Toothbrushes: Traditional or High Tech?

Parents usually ask which toothbrush their child should use - the traditional variety or the newer, high tech, electronic variety. Both are effective in cleaning teeth thoroughly and you should use the toothbrush that entices the child to brush. In either case, brushing time should last about 2 minutes.

Manual toothbrush

The positive aspects of using a manual tooth brush are many and include:

• The quality of the bristles can be matched to the gingiva (gums), with soft bristles most suit- able for sensitive gums.
• Available in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes, some with logo of cartoon characters. All designed to make your child want to brush.
• Travel friendly - batteries or charging outlets are not needed and does not break when dropped.
• Inexpensive.

The negative aspects of using a manual toothbrush are few, and include:

• Brushing is more laborious with a manual, as compared to an electric, toothbrush.
• Brushing time must be estimated.

Electric high tech toothbrush

The positive aspects of using an electric toothbrush include:

• Toothbrushes have a built in timer that stops brushing after 2 minutes, eliminating the guess- work of evaluating brushing time.
• The “tickling” sensation may be more child-friendly, changing brushing from a chore to a game. Many kids like the vibrations, although some do not.
• Some studies suggest that an electronic toothbrush with a rotating-oscillating head (i.e., the bristles rotate in one direction and then switch and rotate in the opposite direction), or a head that uses ultrasonic pulses to move the bristles, may be more effective in reducing plaque and gingivitis (gum disease) than a manual toothbrush.
• Cool apps, such as games, personal brushing coaching, and tracking your brushing activity may engage children to brush more thoroughly.

The negative aspects of using an electric toothbrush are practical, rather than dental, issues and include:

• Some young children may not like the vibrations.
• Requires charging or batteries.
• Toothbrush may be damaged when dropped.
• Inconvenient when traveling and costly.

General information when using either a manual or an electric toothbrush:

• When cleaning teeth, the bristles should be angled 45° towards the gum line, allowing one row of bristle tips to slip slightly under the gums.
• Brushing should only take about 2 minutes.
• Brush at least twice a day (with braces, brush after every meal and clean around the braces).
• Toothbrushes and brush heads of electric toothbrushes should be replaced every three months or when bristles have frayed.
• Flossing is an excellent adjunct to proper brushing and, if performed correctly, will not only remove food particles from between the teeth but can also scrape off plaque.

Dental Mouth Guards For Sports

The mouth guard, also termed a mouth protector, is an appliance placed inside the mouth, usually only covering the upper teeth, to reduce the incidence of injury to teeth and to the gums. While there are mouth guards for preventing grinding and other chewing discrepancies, this information focuses on those designed to limit oral sports injuries. Mouth guards are commonly worn by those participating in contact sports, such as wrestling, boxing, basketball, hockey, football, and soccer. According to the American Dental Association, an athlete is 60 times more likely to experience damage to teeth when not wearing a mouth guard. A mouth guard is even beneficial to those in non-contact sports, such as bicycling, skating, and gymnastics where falls are not uncommon.

There are essentially three types of mouth guards:

1. Stock Mouth Guard is an off the shelf, prefabricated oral appliance available in sporting goods stores. It comes ready-to-wear in a limited number of sizes, and is the least costly. A stock mouth guard cannot be adjusted to meet the needs of a specific user, may fit poorly, and is bulky.

Worn without modification, a stock mouth guard is held in place by clenching the teeth together, which can make it difficult to breathe and interferes with speaking. A stock mouth guard is not recommended by dentists.

2. Boil-and-Bite Mouth Guard is readily available in sporting goods stores and can offer a better fit than the stock mouth guard. The boil-and-bite mouth guard is made of a thermoplastic material which, after softening in hot water, is inserted into the mouth and shaped around the upper teeth by applying biting, tongue and finger pressure.

3. Custom-Fitted Mouth Guard is individually designed to fit the mouth of the individual. After the dentist prepares an impression of the teeth, a mouth guard is molded over the model, forming a custom made mouth guard that is unique to the person’s mouth. A custom-fitted mouth guard is comfortable, provides maximum protection, and does not interfere with breathing or speaking. The dentist can match the appropriateness of the mouth guard to the specific sport played and the patient’s history of dental injury. A custom-fitted mouth guard can even be worn with braces.

Proven Benefits of Custom-Fitted Mouth Guard

Mouth guards limit the risk of injuries to the lips, tongue, and teeth, helping to avoid broken or chipped teeth, nerve damage to a tooth, or loss of a tooth. A study in the May/June 2014 issue of General Dentistry (the clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry) compared traumatic brain injuries/concussions in two groups of high school football players. One group wore over the counter mouth guards and the other group wore custom-fitted mouth guards. A total of 412 football players were followed; all wore the same style of football helmet. Football players wearing over-the-counter mouth guards were more than twice as likely to suffer mild traumatic brain injuries/concussions than those wearing custom-fitted mouth guards. It was hypothesized that the thickness of the mouth guard was a factor in limiting brain injury, as custom-fitted mouth guards were thicker (3.5 mm) than the over-the-counter variety of mouth guard (1.65 mm).

Baby Teeth Count!

As a pediatric dentist, I often encounter the question, “Why should I be concerned about my child’s baby teeth if they will fall out anyway?” Allow me to explain the significance of healthy baby teeth. Most newborns appear toothless. Teeth begin to emerge from the gums at about 6 months of age and continue doing so for the next 2 to 3 years, totaling 20 baby teeth. These initial teeth, termed “baby teeth” or “milk teeth” (because of their exceptional whiteness), are destined to be replaced by adult or permanent teeth. The roots of a baby tooth, which are anchored in the jaw, slowly dissolve, leading to the loosening of the tooth and its subsequent loss and replacement by an underlying adult tooth. Baby teeth fall out in the same order that they emerged. Adult teeth make their debut when the child is 6 years of age. The adult molars come in behind the baby teeth as the jaws grow. By the age of 12 to 14 years, most children have all permanent teeth.

Baby teeth are important for many reasons:

1. Eating: Although an obvious statement, baby teeth allow a child to chew his/her food and to develop proper chewing and swallowing habits, which will continue when the baby teeth are replaced with adult teeth.

2. Speech: Teeth serve as a “fence” to prevent the tongue from wandering in the mouth, especially important during the early years when the child learns to speak.

3. Proper Alignment of Adult Teeth: Under normal circumstances, a baby tooth remains in your child’s mouth until replaced by the emerging adult tooth, developing and growing underneath it and ready to break through the gums. The baby tooth serves as a placeholder, maintaining the appropriate amount of space for the underlying, soon to emerge, adult tooth. Loss of a baby tooth, for whatever reason such as cavities, trauma, or heredity, leaves a space. This unoccupied space may lead to the shifting of other teeth, encroaching upon the empty space and hindering the proper emergence of subsequent adult teeth. The result is that the child develops adult teeth that are misaligned, i.e. are crooked.

4. Self Esteem: Children are cognizant of their appearance, as compared with their peers. Crooked teeth, possibly coupled with bad breath due to oral bacteria, or ugly teeth with large cavities reduce a child’s self-confidence in smiling, and other interactions with their peers. Children may tend to shy away from photos or group activities. Their entire personality can be altered secondary to a poor dentition. 

5. Healthy Baby Teeth Lead to Healthy Adult Teeth: The lifestyle choices developed in the early years of a child’s development are usually maintained with the emergence of adult teeth. The main cause of damage to baby teeth is acidic products produced by the oral bacteria in their metabolizing (“digesting”) the foods, drinks, and snacks ingested by the child. Enamel, the hardest material in the human body, forms the outer covering of each tooth. Bacterial-derived acids eat away the enamel, leading to tooth decay, colloquially referred to as a cavity. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 25% of North American children between the ages of two and five years old develop cavities, with the incidence steadily increasing. It cannot be over emphasized that care of the first set of teeth sets the stage for the second set of permanent teeth. With proper care, adult teeth should last a lifetime. Large cavities and abscesses in the primary teeth establish a bacterial petri dish environment in which the permanent teeth need to erupt and flourish. If the immediate oral environment is not ideal, the permanent teeth will forever be more susceptible to cavities and dental problems. In summary, healthy baby teeth are important for the child’s self-esteem, to chew properly and for speech development, to ensure proper alignment of adult teeth, and to prevent periodontal disease. With the proper care, the child will have a beautiful and healthy smile and be well on his or her way to a future of dental health with a confident smile.

Dental Mouth Guards For Sports

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The mouth guard, also termed a mouth protector, is an appliance placed inside the mouth, usually only covering the upper teeth, to reduce the incidence of injury to teeth and to the gums. While there are mouth guards for preventing grinding and other chewing discrepancies, this information focuses on those designed to limit oral sports injuries. Mouth guards are commonly worn by those participating in contact sports, such as wrestling, boxing, basketball, hockey, football, and soccer. According to the American Dental Association, an athlete is 60 times more likely to experience damage to teeth when not wearing a mouth guard. A mouth guard is even beneficial to those in non-contact sports, such as bicycling, skating, and gymnastics where falls are not uncommon.

There are essentially three types of mouth guards:

1. Stock Mouth Guard is an off the shelf, prefabricated oral appliance available in sporting goods stores. It comes ready-to-wear in a limited number of sizes, and is the least costly. A stock mouth guard cannot be adjusted to meet the needs of a specific user, may fit poorly, and is bulky.

Worn without modification, a stock mouth guard is held in place by clenching the teeth together, which can make it difficult to breathe and interferes with speaking. A stock mouth guard is not recommended by dentists.

2. Boil-and-Bite Mouth Guard is readily available in sporting goods stores and can offer a better fit than the stock mouth guard. The boil-and-bite mouth guard is made of a thermoplastic material which, after softening in hot water, is inserted into the mouth and shaped around the upper teeth by applying biting, tongue and finger pressure.

3. Custom-Fitted Mouth Guard is individually designed to fit the mouth of the individual. After the dentist prepares an impression of the teeth, a mouth guard is molded over the model, forming a custom made mouth guard that is unique to the person’s mouth. A custom-fitted mouth guard is comfortable, provides maximum protection, and does not interfere with breathing or speaking. The dentist can match the appropriateness of the mouth guard to the specific sport played and the patient’s history of dental injury. A custom-fitted mouth guard can even be worn with braces.

Proven Benefits of Custom-Fitted Mouth Guard

Mouth guards limit the risk of injuries to the lips, tongue, and teeth, helping to avoid broken or chipped teeth, nerve damage to a tooth, or loss of a tooth. A study in the May/June 2014 issue of General Dentistry (the clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry) compared traumatic brain injuries/concussions in two groups of high school football players. One group wore over the counter mouth guards and the other group wore custom-fitted mouth guards. A total of 412 football players were followed; all wore the same style of football helmet. Football players wearing over-the-counter mouth guards were more than twice as likely to suffer mild traumatic brain injuries/concussions than those wearing custom-fitted mouth guards. It was hypothesized that the thickness of the mouth guard was a factor in limiting brain injury, as custom-fitted mouth guards were thicker (3.5 mm) than the over-the-counter variety of mouth guard (1.65 mm).