Even if real spring cleaning isn’t going so well, dental spring cleaning is an easy fix. Like houses and apartments, your teeth need regular maintenance to stay clean. Brushing and flossing might be compared to wiping the table down after dinner or putting the dishes away—they’re something to be done every day. The dental equivalent to a spring cleaning, however, would be a trip to the dentist’s office.

Bi-annual dental cleanings are an essential component of good dental hygiene. Dental checkups consist of four important parts:

• Cleaning – At the beginning of your appointment, a dental hygienist will scrape away hardened plaque on your teeth with a series of metal hand instruments. The finely tipped instruments can knock away plaque deposits in hard-to-reach places such as between molars and along the gum line.
• Polishing – After cleaning, teeth are polished with a gritty paste to remove any further plaque or stains. The paste is applied by a hand-held polishing instrument with a rubber rotating end.
• Fluoride – Often dentists also apply fluoride to tooth surfaces. Fluoride helps strengthen teeth against future contact with bacteria and acids.
• Preventative Measures – One of the most important aspects of a dental check-up is giving the dentist a chance to look at your mouth and evaluate your oral health. Dentists are trained to detect more than just cavities and signs of tooth decay—every dental appointment also includes an oral cancer screening. Moreover, dentists will give you tips on how to take care of your teeth at home and let you know if any particular aspect of your brushing routine needs special attention.

So before you start scrubbing the grout on the kitchen counter, you should maybe take care of your other spring cleaning—your dental spring cleaning. After all, you’ve put off cleaning the house this long already. What’s one or two more days going to hurt?

If you’re concerned about your dental health and looking to set up bi-annual dental check-ups contact Greenspoint Dental today.

This complication is called a “dry socket,” or alveolar osteitis. Dry sockets can be very painful, so if you’re still experiencing a significant amount of pain several days after your tooth extraction, you may want to visit your dentist.

You can also look at the socket in the mirror; if you see bone and no blood clot, you probably have a dry socket. Luckily, dry sockets are easily treatable with painkillers and a special medicated gel to promote healing.

Less than 5% of patients develop dry sockets. Though sometimes blood clots simply dislodge on their own, suction is often the cause of dry sockets.

After tooth extraction, avoid smoking, drinking through straws, and spitting excessively. If you believe you have a dry socket or another tooth extraction complication, contact Greenspoint Dental today.

According to the World Health Organization, smoking hookah for 45 minutes is equivalent to smoking 50 tobacco cigarettes—that’s 2 ½ packs of cigarettes in one sitting. Like cigarettes, hookah has been linked to lung cancer, oral cancer and heart disease.

In the United States, hookah smoking doesn’t carry the same stigma as buying a pack of cigarettes. Yet perhaps it should. Many younger people believe that hookah is an acceptable alternative to smoking cigarettes. Yet, the amount of nicotine metabolized in a single hookah session is similar to the nicotine obtained by several cigarettes. This means that hookah addiction is a very real and frightening possibility. R.R. Patil was really onto something when he mentioned “hookah addiction.”

Moreover, the amount of harmful chemicals being inhaled during a hookah session is actually greater than smoking a cigarette. And instead of getting these chemicals over a ten minute period while smoking a cigarette, the chemicals in hookah smoke are usually distributed over a longer hookah session lasting anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.

Clearly, hookah isn’t quite as innocent as many people think it is. Smoking hookah even twice a week is just like having a really heavy cigarette habit. And just as smoking cigarettes can lead to oral cancer, hookah has the same potential. Moreover, a 2005 study published in the Journal of Periodontology showed that hookah is related to gum disease. Cigarette smokers were 3.8 times more likely to develop gum disease than non-smokers. Hookah smokers, meanwhile, were 5 times more likely.

Back in Mumbai, R.R. Patil expects that the state government will approve the new measures against hookah parlors this year. Mumbai already has bans on hookah in place, but enforcement has been difficult and lacking. Perhaps this new push will be more successful.

Here in the United States, it’s important to remember that hookah is not an acceptable alternative to cigarettes. It carries the same risks of cancer and other diseases that characterize cigarette addiction. If you have questions about cigarettes and oral health, contact Greenspoint Dental today.

The short answer: sort of…

Tooth discoloration occurs for two main reasons. First, the glossy, white outer layer of the tooth called enamel naturally wears down over time, exposing a darker, lower layer known as dentin.

Secondly, enamel is a porous material that absorbs the coloration of the foods, liquids and substances we put in our mouths. Therefore, using tobacco or regularly drinking coffee, red wine, or sugary sodas can stain enamel, leaving teeth with an unpleasant, yellowish tint.

Tooth whitening gums fight against these stains with a variety of ingredients such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which removes stains from enamel and Recaldent (essentially an extra dose of calcium) which remineralizes enamel.

However, the actual effects are minimal at best. A 2007 Good Housekeeping study ranked teeth whitening gum at the very bottom of over-the-counter teeth whitening products. Testers in the study chewed whitening gums four times per day for six weeks. The results were almost undetectable, whitening teeth at best by only one shade even after extensive use.

Where the gums do show promising results is in the prevention of tooth discoloration. After you eat a meal, chewing a piece of sugarless gum can help dislodge stain-causing, food particles stuck between teeth. In addition, chewing gum induces salivation. Natural saliva contains doses of calcium and phosphate that remineralize enamel and prevent stains from ever appearing.

This being said, whitening gums are still not substitutes for the normal dental care recommended by your dentist. Brushing, flossing, abstaining from tobacco products and moderating coffee, tea and soda intake, and getting regular teeth cleanings at your dentist are still the best methods of maintaining a healthy mouth and a bright, beautiful smile. Contact Greenspoint Dental to learn more about how to keep your teeth white and bright.

Harry J. “Doc” Sagansky – Harry Sagansky grew up in Boston, MA in the early 20^th century. He received a degree in dentistry from Tufts University in 1918 and opened a practice in a liquor store soon after. During Prohibition, however, he turned his attentions toward less reputable professions. He became involved in illegal gambling and invested in two shady Boston nightclubs. He opened a loan agency which had a suspected worth of $90 million and by the 1950s operated the largest illegal gambling organization in the history of Boston. At age 91 he became the oldest organized crime figure to head to prison after he refused to testify against other mafia members.

GReeeeN – GReeeeN is a Japanese vocal group composed of four dentists (Hide, Navi, 92 and Soh) who all graduated from the same dental university. They were signed to Universal Music Japan in 2007 and have already released a greatest hits album. They have five albums, one of which went triple platinum according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan. They won best new artist and new song at the 2008 Japan Gold Disc Awards and Best Album at the 2009 Japan Record Awards. The members of the group have never been publicly photographed, believing that any celebrity status would interfere with their dental practices. Instead, their logo image is a mouthful of teeth and the four Es from the name GReeeeN, which indicate the four members.

Edgar R.R. “Painless” Parker – Edgar Parker attended Philadelphia Dental College which later became Temple University dental school. In the early 1900s he ran a traveling dental clinic which promoted “painless dentistry.” When accused of false advertising, Parker swiftly avoided legal troubles by changing his first name to “Painless.” The term “painless,” however, is about the last thing that described Parker’s style of dentistry. He claimed, for instance, to have pulled 357 teeth in one day. Painless, indeed.  By the end of his life, Painless Parker operated about 30 dental offices and grossed over $3 million per year.

John Henry “Doc” Holliday – In case you’ve forgotten, the “Doc” of Doc Holliday was actually a DDS degree. John Henry Holliday opened a dental practice in Atlanta, Georgia but moved to the southwest in 1873 in hopes that the climate would help with his tuberculosis. In the West, he took up professional gambling and earned a reputation as a deadly gunfighter. He became close friends with legendary gunman Wyatt Earp and fought alongside Earp and his brothers in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. He died at the young age of 35, but has been immortalized in a number of books and films since then.

It goes to show that you can’t judge a dentist by his profession. And just in case you were wondering, the Greenspoint Dental Carolers will be releasing our new single “Filling Those Cavity Blues” this summer. In the meantime, if you’re looking for quality dental care in the Houston area, contact our office today. We promise not to let our raging celebrity egos get the best of us.

The issue in Kansas is fairly simple. Dentists in the state tend to congregate in the major metropolitan areas where they can be sure of making a profit. This tendency, however, leaves Kansas’ sparsely populated western counties with a serious lack of dental care. Twelve western counties currently have no residing dentist or dental clinic at all.

The rising costs of medical school have dental graduates increasingly worried about paying off their student debts. Moreover, new dental practices come with huge startup costs. Opening a clinic in less affluent, less populated areas simply doesn’t make sense for most dental school graduates.

To provide these areas with reliable dental care, a group called the Kansas Dental Project has proposed the creation of a new type of dental worker: the Registered Dental Practitioner (RDP). RDPs would be able to fill cavities, extract teeth and perform a number of other basic dental procedures—all at a lower cost than a fully trained dentist.

RDPs would spend their first 500 hours of practice under direct supervision of a dentist, performing dental procedures in the dental office where they can be closely observed. Afterwards, they would be able to open outreach clinics under “general supervision.” These outreach clinics, say RDP supporters, could be located in small towns and communities denied to typical dentists for cost reasons.

The Kansas Dental Association, however, has opposed the RDP idea since the beginning. The RDPs, it argues, would not have the adequate training to operate safely. Moreover, it would create a two-tiered system of dental care—one for the urban areas and one for the rural.

The Kansas Dental Association is in favor of expanding the role of dental hygienists. It has suggested allowing specially trained dental hygienists to provide temporary fillings, adjust dentures and extract really loose baby teeth. But supporters of the Kanas Dental Project aren’t convinced this fix will work. It may help with some of the costs of dental care, but many counties would still be without a basic dental care provider.

The one thing that the Kansas Dental Association and the Kansas Dental Project do agree on is the fact that Kansas needs to take action now. What was once a problem is now a major crisis. Politicians, dentists and patients need to reach a solution that provides affordable dental care to not just urban communities but to all communities, regardless of location, population density or average income level.

But the study doesn’t stop there. Dentists, say the researchers, have a responsibility to promote not only the oral health of their patients but also their general wellbeing. Excessive alcohol consumption can be dangerous on many levels of individual health. Patients may be injured from falls and traffic accidents after drinking too much. Alcoholism abuse also increases patient risk of developing depression, liver disease, high blood pressure and heart damage.

Alcohol use screenings promoted by the study would mark an interesting expansion in the role of the dentist and dental hygienist. Historically, dental check-ups have been primarily used to detect cavities and tooth decay. Recently, however, the lines between oral and overall health have blurred. For instance, diabetes has been cited as a cause for gum inflammation and poor healing of oral tissues. Gastroesophagel reflux disease, hearthburn and acid reflux are known to result in tooth enamel loss and the development of cavities. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are also known causes of tooth erosion and problems in saliva production.

With all these connections between oral health and general individual health, the dentist’s role may naturally evolve to include many preventative health care measures. Already, dentists screen for oral cancer at each patient check-up. Whether alcoholism screenings become part of the regular check-up as well will probably depend on further research. With heavy alcohol consumption on the rise in the United States, dentists may find themselves on the frontlines of national alcohol health care efforts.

To learn more about preventative dental care or to schedule a dental check-up with a trusted Houston dentist, contact Greenspoint Dental today.

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The world’s sharpest teeth belonged to the now extinct conodonts. These eel-like creatures were only two-inches long and seemingly harmless… until they opened their mouths. The points of the conodont teeth were a mere two micrometers across, putting today’s sharks and eels to shame. In the latest issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B, paleobiologist Phillip Donoghue and his research team reveal that instead of chewing up and down like today’s most ferocious carnivores, conodonts actually sliced their food left and right. Using their extremely sharp teeth these little eels only had to exert a minimal force to cut up food that would’ve otherwise required quite large jaw muscles.

Another research team has revealed that the world’s most ferocious bite was that of the Deinosuchus riograndensis, an ancient ancestor of the crocodile. The team came to this conclusion after they measured the bite force of all living Crocodilians and found that bite strength is directly correlated to body size and not the size and shape of the jaw. Using this information they calculated that the 11m long and 3,450 kg Deinosuchus would’ve had a bite force of 102,803 Newtons or 23,000 lbs. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, by comparison, would’ve only bit at a maximum of 60,000 Newtons. Today the crocodile is still the hardest biting creature on the planet. Compared to the Deinosuchus, however, the saltwater crocodile’s 16,414 Newton chomp seems pretty mild.

Though we Homo sapiens may not be setting any world records with our teeth, it’s still important that we receive a bi-annual dental checkup and cleanings of the measly 700 Newton bites we’ve got.

Michael is in his forties and was born and raised in a Mushin slum in Lagos. It is hard to find work in the slum, so in his boredom he discovered his teeth talent. He feels that it is a God-given skill and living a life in poverty helped him find it. He says his strong teeth are the result of strict dental care.

He makes his living through lifting heavy objects with his teeth at parties and has his own street performances. He has no plans to try to get a Guinness World Record.

If you also want to have the world’s strongest teeth, here are some tips to start your teeth training. Maybe one day you could tow a car with your teeth too!

• Eat food or consume drinks that contain Vitamin C, calcium, protein and phosphorus, which have been shown to strengthen the teeth and gums: strawberries, oranges, kiwis, broccoli, red peppers, dark leafy greens, milk, cheese, tofu, orange juice, etc.
• Avoid sodas, which can weaken tooth enamel and cause cavities. Also, brush your teeth after eating sweets or starches, so these items don’t stick to your teeth and start plaque build-up.
• Use toothpaste with fluoride. This helps to prevent tooth decay. Make sure you brush twice a day with a soft toothbrush. Brush up and down while holding your tooth brush at a 45 degree angle, and don’t brush so hard that you damage your gums.
• Rinse your mouth with a mouthwash that has antibacterial agents and fluoride. By rinsing daily, you can freshen your breath while destroying bacteria.
• Floss every day in between all your teeth to make sure food particles don’t remain and cause cavities or other advanced teeth problems.
• Make an appointment every six months at Greenspoint Dental so we can detect any potential problems and prevent them. This keeps your teeth always healthy and strong.

Contact Greenspoint Dental today to see how you can get super strong teeth.