Signs such as sore jaws, headaches and chipped teeth point to the problem of teeth grinding, or bruxism.

Key takeaways:

• Teeth grinding often occurs at night making it difficult for people to know if they are grinding.
• Stress is a major cause of bruxism. Exercise helps to alleviate stress and prevent teeth grinding.
• Wearing a custom-made mouth guard from the dentist will help prevent damage caused by grinding or clenching.

Read the full story here

https://sleep.org/articles/prevent-grinding-teeth/

Are you deciding whether to get braces or just get your teeth whitened? Here are a few factors to consider.

Key takeaways:

• � � � �Braces are available in different types: fixed braces, lingual braces and Invisalign braces that can be removed when eating and for cleaning.
• Braces can be worn for as long as two years to produce the desired correction.
• Teeth whitening is required immediately after the removal the braces since they cause discoloration.

Read the full story here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/face/54-of-women-feel-so-conscious-of-their-teeth-that-theyre-conside/

Dentists recommend that people should steer clear of the following habits that damage their teeth.

Key takeaways:

Avoid chewing on ice, which is likened to chewing on rocks and may cause teeth chips or cracks.

Avoid drinking sports drinks as they contain acidic, chemical additives and sugars that cause dental health problems.

• Brushing immediately after meals could cause teeth problems. Highly acidic foods weaken tooth enamel hence brushing immediately easily wears out enamel. Wait for at least 45 minutes.

Read the full story here

http://www.menshealth.com/health/habits-you-should-avoid-for-healthy-teeth/slide/1

Dental implants are an excellent option to replace a missing tooth or teeth. In some cases, implants are used to secure a partial denture -- to stabilize it. However, people with chronic disorders such as diabetes or heart disease need a thorough medical checkup before getting dental implants.

Key takeaways:

• Dental implants have numerous advantages such as improved speech, improved smiles and appearance, better chewing, convenience and improved oral health.
• Dental implants have a success rate of about 98 percent.
• Patients who have healthy gums, enough bone, and are committed to oral hygiene qualify to have dental implants.

Read the full story here

www.webmd.boots.com/oral-health/guide/dental-implants

Both oral health and cognitive ability are issues that present problems to the older population. They have drawn the interest of researchers who want to find any linkages.

Key takeaways:

• Conditions such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes will aggravate oral health problems since they lower the body immunity and ability to fight off infection.
• Oral health measures include number of teeth, presence of cavities and/or dementia.
• Factors that cause poor oral health (poor nutrition and diabetes) are associated with poor cognitive function.

Read the full story here

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308520.php

A young scientist has carried out a study to find out which soda -- Morning Dew or Coca Cola -- dissolves teeth faster.

Key takeaways:

• Morning Dew contains a pH 3.1 whereas Coca-Cola has a pH 2.5. Coca-Cola is therefore six times more acidic than Mountain Dew.
• Two molars were soaked in each soda for duration of 2 weeks and 5 days and observed for any changes.
• The tooth soaked in Mountain Dew lost 14 percent of its mass while the Coca-Cola tooth lost 7 percent of its mass.

Read the full story here

http://www.cnet.com/news/mountain-dew-vs-coca-cola-which-soda-is-worse-for-your-teeth/

Studio Dental is a portable dental office that offers people an option to visiting the traditional dental office.

Key takeaways:

• Studio Dental is the first dental office on wheels aimed at visiting patients at their workplaces such as at Airbnb and Google.
• A wide array of services can be offered right from the parking lot ranging from teeth cleaning to tooth extraction. The idea not only appeals to techies but also to other people.
• Patients are able to book appointments online, receive receipts after their visit via email, and view digital x-rays and impressions on the Studio Dental website.

Read the full story here

http://www.businessinsider.com/dentist-on-wheels-2016-8

The fact that little or no evidence supports some oral health practices doesn?t mean that they should be abandoned. It might be that the benefits are simply unproven but the practices could still protect against potential harm.

Key takeaways:

• Evidence supporting daily flossing has been scanty even though flossing is still important for overall oral health.
• There?s scanty information supporting routine dental x-rays that are performed annually.
• Preventive dental visits are linked to better oral health and fewer restorative dental care visits in the future.
• It is absolutely important for people to brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste to prevent plaque formation, cavities and gingivitis.

Read the full story here

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/upshot/surprisingly-little-evidence-for-the-usual-wisdom-about-teeth.html

You can predict future health outcomes and reduce the risk of these outcomes by analyzing information stored in baby teeth.

Key takeaways:

• Baby teeth have been described as biological hard drives.
• The teeth form rings of growth on a daily basis; each ring encodes information about exposures occurring that day.
• Baby teeth can reveal all the things that an individual has been exposed to such as stress hormones and environmental toxins such as lead and pesticides.

Read the full story here

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/what-toxins-have-you-been-exposed-to-your-baby-teeth-may-hold-the-answer/2016/07/11/9cf1d740-1d18-11e6-b6e0-c53b7ef63b45_story.html

X-ray radiation should be minimized and where possible avoided, says an article in the New York Times. Children should only have dental x-rays for suspected problems that cannot be diagnosed through any other way, according to the American Dental Association.

Key takeaways:

• Dentists should perform dental x-rays every 6-12 months for high-risk preschoolers who have had cavities in their baby teeth.
• Dental x-rays should be considered only every 12-24 months for younger children who have never had a tooth cavity.
• Dentists can recommend cone beam CT scans to get 3-D x-ray images of the teeth and their roots as well as the jaw and the skull.

Read the full story here

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/do-kids-need-dental-x-rays/

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