Friday 18 November 2016

Sensitive Teeth are No Fun

There are a few things in life that I am truly not a fan of.  Being in pain is most definitely one of those things.  When it comes to living a happy and joyful life, I have found that it is simply easier to not have to go through pain.  It is much easier to find joy and peace when my body feels good and is not hurting.  That is why I am working hard to improve on aspects of my body this year to get over those painful areas and to keep them from happening.  One of the areas that I am focusing in on, is dental hygiene in my life.  I have indeed suffered from sensitive teeth before and I really do not want to experience that again. So I want to go over a bit about my experience with it and how to hopefully avoid it in the future. 

 


My hope is to no longer end up feeling the pain of sensitive teeth and that is usually due to the bad hygiene that people do in their lives.  I am pretty sure that if you are experiencing pain or sensitivity when you are drinking hot or cold beverages then you may be on this list of sensitive teeth.  It may be an issue that you need to go beyond just upping your dental routine and you may be at risk of your teeth currently being exposed. 

 


The reason this all hits home to me is that the first time I felt my teeth get sensitive was a scary time.  When I was in high school my sister was preparing for a prom and asked if I wanted to go in on the price to splitting some crest white strips.  The idea was that we both get white teeth, but since when she wanted to do it we didn't have enough time for her to finish the whole batch I could split it and use the other half leftover.  It all seemed like a really good idea at the time.  I tried to work on my teeth for a long time, but they were getting yellow and these seemed like a great idea.

 


So we opened the package and it required one whole set of strips a day.  We ended up just doing them at night and getting them on our teeth.  It was a strange feeling, but after a few days, we started to see massive improvements in our teeth.  I saw for myself though that my teeth had not only gotten very white, but super sensitive.  The fact is that hot of cold drinks hurt my mouth and it was like having my teeth get doused with fire.  I was actually hurting and couldn't even finish half of the crest white strips taht I had purchased.  The issue is that sensitivity means pain in my opinion and I didn't want to have that ever again.

My solution was to instead of using a fast-acting whitener to instead use a toothpaste that works slowly and protects my teeth from tooth enamel erosion as well.  I used a charcoal-based toothpaste and that was a much softer and less painful solution.  Instead of pain, I chose to get white teeth slower but safer for my own mouth.  So, protect your teeth and be wise.

Tips For Dental Health in the Holidays

This is a great time of the year.  With the Holiday season coming we are all getting ready to be with family and enjoy each other company.  I love the extra time spent with family and friends and also all the yummy treats that come along with it.  Let's face it Fall starts with Pumpkin Spice Latte's and ends up with new years toasts.  Between these months are simply lots of get-togethers and lots of snacks and drinks being consumed.  That is why I think it is important to keep up with your dental routine and maybe even adding to it this season.  It is important to prevent issues from happening and all these extra get-togethers can bring on a lot of tooth decay and plaque. So I wanted to go over a few tips to help keep you and your family healthy this year.

 


The first tip that comes to mind is a good one and one that I plan on trying to work into my holiday season.  I think it is wise to cut back a little on all the sweets this year.  I love seasonal snacks and drinks and it would be blasphemy to not actually indulge a little, but it is better to not go all in if you can help it.  I think that maybe not eating as many sticky or gummy sugary treats is a worthwhile investment for your teeth.  Especially, if you know you are close to some big cavities or feeling sensitivity.  It may simply be wise to cut back a good amount on the snacks.  2nds or thrids of pie may not be necessary for every single meal!  

 


Add in some water between your sweet or alcoholic drinks.  It is really smart to keep drinking water during this time of year.  It is a great thing to stay hydrated because it helps your dental health in a few different ways.  Drinking water helps to rinse your mouth from all those things that may cause plaque to build up or to eat away at your tooth enamel.  That is why taking some drinks of water in between those snacks and meals is a great thing to do.  It also has a secondary benefit of keeping you hydrated.  This allows your body to produce the right amount of saliva which helps to clean your mouth.  I always think of saliva like natural mouthwash and that is a really great way to double down on dental health. 

 


The next tip I think is really important is to start flossing during this time of year.  With all the extra treats and sweets, many things may get stuck in your teeth that you are not seeing.  With these foods and drinks being more sweet, sugary, or acidic it is wise to get all that out of your mouth.  I honestly hate flossing, but I did find floss sticks to help me get over my hatred of it.  I now don't have to touch the string or get my fingers in my mouth with flossing sticks.  So think about giving those a try at the end of the day for the next few months.

I think it is also important to brush your teeth an extra time per day during this time of year.  You can protect your teeth more and maybe even keep them a bit brighter.  It really is wise to be as preventative as you can when it comes to your health and this is a great way to do it.

Nasty teeth cleaning

As a dentist, my life is pretty easy. I have a great job, and all my coworkers are amazing people. We are all pretty close and enjoy spendin...