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The dental community must take a strange stance on many foods that other members of the medical community would regularly praise. Although these foods may be very good for the body and overall health, high in acid or natural sugars, they could actually spell trouble for teeth and gums.

The Dangers of Acid For a long time, it has been sugar that has taken the bad rap as the main cause of tooth decay, however, it isn’t just the sweetness found in cookies, cakes, candies, and creams that keeps a dentist Austin busy. Acid is also a big player in creating havoc in the mouth. Many very commonly consumed foods and beverages contain large amounts of acid. This includes pickles, citrus fruits, soda, and even some jams and jellies. There are even some people who will suffer from acid erosion because of malfunctions within the body. For instance, people diagnosed with bulimia or acid reflux can actually have stomach acid reach the mouth, which will slow eat away at their teeth. As the outer layer of the teeth, the enamel, is broken down, the teeth become more susceptible to the bacteria that feed on sugar, cause decay, and spread infection.

Acidity Comes in Many Forms Acid is found in so many foods that it can seem at times that your dentist and your doctor are going to go to battle. Foods that most medical professionals would recommend, such as apples, oranges, tomatoes, fruit juices, and even yogurt can carry high doses of dangerous acid. Though they are good players in a healthy diet, their consumption should be carefully considered from an oral health stance.

Happy Mind, Body and Mouth The trick to keeping your body healthy and maintaining your teeth and gums is consuming these foods and beverages in the right way. For instance, when drinking beverages high in acid, it is suggested that a person use a straw. By doing so, fewer teeth are directly impacted by the liquid and less acid is allowed to build up on their surfaces. While many diet plans suggest eating throughout the day and avoiding large meals, acidic foods can actually do more damage when consumed in this manner. An apple or orange consumed all at once, in one sitting will release as much acid as one consumed slowly over a long period of time. The difference, however, is that those eaten quickly provide saliva time to neutralize the acid and rinse the teeth, whereas when eaten slowly, the acid is allowed to linger, doing damage as it sits.

Put the Toothbrush Down Knowing that they have consumed foods that are potentially dangerous to teeth and gums, many people will hurry away to the bathroom. Though it may come as a surprise to a lot of people, brushing teeth immediately after snacking on acidic foods can actually create more problems. Dentists recommend that a person wait at least thirty minutes after the acid-filled snack before squeezing out some toothpaste. This gives saliva time to neutralize the acid before it is pushed around within the mouth.

Austin Dental Center, PC
2304 Hancock Dr. Suite 1
Austin, TX 78756-2537
(512) 454-0414

One of the signs of becoming an adult is when you get your wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are any of the third molars, including what is known as the maxillary third molar and the mandibular third molar. They often appear between the ages of 17 and 25 and while most adults have four wisdom teeth, some have more due to a condition known as hypodontia. There is, however, often a problem with wisdom teeth that never occurs in other teeth, and that is that they have a difficult time erupting from the gums, causing an extraction to be necessary. If you need to know more about this process consult with an Austin dentist.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Sometimes, when the wisdom teeth are erupting from the gums, they become impacted. The most common form of impaction is known as a mesioangular impaction, which means that the tooth is angled towards the rest of the teeth, a condition which can cause a great deal of pain in the mouth as the wisdom tooth is pushing the other teeth closer together. A vertical impaction happens when the tooth doesn’t fully go through the gum line, and less frequent is a distoangular impaction, which happens when the tooth is angled towards the back of the mouth. All of these are reasons why a wisdom tooth would need to be extracted at your dentist office.

Extraction

There are two types of wisdom teeth extraction. The first is the easiest one for most people to handle, and is when a dentist is able to just perform a regular extraction, slowly loosening the tooth from the gums and pulling it out. Oral surgery, however, is often necessary for impacted wisdom teeth. This involves an oral surgeon cutting open the gum and extracting the tooth. As people get older gingival sculpting may be needed. Porcelain veneers Austin can add a nice touch to your smile.

There can be some problems after an extraction, regardless of which type of extraction you need to have. Bleeding and oozing is something that a patient should expect for up to three days, and it is not recommended that the patient rinses often, as this can prevent the clot from forming at the extraction site, which is necessary to get the blood to stop exiting the wound. A more serious condition is known as dry socket. Dry socket is a condition that occurs when the blood clot at the extraction site either doesn’t form or is dislodged too early. There are a few things that a patient can do which can make them more at risk of having dry socket. These things include smoking, drinking through a straw, and playing a musical instrument that you need to blow in order to play.

Having a wisdom tooth extracted is nothing to fear, especially if you have a dentist or oral surgeon that you trust implicitly. The procedure is fairly quick, and any pain that you may experience can often be taken care of with over the counter painkillers. If you are in more pain, your dentist or oral surgeon can likely give you stronger painkillers. If you need to have an extraction done, try not to fear it, as it really has become a routine dental procedure. Be sure and ask your dentist about Austin invisalign and Austin teeth whitening. Remember that tooth bonding may be necessary to prevent further erosion of the teeth. Jollyville Dental can help you with all of your tooth restoration needs.

About the Author: Bobby Milton has worked in the dental industry for over 20 years and writes and lectures on many different dental topics