Xecs Dental Advice

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

  1. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    I'm assuming the same applies for drinking coffee? Ideally, rinse when done, wait 20 minutes and then brush?
     
  2. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Rinse with water after coffee for sure. You only need to brush twice a day for 2 minutes each time. So after breakfast and just before bed. If you have to brush before breakfast it's not the end of the world. Just not ideal.
     
  3. foo_me

    foo_me Friend

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    One thing that my dentist really recommended and that I felt really helped was using a waterpik. As I got older and my gums recede, there was more space between my teeth. At this point, brushing and flossing is not good enough. Small food still gets trapped so a waterpik is really good for flushing your mouth. This also happens if you have implants. May not be useful for everyone but definitely was good for me. Gums are in better shape using it.
     
  4. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    The use of waterpiks has really gone up in the last few years. They were very popular in the 70s and 80s but lost traction when the research pointed out they were unable to disturb biofilms and had zero effect subgingivally. Although they have made a resurgence, the evidence still does not support their use.
    They are useful for dislodging large food debris but still are much less effective than flossing/brushing at disturbing bacteria.

    The Australian society of periodontology still recommend flossing as the best method of preventing peri-implantitis/periodontitis.

    I wouldn't say - don't use a waterpik. However, if you are going to use one, use it as an adjunct to your brushing and flossing.
     
  5. foo_me

    foo_me Friend

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    Yes - I agree...waterpiks are not a substitute for brushing and/or flossing but an additional tool depending upon your situation.
     
  6. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    @Xecuter I think of you every time I brush my teeth at a 45 degree angle now. My personal dental hygiene tip is to play this song as you brush (2 mins long so you know when to stop brushing):

     
  7. Warrior

    Warrior RIP 2021

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    I've been using a new toothpaste from Sensodyne. It has Novamin in it, which is supposed to repair tiny holes on the surface of your teeth. Can't get it in the good old USA of course. GSK bought the company that invented it, and it's patented I believe. Anyone here use it? @Xecuter any good? Reads like it may work, figured I'd give it a shot.
     
  8. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    @Warrior I had the sensodyne Rep in today. They have some evidence which suggests that it is able to repair/strengthen damaged dentine, this would help reduce sensitivity and reduce further damage.
    The 'repair and protect sensodyne' product has pretty much everything: Sodium fluoride, calcium, phosphate as well as the novamin* which apparently, strengthens up the weak spots after about a week of 2x daily use.
    The colgate pro-relief* (this main competition) uses pro-argin + calcium - which blocks dentine tubules. It works a lot faster than sensodyne but only sort of temporarily fixes the problem - this stuff works really well as a topical ointment on sensitive spots. Just rub it into the sensitive spot spit and don't rinse at night.

    If you have weakened enamel I tend to suggest tooth creme like the tooth mousse plus i mentioned earlier, you can even use a really high dose fluoride paste like neutrafluor 5000 a few times a week.
    For sensitivity issues try the sensodyne, however more often than not, there is a bigger issue at play causing the sensitivity and a dental appointment is warranted

    *Note: All the research on these products is biased as hell.You only have to wiki GSK to see they are one very corrupt company. All the studies are very selective/short and the research is usually not independent.
     
  9. Warrior

    Warrior RIP 2021

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    Thanks bro. I really don't have sensitive teeth, I just bought it because of the Novamin. Kind of hoping to repair any little things that may be wrong. A little preventive action.

    I don't care much for any of the big pharmaceutical companies. They all seem like ruthless entities that care about one thing... The bottom line.
     
  10. mrflibble

    mrflibble Friend

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    I am extremely unhappy with my teeth. I had a very long period of ill health and I didn't look after them properly during that time. I had to have two filling in the back two left molars. The grey amalgam looks horrible and I feel anxiety about the mercury poisoning my body when I chew. If I look at them in the mirror I feel very sad. :(

    I am considering having the larger tooth extracted and the other filled with a Cerec ceramic filling. Or maybe have both of them refilled, but that would cost more.

    I carried out a lot of research into filling materials to try and find one that is 100% safe. But I could not find one, even the ceramic fillings need a composite glue to hold them. They are made from nasty plastics that do not completely polymerize. The plastics are an endocrine disruptor whereas mercury is a neurotoxin, so pick your poison :-(

    I've read that it is possible to remineralize some cavities, I do not know if it is true. I wish my teeth and been given that opportunity, I wish I had been given some options instead of being drilled and filled. It all happened so quickly :(

    If I only had the one filling in the back molar I would have it pulled. But I can't really have both teeth pulled because the second molar is too important.

    I'm always getting food stuck between those two particular teeth and the gum inbetween can get very sore with all the flossing I have to do. I find that warm salty water helps. If I had the one tooth taken out then I would not get food stuck.

    Any advice that you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    I have some other problems with my teeth. I used to brush hard with hard bristle manual brush. The gum on the right canine has receded badly exposing the root. It is very sensitive sometimes, but generally doesn't cause me too much trouble.

    I used to be addicted to eating almond butter, especially in the middle of the night. This would stick to my teeth and it has stained them. The hygienist removed the stains from the front facing surfaces, but the stains on the top surfaces remain. It doesn't bother me too much. Just thought I'd warn people about the dangers of almond butter!

    I'm sorry about my very long post. But as you may be able to tell, my fillings cause me significant mental distress.

    ERRATUM: It is the first bicuspid that has the receded gum not the canine.
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2017
  11. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    I've been close to someone who had a big thing about mercury amalgam fillings. She was actually diagnosed by Western medicine as having some sort of sensitivity (or even allergy, I forget) to mercury, so it is perfectly possible that it was impacting her health.

    But here is one thing I learnt during that time: the amalgam in your mouth is pretty stable. The dose that you get from chewing on it is almost nothing, whereas the does you get from having it drilled out is very much larger. Because of this, it is sometimes suggested that it is safer to leave them where they are unless or until they need to be replaced.

    A lot of people, apparently, thought that mercury-amalgam fillings were a dreadful idea right from the start. The word quack, applied to snake-oil medicine, has nothing to do with ducks, but comes from Quicksilver, a common name for mercury. The debate is over. I have not met a dentist who would put amalgam fillings in my mouth for more than a decade.

    But the stuff we have in our teeth? Honestly: let it be. Unless you have real evidence that it is causing you actual physical harm, then please, save yourself the stress and stop worrying about it.

    And please, do not let it cost you a tooth. Once lost, gone for ever. Titanium implants are great, but they are not real teeth.

    Yes, I respect your concern, but I would still summarise this as: for better or for worse, just be glad you still have those two teeth.

    IANAD.

    (I am not a dentist and have no medical training of any kind)
     
  12. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Dear @mrflibble

    Thank you for sharing your story here. Also thanks to @Thad E Ginathom who is very right. I'm just going to add a bit more from a dental perspective.

    Amalgam use is a highly debated topic. The facts are that the people who were at risk, were the clinician and the nursing staff who were exposed to a lot of vapour in the placement of these restorations everyday. The amount the patient is exposed to is very minimal. However removal of the restoration will expose the patient to far more than leaving them be.
    At this point in time, after A LOT of medical research, there is no laws saying it is illegal or not indicated in use. In fact most modern universities still train their students in the placement of amalgam fillings because it is still regarded as one of the longest lasting materials and one of the only materials we can place in a wet environment.

    I would personally never have one. I would stick with gold inlays and onlays with a glass ionomer cement adhesive.
    However, if i was in the situation where they were placed a long time ago, i would think very carefully about having them removed. As I said by drilling into them you will expose yourself to significantly more toxins. The other issue is the alternatives will never last as long as an amalgam restoration. Well placed amalgam restorations will often outlive the patient. I would only recommend replacing a large amalgam restoration with a porcelain/gold crown ONLY WHEN the tooth is at some risk of cracking/decay or their is leakage around the filling.
    Removal of a functional tooth is very unwise, this should only be done when the tooth is hopeless or treatment is not possible for some reason.

    Re: the sore spot between the teeth, I would trial using a interdental brush. Sounds like the contact between the teeth is not ideal leaving a bigger gap for food to be trapped. Regular gentle cleaning is your best bet to keeping this tissue healthy. However this could be caused by a few other things so an x-ray and check with a dentist is a good idea.

    Re: staining, Ask your dentist if they can sand blast the stains off. Also review your diet and try to minimise staining agents, stuff like turmeric, cumin, dark chocolate, licorice, red wine, chewing nicotine, regular tea/coffee drinking. Also rinsing with water after consuming these things helps.

    If you send me some photos of the recession (in PM of course) I can help direct you from an aesthetic perspective there.

    Being sad about your teeth is very serious. When I see people who hide their teeth with their lips or are ashamed to smile, i get very worried about how this affects their quality of life.
    If you are only worried about the amalgam then that's OK, it's pretty much harmless at this point and just needs to be monitored by your dentist.

    Thanks for sharing with us. If anyone is not comfortable doing this openly I always reply to PMs.
     
  13. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I understand this all too well. I too have an issue with my two rear molars and food constantly wedges in, sometimes with such force that I have to stop mid-meal to floss because it actually hurts.
     
  14. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    This is usually due to poor contact margins. The filling has to be redone, if it is due to tilting where the teeth have drifted into the gap from a missing tooth orthodontics is probably required.
     
  15. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    The problem started years ago after I had my wisdom teeth removed. I think my rear molars gapped a little bit, which led to food getting caught and eventually a cavity. I think my dentist just did a poor job with the filling initially; it felt rough and notched with my tongue like food could get shredded by it, and I was constantly feeling food (mostly meat and vegetable fibres) getting jammed tighter and tighter while eating. I mentioned this problem several times to my dentist but he kept dismissing it that this is simply what happens.
     
  16. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    It is a fairly common problem. it is hard to say if the Dentist could have done a better job, there are too many factors to make that call without seeing the clinical presentation. if it is only a bit annoying, I would say just to persist with it. However in the long term a good quality crown could sort or at least reduce this annoyance.
     
  17. eastboundofnowhere

    eastboundofnowhere Facebook Friend

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    Just wanted to say thanks after this, "Do not rinse after you brush your teeth - toothpaste residue is good for the teeth (yeah it's gross)"

    Might be gross, but the morning dragon breath is gone in the morning for the first time in my life.
     
  18. mrflibble

    mrflibble Friend

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    I've had three of my wisdom teeth removed and have the same problem. It's not too bad with the bottom molars (the food comes out easily), but the top left (with the fillings) can sometimes be a nightmare. White fish and tougher cuts of red meat are the worst. Soemtimes using floss just seems to push it further underneath. If food gets stuck up there for more than a few hours it starts to ache. I've found that the warm salty water helps to free the food in these cases.

    When I floss between the two teeth with fillings I have to be careful that the floss does not shred or get stuck, otherwise I can get bits of floss stuck up there as well. When I floss those teeth I pull the floss through when I have finished rather than pulling it out, that way it won't shred. I also use the floss sticks (can't remember the proper name), if these get stuck I have to use a pair of nail scissors to cut the floss so that I can pull it through.

    Thank you all for your stories and advice. Many thanks especially to @Xecuter. I guess I will just have to try and be less sad about my fillings.
     
  19. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    I have two teeth that trap fibrous food such as meat. The original teeth did. Now they are both crowned and it still happens! But it is only an occasional nuisance...

    Oh, please do! I'm sure nobody else looks at your face and thinks, "good-looking, but hey, those fillings!" I'm sure they look at your face and just see you! And mostly, we really don't look far beyond each other's easily-visible front teeth anyway.

    Smile and be happy :D
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2017
  20. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    An interjection from the Pedants'R'Us Department...

    My reference to "Mercury amalgam" is wrong. An amalgam is a solution of other metals in Mercury, so "mercury amalgam" is, to say the least, tautological. It is always going to be mercury: it is the other metal(s) that should be specified, if anything.

    Phew... got that off my chest: feeling better now!

    :sail:

    .
     

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