Toothpaste Terrorism - The Traveler's Solution

Toothpaste tubes have now joined the ranks of water bottles, hand lotion, facial cream, hand sanitizer - you know, the things that are highly suspect going through airport security. The items that may not make it with you onto the airplane. Items that we think of as our personal belongings, but send up a red flag as potential security threats.

As recently as yesterday, CNN reported that Homeland Security was advising airlines with direct flights serving Russia to be aware of the possibility that explosive materials could be concealed in toothpaste tubes. ( http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/05/world/europe/sochi-security-toothpaste/) This is directly concerning the Olympics which are beginning in Sochi, Russia. Those athletes, fans, media people  - they all need to brush, don't they?

It is hard enough convincing my patients to continue their oral hygiene practices while traveling, but this really makes things complicated. (Although I have to say that just this week a patient of mine told me that he was climbing a mountain in New Zealand, and he did not bring his toothbrush and paste but did bring dental floss!  Good for him) I understand that the threat is the idea that an explosive can be put into the toothpaste tube itself.  Really?  That has to be one giant size tube of dentifrice! What will become of oral hygiene? Will we become a society too afraid to travel with toothpaste?  

A few ideas came to mind.  I want people to still brush when they travel. Well, back in the day, one of the best dentifrices used was old fashioned baking soda.  Although this would eliminate the suspicious toothpaste tube, unless you took an entire box of baking soda with you, carrying a small container of the white powder is also highly suspicious. So that would not be a good alternative at all.

You could purchase toothpaste when you get to your destination. But I doubt many people would take the time to do that, and there probably would be a run on toothpaste, causing the prices to soar.

But there is a alternative.  It is cost effective, does not involve a tube, is not even a paste.  It is toothpaste tablets.  I was able to try these last year at a dental convention.  You chew a tablet, brush, and rinse. They taste great, and are reminiscent of that candy in the 1980's - PopRocks. They effervesce in your mouth. You can buy them online, Archtek Toothpaste Tablets.  

No paste, no problem. Get some tablets and keep them in your travel bag.  Brush, floss and be safe!

The X Factor

               There is an X factor in the dental world, and it has nothing to do with Simon Cowell or Britney Spears. What would you think of something that tastes as sweet as sugar, is all natural, and is good for your teeth?  I would think it is unbelievable, but it is true, and this magic X factor for your mouth is called Xylitol.
                                                       

 

       

                 Xylitol is a naturally occurring carbohydrate, that looks and tastes just like regular table sugar. It is a natural sweetener that can be extracted from any woody fibrous plant material. Mostly it is extracted from corn cobs, and also from less environmentally sustainable sources such as hardwood. Pure xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar.

      Believe it or not, regular use of xylitol in oral care has shown remarkable effectiveness. Xylitol's five-carbon structure keeps it from being metabolized by bacteria, most importantly the bacteria that causes decay in teeth, Streptococcus mutans.  By using 100% xylitol products throughout the day, bacteria is prevented from creating the acids that damage the teeth and plaque is prevented  from gaining hold on tooth surfaces. I like to think of it like this – if this bad bacteria isn’t being fed by the Xylitol, because it can’t metabolize it, then the bacteria isn’t strong enough to cause trouble, like create cavities.

      So how should you use this Xylitol, and where do you get it?  The best thing is to expose your mouth to it a few times in a day.  Lately I have found it becoming more available in things like chewing gum . My favorite is Icebreakers Ice Cubes - lots of flavors, all with Xylitol.

                        

         

         Mentos Up2You is another gum with Xylitol.

                                      

           Now I haven't seen these products promote that they inhibit tooth decay, but that's OK.  I am telling you if you chew a piece for 5-10 minutes a few times a day , you are doing something good for yourself.

               There are other ways you can get Xylitol. Just look at the ingredients and make sure Xylitol is the main sweetener. More and more grocery stores are selling toothpastes, gum and mouth rinse with xylitol, and you can buy an entire bag of it near the sugar too.  I am not sure about cooking with it, but you can add it to a drink.

            Another added benefit of combating this Strep mutans with Xylitol is cleaner teeth, which means whiter teeth.  Some professional tooth whitening products are adding Xylitol to them to increase their effectiveness.

             One side note - although the chewing of the gum with Xylitol is good for your teeth, be careful how long you chew it!  Too much gum chewing can cause soreness in the TMJ area, which leads us to an entirely different oral problem.

            So you see,  sweet things aren't all bad - especially if it is the X factor!  

           

A Bright Smile Is Always In Style

Wow! 

When I started this blog, as you can go back and read, my mission was to change the perception of The Dentist, and dentistry , one smile at a time.  I am thrilled to report that there have been over 1000 views of this blog, which hopefully means that is over 1000 smiles. Now I have been given an incredible opportunity in this quest to create smiles.

                                  

For those of you who have only read my words, now you will get to hear my voice!  In addition, you will get to see my own smile.  I will be on television.

 

I have joined a company called Go Smile, and I will be talking about their tooth whitening products on television. Go Smile is a tooth whitening company that sells their products  directly to the consumer. I put much thought and consideration into this venture. I read their research, reviewed their patents, but what really convinced me that this was a good idea was when I tested their products on myself.  Besides being a dentist, I am a scientist and researcher, and an inventor. My dental passion, if there is such a term, is tooth color. Call me a geek, but I have spent years, in my free time (when I had no free time) examining the complexity of tooth shade, and how to measure it. Through my own research, I patented a computerized camera system that breaks down the color of a tooth, pixel by pixel.

                                            .

The beauty of this is that I measure tooth color before and after a whitening process and see how well it worked with real data, not just a look see and guess that those teeth appear to have gotten brighter. I get a report with numbers, bars and graphs, and every time I see a tooth in that much detail, I am thrilled!  Really.  So you see, if I say something really works to change a tooth color, I am not relying on my eye’s color perception. I am measuring it. I am reading the report. And I can say with a very high degree of certainty, this Go Smile stuff works.

                                                                                                                        

So back to Go Smile.  It truly is effective. Now I don’t want to make this a commercial for all the products. You can go to their website and see it for yourself. www.gosmile.com. However, you should know that the ampoules have a patented delivery system that is so easy, anyone would be skeptical, but again, it works. (No trays, no waiting, just rub it on your tooth and forget about it.) My teeth were white, at least on the standard measuring scale we use in dentistry, so when I started to use Go Smile, my staff laughed at me because they said my teeth couldn’t get any whiter.  Guess what? They did. My teeth are the whitest they have ever been in my life. They also have excellent toothpaste systems, which I love because it combines brushing your teeth with getting them white .

                      

 

Now I will get to share this wonderful find with lots of people. My mission, again, is create more smiles, and this can do it. Anyone who has whiter teeth has reason to smile. Take it from me.  Over 25 years of dentistry, and I have loads of stories of people who whitened their teeth, and it gave them confidence, made them happier, and in some instances, changed their lives.  Some people did take it too far, and ended up with glowing teeth, but that wasn’t the usual case. Does anyone remember the Friends episode when Ross whitened his teeth for a date, only to end up with glow in the dark teeth?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYe7JECvr30

You don’t have to get the Ross result. You can whiten your teeth safely and effectively, and hopefully the only thing your friends will say is that  you look good, did you go on vacation? Or you seem happier. You certainly don’t want them to say wow, you whitened your teeth, and you are glowing.

Now I will still maintain my private practice, and continue to see my patients. I can’t wait to hear how many more smiles come about because of this. And if you see me on television, it will be on QVC, because that is one of the ways you can get Go Smile products.

I will try to keep everyone up to speed on my QVC dates either on this blog or through my Facebook page. The first day you can catch me will be Feb 15 between 4-5pm EST.  People ask me if I am scared or nervous about it, but I tell them no.  Aside from the fact that I won’t be wearing my usual scrubs, I will be doing what I have been doing for the past 25 years- talking to people about their teeth, and encouraging them to smile!!

All I Want For Christmas is My 2 Front Teeth?

For dentists, this is one of the busiest times of the year in our offices. We are seeing patients who want to maximize their insurance benefits for the year which is drawing to a close. We are seeing patients who are already stressing out about the once-a-year relatives that will be visiting and grinding their teeth so much that their jaws hurt. There are also people who are enjoying the holiday treats that are so delicious, but can either break a tooth or pull a crown off because they are hard, sticky or both! (The particular sweet I am thinking of is a nougat type of candy.) Last, but not least, there are those holiday-related emergencies, like the time my brother, as a toddler, thought the Christmas tree ornament looked like a shiny golden apple and took a bite out of it! That was a mouth full of cuts and abrasions, and an oral disaster.

Now if you read this blog about two months ago, I suggested that one way to prepare for this Season of Sugar was to visit your dentist early to head off any dental problems or emergencies. Well, too late now for that.  But, I do have some ideas for how you can still prepare yourself to stay dentally safe and sound and maintain your oral health during this time of year.

1.      Prepare yourself a dental emergency kit!  This is simple to do by strolling down the  dental care aisle at your local pharmacy. This kit can include a few Q-tips, temporary filling material, and temporary dental cement. The product  I usually recommend for temporary fillings is called Dent Temp. I have had many patients use this with great success. The Q-tips could be used for pressing the material into a tooth if needed if a filling falls out. Both products have directions on them that are easy to follow.

 

2.      The best over the counter pain medication for tooth pain is Ibuprofen. If you do encounter a toothache, do not put an aspirin on the gum ( a common misconception). Try taking an appropriate dose of Ibuprofen. Also do not aggravate the sensitive tooth with very hot or very cold foods or drinks.

3.      Even with all the holiday preparations, parties, and busy schedules, be sure to stick to your daily oral hygiene routine. Include toothbrushes ,toothpaste and floss in the stocking stuffers! Many companies put out holiday edition product packaging that is so festive you don’t even have to wrap it. Be sure to include other extra dental things like a  bag of flossers, proxy brushes and toothpaste tube squeezers ( that squeeze all the paste to one end – they are great!)

 

 

We can all take a lesson from the children’s holiday movie “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”.

Remember the Abominable Snowman? He suffered from a terrible toothache and had to have Hermey the Elf pull his teeth. 

 

Don’t have an abominable holiday!  Take care of your teeth so that you can smile your way through the season and into the new year!

Happy Holidays everyone! 

Halloween and beyond.......

 

And So the Season of Sugar Begins…………..

 

 

In just a few days, children will be ringing my doorbell, yelling out the traditional, “TRICK OR TREAT”, in anticipation of receiving candy. In my neighborhood, it isn’t just one small piece. Oh no. Many of my neighbors hold out a bowl and let the kids take handfuls of candy. One family gives out those king- sized candy bars you buy at the movies. The kids don’t stop until their plastic pumpkin receptacles are full to the top. I know this from experience. I have a son and a daughter, who are really too old to trick or treat, but not too old to celebrate this Halloween in some way. I remember all too well looking at the pile of candy on our kitchen counter at the end of a night of their trick-or-treating. They would sort through the “good candy” (chocolate, Skittles or red Starbursts) and the others they didn’t like so well ( like those little bags of pretzels that they would complain weren’t really treats at all). 

 

They would have one or two pieces a day, and this would start the season of increased sugar consumption, because after the Halloween candy was gone, then the little chocolate turkeys would show up, then the Christmas candy canes, chocolates, and cookies and before you know it there were Valentine’s chocolates and the finale of this 6 month sugar overload was Easter, with the Easter basket featuring The Chocolate Bunny!

I thought of all this as I stood in the aisle of a store today, trying to decide what kind of treat I would give out to the trick-or-treaters this year.  This is always a personal struggle for me.  Really.  How can I hand out CANDY, when I see the destruction it can cause every day? I once told someone I couldn’t give out candy on Halloween because it was against my religion, which caused great confusion since they saw me at mass on Sunday. One year I gave out packets of microwave popcorn. One year I gave out the infamous little bags of pretzels (that was before I saw how my own children snubbed these treats).  Some years I couldn’t find anything but candy to give out, so if one of my patients came to my door, I had to answer their “Trick or Treat!” with “Be sure to brush your teeth after the candy!” I am surprised my house didn’t get egged that year.

 

When I was a kid, people used to give out apples. Real apples, no wrapper. Then some crazy person put a foreign object in the apple , like a needle or a razor or something, and it was all over the news. So then no parent would let their child accept an unwrapped treat.

So back to the aisle in the store, I stood there reading every label, seeing which treat would be the best of the worst choices available. I already had these monster game cards from the ADA which I had been giving out in the office, but somehow I thought they would be received with as much excitement as the pretzels now that I stood amongst the aisle of sugar.  I finally decided on the Halloween packages of Goldfish ( a step up from the pretzels),and mini granola bars.  The granola bar box said in large letters that there was NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP . This made me feel a little better about making the purchase.

So how does one negotiate their way through this season of sugar?  I have a few suggestions, short of just saying no to any sugar. You have to be one very strong person to turn down all sugar.

1.       Don’t keep eating it throughout the day, keeping a constant level of sugar in your mouth. Decide what pieces you want, eat them at a certain time, and then brush your teeth afterwards.

2.      Don’t keep it accessible – put it away! No candy dish sitting around. Put the stash in a ziplock bag somewhere, and if you don’t trust yourself or those sweet addicts in your house, put the ziplock bag in a closed container. The harder it is to get to, the more you will think about eating it.

3.       As tempting as those after the holiday specials are (I have seen Halloween candy at 90% off on November 1) don’t buy anymore candy to keep in your house. Obviously, if it is not there, you can’t eat it.

4.      Get your teeth cleaned by your dentist or dental hygienist just before this Sugar Season begins, and then again just after it ends in the Spring. This would be about 6 months apart.  This way you can also have your teeth checked and take care of any cavities right away, and not help them get larger from any extra sugar you do take in.

 

So here’s to a Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Easter! Try to limit your treats, and remember there are other ways to celebrate the holidays than eating your sugary way through them.

 

Are you ready for some football?

Are you ready for some football?

Most Americans will soon be once again watching one of our favorite national sports, football. Whether it’s a junior football league, high school, college or the pros, all of us get caught up in the frenzy.  I really didn’t follow football until 1985, when I lived in Chicago and the Bears were on the road to the Super Bowl. I was also in dental school. So when others were watching Jim McMahon throwing the ball in the end zone, or Walter Payton running with the ball, I was looking to see what was that mouthpiece they had in their mouth. We had learned about mouthguards in dental school, how they protect the teeth from trauma during sports, but I had never seen one in use.

Athletic mouthguards have come a long way. For those of you who are not sports fans, here is a simple explanation. A mouthguard is a plastic appliance that is worn by the athlete to protect their teeth from trauma, and may protect an impact on the jaw to cause a concussion. A good one fits like a glove over the upper teeth, and is made from a model of their mouth. 

 

Mouthguards aren’t just for football players. Anyone who plays a contact sport should be wearing one – ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, even baseball and basketball.

 

There are many types you can buy at sporting goods stores, where you put it in hot water and then put it in your mouth and bite down, but they do not fit as well as a custom made one.

 

Most of the time these mouthguards fit so poorly, that the players have a hard time wearing them, and this is where they usually are found – not in the player’s mouth!

 

 I have made many of these guards over the years, and one young man, who now plays college lacross, told me that once he had worn the custom made mouthguard I had made for him, he questioned if what he had been wearing before was even a real mouthguard at all!

I have read various studies that have also shown that athletes perform better when they are wearing an appropriate mouthguard, or that prevents them from clenching their teeth together, which seems be detrimental to their performance.  These studies show that when a person clenches their teeth together with enough force, for a significant time, a neuromuscular response is triggered, which causes a release of hormones that causes stress & fatigue, causing them to be slower and weaker. With the right mouthguard in place, an athlete actually becomes faster, stronger and performs better.

( http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2009-11-16-neuromuscular-mouthguard-cover_N.htm)

Last year I started making custom-fitted mouthguards for a local high school football team, the Stamford High Knights. They had a great season, their best season since 1978, finishing with a 7-2 record. They had a coach they had been with for just a few seasons, a brand new stadium, and everyone on the varsity team had a professional mouthguard (orange & black, the team’s colors) when they ran out on the field for their first game. They looked great and played great too. Today I met with them to deliver this season’s mouthguards.  Take a look:

 

 

Good luck Stamford High Black Knights!  Wear your mouthguards, and here's to a winning season.