Cheese provides several benefits for your teeth, such as preserves and rebuilds tooth enamel, prevents plaque and balances your mouth’s acidity level. It also helps to produce saliva, which kills the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease.

Tea contains polyphenols, which slows the growth of bacteria associated with tooth decay and gum disease. It prevents the bacteria in your mouth from turning sugar into plaque. Tea also fights the bacteria that cause bad breath.

Crunchy fruits and vegetables, such as apples, carrots and celery, require extra chewing which produces saliva. Saliva helps to neutralize bacteria that cause tooth decay. Also, chewing on naturally abrasive foods removes stuck food particles, massages gums and cleans between teeth.

Vitamin-rich foods containing calcium and phosphorus can help keep tooth enamel strong and healthy. Acidic foods may cause tiny lesions on tooth enamel. Calcium and phosphate help redeposit minerals back into these lesions.

Sugarless gum contains xylitol that helps to prevent plaque and aids in producing saliva. Chewing sugarless gum also keeps your breath smelling fresh.

Raisins contain phytochemicals, which fights bacteria that causes tooth decay. Some compounds in raisins also affect the growth of bacteria that is associated with gum disease.

Water is the best way to stimulate saliva, which is your body’s greatest defense against bacteria that cause plaque and cavities. If you can’t brush after eating, rinse your mouth with water to assist in preventing tooth decay.

It is important to have a balanced diet for your oral and overall health. While these foods help to combat plaque buildup and tooth decay, no food can take the place of daily brushing and flossing. It is vital to continue your daily oral hygiene regimen and keep up with regular scheduled appointment with our dentist.

Dr. Driscoll discussed digital dentistry, the types of patients and cases prosthodontics treat, oral cancer and more during the interview.

Sheets, Paquette & Wu Dental Practice is an active participant in the America’s ToothFairy Smile Drive. This national campaign helps to raise awareness of the importance of oral health and to collect oral care products for vulnerable children in our community.

]]> https://www.ncofi.org/dentist-newport-beach-americas-toothfairy-smile-drive/feed/ 0 https://www.ncofi.org/newport-beach-dentists-at-the-celebration-of-children-black-white-ball/ https://www.ncofi.org/newport-beach-dentists-at-the-celebration-of-children-black-white-ball/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2015 15:10:52 +0000 http://www.sheetsandpaquette.com/?p=371 Drs. Paquette and Wu at the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Celebration of Children Black & White Ball at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, CA on April 18, 2015.

At Sheets, Paquette & Wu Dental Practice, our team is focused on providing an outstanding experience. Dr. Cherilyn Sheets, Dr. Jacinthe Paquette and Dr. Jean Wu employ state-of-the-art technologies to render the finest dentistry, and are dedicated to maintaining long-term oral health.

Our in-house internationally recognized noncommercial dental laboratory is one of the features that make our practice unlike any other. Combining the finest technology, artistry and science, we create precise biomimetic restorations for our patients. In addition, we also provide comprehensive dental services, including:

• Composite restorations
• Porcelain Veneers
• Implant Crowns and Bridges
• Periodontal Therapy
• Invisalign
• Sleep Apnea Management

We welcome new patients of all ages at our dental practice. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

A study recently reported that the cause of the burning mouth sensation of a woman has been discovered. After months of testing and consultations with different medical specialists, experts have finally pointed out the main cause of what used to be an inexplicable case of “burning mouth”.

The 65-year-old patient had been suffering from a burning feeling in her mouth that has stunned doctors, due to its unidentifiable aetiology. The sensation aggravated every time the woman brushed her teeth, but it disappeared within 10 minutes. The initial episode of the symptoms continued for one month but eventually subsided. After a year, the patient had to deal with the feeling once again as the same problem recurred and became persistent from then on.

She sought the advice of a dentist, an oral surgeon and her family doctor, but none of them was able to identify the reason behind her problem. The experts did not find any oral lesions that can possibly serve as a media for the burning sensation. Nonetheless, she received medical recommendations, such as using mouthwashes and milk-of magnesia solutions and even taking anti-anxiety medications, but to no avail.

The patient had a rare condition, called “Burning Mouth Syndrome,” which according to BMJ Case Reports is characterised by a chronic, burning feeling in the mouth, particularly in the lips, palate or tongue. “It’s common in postmenopausal women and affects up to seven percent of the general population,” states research co-author Dr Maria Nagel, a neurovirologist and professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. She noted that Burning Mouth Syndrome can occur as a side effect of several drugs, but some cases develop without an apparent reason. She adds that the sensation is comparable to the pain caused by a tooth infection or a root canal procedure.

Part of the clinical investigation of the medical experts involved in the care of the patient is the testing of her saliva for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). HSV-1 is the viral agent that causes oral herpes, which is usually manifested by cold sores around the buccal cavity. Although the woman did not have cold sores, the medical team decided to perform the test after six month of persistent symptoms.

After the results of the test was released, it was discovered that the saliva of the patient had high levels of HSV-1. “If she’d had cold sores, it would have been obvious,” Nagel told Live Science. “Most people don’t think of HSV-1 as the potential cause of burning mouth syndrome, so they don’t test for it. But it’s easily treatable with antiviral medication,” she adds.

The woman was then prescribed to undergo an antiviral drug therapy. Five days into the treatment, and the woman’s symptoms subsided. Follow-up procedures were performed four weeks and six months after the treatment to test for the presence of the virus in the saliva. The researchers found no trace of the HSV-1 and after completing the prescribed antiviral treatment for one and a half year, the woman had not experience the burning sensation again. The research team, however, had not identified the exact reason as to why HSV-1 had reactivated in this woman, but they suspected that it is likely due to hormonal imbalances associated with the postmenopausal stage.

HSV-1 affects about 70 percent of the worldwide population and according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus is transmitted via kissing and sharing of personal items such as toothbrushes and towels. HSV-1 is most commonly activated when the person is stressed or has a weak immune system and manifests through self-limiting cold sores. However, some cases of viral reactivation that does not cause cold sores had been reported — an example of which is this woman’s. Nagel further explains that although some cases of HSV-1 reactivation does not cause cold sores, it can manifest as a facial nerve affectation, particularly causing impairments in the trigeminal ganglion, which regulates the the sensation of the face and mouth.

Other medical conditions with no clear aetiology may also be associated with HSV-1. Nagel cites their latest discovery as an example; their team recently discovered that HSV-1 can also cause migraine headaches and that some patients were relieved from taking antiviral drugs. Additionally, a report from Mayo Clinic also said that HSV-1 can also cause a fatal brain inflammation called encephalitis.

• Enamel is the hardest substance in the body, according to Dr. Leslie Seldin, a spokeswoman for the American Dental Association.
• A quarter of all of the adults in the United States have lost all of their teeth due to improper at home and professional care.
• Teeth are already forming before birth.
• Saliva is produced in our mouth in order to assist in breaking down food. It also helps to prevent tooth decay by buffering acids produced after eating.
• In regards to diseases, tooth decay is the second most common after the everyday cold.
• During the middle ages, it was custom to kiss a donkey when a person had a toothache.
• A person only buys 18 yards of dental floss per year when reality, it should be 122 yards.

Enjoy these fun dental facts.

But fluoridation had no effect on overall bone density in the aged, a result that surprised the study’s authors because fluoridation had been shown to increase bone mass.

The study, part of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging, was done by researchers at the dentistry school of Trinity College Dublin and involved almost 5,000 adults older than 50.

Participants were asked to indicate roughly how many of their teeth they had; some had their bone density measured with ultrasound.

Those who lived in areas with fluoridated water were more likely to report having all their teeth, the researchers found.

Fluoridation began in Ireland in 1964 and became universal in most urban areas by 1970. About 85 percent of the country has fluoridated water; areas with private wells often do not.

As in the United States, fluoridation was controversial, even though numerous studies found it safe.

Healthy teeth have long been linked to general well-being in older adults. In recent decades, studies have linked gum and tooth disease to heart disease. The leading theory was that oral infections and inflammation reached the heart through the blood.

But a literature review by the American Heart Association concluded in 2012 that there was no proof that periodontal disease caused heart disease.

Source: The New York Times