August 6 is National Fresh Breath Day.
Here are the recommendations for solving the problem:
* Clean your tongue as part of oral health regimen.
* Chew gum to stimulate salivation, especially one sweetened with xylitol.
* Choose cinnamon flavored gum to help decrease oral bacteria.
* Avoid "ketone breath" from eating low-carb diets by adding a few healthy carbohydrates.
* Remove food from between teeth and under gums with floss and water irrigator.
* Don't panic:  a number of people who think they have halitosis do not
 *Brush your teeth, cheeks and gums with a chlorine dioxide toothpaste.
 *Use a hydromagnetic irrigator.
 *Wash your mouth with a stabilized chlorine rinse.
 *Sip room temperature water or mint lemon water.
 *Avoid alcoholic or caffeinated drinks as they dry your mouth.
 *Use a mouth moisturizer or a saliva stimulant to keep your mouth moist.
 *Eat fresh breath herbs like parsley, dill, basil or peppermint.
 *Place a mint pouch in your mouth -- it's good for 3 hours of minty breath.
 8/06 

Up To Top

Have a Checkup Before You Travel

Planning a trip soon? If you plan to be away from home for any length of time, have a dental checkup and necessary treatment before you leave. A checkup is especially important if you'll be traveling in developing countries or in remote areas. If left to chance, emergency dental care can be uncomfortable, dangerous and expensive. Dental care providers in developing regions may not have the resources, equipment or supplies to take all of the recommended precautions for preventing disease transmission.

Before You Leave

The foreign embassy offices in Washington or a local consulate also may be helpful. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers, or IAMAT, maintains a network of medical personnel, hospitals and clinics around the world that have agreed to treat IAMAT members in need of care. IAMAT is helpful in referring patients to dentists. Any traveler can belong to IAMAT. There is no membership fee, although a donation is welcome. For more information, visit “www.iamat.org” or contact the organization at 417 Center St., Lewiston, N.Y. 14902, phone 1-716-754-4883, e-mail “info@iamat.org”.

The Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures also has a Traveler's Guide to Safe Dental Care, which includes a checklist for safe dental treatment abroad. For more information, visit “www.osap.org”.

While You're Abroad

If you are traveling in Europe, contact the American Dental Society of Europe. The Society's members, dentists who live and work in Europe, have completed a full-time course of study at a recognized dental school in the United States or Canada. For more information, visit “www.adse.co.uk” or contact the organization at 5A Oriental Road, Woking, Surrey, England, GU22 7AH, phone 011-44-1483-728411.

Many countries have dental associations that can provide referrals. For a list of international dental associations, visit “www.ada.org”. The international directories can be found at “www.ada.org/ada/organizations/international.asp”.

A dental school in a foreign country also may be an option. For a list of foreign dental schools, check the FDI World Dental Federation Web site; you will find a dental school directory at “www.fdiworldental.org/dentalschools.htm”. (The file is in portable document format, for which the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software is necessary.) Dental referrals may be available from the hotel concierge, the American Consulate (see the U.S. Department of State Web site at “travel.state.gov/index.html”) or the American Embassy (see “travel.state.gov/links.html” for a list) in the country you are visiting.

The best insurance, however, is to have your teeth in tip-top shape before you depart.

JADA, Vol. 135, June 2004 827

Up To Top

Dental sealants-is your child a candidate?

By age 17, dental decay affects 78 percent of America's children, left untreated, dental decay, also known as cavities, may result in pain and infection.

One highly effective option to help prevent cavities is dental sealants-a thin plastic film painted on the chewing surface of molars and premolars.

Dental sealants are now a proven safe and cost-efficient dental procedure for patients prone to cavities. 

Surveys show 90 percent of all cavities occur in the narrow pits and grooves of a child's newly erupted teeth because food particles and bacteria are not easily cleaned out. A risk assessment by a dentist best determines who's a candidate for dental sealants.

Dental sealants act as a barrier to "seal-off" space between the tooth surface and any small food particles or bacteria that may otherwise cause a cavity in an "unsealed" tooth.

Paired with twice-daily brushing with a fluoridated toothpaste, a healthy diet and visiting the dentist twice a year to monitor the sealants' placement or bond on the tooth, properly applied dental sealants are 95 to100 percent effective in preventing pit and groove cavities.

"Remember that dental sealants do not protect against gum disease such as gingivitis, oral cancer or many common dental conditions, regular dental check-ups are vital to monitor overall oral health."