Sensitive teeth

If enamel has been worn off or damaged, then it will lose its protective function and the dentine will be exposed. The dentine has many fine dentinal tubules connecting to the pulp. The patient will suffer sharp pain when feel stimulated.

To protect from damaging enamel, you should not brush with a toothbrush with bristles that are too hard, or brushing with excessive force can abrade the enamel of teeth. Also, you should avoid frequently eating or drinking highly acidic food or beverages and frequent grinding of teeth.

What is/are the treatment(s) for sensitive teeth?

1) Apply topical fluoride on the tooth surface or perform a filling according to the condition in order to obstruct the exposed dentine tubules.

2) Use desensitizing toothpaste to relieve tooth sensitivity. You should consult your dentist before purchasing or using this type of toothpaste.

3) Use a “mouth guard” made by the dentist to avoid further attrition of teeth.

Reference information: www.bjdental.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Sensitive teeth

If enamel has been worn off or damaged, then it will lose its protective function and the dentine will be exposed. The dentine has many fine dentinal tubules connecting to the pulp. The patient will suffer sharp pain when feel stimulated.

To protect from damaging enamel, you should not brush with a toothbrush with bristles that are too hard, or brushing with excessive force can abrade the enamel of teeth. Also, you should avoid frequently eating or drinking highly acidic food or beverages and frequent grinding of teeth.

What is/are the treatment(s) for sensitive teeth?

1) Apply topical fluoride on the tooth surface or perform a filling according to the condition in order to obstruct the exposed dentine tubules.

2) Use desensitizing toothpaste to relieve tooth sensitivity. You should consult your dentist before purchasing or using this type of toothpaste.

3) Use a “mouth guard” made by the dentist to avoid further attrition of teeth.

Reference information: www.bjdental.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

減少飲食糖份及甜味食物防止蛀牙

參考資料: www.bjdental.com , www.hkda.org

齲牙或「蛀牙」是牙齒的堅硬結構的疾病，由口中不同的細菌所造成。蛀牙的形式是牙斑之細菌與食物中的糖份長時間在牙齒表面之接觸所引起的失礦物質作用，即導致在牙齒結構中礦物質，例如：鈣質減少。當出現失礦物質作用時，細菌便能侵入牙齒之內層，最後造成牙齲洞或牙齒破損。

你的牙齒可在檢查你的牙齒時注意到牙齒外觀的改變，或利用燈光及Ｘ光片時，發現是否有蛀牙。這是為何牙醫建議進行定期檢查的原因之一，因為在檢查中，牙醫便能告訴你是否有蛀牙在形成。

當出現蛀牙時，你的牙醫可能要為你進行補牙或牙齒修復工作。若然蛀牙出現過久已不予治療的話，而細菌亦已侵入牙齒之中間部分，即牙髓，你便可能要接受根管治療或脫牙。你的牙醫會告你最適合治療你牙齒的辦法。

你日常在家中有許多工作可以做到以防止蛀牙。用含氟化物的牙膏以正確方法刷牙，清除齒斑；並利用牙線清潔牙齒與牙齒間的空隙，以減少牙齒上細菌（牙斑）的數量。你亦可減少飲食糖份及甜味食物的數量及次數，以助防止蛀牙。資料顯示經常刷牙，採用氟化物及減少進食糖份食物數量及次數均能顯著減少蛀牙。如需更多有關齲牙及蛀牙的資料，請聯絡你的牙醫或牙科保健員。

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，應向牙醫查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

認識牙齒─異常的牙齒結構

多生齒

多生齒是發育異常的牙齒，多半因遺傳而產生。它會在任何位置出現，但一般會於兩只上正門牙之間長出來，或完全藏在頜骨內。

多生齒帶來的影響：

•    造成牙齒阻生，令恆齒不能長出來

•    延誤恆齒的生長

•    影響正常牙齒生長的位置

•    令牙齒排列不整齊

如果有以上的情況，便需要拔除多生齒。若多生齒未能長出，就可能要接受簡單的小手術拔除。

參考資料：www.toothclub.gov.hk

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，應向牙醫查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

How to avoid irregular teeth

·     Early loss of deciduous teeth If a deciduous tooth is lost prematurely, the adjacent teeth on either side will migrate towards the space of the lost tooth, closing up the space. The reduced space will not allow the succeeding permanent tooth to erupt into good alignment. ·     Bad habits Bad habits such as digit sucking and biting on a pen can induce pressure on the teeth and push them into an abnormal position. ·     Development of oral disease due to lack of proper oral care and treatment ： o     Dental caries Severe dental caries in the adjacent tooth surface will cause the neighboring tooth to tip over and take up the space, and the teeth will become irregular. o     Periodontal disease Severe periodontal disease will result in the loss of bone support to the teeth. The teeth will then drift to abnormal positions. ·     Lost of teeth due to oral diseases (such as dental caries and periodontal disease) or traumatic injury can cause drifting of adjacent teeth.

 How to avoid irregular teeth

·             Irregular teeth caused by hereditary factor are unavoidable.

·             To prevent irregular teeth caused by environmental factors, you should:

o     refrain from bad habits such as digit sucking, pen biting.

o     receive proper oral care and treatment to prevent tooth loss and drifting of teeth.

Management

·             Clean the teeth thoroughly, especially at areas with irregular teeth. You can clean the areas with an interdental brush or toothbrush with a small head.

·             Seek professional advice from an orthodontist to see whether an orthodontic treatment is necessary.

Reference information: www.toothclub.gov.hk , www.bjdental.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Irregular Teeth

Hereditary factor: ：

Mismatch in the sizes of upper and lower jaws "Projected upper teeth" results if the upper jaw is much longer than the lower jaw. "Reversed bite" results if the upper jaw is smaller than the lower jaw. Abnormal number of teeth Normally one should have 28 permanent teeth (excluding the third molars). If the number of teeth is more than that, the jaw may not have enough space for all the teeth to align properly. If there are too few teeth, there may be spaces between the teeth and the teeth may look irregular. Mismatch in the tooth and the jaw sizes If the tooth size is too big, the jaw size is too small, the jaw may not have enough space for all the teeth to align. If the tooth size is too small or the jaw size is too large, there will be spaces between the teeth and the teeth will look irregular.

Reference information: www.toothclub.gov.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Oral Problems─Oral Trauma

Reference information: www.toothclub.gov.hk

Oral structure or teeth may be damaged due to an accident. Very often, the front teeth get traumatized. After the impact, there might not be any apparent damage to the teeth, or they might be slightly loose, dislocated, fractured, or even avulsed (the entire tooth knocked off). The chances for the injured oral structure to be healed and the damaged teeth to be saved often depend on whether treatment is done correctly and timely.

A. Oral structure injury

Injury of oral tissues or oral structures such as lips, gingivae, oral mucosa, alveolar bone, or even upper or lower jawbones may be resulted.

Treatment
Bleeding can be stopped by pressing on the injured area using a piece of gauze or towel, and a dentist should be consulted immediately.

B. Trauma to Teeth

After a tooth is traumatized, the following situations can occur ：

No apparent damage to the tooth The tooth becomes loose Crown fracture Root fracture Tooth dislocation Intrusion of the tooth Avulsion of the tooth (the entire tooth being knocked off)

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

牙痛

參考資料：www.bjdental.com , www.toothclub.gov.hk

由於恆齒的體積比乳齒大，恆齒長出時可能不夠空位，引致牙齒排列參差不齊。這個情況會否改善，要待小臼齒長出後,以及頜骨發育穩定才可以確定。如果有疑問，可請教您的牙科醫生。

牙齒排列出現空隙
牙齒排列出現空隙，最主要的原因是恆齒的體積跟發育中的頜骨不配合。這種情況可能是暫時性的。至於牙齒排列日後會否回復整齊，就要請教您的牙科醫生。

牙痛

蛀牙會引致牙痛，特別當進食冷、熱、甜、酸的食物的時候。如果蛀壞的部份深入牙髓， 牙髓便會受細菌感染而發炎，引致更劇烈和持續的痛楚。其實牙痛的成因十分多， 所以如果您有牙痛，必須接受牙齒檢查，才能得到正確的診斷。

牙齦痛

牙齦痛的成因可能是牙齒長出、口瘡(俗稱「飛滋」)或者牙周病。如果您有牙齦痛，應請教您的牙科醫生，才能得到正確的診斷。

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，應向牙醫查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

拔牙後的護理方法

為避免傷口再度出血，於拔牙當天請注意以下要點：

• 請勿漱口及吐口水
• 請勿用手指或舌頭擦弄傷口
• 請勿喝含有酒精的飲料
• 請勿做劇烈運動

若傷口再度流血，可嘗試將清潔的棉花或紗布放在傷口，緊咬三十分鐘，幫助止血。 如傷口持續出血，請立刻返回有關牙科診所接受治療。

補牙之後應該注意的事項
大部份補牙物料都需要一段時間才變得完全堅固。因此，補牙當天您應避免用補牙位置的一邊牙齒來咀嚼食物。

補牙物料崩裂或者鬆脫之後的處理方法
如果發現補牙物料崩裂或鬆脫，應該盡快見您的牙科醫生。

注射局部麻醉藥後的注意事項
在注射局部麻醉藥後，麻痺的感覺會持續數小時。在感覺未完全恢復之前，必須注意以下要點：

• 不要咬咀唇或舌頭
• 避免進食太熱的食物或飲料
• 用沒有麻痺感覺的那一邊牙齒來咀嚼食物

參考資料：www.schooldental.gov.hk , www.bjdental.com

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，應向牙醫查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

換牙-自然脫落

特別護理「六歲齒」
小朋友六歲時，他下頜乳臼齒後面長出「大」牙齒，即第一大臼齒，共有四隻，位置在口腔四端乳臼齒的後面，由於通常在六歲左右長出，故稱為「六歲齒」。「六 歲齒」對將來其他恆齒的正常排列十分重要，因此需要小心護理。

在刷牙時要提醒小朋友把牙刷放到最後面，好好清潔六歲齒。另外，牙科醫生會按個別情況，在牙面上塗上「牙紋防蛀劑」，將深的紋溝填平，防止蛀牙。

恆齒長出，乳齒仍未脫落
小孩子約在五至六歲開始換牙，若下頜的恆門牙在乳門牙背後長出，形成重疊牙。一般來說，乳齒會因為牙根收縮而變得鬆動，跟着自然脫落，這是正常現象，不會影響恆齒的生長，所以不一定要拔掉鬆動的乳齒。

乳齒脫落，恆齒仍未長出
一般情況下，恆齒會在幾個月內自然在這空位長出來。另外，換牙時間的遲與早因人而異，即使與一般同齡孩子比較，相差一年也算正常。如有疑問，可以請教您的牙科醫生。

恆齒的色澤比乳齒黃
恆齒一般都比乳齒「黃」，是由於恆齒的琺瑯質鈣化程度及透光度都較高，光線可以把琺瑯質下層黃色的象牙質呈現出來。不過，若發現牙齒真的變色，就必須請敎您的牙科醫生。

上頜門齒之間出現空隙
小孩子上頜正中兩顆門牙長出後，向兩旁分開成「八」字形，中間出現一條縫隙，這個情況稱為「醜小鴨階段」，一般在6至7歲出現，頗為普遍。在正常情況下，當兩旁的犬齒長出後，縫隙通常會自然消失。

參考資料：www.schooldental.gov.hk

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，應向牙醫查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

培養良好的飲食習慣

吃喝次數與蛀牙

每次吃喝時，口腔內的牙菌膜都會利用食物中的糖分或澱粉質進行新陳代謝，產生酸素，而酸素則會引致牙齒表面的礦物質流失。

其實只要有足夠時間讓唾液中和酸素，以及補充牙齒表面流失了的礦物質，蛀牙機會便會減低。

密密進食的後果

如果進食的次數頻密，口腔內的酸素持續產生，唾液沒有足夠的時間中和過多的酸素，牙齒便容易蛀壞。 所以我們每一次吃喝，即使是吃一小片餅乾或喝一小杯飲料如果汁等，也算是吃喝了一次，增加了一次蛀牙機會。

為免牙齒被酸蝕，造成牙齒敏感，應減少吃喝高酸性的食物和飲品，例如酸蕎頭、話梅、檸檬、補充體力飲品、汽水、酒精飲品等。為了避免牙齒崩裂，亦應少吃堅硬的食物，如骨頭、硬殼類等。

參考資料：www.toothclub.gov.hk

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，應向牙醫查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。