Science Daily Reports that Two Annual Dental Checkups Aren't Enough for Post-menopausal Women

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2011) — Post-menopausal women have a new health message to hear. Two annual dental checkups aren't enough. Older women need more, according to research findings from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic.

That message comes from a comparison study of women on and off bone-strengthening bisphosphonate therapies for osteoporosis. Leena Palomo, assistant professor of periodontics from the dental school, and Maria Clarinda Beunocamino-Francisco from the Center for Specialized Women's Health at the clinic, set out to study the long-term effects of bisphosphonate therapies on the jawbone, but came up with this new findings that impacts all women after undergoing menopause.

Twenty-eight postmenopausal women with normal bones were compared with 28 women on bisphosphonate therapies for at least two years or more. The participants (all between the ages of 51 and 80) received conebeam CT scans of their jaws and a complete periodontal check for dental plaque, bleeding, and loss of bone attachment and of the alveolar bone socket. Both groups of women had followed the recommended American Dental Association oral health standards to brush twice daily, floss and have at least two dental checkups a year.

The findings for bone strength and other markers for osteoporosis were similar for both groups. But the researchers found both groups had increased dental plaque levels, which could endanger the jawbone of normal postmenopausal women and reverse any benefits gained in bone mass. Dental plaque is the fuzzy bacterial material that covers the teeth when you wake up in the morning. The biofilm is a mixture of bacteria, bacterial waste and food particles stuck to the teeth and provide nourishment for more bacteria.
While women from both groups had similar bone health results and women on the long-term oral bone-strengthening therapies showed no signs of bone death, they had abnormal dental plaque.
Their findings were announced in the article, "Is long-term bisphosphonate therapy associated with benefits to the periodontium in postmenopausal women?" that was published in the February issue of Menopause.
Menopausal women at risk for osteoporosis also are at risk for periodontal disease, which affects bone that anchors teeth, says Palomo. A prior study by Palomo showed that short-term use of bisphosphonates had increased bone density in the jaw.
But over time, if the hard plaque is left on teeth, it triggers the processes for gum disease. Gum disease, also known as periodontitis, is an inflammatory reaction that produces the cytokines protein reaction. Cytokines act like water runoffs on the side of the hill and erodes the socket that anchors the tooth in place. If that bone loss isn't stopped, Palomo said, a woman could potentially lose her teeth. She added that those cytokines also set in motion the process that weakens bones in osteoporosis. Palomo said women may need to see the dentist as many as four times a year to control dental plaque by deep periodontal cleanings.
"Women also have to realize that bone disease and gum disease are two separate diseases," Palomo said. The bisphosphonate therapy isn't enough to keep jawbones strong and healthy, she added, that means getting rid of the dental plaque.

Co-investigators with Palomo and Buencamino-Francisco were Holly Thacker, Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio); John J. Carey, Merlin Park Hospital (Galway, Ireland); and Mala Sivanandy, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital (Boston, Mass.). The Cleveland Clinic Foundation supported the study.

Read original article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/

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Facts About Dental Insruance

Have you ever left a dental office confused about your insurance? This is a frustrating feeling to have.

At AIDA, we strongly believe our patients deserve the best dental care services we can provide. In an effort to better educate our patients and readers, we would like to share some facts about dental insurance with you.

FACT #1

Your dental insurance is based upon a contract between your employer (or yourself, if you are insured independently) and your insurance company. Should questions arise regarding your dental insurance benefits, it is best for you to contact your employer or the insurance company directly.
Many dental offices, such as ours, offer to file your insruance electroically. This can save you time and hassle in the long run. Also, depending on the type of plan selected by your employer, insurance companies may require you to pay in full at the time of service. Insruance will then send a reimbursement check to the your home for the amount covered by your plan.

FACT #2

Dental insurance benefits differ greatly from traditional medical health insurance benefits and can vary quite a bit from plan to plan. When dental insurance plans first appeared in the early 1970’s most plans had a yearly maximum of $1,000. Today, some 30+ years later, most plans still have a maximum benefit of $1,000. That the premiums remained the same, allowing for a conservative yearly rate of inflation, your yearly plan maximums should be in excess of $4,500 today. Your premiums have increased, but your benefits have not. Therefore, dental insurance was never set-up to cover your services 100%; it is only an aid.

FACT #3

You may receive notification from your insurance company stating that dental fees are “higher than usual and customary.” Insurance companies never reveal how they determine “usual, customary and reasonable” (UCR) fees. A recent survey done in the state of Washington found at least eight different UCR fee schedules for one zip code in the Seattle area. The fees are somehow determined by taking “a percentage” of an average fee for a particular procedure in a geographic area. Average has been defined as “the worst of the best” or “the best of the worst.”

FACT #4

Many plans tell their participants that they will be covered “up to 80% or up to 100%,” but do not clearly specify plan fee schedule allowances, annual maximums, or limitations. It is more realistic to expect dental insurance to cover 30% to 50% of major services. Remember, the amount a plan pays is determined by how much the employer paid for the plan. You get back only what your employer puts in, less the profits of the insurance company.

FACT #5

Many routine dental services are not covered by insurance companies. This does not mean they aren’t necessary or appropriate, just not covered.

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7 Foods that Help Protect your Teeth and Gums!

The type of food you eat can really influence your healthy smile exactly like flossing and brushing, imagine! Actually, each time you consume processed sugars or starches, you are helping the bacteria in your mouth to form more and more acids which cause all types of tooth caries , gingival and periodontal problems. Some foods can naturally fight caries, prevent plaque accumulation, make your enamel stronger, and give you a fresh breath.



1. Celery 

Chewing raw celery can protect your teeth in many ways; it will stimulate more salivary flow thus washing harmful bacteria, besides, celery is a natural abrasive food which can cause massaging of your gingiva and removing of the accumulated foods between your teeth.

2. Green Tea

Green tea contains very potent antioxidants called catechins; these substances are proved to kill oral bacteria which can convert sugar to plaque. Catechins can also eliminate the bacteria which causes halitosis. Try to drink two to five cups of green tea (decaffeinated) regularly.

3. Kiwis

Kiwis are very rich in vitamin C; actually, a big kiwi can provide you with more than your daily recommended dose of vitamin C by 100%.
Well, vitamin C is very important for the integrity of the collagen fibers in your gingiva, if this collagen network is impaired, the bacteria can easily attack and invade your gingiva, causing you inflamed and bleeding gums.

4. Parsley

If you chew parsley or mint after a pungent meal, you will maintain a fresh breath for a long time. As such herbs are rich in volatile substances called monoterpenes which travel quickly through your blood to reach your lungs, and their nice smell will be released in your breath.

5. Shiitake Mushrooms

A recent study has suggested that shiitake mushroom contains a special type of sugar known as lentinan; this sugar can prevent oral bacteria from forming dental plaque.

6. Wasabi!

Substance which causes Wasabi or Japanese horse-radish to be very hot is called isothiocyanates. In 2000, scientists have proved that isothiocyanates inhibits the growth of bacteria causing tooth decay. Believe it; eating wasabi few times weekly can protect your teeth from dental caries.

7. Water

It is recommended to drink eight glasses of pure water daily, actually, this is the best way to keep your gingiva hydrated and maintain a good salivary flow. Saliva is your best natural defense mechanism against harmful bacteria that causes dental caries and oral plaque. Furthermore, if it is difficult to brush your teeth after each meal, make sure you rinse your mouth with pure water, as water can wash excess food debris from your mouth and deprive harmful oral bacteria from their major source of nutrition.

Why People Ignore Dental Health

Dental Health Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri

Dental Health is an integral aspect of a healthy body, an aspect we tend to not keenly follow. Most of us are guilty of not taking our oral health with the seriousness it demands. This indifferent attitude of the common person is a major cause for dental problems that could have been intercepted at an initial stage. As many people later find out that oral health is cost effective to maintain but costly to ignore. Most of the people thinking brushing twice a day is the ultimate commandment of oral health and do not take any further action or initiative. Talk about dental health and it elicits an image of a mother forcing her kid to brush, to many of us.

Greater than 75% of the American population suffers from some degree of gum disease. This despite the country known well for the concern they show towards oral health. Here are 4 common reasons which are responsible for people tending to ignore their dental health.

1. No Pain

Pain is a leading cause for people to seek a doctor of any sort. Dental problems often do not elicit much pain (initially) leading to people to not scrutinize their oral health. Diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease are well known to progress with out any significant pain until the disease process has established itself. Pain in tooth decay often occurs after the carious process reaches the pulp which means there is nothing you can do except a root canal treatment.

2. Visibility

People take great care of their skin, face as they are aspects of the body which are obvious to people around us. Nothing wrong with that, it’s the human tendency to do so. But, this leaves the dental health out of a person’s priority list. Although, due importance is given for a person’s smile, no concern is shown towards the rest of the dental arch due to lack of visibility. It’s unlikely that a person is going to open his mouth, look in the mirror and go scouring for dental cavities and the like.

3. Fear

The dentist has been traditionally feared due to various reasons. A greater percentage of people have no subjective fear. They fear the dentist because others do so. This non-subjective fear is a harmful one and difficult for a person to overcome. Subjective fears are due to prior dental visits which did not go as the patient desired. Fear is a very compelling emotion and a common reason for many to avoid the dentist. This is often known as dental anxiety or dental phobia. This is evident by the e-presence of many dental anxiety forums, websites and groups on social networking websites.

4. Cost

It is hard to ignore the fact that dental procedures are quite costly to undergo. The fact that most health insurance agencies do not cover dental work is also a hindrance for many. It is has been recently said by President Obama that he would like dental health to be covered. This would be a boon to many people who are procrastinating on their dental health due to the cost involved. People often do not realize that it would cost them more if they do not address the dental problem as soon as possible. Like I said earlier oral health is cost effective to maintain but costly to ignore.

There are plenty of other reasons which are specific to individuals for ignoring their oral health. Few people realize the affect their dental health can have on general health. An initiative needs to be taken by the Government to bring about awareness to the public on dental health aspects. Till then, it is just up to the dentists.

Dental Emergencies

There is never a good time to suffer from a chipped, broken, or otherwise damaged tooth.

Sometimes, excruciating tooth pain can arise due to trauma or seemingly out of nowhere.  Toothaches, broken teeth, missing fillings, and irritated gums are just a few of the reasons you should seek immediate help from a dentist. Any injury to teeth or gums should not be ignored!

Here are a few tips should you have a dental emergency of your own:

1.   My lip,tounge, gums are injured or bleeding!
When you bite your tongue or lip, or cut your gums; clean the bitten area with a piece of cotton or cloth. If swelling occurs, compress a cold pack over the injured area. Infection is always a concern so make sure see your dentist as soon as possible.

     2.   I have a cracked or broken tooth!
If you break a tooth, rinse your mouth thoroughly with some warm water, and avoid swallowing the broken parts. To minimize edema, compress cold pack on the affected area. Don’t hesitate to call your dentist at once.

If your tooth is cracked; your treatment depends on location and size of the crack. Most types of tooth cracks are tiny and won’t cause you trouble. Treatment of the cracked teeth usually varies from using a filling dental material to seal the crack to treating the cracked tooth endodontically. Unfortunately, extraction is needed for severely cracked teeth. Minor teeth cracks are usually diagnosed during routine dental examination.

3.   I think my jaw may be fractured or broken!
If you suspect that your jaw is fractured, apply cold pack against the area of swelling to control edema, and go immediately to nearest hospital emergency department. If you start to feel pain take any type of analgesics except aspirin (as it increases the bleeding tendency).

Symptoms of a broken jaw are:

Pain and swelling
Malocclusion (teeth don’t fit or occlude together)
Numbness in lower lip and chin
Intra-oral bleeding
Bruises around the injured area

   4.  What happens if my tooth is knocked out?!

Please, don't panic.

Simply hold the tooth from the crown and rinse the root with warm water or saline. Avoid scrubbing the tissue fragments on the root. If possible, insert the tooth back in its socket or put it under your tongue. Be careful to avoid swallowing it. Else wise, you can keep the knocked tooth in a glass of milk and hurry up to your dentist. Of course, don’t forget to take the glass of milk with you!

 

5.   There is something stuck between my teeth and it hurts! 
  If there is an object stuck between your teeth, try to remove it gently with dental floss. Don’t ever try to remove it with a sharp instrument to avoid cutting your gums. Call your dentist
if you fail to dislodge it.

 

  

   6. I have a toothache!Suffering from a toothache is very annoying. Most dental diseases are manifested with toothaches. If you are having a toothache, clean your mouth with warm water; also use dental flossing and teeth brushing to ensure there are no food remnants caught between your teeth. Don’t ever try to control toothache by putting an aspirin or any type of analgesic against your gingival or buccal mucosa, to avoid burning your oral tissues.