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Characteristics of Cavities That You Must Know

Blog, Cavities, Oral Health·June 28, 2021June 28, 2021

Characteristics of Cavities – Did you know? Cavities is a condition in which the tooth is damaged. Which erodes the tooth (email) to the inside of the tooth (dentin), forming a hole. Cavities are caused by bacteria in the mouth, frequent consumption of sweet foods, and poor oral hygiene.

You will usually feel cavities. Several disorders are common, both in adults and children. Therefore, you should check with the dentist. Because, it needs to be done regularly, generally cavities do not cause pain at first so they are difficult to detect. Pregnant women or children who experience cavities should immediately consult a doctor. That’s all because treatment and prevention can be different.

If your teeth are cavities and not treated immediately, the holes will enlarge, and are at risk of causing infection and decaying teeth, and tooth loss.

Also Read Some Causes of Swollen and Bleeding Gums

Characteristics of Cavities

If you want to know the characteristics of cavities, generally the symptoms that appear in each person can be different. Because it depends on the severity and location of the hole in the tooth. When your cavities are small and just forming, symptoms may not appear or be felt. However, when the condition is getting worse than usual, such as:

You will feel a toothache, especially when biting or when the tooth is pressed.
Your teeth become sensitive.
Pain when consuming sweet, cold or hot food or drinks.
There are holes that are clearly visible in your teeth.
Pain in the teeth that occurs spontaneously for no apparent reason.
There are parts of your teeth that turn white, brown, or black.

Causes of Your Cavities

If you have cavities, it is usually preceded by the presence of plaque in the mouth. Plaque comes from food residue that contains sugar, such as bread, cereal, milk, soft drinks, fruit, cakes, or candy, which is then converted by natural bacteria in the mouth into acids.

The combination of bacteria, acid, food residue in your mouth. Then the saliva, will form plaque that adheres to the teeth. The acids present in plaque slowly erode the layers of your teeth, and eventually form holes in your teeth.

In addition to the things mentioned before, you can get cavities also be caused by other things:

You do not use toothpaste containing fluoride. Fluoride is a compound that is generally contained in toothpaste, serves to maintain health and prevent tooth decay.
You eat too many sweet or sour foods or drinks.
Your mouth is very dry.
Suffering from eating disorders and acid reflux disease.
Increase in your age.
Regular use of medications, such as supplements, vitamins, or herbal products that contain sugar.
You rarely brush or floss your teeth.

What is the diagnosis of cavities looks like?

Your examination usually begins with a question and answer session, especially about the symptoms you are experiencing. The dentist will then look at the condition of the mouth and teeth. Then touch your teeth with a special tool to check for areas that are tender due to tooth decay.

Dental X-rays can also be used to check the condition of the teeth. X-rays can show damage that has occurred in the tooth, even though the damage has not been seen with the eye.

You can prevent cavities

Some things that can be done to prevent cavities are:

Brush your teeth twice a day with toothpaste that contains fluoride.
Floss your teeth at least once a day.
Use mouthwash or mouthwash after brushing your teeth.
Reduce consumption of sweet or sour foods and drinks, such as candy or fizzy drinks.
Reduce snacking habits.
If cavities are caused by a health condition, such as acid reflux disease or dry mouth, talk to your doctor about how to treat them.
Consult your dentist first before using any medications, supplements or herbal products.

You can also eat some of these foods and drink to prevent it:

Black tea or green tea without sugar/sweetener.
Drinking water containing fluoride.
Foods high in calcium, such as nuts and cheese.
Low-sugar gum containing xylitol.

Treatment of cavities

Treatment of cavities can vary, depending on the severity of the condition experienced by each patient. Some medical actions that can be taken to treat cavities

Conclusion

Cavities will cause pain, especially if the condition gets worse. For that we recommend you to come to the nearest dental clinic so that the doctor can treat you properly. You can also visit our clinic at 99Dentist and make online appointments during this pandemic.

References

Is it Important to Teaching Oral Health to Children?

Blog, Oral Health·June 24, 2021June 24, 2021

Teaching Oral Health to Children – It is important to take care of children’s overall health. Including the health of their teeth and mouth. Unfortunately, not many parents may need to be taught to maintain dental and oral health from an early age. Many parents think that just teeth are enough.

Teaching oral health to children and also dental health is one of the good habits that must be taught by parents since childhood. That way, this can become a habit and make children have a high awareness to do this for the rest of their lives. In fact, this habit helps prevent caries and periodontal disease as people age.

Also Read Some Causes of Swollen and Bleeding Gums

The Risk If You Not Maintaining Dental and Oral Health

Brushing your teeth regularly can be one way to keep your teeth and mouth healthy. But keep in mind, that alone may not be enough, especially in children. Routines of brushing teeth, cleaning the oral cavity using mouthwash, and using dental floss are still not effective in avoiding disorders of the teeth and mouth.

This condition should not be ignored. The reason is, problems with teeth and mouth can be fatal and affect the overall health condition of the body. Infections of the teeth or gums can spread to other body tissues. In severe conditions, infection can increase the risk of disease or disorders of other organs.

There are various dental and oral health problems that can arise if your little one is not used to keeping the area clean. The risk of disease increases in children who rarely brush their teeth, chew gum or sugary foods excessively, and drink less water. In fact, these habits are prone to damage teeth and gums.

If your child’s teeth are damaged, it can cause pain, swelling of the gums, cavities, and even tooth decay in children. There are various types of toothache that may appear.

1. Dental Caries

This pain is common and often occurs in children. Dental caries arises because there is a buildup of plaque in the area of their teeth and mouth. Plaque is bacteria or dirt that sticks and lives in the oral cavity. Plaque appears due to food residue that is not cleaned or not brushing your teeth before going to bed.

2. Gingivitis

Then gingivitis, aka inflammation of the gums can also appear due to poor oral hygiene. Not much different from dental caries, gingivitis is also caused by the buildup of plaque on the teeth. This infection causes inflamed gums and makes your child’s gums bleed easily.

3. Periodontitis

You need to know, disorders of the gums can get worse, especially if the child does not have the habit of brushing his teeth properly. A more dangerous condition can occur, namely periodontitis. This condition is a serious gum infection that can damage the soft tissue and bone that support teeth. Symptoms that arise as a sign of this disease are bad breath, changes in the color of the gums to bright red or purplish, swelling and bleeding of the gums.

Conclusion

Therefore, it is important to Teaching Oral Health to Children to keep their teeth and mouth clean to avoid these diseases. If you are in doubt and need doctor’s advice, you can come to our clinic. Or you can also more easily contact the dentist and find out about tips on maintaining the health of your child’s teeth and mouth through our contact.

References

https://www.halodoc.com/artikel/pentingnya-mengajarkan-kesehatan-gigi-dan-mulut-pada-anak

Some Causes of Swollen and Bleeding Gums

Blog, Gums·June 21, 2021June 21, 2021

Have you ever experienced swollen gums to pus? In addition to causing excruciating pain, this condition can also make it more difficult for you. It’s kinda hard to eat, talk, and sleep than usual. But, do you know what causes of swollen and bleeding gums?

Did you know? If the gums are swollen and festering, this can be caused by many things. Starting from infections, nutritional deficiencies, to certain diseases in your mouth and teeth. For a complete discussion, you can read this article that will tell you about some causes of swollen and bleeding gums completely.

Also Read Dentist vs COVID-19, How Could This Happen?

Causes of Swollen and Bleeding Gums

As previously explained, there are many things that can cause your gums to swell and fester. However, the following are some of the common causes:

1. Poor Oral and Dental Hygiene

Your oral and dental hygiene needs to be maintained properly. Because if not, it will make plaque build up. Over time, the plaque can harden, and can turn into tartar. Therefore, tartar that triggers inflammation of the gums and other supporting tissues of the teeth or in the medical world is called periodontitis.

If not treated immediately, periodontitis can make your gums infected by a periodontal abscess. As a result, your gums may become swollen, festering, and feel very painful.

2. Infection

Fungi or viruses that cause infections of your tongue and mouth, potentially causing swollen gums with pus. The most common type of infection is gingivostomatitis or thrush of the gums and mouth.

This condition can cause swelling of the gums to pus if you don’t treat it immediately.

3. Nutritional Deficiency

The problem of your swollen gums is also related to nutritional deficiencies, especially vitamins B and C. This is because these two vitamins play an important role in maintaining the health of your gums and teeth. If your body lacks vitamins B and C, the risk of swollen gums will increase, you know.

4. Gingvitis

Inflammation of the gums or in medical language is gingivitis. Gingivitis can also be the cause of your gums swollen and festering. Causes of this condition is generally the buildup of plaque on your teeth because it is not cleaned properly. Uncleaned plaque can irritate the gums. This increases the risk of your gums getting infected easily.

5. Your Wisdom Teeth Grow Tilt

The presence of your wisdom teeth can be a problem for some people. If wisdom teeth grow sideways, the gums become exposed and bacteria are more susceptible to entry. This can increase the risk of infection and your gums will be swollen and festering.

6. Your Immune System is Weak

Your gums are swollen and festering, it’s also more susceptible to people who have a weak immune system. For example, in people undergoing chemotherapy procedures, using steroid drugs, or suffering from certain diseases, such as diabetes.

How to Prevent Swollen and Bleeding Gums

The way that you can avoid swollen gums with pus, then there are several prevention efforts that can be done:

Keep your teeth and mouth clean by brushing your teeth at least twice a day. In addition, also clean the teeth with dental floss.
Reduce consumption of sweet and sticky foods that can increase your risk of cavities.
Drink enough water, especially after eating. This habit can help clean food debris from the teeth.
You must avoid smoking habits, because the content of substances in it can trigger many diseases, including dental and gum disease.
Check with the dentist regularly, or at least every six months. This can make problems with the mouth and teeth quickly detected before they get worse.

Conclusion

Please note that when pus forms in swollen gums, it means that the damage or problems in the oral cavity are severe enough. So, you should immediately talk to your doctor to get further directions.

References

https://www.halodoc.com/artikel/ketahui-6-penyebab-gusi-bengkak-bernanah

Dentist vs COVID-19, How Could This Happen?

Blog·October 29, 2020March 10, 2021

Dentist vs Covid-19 | Coronavirus cases in Indonesia have seen a steep rise over the last couple of weeks, leading to school and shop closures and the nation ordered to stay at home. But what should we do if we have a dental emergency? What is considered a dental emergency itself? What should we do if we have some dental issues? Let’s discuss a little about Dentist vs Covid-19.

First, we need to know what is dental emergencies. Dental emergencies are potentially life threatening and require immediate treatment to stop ongoing tissue bleeding, lighten up severe pain or infection, and include:¹

Uncontrolled bleeding
Cellulitis or a diffuse soft tissue bacterial infection with intra-oral or extra-oral swelling that potentially compromise the patient’s airway
Trauma involving facial bones, potentially compromising the patient’s airway

Also Read Mobile Dentistry : An Enhancement in Dentistry World

The ADA (American Dental Association) recognizes that members of the public have questions about whether they should continue to visit their dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the ADA is currently recommending dentists close their offices to all but emergency care, they have provided guidelines to help patients determine when to consult with their dentist as to whether care should be rescheduled. When in doubt, please call your dentist to determine the best course of action. This is some sort of things you can do due to this situation.²

Dental care you can reschedule for another time:^1,2

Regular visits for exams, cleanings, and x-rays
Regular visits for braces
Removal of teeth that aren’t painful
Treatment of cavities that aren’t painful
Tooth whitening
Aesthetic dental procedures

Dental care that you should have taken care of by a dentist at this time:^1,2

Bleeding that doesn’t stop
Painful swelling in or around your mouth
Pain in a tooth, teeth or jaw bone
Gum infection with pain or swelling
After surgery treatment (dressing change, stitch removal)
Broken or knocked out tooth
Denture adjustment for people receiving radiation or other treatment for cancer
Snipping or adjusting wire of braces that hurts your cheek or gums
Biopsy of abnormal tissue

In this situation, many dentists have turned to telemedicine to counsel patients by phone or video conferencing. Unless someone in extreme pain or swollen or some condition that already mentioned above, first try to contact (by phone or other media) with your dentist, as they may be able to give you a prescription or refer you to the appropriate provider. Or if they can treat it immediately, they will prepare the clinic first to prevent infection transmitted during procedures.^3,4

Dentists face one of the highest risks of contracting coronavirus, even greater than doctors, nurse or paramedics, clinical care workers, food delivery boys, janitors, pilots, flight attendants, barbers and maids. According to medical research reports, dentists are eight times more at risk of contracting COVID-19 infections. The American Dental Association has cautioned all dentists of their risk of exposure as they deal with the oral cavity, which is one of the easiest routes to infection due to the presence of saliva and other secretions.^4,5

So, it would be wise to postponed your appointment to dentist if it’s not urgent and if you feel sick. If you have dental issues, try contact your dentist first then ask what is the best solution of your condition. Taking care of your daily oral health is the best to do during this moment. Stay safe and healthy. See you again.

References

Mobile Dentistry : An Enhancement in Dentistry World

Blog·October 29, 2020March 10, 2021

Mobile Dentistry – A mobile food truck is well known by all people in the world, now it’s time we talk about the Mobile Dentistry. What is it? How effective it can be?

What is Mobile Dentistry ?

Mobile dentistry means that your dental equipment can be moved from place to place, in a bus, truck, trailer, airplane, boat, ship or some such transport. Portability and mobility are two different things. A portable dental unit is one, which you can fold up and carry in your hands to another location. A mobile dental unit is one that can be moved to another location, but probably not physically carried.¹ Mobile dental delivery systems (MDDSs) are receiving growing interest for reaching isolated patients, as well as in dental care for fragile and hospitalized patients, with the advantage of being able to be used from room to room or during general anesthesia (GA) in an operating room. Therefore, ensuring the care safety is crucial.² the term portable and mobile dentistry (PMD) describes the use of portable dental equipment only, mobile dental units only, or their combination. Historically, PMD use had been limited to certain states with large rural populations and almost exclusively in the non-profit sector.³

Although mobile and portable oral health programs initially focused on children in schools and Head Start programs, many now serve adults and the elderly, especially those in nursing homes or with unstable housing, those with developmental disabilities or other special needs, those with limited transportation, and those who otherwise lack access to private dental practices.⁴The Examples of Potentially Effective Mobile Clinic Sites: Nursing home, Inner city school Oral Health Projects, Headstart and Migrant Project, Rural and remote communities, etc.⁵

PMD (Portable and Mobile Dentistry) offers many benefits to the patients as well. Being treated on site (at work, school, or other) means minimal interruption to their day. Additionally, dental anxiety may be reduced because, rather than being in a dentist’s o_ce, care is received in an environment that may be more familiar to the patient – there may be less opportunity for “white coat fever” to occur, as patients are away from the traditional dentists’ o_ce. While we recognize that a lifelong relationship with a dentist in a traditional o_ce may be more familiar and comfortable than a PMD setting, the PMD setting may prove more comfortable for some patients.³

As with all practices, there are shortcomings. Treating residential patients requires more time and patience than treating those in an office. Travel and consultation times reduce the number of daily patients. Equipment requires movement to and from a car, and sterilization procedures are performed elsewhere. Flexibility is essential as dental treatment plans are secondary to medical requirements. The area in which a procedure is performed may be more difficult to keep clean and sterile. These are obvious problems, but in comparison to a complete lack of care, the shortcomings can be overcome.⁶

Also Read Dental Clinic, The Best Time to Visit in The Middle of Pandemic

Resources:

https://www.worlddentalrelief.com/book/Chpt%2015%20Mobile%20Dentistry.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7084903/
Gupta S., Hakim M., Patel D., Stow L.C., Shin K., Timothe P., Nalliah R.P. Reaching Vulnerable Populations through Portable and Mobile Dentistry- Current and Future Opportunities. J. 2019, 7, 75. MDPI
Oral Health Workforce Research Center. An Assesment of Mobile and Portable Dentistry Programs to Improve Population Oral Health. University at Albany. 2017. US
Hight A. Mobile Dental Clinics: What Works, What to Watch and What to Avoid. Sullivan-Shcein Dental
https://www.dentaleconomics.com/macro-op-ed/article/16389735/challenges-and-potential-rewards-for-mobile-dentistryy

Dental Clinic, The Best Time to Visit in The Middle of Pandemic

Blog·October 29, 2020March 10, 2021

Dental Clinic Bali – This pandemic has been giving a lot of obstacles and pressures to everyone including Dentists. The guidance and setting in Dental office also have been set up to minimize the cross infection or transmission of this Covid-19. CDC also has published few guidance for dental setting while pandemic.¹ Since March until May 2020, most of dental clinic chose to close their practice place for a while in Indonesia. Even The American Dental Association (ADA) had recommended US dentists to close their practices to all but the emergency dental work.² The practice of dentistry involves the use of rotary dental and surgical instruments, such as handpieces or ultrasonic scalers and air-water syringes. These instruments create a visible spray that can contain particle droplets of water, saliva, blood, microorganisms, and other debris. Surgical masks protect mucous membranes of the mouth and nose from droplet spatter, but they do not provide complete protection against inhalation of airborne infectious agents. There are currently no data available to assess the risk of Covid-19 transmission during dental practice.¹

Then the patients have been asking if they can’t do the dental treatment at all, or a question when this pandemic will end. The only real answer is “we don’t know, no one knows” since it is the first time for everyone and it is still being studied. Closing dental practices during the pandemic can reduce the number of affected individuals, but will increase the suffering of the individuals in need of urgent dental care. It will also incense the burden on hospitals emergency departments.³

Dental Clinic – Patient Guide For Emergency Care

The ADA published a helpful patient guide listing which dental problems require emergency care and which can wait a few weeks. The following are conditions that you need to see a dentist for right away despite the danger of COVID-19, according to the ADA:

Bleeding that doesn’t stop
Painful swelling in or around your mouth
Pain in a tooth, teeth or jaw bone
Gum infection with pain or swelling
After-surgery treatment (dressing change, stitch removal)
Broken or knocked out tooth²

It is important to note that during this pandemic, the range of emergency dental treatment on offer may be limited to dental extractions only rather than fillings or other restorative care and scaling (cleaning). Which have higher significance for people with bleeding disorders due to managing the risks of bleeding. It is important before attending an emergency appointment that you have communicated your bleeding disorder to the emergency dentist who you may not have met before.⁴ Unfortunately, there may be instances where patients behave unreasonably, perhaps out of frustration or anxiety.⁵ It happened several times in our clinic too, but we chose to give a better explanation so it can be acceptable by our precious patients. Clear communication with patients will also help, so update your website and practice answerphone messages to make it clear how patients can access dental clinic services during the coronavirus pandemic.⁵

Resources: