Dentistry Through the Ages: Adults

Greetings and welcome to our on-going blog series, Dentistry Through the Ages. In these blog posts, we will cover age-group specific dental needs and concerns. Your life is constantly changing, and we want to equip you with the best information possible to keep your teeth healthy!

In this article, we will be covering the dental needs of the adult population. For better or worse, this is one of the most stable periods of oral health. Patients who took good care of their teeth from childhood will likely continue to avoid cavities and plaque buildup. Likewise, those with poor oral health will need to work harder at keeping their gums and teeth clean.

Since tooth decay is (generally) caused by bacteria in the mouth, we can look at past histories of cavities as good indicators of the future. Patients with few dental problems (lower bacterial counts) will generally continue to have healthy teeth (and vice versa). However, changes in diet, medication and certain activities can interrupt the balance. This can be both harmful or beneficial. Healthy patients who start to eat more in response to stress or begin new medical regimens can find themselves developing their first cavities late in life. At the same time, patients with a history of tooth decay can introduce new habits or therapeutics to stop bacterial growth and improve their oral condition. This continuum is important to remember as we grow older, take on more responsibilities and develop new medical conditions and diseases.

The adult years are also the time that many patients start to show the signs of periodontal disease. Years of plaque buildup, trauma, and tartar deposits can leave your gums in less-than-optimal condition. While good home care can stave off the progression of gum and bone loss, some will find themselves in the need of a deep cleaning. Our office utilizes a range of services that can target many different stages of periodontal disease, from mild recession to severe pockets. Those with the most extreme losses of gum and bone height may be candidates for grafting or other periodontal surgeries, typically offered by a periodontist.

The important idea to remember in regards to adult oral health is that good habits will be rewarded with a healthy mouth. Even as your life becomes more complex and stressful, it is important to stay on top of your home hygiene. Our office is here to serve as a partner in keeping your teeth and gums in top shape- no matter what the concern. If you would like to know more about home dental care, cleanings or any other questions, please give us a call!

Dentistry Through The Ages- High School and College

Greetings and welcome to our on-going blog series, Dentistry Through the Ages. In these blog posts, we will cover age-group specific dental needs and concerns. Your life is constantly changing, and we want to equip you with the best information possible to keep your teeth healthy!

Today, we want to take a look at the special dental needs and concerns of high school and college students. Between classes, extracurriculars and socializing, this is no doubt a hectic time period. However, it is still important to remember the basics of dental care- brush twice a day, floss at night and schedule regular teeth cleanings. Bad habits and neglect developed during these times can last well into adulthood, causing irreversible damage to the teeth and gums.

For our patients in orthodontic treatment, please remember to work hard at keeping your brackets, wire and any appliances clean and debris free. Many young adults develop characteristic decay later in life as a result of poorly maintained teeth while in braces. Food stuck under brackets and wires can cause extensive erosion and demineralization that will eventually necessitate fillings. While the teeth may look and feel fine now, the weakened enamel will almost certainly become a problem. As always, take care to follow your orthodontist’s instructions. Some steps or recommendations may seem tedious, but they are all very important and can add months to treatment time if improperly followed.

During these more “studious” years, students often turn to brain food to keep themselves awake and alert during long hours at the library. Unfortunately, this type or prolonged snacking can create lengthy acidic environments in the mouth, leading to extensive tooth decay. For this reason, many patients return home from college and find themselves with their very first cavity. To counteract this, we recommend keeping snack sessions concise, ideally under 30 minutes. For those who need to “graze” to stay focused, we suggest avoiding sticky, processed foods and gravitating towards fresh vegetables, fruits or even cheeses. You can always follow up your snacks with xylitol mints or gum to assist in the remineralization process as well.

For better or worse, this time period is also hallmarked by many young adults experimenting with drugs and alcohol. We are here to remind you that almost every drug (prescription or illicit) will cause dry mouth to some degree. This is a surefire way to speed up the development of decay and cavities, above any other adverse interactions substance may cause. Alcohol is not exempt from this fact. Alcoholic beverages are carb-heavy and acidic, lending themselves to stimulating mouth bacteria and causing enamel erosion. Binge drinking can exacerbate this problem, through prolonged mouth acidity, vomiting, and “passing out” (going to sleep without brushing teeth/sleeping with a dry mouth). Overall, students who choose to party frequently may be faced with a host of oral problems later in life.

In total, many patients who developed good oral care as children will carry it through college and to adulthood. While there are some specific concerns to patients in this age group, most of their dental care extends from the basics of home maintenance. We wanted to highlight some special circumstances that could reverse years of great dental care- before it became a problem. As always, our office is here to guide you and your family towards optimum oral health!

Dentistry Through the Ages- Toddlers and Young Children

Greetings and welcome to our on-going blog series, Dentistry Through the Ages. In these blog posts, we will cover age-group specific dental needs and concerns. Your life is constantly changing, and we want to equip you with the best information possible to keep your teeth healthy!

Today, we want to take a look at the special dental needs and concerns of toddlers and young children. During this time period, your young one will undergo rapid growth and development, both physically and mentally. At Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry, we want to give you the best tools to keep up with their changing needs!

There are a number of milestones that can help you best gauge your child’s dental development. Typically, the first primary teeth to erupt will be the central lower incisors at around 8 months. These will be followed shortly after by opposing teeth, the upper central incisors at about 10 months. Likewise, the last primary teeth to be shed are the upper canines and second molars, which are lost as late as 12 years.

A chart showing the eruption and shedding ages for primary teeth. 

It becomes apparent that although the primary teeth will all be eventually be shed and replaced, they need to last a long time- from 5 to 10 years depending on the specific tooth. During this period, these teeth will serve as both mechanical tools for chewing and as placeholders for the adult teeth. It is important that primary teeth are lost naturally and not due to facial trauma or decay. If a tooth must be removed prematurely, we recommend placing a Space Maintainer retention device to hold spacing. Without this appliance, the adult teeth can come in crooked or unevenly, requiring extensive orthodontic intervention later in life.

A typical space maintainer on a model. The final appliance is gently cemented to the rearward tooth. 

Beyond the development of primary teeth and adult teeth, there are a number of ways you can give your young child the best start on their dental health. At 1 year of age, we recommend stopping the use of bottles and pacifiers. Studies show that the prolonged use of these products can cause improper oral development, including an open bite. You can limit pacifier use using the “snip” method, where a small amount of the pacifier base is cut off periodically, limiting your child’s ability to create satisfying suction with the device. Thumb sucking needs to be limited as well, although behavioral interventions required to stop this are usually unsuccessful until the age of 3.

We recommend brushing your child’s teeth as soon as the first teeth begin to erupt. You can brush with water, fluoride-free toothpaste or even xylitol wipes. However, avoid fluoridated toothpaste and supplements until age 2, as the fluoridated water in Southern California will provide enough remineralization power alone. Any extra dosage of the ion can cause a condition called fluorosis, where white spots of “over mineralization” arise on the still-developing adult teeth.

At about three years of age, adjacent teeth in your child’s mouth will begin to touch. At this time, it is crucial to start flossing once a day. Childhood diets are full of tooth decay causing foods and habits- constant snacking, sticky and carbohydrate heavy foods and milk instead of water for beverage. While brushing will manage the risk of decay on most tooth surfaces, only flossing can remove bacteria and food from in-between teeth, where 70% of childhood tooth decay occurs. Additionally, keep in mind that brushing and flossing can be difficult tasks for children. As a rule of thumb, children not possess the motor skills to brush their own teeth until they can tie their own shoes.

We typically recommend children come in for their first dental visit at 1 year of age or when their first tooth comes (around 6-12mos). This visit is less of a traditional exam, and more of a “primer” for future dental visits. We will introduce your child to our various tools and ease them into what can be a very stressful setting. Depending on patient compliance, we will do a quick check of the mouth, followed by a health history review and educational discussion (for parents). All this is conducted in our fun and imaginative children’s room!

Undoubtedly, your child’s specific developmental patterns, needs and concerns will vary from the information in this article. With this in mind, it is imperative that they come in for regular dental examinations and check-ups. Many problems- from tooth decay to some developmental issues, can be corrected easily if caught early on. We hope to see you and your loved ones at our office- to make sure everyone is on the right track for dental success!

Dentistry Through the Ages: Infants and Newborns

Greetings and welcome to our on-going blog series, Dentistry Through the Ages. In these blog posts, we will cover age-group specific dental needs and concerns. Your life is constantly changing, and we want to equip you with the best information possible to keep your teeth healthy!

    Today, we want to address the dental concerns of families with newborns and infants. We know this can be an exciting and stressful time, with childcare advice coming from many (sometimes conflicting) sources. Hence, we want to ease your mind with our professional and scientifically proven advice on proper newborn dental care.

    Infant dental concerns actually begin during the prenatal months. Studies have shown that women with periodontal disease are at a higher risk for low birth weight and early term infants. It is important to minimize this concern by keeping up with your regular dental cleanings before and during pregnancy. Additionally, hormonal changes, increased snacking and morning sickness all put pregnant women at a significantly higher risk for tooth decay. We recommend that all of our pregnant patients pay special attention to their oral health and consider supplementing their current home care with further preventative products, such as xylitol rinses or chews.

    You can start your newborn on the path to great oral hygiene even before their teeth start to erupt. An important fact to remember is that oral bacteria is often transferred from caregivers to their children. Avoid sharing saliva with your infant, as your bacteria can start to colonize their mouth and cause tooth decay at a very young age. In fact, studies show that the bacterial profile of mothers and children match, even before the baby teeth come in! Once teeth begin to show through the gums, you can clean them using a washcloth or xylitol wipes. After two or more teeth “touch,” you should start to floss between them.   

    Once the teeth begin to develop, it is important to never put your infant to sleep with a milk bottle. The milk will sit on the teeth all night and eventually cause rampant decay. In fact, the decay pattern of night time milk bottles is so characteristic, it has earned itself the title of “bottle mouth.”

The unfortunate consequences of "bottle mouth."

    Beyond toothcare, infancy is a period of rapid craniofacial development. While much of this will occur naturally, proper development can be encouraged. Breastfeeding has been shown to be beneficial to proper facial growth. Global studies show that breastfeeding during the first four months of infancy are particularly critical to lower jaw development.

    Your babies teeth need to stay healthy for as long as 13 years. Thus, it is very important that you protect them right from the beginning. On top of proper home care, we recommend you bring your child in for their first check up at 12 months. This can allow us to catch decay and developmental problems before they become a much larger issue. At Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry, we are prepared to see all of your family members, no matter what the age!