Oral care tips: Eating & Drinking

Many people have a misconception that if they can thoroughly brush their teeth, they can avoid having dental caries. In fact, in order to effectively prevent dental caries, we have to start from a good dietary habit.

What kinds of food will lead to Dental Caries?

All food that contains sugar can be metabolized by the barteria in the plaque located on the tooth surfaces to produce acid. The acid will attack enamel of the teeth which will lead to dental caries.

Most of the food and drinks available in the market contain sugar which will increase the risk of getting caries.

Snacking frequency and Dental Caries
As soon as we eat or drink, the bacteria in the plaque will metabolise the sugar and produce acid. The acid will then lead to loss of minerals from the tooth surfaces.

Chances of getting dental caries will be reduced by allowing sufficient time in between meals for the saliva to neutralise the acid and redeposit minerals onto the tooth surfaces.

Consequences of frequent snacking
If one snacks frequently, there will be continuous production of acid and insufficient time for the saliva to neutralize the acid. This will result in persistent acidic environment which favours the development of dental caries.

Therefore, even a small piece of biscuit or a sip of beverage is considered one snack, which will bring one more chance of getting dental caries.

Reference information: www.bjdental.com , 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.

Parents of children - Tooth transition

When children enter the tooth transition period, their deciduous teeth will loosen due to the resumption of the roots and will sequentially fall off. The permanent teeth will gradually erupt into the space left by the deciduous teeth. Tooth transition period starts approximately at the age of 6, and ends at around the age of 12 or 13.

The alignment and eruption time of permanent teeth  

There are altogether 32 permanent teeth. Since dentine is usually slightly yellowish, and the enamel in permanent teeth is more transparent than that of deciduous teeth, the colour of permanent teeth is more yellowish than deciduous teeth. As the thickness of dentine grows as a person ages, the teeth will also become more yellowish.

Eruption Time of Permanent Teeth

Permanent Teeth	Eruption Time
Central Incisor	6 to 8 years
Lateral Incisor	61/2 to 9 years
Canine	81/2 to 121/2 years
First Premolar	8 to 12 years
Second Premolar	81/2 to 13 years
First Molar	5 to 7 years
Second Molar	10 to 14 years
Third Molar (Wisdom tooth)	17 to 25 years

Reference information: www.bjdental.com , 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

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)

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.

正確刷牙方法

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

選擇普通牙刷時，要注意的是它必須能在你的口腔內靈活地轉動，刷到每一個牙面。它的刷毛必須要柔軟，才不會令牙齦受損。

刷頭大小應根據口腔大小選擇。一般來說，刷頭像香港一元硬幣直徑般大均適合用。

刷牙能清除牙齒表面的牙菌膜，我們應每天早上起床及晚上睡前刷牙，徹底清除牙菌膜，才可預防牙周病。

由於牙菌膜最易積聚在牙齦（牙肉）邊緣的齦溝內，因此刷牙時要把牙刷斜放。

有次序地刷牙

1. 先刷上、下排牙齒的外側面，把牙刷斜放在牙齦邊緣的位置，以兩至三顆牙齒為一組，用適中力度來回移動牙刷。

2. 然後再刷牙齒的內側面，重復以上動作。

3. 刷門牙內側面的時候，牙刷要直立放置，用適中的力度從牙齦刷向牙冠。

4. 最後要刷咀嚼面，把牙刷放在咀嚼面上前後移動。

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。

Tooth Decay

Tooth decay refers to the destruction of Tooth structure and the most common symptoms are cavity in the Tooth, and Toothache, etc. There are several things that can be done to slow down or prevent the breakdown process, like brushing at least twice a day with fluoridated Toothpaste, using interdental cleansing aids including dental floss or interdental Toothbrush, rinsing thoroughly with an anti-cavity dental rinse.

Additionally, eating a healthy diet and limiting carbohydrate intake can help.

Tooth decay can affect both the enamel and the dentin of the Tooth, if decay is left untreated, it will reach the Tooth’s pulp which contains nerves and blood vessels.

What is the treatment for dental cavities?

1) Fill / restore the Tooth
The dentist will remove the decayed part of the Tooth in the cavity and fill the cavity.

2) Artificial crown
The dentist will remove the decayed, fill the cavity, and cover the Tooth with an artificial crown.

3) Root canal treatment.

The dental specialist, endodonist will remove the nerve and infected pulp, the inside of the Tooth is cleaned and sealed. In most cases, the Tooth’s natural crown will need to be replaced with an artificial crown.

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─Bruxism

A. Cause

Teeth grinding is generally caused by psychological factors such as emotional stress or pressure. Extended period of teeth grinding will damage the enamel and expose the dentine causing sensitivity teeth.

B. Treatment

To stop teeth grinding, the cause must be identified. If teeth grinding is severe, you should go to a dentist as soon as possible. The dentist will give appropriate treatment such as fabricating a “mouth guard” to keep the teeth from further attrition.

C. Prevention

To avoid teeth grinding, one should try to be relaxed by having sufficient sleep and exercise to relieve stress from everyday life. Parents should not put too much pressure on their children to prevent them from teeth grinding.

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.

宜不宜漂牙

漂牙沒有性別或年齡之分，但依筆者經驗所得，接受漂牙者以女性居多，這與女性較注重儀表不無關係。但以下人士則不太適宜接受漂牙，因為有些會影響健康，有些則受本身先天或後天影響，而未能獲得理想的漂白效果，需作更多準備和補救功夫：

1）孕婦 漂牙時所用的漂牙劑，總有一定的機會進入口腔內。由於醫學界仍未確定漂牙劑會否對胎兒造成影響，故建議孕婦暫不適宜進行任何形式的漂牙。

2）服用抗生素致牙齒變啡黃者
七十年代有不少人服用四環素（抗生素的一種）以致牙齒變成啡黃，其色澤已根深蒂固，難以將牙齒漂白。此類人士若希望擁有一副美白牙齒，唯有永久套上塘瓷牙面或牙套。

3）曾接受鑲牙或牙套者
因漂牙技術只可漂白真正牙齒的顏色，而未能改變假牙（如鑲牙）的顏色，故有鑲牙者接受漂牙，便會出現兩種牙色的情況。接受鑲牙、換上牙套者如要漂白牙齒，需重新鑲上另一顆可配合美白後色澤的假牙，或重新換上另一牙套。

4）患病者（應先徵詢醫生意見）
漂牙的過程簡單和安全，因此即使患有心臟病或哮喘等人士，也適合接受漂牙。但上述病患者在接受漂牙時如覺緊張，也有病發的可能，故他們在接受漂牙前，最好先徵詢醫生和牙醫意見，再作打算。

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