Quick Nutrition Tips

Nutrition Tips
Following a proper and nutritious diet not only helps keep your body healthy, but your mouth as well. Nutrition plays an important role in the health and cleanliness of your teeth, gums and mouth.

Limit Soda, Coffee and Alcohol
Although these beverages contain a high level of phosphorous, which is a necessary mineral for a healthy mouth, too much phosphorous can deplete the body's level of calcium. This causes dental hygiene problems such as tooth decay and gum disease. Beverages containing additives such as corn syrup and food dye can make pearly white teeth appear dull and discolored. Therefore, it is best to choose beverages like milk, which helps strengthen teeth and build stronger enamel, giving you a healthy, beautiful smile.

Drink Tap Water When Possible
If bottled water is your main source of drinking water, you could be missing the decay-preventive benefits of fluoride.

Monitor Your Low-Carb Lifestyle
Despite their popularity, low-carb diets can cause bad breath. A balanced, dental-healthy diet can help reduce tooth decay.

Increase Your Calcium Intake
After age 20, both men and women lose more bone mass than they form so it is important to restore lost calcium with a daily supplement and by eating fruits and vegetables high in calcium, such as dark leafy greens. These foods will also help to lower the acid buildup in the saliva that can lead to breakdown of tooth enamel.

Take a Daily Dose of Vitamins C and D
These vitamins help support the absorption of healthy mouth minerals such as calcium and phosphorous, which support the bone and gum tissue, keeping it healthy. This is an easy way to maintain dental hygiene and fight gum disease.

Put Out the Cigarette
Smoking cigarettes is one of the greatest contributors to the aging mouth. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 22 million women in the United States smoke cigarettes. In addition to staining teeth, smoking interrupts calcium absorption in the body and can also cause potentially life-threatening diseases such as oral cancer. So stop smoking and enjoy the health benefits as well as a healthy, beautiful smile.

The above article is from: OralB.com

Drs. Null, Seidel & Dental Associates  
353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-8193

Occlusion: What's the big deal?!

Occlusion: What's the big deal?! By Eric Seidel, DMD 

The term occlusion is used widely in dentistry. There are differing schools of thought on how to achieve it, what is ideal and why it is the essence of quality dentistry. There is one thing everyone agrees on: if occlusion is ignored if can cause the breakdown of the teeth, gums, bone, TMJ and even the failure of restorations and crowns that we use to protect teeth.

What is occlusion? Essentially, it is how our teeth come together. Malocclusion, or a "bad bite", is when this relationship is flawed and often destructive. The importance of trying to achieve an ideal bite is often ignored as it is easier to look at the mouth as a tooth by tooth system and discuss where a filling is needed here or a crown there, rather than spending the time to evaluate the entire bite system and create a plan that will correct the malocclusion that plagues so many people. One of the first things we do during a new patient or emergency examination is to evaluate the bite. It gives us an instant understanding of what the individual is facing when trying to become dentally healthy. After their initial emergency or chief concern is addressed, we always revisit the topic of occlusion and what we have available to be able to improve our patient's short and long term dental health. These can include equilibration, or readjustment of the existing bite to get both sides to meet more equally, especially during function. Nightguards are a good idea for anyone that shows signs of bruxing (grinding) or clenching and helps offset the damage that can occur to the teeth and gums while sleeping. Amazingly, most patients are unaware of their bruxism but the signs are very easy to recognize and hard to ignore. Invisalign or braces are an even better way to create ideal occlusion. Through an uprighting and repositioning of the teeth we can get them to function the way they were intended. This improves the health of the mouth during function and during rest. However, if a person is a bruxer a nightguard or retainer is still required at the end of treatment.

Choosing to do nothing results in recession, bone loss and broken or cracked teeth, fillings and crowns. TMJ issues can also result from poor occlusion. Whenever a restoration (filling or crown) fails the first thing that should be evaluated before redoing it is what caused it to fail in the first place. Most often is isn't the bagel they bit into or the gum they were chewing. These were simply the "straws that broke the camel's back". The fillings or crowns were weakened from a repeatedly destructive bite and simply broken during very routine use. Dental materials have improved greatly and are also rarely the problem if placed properly and used for their intended applications. It is important to learn from history and decipher what is the root cause of any failure. Much can be learned from these moments if the proper tests and time are taken.

I should have entitled this article "Occlusion: The Biggest Deal". I would encourage you to have your bite evaluated and see the advances that modern dentistry can provide for your long term dental health. You will be pleasantly surprised how simply, easily and painlessly we can make a profound difference in your dental health.

Eric Seidel, D.M.D. is a general dentist at Drs. Null, Seidel and Dental Associates and an Invisalign preferred provider. 

Drs. Null, Seidel & Dental Associates  
353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-8193

Dental Plans

Learn more about what the American Dental Association has to say about dental plans.

The above video is found on the American Dental Association YouTube Channel.

Drs. Null, Seidel & Dental Associates  
353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-8193

Dental Grills: The Bad Things

Bad Effects Of Dental Grills
Dental grills, also known as “grillz,” have become popular among some teens and adults due to their popularity among celebrities, especially rap musicians. Grills are decorative covers that snap over one or more teeth. They are usually made of gold, silver or other precious metals. But less expensive grills are often made from base metals that can cause irritation or an allergic reaction.

There are no long-term studies of dental grills, so there are no data about long-term safety or about problems resulting from long-term wear.

Grills can promote plaque buildup and tooth decay because food particles and bacteria may build up between the teeth and the grill. A grill may also cause abrasion of the teeth that border it. Excessive wearing of grills may discolor teeth, too, so grill fans may need to whiten teeth when they decide to stop wearing the grill.

Anyone who wears a dental grill should be especially attentive to dental hygiene, and follow a consistent routine of twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing. Also, be sure to remove the grill before eating and rinse it often to remove bacteria and food particles. Talk to your dentist before getting a dental grill and be sure to find out how best to reduce the risk of bacterial buildup and other complications.

The above article is from: OralB.com

Drs. Null, Seidel & Dental Associates  
353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-8193

Great American Smokeout

Learn more about what the American Dental Association has to say about about quitting smoking.

The above video is found on the American Dental Association YouTube Channel.

Drs. Null, Seidel & Dental Associates  
353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-8193

The Importance of Daily Flossing

Daily flossing is an important component of plaque removal, but it’s one that many people avoid because they find flossing painful. But the right flossing products can make flossing easy and painless.

Many people think that standard dental floss is the only effective product for tooth flossing. But there are many products to meet the needs of people of all ages with any type of dental condition. If one of these conditions applies to you, consider some specialized flossing options:

• You have sensitive gums. If you have sensitive teeth and gums that bleed easily, choose a soft floss, such as Oral-B’s Satin Floss, that slides easily and comfortably between the teeth
• You have braces. If you wear braces or have dentures, that doesn’t mean that you can’t floss. Try a specialized floss, such as Oral-B’s Super Floss, which has a stiff end that you can thread beneath the main wire of your braces and a spongy component that slides easily between the teeth
• You have a child. It’s important to teach children the benefits of flossing at a young age. You can start teaching children to floss their teeth at about age 5-7 years, but many children are less than enthusiastic, and they may complain that flossing hurts or is difficult. Try a kid-friendly flossing tool, such as the Oral-B Stages flossers, which are designed to be easy for children to handle and feature kid-friendly characters
• You have difficulty manipulating floss. Try an electric flosser, such as the Oral-B Hummingbird. An electric flosser is neat and easy, especially if you don’t like reaching into the back of your mouth. And an electric flosser provides the right amount of pressure to leave your gums feeling pleasantly stimulated.

The above article is from: OralB.com

Drs. Null, Seidel & Dental Associates  
353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-8193

Saliva Shortage? Pay Extra Attention to Plaque Removal

Saliva has an important job to do in your mouth. For starters, it helps to remove food particles. But it also helps prevent tooth decay and infection by washing away plaque and keeping disease-causing bacteria from building up on your teeth and gums. But saliva can’t do all that work by itself. So it’s important to remove plaque yourself by practicing good oral hygiene, which means proper flossing each day, and twice-daily tooth brushing.

Most of us don’t think about the moisture in our mouths until our mouths become dry. A variety of conditions can cause dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, including the following:

• Cancer treatments. If you have any type of cancer of the head or neck and you receive radiation therapy, dry mouth is a common side effect because the radiation damages the salivary glands in addition to destroying the cancer. Some medications used to treat cancer in any part of the body can also cause dry mouth.
• Prescription medications. Hundreds of common medications, including many antidepressants and medications for high blood pressure, can contribute to a dry mouth. If you take medications that seem to make your mouth feel dry, be especially vigilant about tooth brushing and proper flossing.
• Nerve damage. Some types of injuries to the head or neck can damage the specific nerves that tell the salivary glands to produce saliva.
• Chronic illness. Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and Parkinson’s disease are among the diseases that can contribute to a chronic dry mouth.
• Drug use. Methamphetamines have been associated with dry mouth.

To read the entire article please visit: OralB.com

Drs. Null, Seidel & Dental Associates  
353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-8193