    @Xecuter I had gingivitis and periodontitis before, but not severe - fortunately scaling cured them. That said, I didn't know it can be asymptomatic and without any cause! That's utterly scary. Gotta start routine x-ray scannings.

    Btw, the area in red circle doesn't look much different than the mirror (bottom right) area. I admit I'm not expert on reading xray scans.
     
  14. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    The area circled is the patients lower right hand side. I just circled this area because there is widening of the periodontal ligaments here (darkening around the roots), so the patient was starting to get some slight mobility of this tooth. You're correct though the other side (patients left side) is not much better!

    This type of x-ray is an Orthopantogram - If anyone needs, they can PM this x-ray to me and I will be happy to give my opinion and discuss with you what I can (without clinical evaluation it's difficult to diagnose properly).
     
  15. take

    take Friend

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    Tried the "deep floss" last night. I never went past the center of the gum line before. It took longer, but felt like it did a lot more. I'm a fan.

    I've gone pretty Xecuter - I've got an Oral B Pro 3000 electric brush, Colgate Total toothpaste, etc.

    One curiosity - I asked my dentist about the "don't brush right after meals bit" and he disagreed, saying that the only important thing was to rinse with, or just drink, water between a meal and brushing. Does that change things in your opinion? Also, any thoughts on using a toothbrush without toothpaste to quickly remove food stuck between teeth, e.g. quickly before going out?
     
  16. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I feel conflicted about this one... I understand that the toothpaste residue itself can be good for you, but isn't the residue also filled with the gunk that you just brushed off?
     
  17. %20 Oddity

    %20 Oddity Friend

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    Are hard bristled toothbrushes really super bad for teeth?
     
  18. Pilsnerpunk

    Pilsnerpunk Friend

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    • Do not brush directly after meals or beverages.
    If I don't have time in the morning to do this am I better off to brush before I eat, then rinse with water and chew a piece of gum? It's something that has always bothered me. Right now I brush my teeth 10 minutes after my breakfast and coffee.

    I really like using flosettes. I'd recommend anyone who hates flossing to try them. I wouldn't floss every night if these didn't exist.
     
  19. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Related to above, why should we not brush after meals/beverages? Is it because we're waiting for the saliva to do some work before before brushing??

    I always floss after every meal. Is there any harm in that?
     
  20. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Directly after meals (acid challenge) the pH of your mouth drops to a level where the teeth are weakened/susceptible to wear. Even if you eat white bread, enzyme in your saliva break this into simple surgars that bacteria turn into acids. It takes about 20 minutes for your saliva to buffer this back to a safe level.
    The reasoning is that brushing in the 20 minute window will accelerate enamel wear.
    Rinsing with water will bring the pH back to neutral, so a good rinse before you brush should be good enough.
    I recommend not brushing directly after meals as many foods/drinks (juices/lemon water in the morning/wine/cocktails/soft drinks etc) will drop the pH to dangerous levels. Hence I recommend rinsing after every meal/drink/reflux episode.

    @Pilsnerpunk I would not recommend chewing gum instead of a brush in the morning. Just rinse with water before you brush.

    Spit out the bulk of the residue, heck even rinse and then just brush with a clean brush with a tiny bit more paste. It's just for longer exposure of topical fluoride/triclosan.

    Yes, you're teeth only feel 'cleaner' because you're taking off a tiny layer of enamel.
     

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