April 2008
BPA And
Dental Sealants
Polycarbonate-one of the plastics that carry
the No. 7 recycling symbol is a material that is suggested in
Nutrition Action Healthletter by David Schardt April 08
pgs 8-11 to have limited exposure too. What worries
scientists about BPA is that it is an estrogen "mimic". It
activates the same receptors in the body as estrogen does.
Because hormones are the messengers in the body's endocrine
system, chemicals like BPA are called "endocrine disruptors".
"BPA is the largest volume endocrine disrupting chemical in
commerce. " It causes a host of problems including breast
and prostate cancer. Bisphenol A may cause brain and
behavioral disturbances in young animals...especially young
animals.
The article recommends you avoid older
versions of Delton dental sealant.
Dental sealants are plastic resins that
dentist bonds into the grooves of the chewing surface of a tooth
to help prevent cavities. Delton is made by Dentsply
International of Your, Pennsylvania. Most dental sealants
are free of BPA. However, older Delton
sealants contain a compounds that breaks down into
BPA, mostly during the first day after it comes into contact
with saliva.
Our office does NOT use Delton
dental sealants.
"To play it safe, women who are pregnant or
breastfeeding, infants, young children and adolescents should
try to avoid BPA".
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National Down Syndrome Society
resources to help provide the important daily oral hygiene.
Living with Down’s Syndrome by making minor adaptations to the
care you provide every day such as:
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High-Sugar Infancy Can Mean Adult Sugar
Dependency
Dental habits start forming at about 4 months of
age, or at about the time when a baby switches from breast milk
or infant formula to other foods, reports the Academy of General
Dentistry (AGD).
This is also the age that a
baby's first tooth erupts, and the types of foods that are
introduced to the baby at this time can affect a lifetime of
dental health. In fact, a strong correlation has been found
between the use of sweetened drinks in infancy and the
consumption of sugar-containing snacks in later years.
The eating habits of adults are formed at weaning, so it's
important for the baby to develop good eating habits that will
affect the dental health. Sugar is known to cause cavities
throughout a lifetime, and the earlier an infant gets used to
sugar, the easier it is to get hooked on high-sugar snacks as an
adult.
Fruit drinks are high in sugar and in turn can cause enamel
erosion if consumed frequently. A baby should never be allowed
to fall asleep with a bottle of fruit juice, because the sugary
liquid bathes the newly erupted teeth in a cavity-causing
substance that can cause baby bottle tooth decay. Drinks
other than water should not be continually sipped throughout the
day and should be served at mealtimes – never at bedtime.
Children given high-sugar medicines regularly at bedtime are
also at risk of forming cavities
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March 2008
Awareness of gum and underlying bone
disease is very low. Only 50% of the population visits a dentist
on a regular basis. Of that 50%, 80% have some degree of gum and
bone disease. It is an epidemic. Were this any other disease, we
would be calling on the CDC for immediate action!
Jaws
Be sure your team knows the risk factors, early signs and
available resources regarding osteonecrosis
of the jawbone. Review and update each patient’s health history
at each visit. Then talk to those patients who take
bisphosphonate medication such as Fosamax® (orally) or who are
receiving cancer treatment about the possible damage to the
jawbone. Tell them about the signs to look for and empower them
with information that may assist them in delaying its onset or
in referring friends at risk. Use the ADA’s “For the Dental
Patient” as a link from your website, an informative stuffer in
take-home totes or as a laminated article for reception area
reading.
Be aware of signs that should trigger
a consultation with their dentist or physician:
pain, swelling, or infection of the gums or jaw
gums that are not healing
loose teeth
numbness or a feeling of heaviness in the jaw
drainage
exposed bone
Studies have shown that the best way to avoid this disease is to
maintain proper oral hygiene.
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Sports Drinks
Americans spent over 5.4 billion dollars on sports drinks last
year.
Source: ABC News
Three of the most popular sports drinks have a high acid level
(below the recommended 5.5 pH level) that softens the enamel on
teeth.
Think About Your Drink
Use National Nutrition Month (March) to focus your internal and
external marketing efforts. Focus on beverages that damage
teeth. It is likely that one in three of your patients drink
soft drinks and a growing number consume sports drinks. Ask
questions about beverage consumption and advise patients to look
at the label for the serving size and the sugar content. Also
tell them how to combat the effects of the sugar and acid.
Actions for you to take if you drink soft drinks or sports
drinks:
drink water with fluoride in between
chew sugarless gum
brush teeth after drinking a sports drink or soft drink
drink soft drinks with a meal rather than sipping all
day
forgo the sugar and acid drinks all together
Reinforce the chair-side message with direct mail messages to
internal or external lists as eye-catching reminders of how
damaging sports drinks and soft drinks can be. Provide a link to
WebMD or Center for Science in the Public Interest.
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February 2008
The American
Medical News recently published a story about bisphosphonates
that included some questionable information
about what dentists recommend to
osteoporosis patients who need oral surgery or other dental
treatments. The story quotes a source who says that dentists
tell patients not to take bisphosponates prior to dental
procedures. We have responded to this article with a letter to
the editor pointing out that ADA does not recommend that
patients stop taking these drugs prior to dental procedures, but
instead say that dental treatment should not generally be
modified solely on the basis of bisphosphonate therapy. The
ADA recommendations stress that the incidence of
bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw is very low
and that to further mitigate the already low risk, patients
should maintain good oral hygiene and visit their dentist
regularly. Patients may also benefit from having a dental exam
prior to beginning oral bisphosphonate therapy or as soon as
possible after they begin therapy. Recognizing that
discontinuation of these drugs is a serious medical decision
which should be made by the patient and their prescribing
physician, the ADA recommends that dentists encourage patients
to consult with their treating physician about any health risks
associated with use of these drugs. The ADA will continue to
update the recommendations as new information is available and
emphasize the importance of good communication between the
dentist, patient and physician on this topic.
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January 2008
January
is Swim Team Time....
Swimmers Risk Stained Smiles, Chipped
Teeth
Competitive swimmers may be at risk for
developing yellowish-brown or dark-brown stains on their teeth,
reports the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization
of general dentists dedicated to continuing dental education.
Athlete swimmers, who often swim laps more than six hours a
week, expose their teeth to large amounts of chemically treated
water. Pool water contains chemical additives like
antimicrobials, which give the water a higher pH than saliva,
causing salivary proteins to break down quickly and form organic
deposits on swimmer's teeth.
The result is swimmer's calculus, hard, brown tartar deposits
that appear predominantly on the front teeth. "It's a common
cosmetic condition among swimmers," . Swimmers who notice the
stains should talk to their dentist and perhaps increase their
dental visits to three or four times a year.
"Swimming
underwater and quickly coming to the surface causes some
children to hit the hard ledge, loosening the front tooth,".
Also, running on slippery, slick cement and ceramic pool
surfaces sends many children headfirst into the ground, often
causing chipped or displaced teeth. "Diving into shallow waters
and hitting the bottom pushes the tooth up and can fracture the
whole bone,".
Oral Health Fact Sheets
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