5 Dental Tips for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Bring out the stretchy pants and get ready for that delicious Thanksgiving turkey and all the wonderful sides.  Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, a family dentist and cosmetic dentist, with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, CT, shares some dental tips for the Holidays:

1. Come Prepared—Discretely Carry a Toothbrush and Floss
This is common sense. You already know you should brush and floss after meals.   But the type of foods we eat between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day tend to be sweet, starchy and sticky.  They contain the perfect ingredients to make the bacteria that causes tooth decay (Streptococcus mutans) celebrate along with us!  So indulge.  You deserve it.  But, don’t skip the brushing and flossing. After you’re done eating that second piece of pumpkin or pecan pie, take two minutes and brush your pearly whites.  It’s easy to carry a toothbrush and floss.

2. Open Nuts with a Nutcracker and Don’t Open Bottles with Your Teeth
It may sound funny now but how many people have you seen doing exactly that – using their teeth to crack open a nut or open a beer bottle?    I’m totally serious…I’ve actually seen somebody using their teeth to remove a stubborn champagne cork!  Take it from me, the average dental crown costs more than the average nut cracker, or bottle opener…so use them.

3. Don’t Bite Candy Canes and Avoid Sticky Sweets
After Thanksgiving, Christmas festivities begin and sweet treats like candy canes make their annual appearance.  Be wary of hard sticky sweets like caramelized popcorn balls or candy brittle. A popcorn seed, a candied nut, or a hard piece of sticky sugar can easily break a cusp off a molar or fracture that huge metal filling you’ve had in that back tooth since you were 10.

4. Don't Argue about Politics!
I'm on social media.  I see that tensions are high.  People are concerned that they'll have an argument with family members of a different political opinion than their own.  A punch or other blunt trauma to the mouth is still really bad for your dentition. ;-)

5. If  You Sustain Tooth Damage, Make An Appointment Right Away
If you break or chip a tooth, the worst thing to do is to wait and see if it gets better on its own.  It won’t.  And while most fractures or chips are easily fixed, delaying treatment might put you in a situation where the tooth can’t be saved.  We’re highly skilled at bonding to repair a chip or crack, and veneers, if that’s a more appropriate option.  If your old filling comes out, we can replace it with a tooth-colored filling, using state-of-the-art dental materials.  But if you wait a long time, you might be looking at a root canal and/or a crown or an implant. 

So do your best to preserve those precious, beautiful smile-makers.  But if something happens, make an appointment and we’ll fix you up fast.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Keep smiling,

 

Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121

Marijuana and Your Oral Health

One of the things I noticed on this past election day is that marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts, our neighbor to the north, and is now legal for recreational use by almost one-quarter of the US population. The use of medical marijuana  is legal in 20 more states, including Connecticut.  So here’s some information about marijuana smoking and your oral health.

According to a 2014 survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), around 22.2 million Americans report using the drug in the past month.   The first thing we need to do is understand that there are no stereotypes. Marijuana crosses all cultures, ages, genders, and socioeconomics. It is not a poor man's drug or a rich man's drug, and to most who use it, it isn't even a drug.

Some of my patients who use marijuana need compassion. Those who use marijuana to waylay the side effects of cancer, MS, fibromyalgia, and a host of other painful diseases just need support, for which its use is legal in Connecticut (and 19 other states, in addition to the 8 where it’s outright legal). This becomes a risk-benefit scenario, where the patient wants comfort, not a list of dos and dont's from the dentist.

However, on the flipside of compassion, we need to know that marijuana harms the oral cavity.

Do your homework! One study suggests frequent use of marijuana may triple the risk of severe gum disease. Tobacco is already known to raise the risk of periodontal disease. Researchers in New Zealand wanted to know if marijuana had a similar effect. Their study included 903 people. Some had smoked marijuana an average of once a week for 15 years. They were three times as likely to have severe gum disease as nonsmokers of marijuana. Reuters Health News service reported on the study on February 5, 2008. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Marijuana's harmful effects on the mouth include an increased risk of mouth cancer. "Drug Abuse" reports that marijuana has been found to have a higher concentration of cancer-producing ingredients than cigarettes. Pot smokers typically hold the smoke in the lungs and mouth for longer periods of time, increasing the effects on the mucous lining in the mouth and exposure to the cancer-causing agents. The tar found in marijuana has developed tumors on the skin of animals in laboratory tests.

A report by the American Medical Student Association says that marijuana users tend to get sick more frequently than those who don't smoke it. In addition to the lowered immune system and chemical poisons produced by the THC that linger in the mouth, marijuana users undergo personality changes that lead to poor hygiene. They lack energy and lose interest in everyday activities that were once important, such as brushing, flossing, and rinsing. The smoke from marijuana causes bad breath, and the lack of mouth care eventually produces additional problems for teeth and gums.

Marijuana can lead to higher incidences of cavities (caries), and it can cause cotton-mouth (xerostomia). Because of marijuana's side effects of dry mouth and hunger, most people turn to soft drinks and carbohydrates to stave off these side effects. This leads to plaque retention and a higher incidence of caries.

I know that despite some of these increased risks, many of my patients do, and probably more will use marijuana in the future.  In truth, I can’t say it’s worse than smoking two packs of cigarettes per day, or drinking a quart of liquor per day, or smoking methamphetamine, which are all really, really bad for your mouth.

But it doesn’t have a positive effect on the oral cavity.

Keep smiling,

 

Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121

Marijuana and Your Oral Health

One of the things I noticed on this past election day is that marijuana has been legalized in Massachusetts, our neighbor to the north, and is now legal for recreational use by almost one-quarter of the US population. The use of medical marijuana  is legal in 20 more states, including Connecticut.  So here’s some information about marijuana smoking and your oral health.

According to a 2014 survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), around 22.2 million Americans report using the drug in the past month.   The first thing we need to do is understand that there are no stereotypes. Marijuana crosses all cultures, ages, genders, and socioeconomics. It is not a poor man's drug or a rich man's drug, and to most who use it, it isn't even a drug.

Some of my patients who use marijuana need compassion. Those who use marijuana to waylay the side effects of cancer, MS, fibromyalgia, and a host of other painful diseases just need support, for which its use is legal in Connecticut (and 19 other states, in addition to the 8 where it’s outright legal). This becomes a risk-benefit scenario, where the patient wants comfort, not a list of dos and dont's from the dentist.

However, on the flipside of compassion, we need to know that marijuana harms the oral cavity.

Do your homework! One study suggests frequent use of marijuana may triple the risk of severe gum disease. Tobacco is already known to raise the risk of periodontal disease. Researchers in New Zealand wanted to know if marijuana had a similar effect. Their study included 903 people. Some had smoked marijuana an average of once a week for 15 years. They were three times as likely to have severe gum disease as nonsmokers of marijuana. Reuters Health News service reported on the study on February 5, 2008. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Marijuana's harmful effects on the mouth include an increased risk of mouth cancer. "Drug Abuse" reports that marijuana has been found to have a higher concentration of cancer-producing ingredients than cigarettes. Pot smokers typically hold the smoke in the lungs and mouth for longer periods of time, increasing the effects on the mucous lining in the mouth and exposure to the cancer-causing agents. The tar found in marijuana has developed tumors on the skin of animals in laboratory tests.

A report by the American Medical Student Association says that marijuana users tend to get sick more frequently than those who don't smoke it. In addition to the lowered immune system and chemical poisons produced by the THC that linger in the mouth, marijuana users undergo personality changes that lead to poor hygiene. They lack energy and lose interest in everyday activities that were once important, such as brushing, flossing, and rinsing. The smoke from marijuana causes bad breath, and the lack of mouth care eventually produces additional problems for teeth and gums.

Marijuana can lead to higher incidences of cavities (caries), and it can cause cotton-mouth (xerostomia). Because of marijuana's side effects of dry mouth and hunger, most people turn to soft drinks and carbohydrates to stave off these side effects. This leads to plaque retention and a higher incidence of caries.

I know that despite some of these increased risks, many of my patients do, and probably more will use marijuana in the future.  In truth, I can’t say it’s worse than smoking two packs of cigarettes per day, or drinking a quart of liquor per day, or smoking methamphetamine, which are all really, really bad for your mouth.

But it doesn’t have a positive effect on the oral cavity.

Keep smiling,

 

Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121

How to Survive Your Sweet Tooth.

Halloween candy.  You know it and I know it.  If you’re not sneaking it from your kids, you’re probably eating the leftovers you gave out at your door, or that somebody brought to the office coffee room. 

Thanks to years of education from parents, teachers, dental hygienists, and dentists like myself, most of you are already are aware that eating candy (and drinking sugary drinks) can contribute to tooth decay. But if your house is now full of delicious Halloween candy, and you enjoy the taste of delicious treats (mmmmmm, chocolate), by following a few common sense practices you can maintain healthy teeth.

Here are a few tips that can help prevent cavities for those of you, like myself, who have a sweet tooth:

Brush Often

While this might seem obvious, a busy schedule or forgetfulness often prevents you from brushing as often as you should. To keep your teeth clean, you should carry a portable or disposable toothbrush with you at all times. Portable toothbrushes are perfect for busy adults, such as sales representatives and insurance agents, who are on the road during the day. They allow you to quickly visit the restroom after eating a sugary dessert or snack and remove any food or sugar on the teeth.

Use a Mouthrinse

It’s not  a substitute for brushing, but use a mouthrinse to remove as much sugar and sticky residue as possible. While mouthrinses that contain fluoride are ideal, even swishing plain water around your mouth can help when no other option is available.

Chew Sugar-Free Gum After

If you chew a sugar-free gum after eating sweets it will help clean your teeth. The gum will increase the production of saliva, aiding in removing any sugar coating the teeth.

Opt for Less Sugary Alternatives

Obviously, fruits are a healthy way to satisfy a craving for sweets, but for those who don't want to substitute a banana for a donut, there are still some choices you can make to lessen the risk of cavities. For example, a piece of a chocolate bar will not coat the mouth in sticky sugar for quite as long as a candies containing caramel or gooey taffy.  And, please, don't suck for a long time on a lollipop.

The key to prevent cavities after eating sugary foods is simply to prevent the mouth from remaining coated in the acid-forming sugars and other carbohydrates found in sweets after eating—just keep the toothbrush moving.

Keep smiling,

 

Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121