定時洗牙, 擊退牙石

病從口入，不少病菌都是經由口腔進入體內，又濕又暖和的口腔更是細菌最佳的藏身處。其中，因護理不足使牙菌膜積聚鈣化而形成的牙石，其結構還為細菌提供更多躲藏空間，促使牙周病出現。況且牙石容易「上色」，使牙齒變得啡黃，大損儀容，因此大家不得不小心牙石來襲。


鈣化形成牙石

為何口腔內會無端端出現牙石呢？原來牙石就是鈣化後的牙菌膜，牙科醫生王志偉表示，口腔內 每天都會不斷有牙菌膜積聚，需要每天刷牙及用牙線將牙菌膜清除。當我們口腔護理不足或沒有好好養成正確的口腔護理習慣的話，牙菌膜就會慢慢利用唾液中的礦 物鹽而逐漸鈣化。而鈣化後牙菌膜會由透明柔軟變得灰白堅硬，那便是我們所說的牙石。王醫生指出牙石形成後便不能輕易刷走，而且其表面凹凸不平，食物色素容 易依附其上，特別是經常吸煙、喝咖啡的人，被染色的牙石會使他們的牙齒變得格外啡黃，非常影響外觀儀容。


間接引致牙周病

當然，牙石積聚不單止影響外觀，王醫生指出：「牙石表面多孔的結構使它更容易積聚污物細 菌，亦會使刷牙時更難以清潔，因此牙石的多少，一般與牙周病是成正比例的。」此外，王醫生指出，牙石在鹼性的環境會更易形成，而口水除了含礦物鹽外，一般 亦是偏鹼性的，舌底和口腔兩邊是唾液腺排放口水的出口，因此這兩處附近會特別容易積聚牙石。至於一般市民如何能知道自己有沒有牙石問題呢？王醫生就說一般 可靠目測，因牙石特別易上色，所以牙肉邊緣顯得特別啡黃的話就應該有牙石問題。此外，牙齒因本身不是一粒粒方正的四方體，牙齒的弧度在排列時必定會有縫 隙，所以如果你用舌頭觸碰牙齒背面時感覺不到凹凸不平，那同樣有可能出現牙石問題。


洗牙不怕牙齒磨損

雖然牙石不能透過刷牙清除，不過只要找合資格的牙醫處理，其實不難除掉。王醫生指出，一般 可以用手工具刮除牙石和用超聲波將牙石震散兩種清除方法。牙石雖然堅固，但仍遠不及牙齒本身的硬度，所以用儀器一般只會刮走牙石，不用擔心會磨損牙齒。而 超聲波技術，現在大部分牙醫均已採用，可以不怎麼費勁就能將牙石震散沖走，對牙齒本身的影響也非常輕微。王醫生表示，如果有能力把所有牙菌膜都清除的話， 不一定要定期洗牙；可是一般人都不能百分百做到完美，況且定期找牙醫不只為了洗牙，也要檢查其他問題（例如蛀牙），所以一般建議半年至一年必須找牙醫檢查 及洗牙一次。不過如果本身牙齒不齊、佩戴假牙或會增加清潔的困難，就可能要檢查得頻密一點。最後王醫生還指出，口腔在進食時其實也有自潔作用，多吃一些纖 維性重的粗糧，對牙齒健康也有幫助。與此同時，也要記着「物極必反」，過分吃這些粗糧也可能令牙齒磨損。




參考資料: 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。

植牙小貼士

為什麼要鑲牙（牙齒修復）？


1.植牙由金屬組成，所以不會蛀牙，但必須保持良好口腔衛生，因植牙是與牙床骨結合，一旦清潔欠佳，有可能形成類似牙周病的情況，侵蝕牙床骨，引致植牙失敗。此外，植牙與真牙一樣，需定期檢查及護理，若護理妥當，可終生使用。


2.人工植牙有很多不同品牌，其形狀亦不同。例如牙形（根型），圓柱形（cyclindrical），表面有螺絲紋等。大部份品牌已經很成熟。

3.植牙基本上沒有年齡上限，只要骨質及身體健康便適合。但卻有年齡下限，基本上需要骨骼發育完全，男性大約18歲，女性大約16歲。

4.植牙還有一些條件限制。接受過頭部放射治療者3年內不能接受植牙，除非接受高壓氧治療。有心血管病，血液疾病，未控制的高血壓或糖尿病和嚴重的骨質疏松等的人士都不太適合植牙，因手術風險較高，或容易愈合不良，影響植牙成功率。


5.吸煙亦都影響植牙手術的成功率，長遠亦會影響植牙的健康與壽命。


6.植牙費用昂貴？
其實牙齒是一生人的投資，短暫來說，費用是比較昂貴，但它能避免鄰近牙齒走位及“缺一顆鑲三顆“的鑲牙方法，長遠免卻很多麻煩。植牙費用取決於缺齒的數量，植體的數目及仿修復牙齒的方法，故必須由牙醫全面檢查及計劃後，才可報價。







參考資料: 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。

Smoking ruins your teeth

 

Besides causing serious damages to general health, smoking also has adverse effects on oral health.

Consequences of smoking on oral health

-   Smoking may cause bad breath.

-   Smoking easily stains your teeth.

-   The chance of developing Periodontal Disease of smokers at least five times greater than that of non-smokers.

-   If a smoker who is already suffering from Periodontal Disease keeps on smoking, the nicotine in the cigarettes will jeopardize the healing potential of oral tissues and reduce the body resistance. This will worsen the condition of the Periodontal Disease.

-   Smoking increases the chance of oral cancer.

Ways to refuse smoking

-  Tell your friends that you don't like to smoke

-   Refuse cigarettes offered by others. Learn to say "no"

-   No matter where you are, insist on choosing "non-smoking areas"

-   Turn your office into a "smoke-free work place"

-   Encourage your family and friends to quit smoking. Refuse second-hand smoking Maintain a healthy life-style by having a balanced diet and exercising regularly to release stress

Ways to quit smoking

Discover motives

List out reasons for quitting as motives.
For example, quitting smoking can:

-   Save money

-   Make you look smarter

-   Make boy / girlfriend adore even more.

Make plans
Change habits that will trigger your urge to smoke. Make a plan that will help you quit smoking. At the initial stage of quitting, you may try chewing sugarless gums instead of smoking.

Persist to the end
You need to be determined and persistent that you will not to be affected by cigarettes again.

Seek help
Should you need help and assistance, please dial 2838 3266 for the 24-hour hotline of "The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health".

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.

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.

Orthodontic treatment

Orthodontic treatment is a series of processes that move the teeth to the desired positions in the mouth by orthodontic appliances. Whether you have crowding, spacing or relapsed teeth, it would pose negative impact on the health of your teeth and gums. 

 

 
There are two types of braces. One can be removed for cleaning, known as removable braces. The second type of braces is fixed to the teeth and cannot be removed for cleaning. Orthodontic brackets are attached to the tooth surfaces in appropriate positions so that when the orthodontic brackets and orthodontic wire are tied up, the spring back action of the orthodontic wire will move the teeth, Gradually, the teeth are moved to the desired positions determined by the shape of the orthodontic wire. It is important you still have check-ups and adjustment regularly. 

Have the brace fitted is not painful. However, it is common to have slightly tender teeth for 3-5 days after each fitting and adjustment appointment. 

Comparisons of two types of orthodontic treatment - fixed brace and removable brace 

	Fixed Brace	Removable brace
Removable	Cannot	Can
Treatment duration	1.5-3 years	0.5-1years
Materials	elastics or stainless steel wires	springs and screws

	Invisalign	General orthodontic treatment
Materials	Medical grade plastic	elastics or stainless steel wires
Appearance	Invisible	Non-invisible

Reference information: 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。