History of the Toothbrush

A glass of milk after eating sugary cereals may prevent cavities

Posted by DentistryIQ Editors 

Washing down sugary breakfast cereal with milk after eating reduces plaque acid levels and may prevent damage to tooth enamel that leads to cavities, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry.


Dry ready-to-eat, sugar-added cereals combine refined sugar and starch. When those carbohydrates are consumed, bacteria in the dental plaque on tooth surfaces produce acids, says Christine Wu, professor of pediatric dentistry and director of cariology, who served as principal investigator of the study.


The research is published in the July issue of the Journal of The American Dental Association.

Reports have shown that eating carbohydrates four times daily, or in quantities greater than 60 grams per person per day, increases the risk of cavities.

The new study, performed by Wu's former graduate student Shilpa Naval, involved 20 adults eating 20 grams of dry Froot Loops cereal, then drinking different beverages — whole milk, 100% percent apple juice, or tap water.

Plaque pH, or acidity, was measured with a touch microelectrode between the premolar teeth before eating; at two and five minutes after eating; and then two to 30 minutes after drinking a liquid.

The pH in plaque dropped rapidly after consuming cereal alone, and remained acidic at pH 5.83 at 30 minutes. A pH below 7 is acidic; a pH greater than 7 is basic. Pure water has a pH close to 7.

Participants who drank milk after eating sugary cereal showed the highest pH rise, from 5.75 to 6.48 at 30 minutes. Those who drank apple juice remained at pH 5.84 at 30 minutes, while water raised the pH to 6.02.

Fruit juices are considered healthy food choices, but the added sugar can be a risk to dental health, Wu said.

"Our study results show that only milk was able to reduce acidity of dental plaque resulting from consuming sugary Froot Loops," said Naval, who is currently a fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "We believe that milk helped mitigate the damaging effect of fermentable carbohydrate and overcome the previously lowered plaque pH."

Milk, with a pH ranging from 6.4 to 6.7, is considered to be a functional food that fights cavities because it promotes tooth remineralization and inhibits the growth of plaque, Wu said.

Wu says most consumers think that since milk is considered to be cavity-fighting, acid production by plaque bacteria can be minimized by mixing it with cereal. However, in an unpublished study in her lab, it was discovered that the combination of Froot Loops and milk became syrupy. Eating cereal combined with milk lowered plaque pH to levels similar to that obtained after rinsing with a 10% sugar solution.

Eating sugar-added cereal with milk, followed by drinking fruit juice is thus a highly cavity-causing combination, Wu said.

Diet plays an important role in oral health, Wu said. Studies of food intake and cavities have focused mainly on the sugar, or carbohydrate, content. Fewer studies have looked at how combinations of food, and the order in which they are eaten, may help fight cavities.

"Results from a previous study suggested that the last food item consumed exerts the greatest influence on subsequent plaque pH," she said. For example, eating cheese after a sugary meal reduces acid production, and consumers can modify their diet in such a way as to prevent the cavity-causing effects of sugary foods."

"If understood and implemented properly, food sequencing can be used as a public health educational tool to maintain and preserve good oral health," said Naval.

Other contributors included Drs. Anne Koerber, Larry Salzmann, Indru Punwani, and Bradford Johnson, all of the dentistry faculty at UIC. The research was supported by the college's pediatric dentistry department.

UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.

from http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2013/08/dental-health-tips-a-glass-of-milk-after-eating-sugary-cereals-may-prevent-cavities.html

Shark Week at McIff Dental Care.

Here are 15 Fun Facts about shark teeth:

1. Shark teeth are not attached to gums on a root like our teeth

2. Sharks typically lose at least one tooth per week

3. Sharks lose their teeth because they may become stuck in prey or broken and forced out

4. Shark teeth are arranged in neat conveyor belt rows and can be replaced within a day of losing one.

5. Sharks average up to 15 rows of teeth in each jaw.

6. Shark teeth are popularly found as beach treasures because sharks shed 1000s of teeth in a lifetime.

7. Well after a shark dies and its body decomposes its teeth will fossilize.

8. Fossilized shark teeth aren’t white because they’re usually covered with sediment (preventing oxygen and bacteria from getting to them).

9. It takes about 10,000 years for a shark tooth to fossilize. The most commonly found fossils are from 65,000 year ago (the Cenozoic era).

10. Venice, FL (on the Gulf of Mexico) calls itself the “shark tooth capital of the world”.

11. Sharks are born with complete sets of teeth and swim away from their mother to fend for themselves.


13. Whale sharks have 3,000 little teeth that are of little use. They’re filter feeders that find food by sifting through their gills.

14. Shark teeth and human teeth are equally as hard.

15. Sharks do not suffer from cavities.

August 6th is National Fresh Breath Day

1. 1
   Clean your mouth thoroughly and regularly; also brushing between the tongue and teeth, not just to look good, but for oral health and cleaner breath.
   
   Two major sources of mouth odor are bacteria and decaying food particles. There are hundreds of nooks and crannies in the fertile landscape of your mouth where these offending bits of "rot" can get lodged. Brushing is not enough.
   
   
   
   
   • Clean your tongue. Your tongue, unfortunately, is like a shaggy carpet where all kinds of smelly stuff can hide. Suction your tongue, a little -- and always swish your drinks all around the mouth and between teeth to dislodge some of this this material. When you brush your teeth (which should be at least twice a day):
     
     Use your toothbrush, the edge of a spoon, or a tongue cleaner to "scrape" your tongue.
     
     
     • If you have a sensitive gag reflex, you might not like this task. You need to clean your entire tongue, including the part close to your tonsils. Read How to Suppress the Gag Reflex for some tips.
   • Floss. Make it as much of a mindless habit as brushing your teeth. At first, your gums might bleed as you dislodge chunks of food that have "stuck" to your teeth and gum for who knows how long. But take a second to smell the floss after you pass it through your teeth, if you dare. You'll see (or smell) where the bad breath is coming from.
   • Use mouthwash. Mouthwash helps to keep your mouth moist and helps to prevent bad breath.
2. 2
   Keep your mouth moisturized. A dry mouth is a stinky mouth. That's why your breath is worse in the morning; your mouth produces less saliva as you sleep. Saliva is the enemy of bad breath because not only does it physically wash bacteria and food particles away, but it also has antiseptic and enzymes that kill bacteria.
   
   
   
   
   • Chewing gum stimulates saliva production (in addition to covering up the odor with some kind of scent). Mints do not encourage saliva production.
   • Drink water. Swish the water between your teeth from side to side. Water won't necessarily increase saliva production, but it'll wash out your mouth -- and it's good for you. See How to Drink More Water Every Day.
   • Dry mouth can be caused by certain medications and medical conditions. Ask your doctor about switching medications, or addressing the underlying condition.
3. 3
   Choose your gum carefully. As mentioned in the previous step, any gum will help with bad breath because the chewing action results in more saliva being produced. Some gums, however, have better bad-breath-fighting abilities than others:
   
   
   
   
   • Cinnamon flavoring seems to be especially effective in reducing bacteria counts in your mouth.
   • Look for gum sweetened with xylitol. For one thing, sugar's not good for your mouth. Xylitol is a sugar substitute that actually works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth.
4. 4
   Eat a banana. You probably already know to avoid notorious stink foods like onions, garlic, cheese, and coffee (or at least brush vigorously after eating them). But did you know that if you're on a low-carb diet, you might have "ketone breath"? Basically, as your body breaks down fats instead of carbs for energy, it creates ketones, some of which are released in your mouth. Unfortunately, ketones smell bad, and so will your breath. If you're on a strict carb-restricting diet, or any diet that forces you to burn fat instead of carbs, consider throwing healthy carb-rich snacks into the mix, like apples or bananas.
   
   
   
   
   • This will also happen to anyone who fasts, whether for religious reasons, or because they are anorexic. If you are anorexic, bad breath is only one of the reasons to stop starving yourself. Read How to Cope if You Want to Become Anorexic.
5. 5
   Talk to a doctor. If you've followed the above steps diligently and the bad breath persists, you may have a medical issue that needs to be treated. Here are some of the potential culprits:
   
   
   
   
   • Tonsil stones. These are lumps of calcified food, mucus and bacteria that appear as white spots on your tonsils. If seen, they can be mistaken for a throat infection, although sometimes they are not visible to the naked eye. You might also notice a metallic taste in your mouth, and/or pain when swallowing.
   • Diabetic ketoacidosis. If you have diabetes, it may be causing your body to burn fat instead of glucose, creating the ketone breath referred to in the previous step. This is a serious condition that needs to be treated as soon as possible.
   • Trimethylaminuria. If your body can't break down a chemical called trimethylamine, it will be released in your saliva, causing bad breath. It'll also be released in your sweat, so persistent body odor might be an accompanying symptom
   • Article from http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Bad-Breath

Good flossing habits

You know flossing is good for your oral health, you’ve been told that since you were a child. However, even if flossing is as second nature to you as buckling a seatbelt, you still may be doing it wrong. Here are 5 common flaws and how to correct them!

1. Using the same section of floss the entire time
When you use the same section, you end up transport the bacteria from tooth to tooth instead of off of your teeth. Using a new strand of floss may sound wasteful, but it will successfully remove the bacteria from your teeth.

2.Skipping the back teeth

Many people tend to skip the back teeth because it’s hard to reach. It’s still important to floss these teeth to remove the bacteria between your teeth and the gums. A good way of reaching these teeth is to use flossers with a handle to help you reach the very back of your mouth. “Softpicks” can also help get those hard to reach areas!

3. Snapping the floss in between your teeth

Sometimes your teeth may not have much room to floss around. In that case, you should work the floss slowly into the space, rather than forcing it on your gums. This prevents the gums from receding over time.

4. Not keeping track of the teeth you floss

You have a lot of teeth so as long as you floss in order, you shouldn’t leave any out!

5. Quitting because your gums are bleeding

Generally bleeding is an indication of gingivitis. The bleeding occurs because blood is rushed to the surface of the gums to fight off the With more religious flossing, the bleeding should go away and your gums should return to normal.