How Can I Reverse Teeth Erosion from Bulemia and Drug Use?

Ask Dr.A
dradental.com



The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.




Hello Dr.A, I had a problem with meth and bulimia. I recently just got help and I needed advice on what to do about my teeth erosion.

My enamel on my teeth; some parts are clear on my teeth on the bottom and I see some of the enamel had come off making my teeth sensitive. I know I can't do much about the chips on my teeth but I was wondering what I could to help repair my enamel and teeth to rebuild them somehow.

I've been using ACT and Crest Pro but I'm not sure if that's enough. Please tell me what I could do, thanks so much for your help!



Dr.A - First off, let me commend you on the confidence and self-respect you must have shown in battling both bulemia and drug abuse. You have already proven your dedication to your health and life.

The erosion of enamel surfaces on teeth can vary depending on the cause. While bulemia and certain drug abuse can result in severe enamel breakdown, over-consumption of acidic foods such as lemons can also result in such breakdown to some extent.

Bulemia usually results in enamel breakdown due to the acidic contents of the stomach as they coat the teeth. Drug abuse can also result in weakend enamel, in addition to skin and hair, because of deleterious nutritional habits and especially grinding, which can leave teeth chipped and broken.

In your case, it is difficult for me to imagine just how badly eroded your enamel is since I have never met you and examined you in person. If your findings are moderate, that is, the sensitivity and chipping of your teeth are not extremely painful and obvious, then I would continue to use ACT flouride rinse, and brush with ProNamel toothpaste by Sensodyne (which I personaly use at home), and evaluate following 2-4 weeks of use.

If the sensitivity is painful and the chipping is extreme, then visit your dentist and ask for high dose flouride treatment. That may result in some reversal of the enamel loss.

However, it is usually necessary in that case to restore your teeth with composite resins (white fillings), or porcelain veneers and crowns to achieve optimal protection from further chipping and for beautiful aesthetics. In your question you stated that you knew you "can't do much about the chips on my teeth", which couldn't be further from the truth. You absolutely can, and should, repair any chips on your teeth as any fracture, no matter how small, can extend itself further and create more fractures, analogous to chipped glass.

You must recognize that if you do decide to not only invest your money but also your time in trying to reverse the damage and restore your white smile you must first be committed to stopping any of your previous drug and bulemic habits. Otherwise, there does not exist any dental restorative material that can withstand constant acidic conditions and forceful grinding.

Do your self a favor; visit your dentist and learn how a new smile can give you confidence in your self, and how this renewed confidence can lead to a brand new you.




The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.






More Ask Dr.A
______________

Does It Matter Where A Dentist Graduated From?

Ask Dr.A
dradental.com



The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.




I would like to find out where my dentist went to school without having to ask him outright. For physicians, their medical school is listed with the information about their license activity. For dentists, this is not true in California. I don't know what other states do.

I am one of those folks who have had both fabulous and truly awful dental work. One of the ways to increase the odds of good care is to know the dentist's background and training. Can you provide any help in this regard? I do hope so. If you can not, where do we write?



Dr.A - The dentist's year and school of graduation, and disciplinary record should be available at your state's dental association. If not made public on their site, then by all means call them. You can find your state's association by googling it.

Let me take this opportunity to discuss a dentist's abilities. If you are looking for a dentist that has recently graduated, then maybe the quality of the program at the school from which that dentist graduated from might make a difference. However, all dentists must continue to enroll in continuing education classes to keep their licenses active with their particular state association and department of health.

After a few years of continuing education and clinical experience the dentist's alma mater should not make a difference on the quality of work. What you should be looking for is how long a dentist has been working out of school, and if there are any disciplinary hearings on their professional record.



The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.






More Ask Dr.A
______________

Can Food Debris Hide a Tooth Cavity on X-Rays?

Ask Dr.A
dradental.com



The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.



Q. I have seen 2 dentists in the past 3 months who have both assured me that my teeth are in good condition and that I have no cavities. Prior to these visits, I had last seen a dentist more than a decade ago. I feel certain that I have at least 1 cavity. My certainty stems from the following:

Last year, while eating I suddenly heard and felt a crunch in my mouth. Upon inspection I found that it was a piece of silver filling, a finding corroborated by a jagged edge on one of my left molars that could be felt with my tongue. Secondly, when sucking on the tooth, a decidedly unpleasant taste appears, despite the fact that I floss regularly.

So my question is:

Is it possible for food debris to become so compacted in a cavity that is not attended to, that the cavity cannot be detected on x-rays?




Dr.A - If your observations, mainly the broken piece of amalgam and the jagged tooth filling, are correct then I would have to assume you have a broken filling and that it needs replacing. Now, for two dentists to say otherwise, I would also have to assume that there's nothing of significance that can be detected. As you can guess, I cannot give you a solid answer as to what is really going on with your tooth with the limited information you have given me.

Is it possible for food to block out a cavity on the x-ray? No. When reading x-rays there are two types of structures, those that show up white (radio-opague) and those that show up black or not at all (radio-lucent). Anything hard or mineralized, such as bone, tooth enamel, etc will show up as a varying degree of white depending on how dense the structure is. Anything soft, mushy, or empy space will show up black as x-ray beams pass through unobstructed.

So as you can imagine, food debris that is compacted in a hollow cavity cannot show up on the x-ray, therefore, the cavity will still show as a black hole or hollow, and the dentist should be able to detect it.

Sorry, but it is difficult to analyze your case without seeing the x-ray and clinically observing the tooth. What you should do is visit your dentist (or both dentists) again and complain of the said symptoms; the ragged edge and foul taste. Make sure you make the appointment for that reason only so that the dentist's full attention is on that one problem.




The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.




More Ask Dr.A
______________

Cranberry Juice and Your Teeth

Dr.A's Dental Diet
dradental.com



Various studies have shown that certain components found in Cranberry Juice disrupted the adhesive properties of bacterial biofilms found in the oral cavity.

Biofilms are a way for bacteria to stick to each other and protect eacth other from harm. These bacterial congregations are sticky, and make it hard for their removal. In essence, drinking cranberry juice has been found to act as an anti-bacterial agent, breaking up these biofilms on teeth.

Having said that, don't go out and drink just any cranberry juice. Remember, many juices contain a lot of added sugar. Drink only those juices with no extra sugar. Also, take care not to drink too much. All fruit juices contain a high amount of natural sugar.

Cranberry juice can stain your teeth, so make sure you rinse with water after drinking.







Dr.A's Dental Diet
DrADental.com
__________________

What Can You Tell Me About Ultrasonic Scalers For Cleaning Teeth?

Ask Dr.A
dradental.com



The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.



Q. My dental hygienist used something called an ultrasonic water jet while cleaning my teeth. Is this something I could use at home? I don't think they've ever used that technology on me before. She said it's a technology that's been around since the seventies. What is the history of this technology?

Dr.A Ultrasonic scalers were first proposed for cleaning calculus off teeth in 1955, and later became an acceptable alternative to hand cleaning instruments in 1960. They became widely used in the 70's and 80's for removing plaque (sticky food debris) and calculus (hard mineralized debris) supra-gingivally (above the gums).

They work by way of vibrational energy as the tiny tip oscillates (vibrates) rapidly helping to break apart the tough mineralized calculus. The tip also sprays a jet of water which aids in flushing away debris and helps in keeping the tooth cool. This is especially important since extreme heat applied to a single tooth could cause damage to the nerve.

Ultrasonic scalers are especially useful for patients with severe buildup of calculus on their teeth. However, there are many debates about whether ultrasonic scalers can completely replace hand instruments. Many argue that hand instruments are better at removing smaller pieces of calculus under the gums and can leave the tooth surface much smoother than ultrasonics can. Currently, many dental offices use both. The hygienist usually uses the ultrasonic first, then follows with a more detailed cleaning with hand instruments.

Care must be taken if certain areas of teeth have incomplete formation of enamel, as the vibrational energy of the ultrasonic scalers could cause damage to the underlying dentin layer.

Ultrasonic scalers can be operated by certified dental hygiensits and dentists only. So as you can imagine, there aren't any home versions of the systems, at least that I am aware of.




The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.




More Ask Dr.A
______________

What Causes My Incomplete Formation of Enamel?

Ask Dr.A
dradental.com



The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.



Q. For some reason I've never had a complete coating of enamel on the backs of my teeth. Is this common? What, beyond genetics, causes this incomplete formation of enamel?

Dr.A Incomplete formation of enamel (the outermost, hardest layer of your tooth) can have many causes. The most common causes are usually trauma, or serious infections and disease conditions during the development of the teeth in children. This can cause either the development of softer enamel, or hard enamel that is low in quantity. Any incomplete formation of enamel can be termed Enamel Dysplasia.

Amelgenesis Imperfecta is a genetic condition caused by the malfunctioning of one or more of the protiens found in enamel such as ameloblastin or enamlin. Patients with this condition tend to have smaller, malformed, pitted teeth, with shades of yellow or green. The teeth tend to be sensitive, and commonly exhibit cavities.

What is interesting about your condition is that the lack of enamel is focused on the backs of your teeth. This is a key feature of conditions where patients tend to vomit on a regular basis; bullemia is one example. As the acidic contents of the stomach pass through the oral cavity the backs of the teeth tend to be directly involved. The high acidity breaks down the enamel layer over time. This leaves the teeth with exposed dentin on the back and edges, and hence, more sensitive to pain and staining.

I say "interesting" because you say that you have always lacked complete enamel on the backs of your teeth. I am not aware of a genetic condition where enamel formation is hindered to only that area, on multiple teeth! It is possible to have a single point of enamel hypomaturation on a single tooth, usually characterized by a white chalky spot and caused by trauma to that tooth during development. But to say that the same surfaces on all your teeth exhibit this condition since you were a child is unheard of, by myself at least, unless you have been vomiting on a regular basis since you were a child!

You should definitely discuss this observation with your dentist of record. She or he might recommend flouride treatment, and should try to investigate the cause of your enamel malformation.




The answers given by Dr.A are intended as non-professional advice, for entertainment only if you will. Please do consult with your dentist of record or your physician before making any decision regarding your dental or medical health.




More Ask Dr.A
______________

Dr.A's Dental Diet: 5 Simple Rules for Healthy Teeth, Body & Mind

by Dr.A
dradental.com




DR.A's DENTAL DIET

Introduction


Most people forget that teeth are body parts too! So it is not surprising to learn that recently many studies have shown a link between oral disease and other maladies, including heart disease, systemic bacterial infections, and even certain types of cancer.

So my goal with Dr.A's Dental Diet is not to introduce a ground shaking new overly-hyped diet plan, but to instill common sense when you are planning your next meal. Your teeth, body and mind are intertwined. Taking care of your teeth helps in keeping your body in healthy shape and your mind sharp.

While I will be updating my site with various tips and commentary, here are 5 simple rules that you must follow to adhere to my diet plan:


1. Balance
Whether it is carbs, protiens, fats, exercise, sleeping, or even drinking alcohol, balancing them all during the day is key.

2. Prevent
Brush, floss, rinse, visit your dentist, keep up with your cleaning visits. This is important in preventing cavities and oral problems. And if you do have a simple small cavity, so what? fill it and move on. Don't dwell on it, and be too scared to do anything about it, or let the finances get in the way. Remember, a small cavity will keep growing, so will the dental bill.

There are many different types of dental oral rinses, not just the ones that burn! I will show you how to maximize the benefits of your morning rinses, and also point out those soothing moisturizing rinses before bedtime. Don't forget water! Rinse while you eat or right after a meal with water to dislodge food debris, or right after drinking coffee or tea to help reduce teeth staining.

3. Exercise
Sports, work, hobbies, even shopping, yes shopping, what ever gets you out of the house and your comfy chair and makes you walk, run, and sweat. Muscle mass improves your metabolism and blood flow, and in turn helps burn fat. Improved blood flow also helps keep your gums healthy.

4. Relax
Make time for your self. Whether it is sleeping, reading, talking on the phone with a friend, playing video games, or visiting my website, make time for quiet relaxing activities to give your body and mind the opportunity to recharge for another hectic day.

5. Cheat
Yes, you heard that right, you are allowed to cheat on this diet plan! I can show you how to sneak in a couple of deserts and sweat snacks a day and still keep those pounds off, and maintain a healthy white smile. It is better to cheat in front of my diet plan, than to cheat behind it's back!


So stay tuned, and check back often to read my latest tips and commentary on how best to take care of your teeth, your body, and mind.




Dr.A's Dental Diet
DrADental.com
__________________