You may have seen a few YouTube tutorials doing the rounds on how to close a space between your two upper front teeth with DIY braces or teeth gap bands. Basically, the tutorials tell you to place a small elastic band such as a hair elastic over the two upper front teeth with the gap between them that you want to close. You are warned you have to wear the elastic for a few weeks until the gap is closed and it will cause some pain.
Endurance training has become increasingly popular over the last ten years. Long distance running, swimming and cycling have been championed as great ways to become physically fit and healthy. However, it has been found that this newfound general health may have come at the expense of oral health.
A survey by the World Dental Federation (FDI) on everyday oral health practices has highlighted three oral health myths that need to be busted. The answers from the survey showed that Australians knew in general terms what practices are good for oral health but lacked an understanding of the finer details of each practice.
You may have heard of oil pulling and the great benefits it may bring for your oral health, even getting glowing endorsements from a range of celebrities. Although gaining popularity more recently, it is nothing new, being used in Ayurvedic medicine for more than 3000 years. So does it actually work?
We have probably all been told at one time or another or even constantly by our parents during childhood to “chew your food!”. I have vivid memories of my mother and father telling me to chew my food well and not just scoff it down in a rather stern manner. I constantly have to remind my three year old son to chew his food so he doesn’t vomit it all out a few minutes later.
The tooth fairy may be fictitious fantasy. but it can play a helpful role in teaching children about baby tooth loss and encourage good oral hygiene habits.
The tooth fairy has been providing comfort to children when they lose a tooth from generation to generation. When a child loses their tooth, they are encouraged to place it under their pillow and that night the tooth fairy will come and take their tooth away and replace it with a small amount of money.
Popularized by your favourite rapper or hip hop artist, it is now not that uncommon for a patient to present at the practice with a dental grill or ask about getting one. Basically jewellery for your front teeth, dental grills, often termed grillz or fronts, are usually a precious metal cover that sits over the front teeth, typically made of silver, gold or platinum and can be encrusted with diamonds or other valuable stones.
There have been calls for a sugar tax to help limit the consumption of sugary foods and drinks. The theory is that if consumers have to pay more for sugary foods and drinks, they are more likely to buy the cheaper, healthier, non-sugary option.
Wouldn’t it be great if your menopause treatment lowered your risk of oral health problems such as gum disease as well as treating your symptoms of menopause?
Women may suffer from a variety of symptoms during or after menopause. They may get hot flushes, night sweats, extreme fatigue and osteoporosis, as well as feel more anxious, moody or irritable.
I constantly get asked by patients whether they have to use string floss or can they use a floss holder, interdental bruish or water flosser instead and are they as effective. My answer is always there is more than one way to do everything, just that some ways are better than others. Doing something in another way is better than not doing it at all.
