So it’s actually the enamel layer becoming de-mineralized that causes our teeth to appear dull and yellow. Whitening agents like hydrogen peroxide diffuse through the enamel to actually bleach the dentin. The whitening agents will fix the problem – but as we all know the bleaching effect wears off, and you are back having more tooth whitening to bleach the dentin back.

How can we regain the naturally white teeth of our youth? One way is to re-mineralize our tooth enamel and strengthen the enamel layer by ensuring our enamel has all the minerals it needs to re-mineralize. Although tooth enamel cannot re-grow, it can re-mineralize. Just as the refined foods and soda strip away the mineral content, so natural foods rich in minerals can re-build the enamel layer.

For more on the causes of Tooth Discoloration Please see this article:

http://www.smartahealth.com/what_causes_tooth_discolouration.html

For more on Re-mineralization:

http://www.smartahealth.com/remineralization.html

The phytic acid is actually stopping the absorption of calcium, zinc, iron and magnesium, thus helping to de-mineralize the teeth. The phytic acid can be easily dealt with by soaking in the case of the grains, or by selecting sprouted products available in the whole food stores.

Once the enamel layer is weakened bacteria can more easily invade the tooth. The tiny bacteria can eventually find their way into the tooth and caused dental decay underneath the veneer.

One way around this is to go for a non-invasive approach and use lumineer or orthodontics to solve the problem. Speed braces – braces with a new ligature that adds more power to the arch wire can considerably speed up orthodontic treatment. When combined with lumineers or non-invasive veneers, they can provide rapid results, that are satisfying on the eye without causing long-term damage to the teeth.

Veneers are becoming increasingly popular. Our consumer guide looks
at the safety and health implications of veneers, side affects, and common post-operative
complaints from consumers.

http://www.smartahealth.com/veneers.html
Consumer Guide to Veneers – what are they, how do they work, what are the side affects, why removing enamel can cause dental decay. How common are root canals after veneers.

http://www.smartahealth.com/lumineers.html
Lumineers promise non-invasive dental surgery. Are the claims correct? Are lumineers really reverseable. How much of the tooth is shaved during lumineer treatments?

http://www.smartahealth.com/composite_veneers.html
Are plastic composite veneers worth it? How long do they last?
http://www.smartahealth.com/bite_issues_after_veneers.html
Common bite issues after veneer treatment

http://www.smartahealth.com/veneers_tooth_whitening.html
Can you whiten teeth with veneers. Will the peroxide solution melt the veneers or loosen te chemical bonding?

http://www.smartahealth.com/broken_chipped_veneers.html
What to do about broken or chipped veneers.

http://www.smartahealth.com/sensitvity_after_veneers.html
Sensitivity after veneers is a serious issue for some patients who feel discomfort and constant pain after veneers are fitted.

Most larger cities and some smaller ones have dental colleges that will typically treat you for free or very little cost. The obvious downside is that you will be something of an ‘experiment’ for a trainee dentist. Although this is definitely off putting, consider that your trainee will be supervised by the senior dentists in the Dental School, who are often experts in their field, that can assist if anything goes wrong.

Go and see the people in the administration, explain your situation and let them try and help you.

If you don’t have a dental school in your area, some people have tried swapping services for dental treatment. For example, one lady offered to clean the dental office in return for treatment. If you have a skill that a dentist can use, it may be worth offering some barter arrangement.Dentists are busy people, so just leave a short notice or speak with an admin. Your never know.

You can also offer to be available in the event of a cancellation at very short notice. That way the dentist would not have had any business already. Probably best to go into the dental office and speak with the receptionist, and just be persistent.

While you are waiting for the dentist appointment one inexpensive way of dealing with the pain is to dissolve table or sea salt in a glass of warm water and gargle or swirl the mouth with it. It is effective at dealing with pain, and may be enough to see you through until you can get to the dentist

Many people are looking for that perfect smile, but just can’t justify the cost of porcelain veneers. What are some good alternatives?

The single best thing to improve our smile is tooth whitening. Your dentist will be able to offer you a professional tooth whitening that will best match your overall smile.

You may also want to consider composite veneers – which are simply a composite material that can be quickly and easily bonded by your dentist to achieve a great look very quickly. The composite veneers are like a fingernail for the teeth.  Composite veneers might not be as durable as porcelain, but they are easy to place, easy to repair and much less expensive. Your dentist shapes the veneers on the spot, and adjust each one to make the perfect smile.

The composite (or resin) veneers won’t look as good, won’t last as long, will stain over time, and not all dentists are willing to do them. But they should be cheaper and you may be able to insurance co-pay if your dentist can show there was no real alternative to using a veneers.

Most dentists prefer to work with porcelain because they are more durable. However, the composites are getting better as more high-tech materials come onto the market, and a worth a serious look, especially if you are on a tight budget.

2 The key indicator for dental disease is your bacteria count – specifically the count of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus bacteria which you can test for. If you eliminate the bad bacteria you eliminate the infection and stop the dental decay or gum disease.

3 Once the enamel from the tooth is penetrated its impossible to stop the bad bacteria from multiplying if you don’t use an anti-bacterial agent to kill them off. That’s why if you have one filling, its ends up turning into a bigger filling, and then a crown, root canal and an implant.

4 Brushing and flossing will help to dislodge the plaque that harbors the bacteria. Unless you use an anti-bacterial agent, you are just moving the bacteria onto their next resting place.

5 Teeth enamel can remineralize naturally through diet and good oral hygiene. If you develop a thick strong layer of natural enamel, the bacteria cannot break through and cause dental disease.

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Dental sealants are plastic. They are made from monomers that are derived from BPA, for example bis-GMA and bis-DMA. BPA by itself is rarely used in dental sealants. So when dentists and the dental manufacturers say they have BPA free sealants, they are correct  – until they begin to worn down by the saliva and mastication in a chemical reaction that creates BPA.

The crucial distinction to make it the type of monomer used. There are two types commonly used in the industry – bis-GMA and bis-DMA. A team at Heidelburg University performed the analysis and published their results in the Clinical Oral Investigations Journal.

“For Bis-GMA-monomer, no BPA could be detected under any hydrolytic conditions chosen (detection limit: ≤1%). For Bis-DMA-monomer an increase of BPA was observed at pH 11, resulting in a conversion of approx. 100% Bis-DMA to BPA. When Bis-DMA was subjected to esterase, a conversion of 82.5 % resulted after 24 h; saliva led to an 81.4 % conversion of Bis-DMA after 24 h. Hence, we conclude that the results reported in the literature may be attributed to the Bis-DMA-content of the fissure sealant tested (Delton). No BPA-release is expected under physiologic conditions from fissure sealants based on Bis-GMA if pure base monomers are used.

While the original sealants do not contain BPA, Bis-DMA is hydrolyzed to BPA by the saliva which will result in BPA being released from the sealants as they degrade over time. It seems as if bisGMA based sealants are much more stable over time than Bis-DMA based structures. Make sure you select one of the bisGMA resins.

The Americal Dental Association ADA in it’s research on sealants says; ” As a product of the degradation of the material in the oral cavity: Composite resins are formulated from a mixture of monomers that are commonly based on bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate (bis-GMA). Some composite resins may contain other monomers, in addition to bis-GMA, that are added to modify the properties of the resin. An example is bisphenol A dimethacrylate (bis-DMA). Bis-DMA-containing materials can release very small quantities of BPA because bis-DMA is subject to degradation by salivary enzymes.”

So it’s not to enough to specify “BPA free Sealants,” when you want a BPA free sealant. You need to ask for a BPA free sealant that does not release BPA in the mouth over time.  There are plenty of bisGMA sealants out there -for example Ultradent manufactures one. Avoid the ones made from bis-DMA.

At the end of the day, do you want to put plastic in your mouth atall?  The benefits of dental sealants for children are very good. Although you can do wonders with diet to remineralize the teeth and make them strong, it’s not always the easiest feeding kids on a soda free, sugar free diet rich in cod liver oil and vegetables.

Here you will find all the latest information on biological dental procedures, dental costs and the best dentists in your local area.

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