Such dental care products as mouthwashes are considered very effective for preventing numerous dental health problems and improving our dental health. They work perfectly great for fighting dental bacteria, as well as refreshing our breath. However, some mouthwashes are going to have very strong preventive powers against dental bacteria. Wenyuan Shi, a specialist at of the University of California, claims that he developed exceptionally effective dental mouthwash which can totally kill the most common dental bacteria, Streptococcus mutans. According to the specialist, this mouthwash will become an ultimate solution for tooth decay, cavities and other related dental conditions.

Dr Shi and his research group started their work with attempting to understand the way the dental bacteria acts. It can be found in sticky colonies located on the surface of our teeth, usually in the forms of soft built-ups. The main activities of the dental bacteria include breaking nutrients and the remainings of foods we have in our mouth into various acidic compounds. These acids damage our tooth enamel and cause dental cavities, tooth decay, tooth loss and other related dental problems.

To combat this negative activities of bacteria, a special technology was created and given the name “Specifically-Targeted Antimicrobial Peptides” (STAMPs). It affects dental bacteria which cause acidity and increase the risks of dental cavities, and neutralizes their negative activities. However, in contrast to usual antibiotics, this technology helps not to kill good bacteria, but even assist in boosting their activities directed on protecting against bad bacteria. The scientific work was followed by a series of clinical trials, involving 12 participants. By using the stated technology in the form of mouthwash for four days, they managed to substantially lower the levels of destructive bacteria and acid in the mouth.

It is reported that the specialist has received monetary support and grants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in order to go on his experiments and prepare his invention for total approval and making it available for the general public. As UCLA press release says, the main work on this invention will be continued in the beginning of the next year. At the same time, dental specialists and experts at the American Dental Association warn all of us that even after this miraculous dental mouthwash is available in our shops and pharmacies, it will still be highly necessary to go on using our toothbrushes and tooth pastes. Brushing will remain important because there are great chances that dental bacteria can resist the newly introduced dental technology.

Tags: dental bacteria, dental health, dental mouthwash

Posted: December 1st, 2011 under Dental Care for Every Day.
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We all know that an apple a day keeps doctor away. Eating apples is considered very healthy, but it is not covered by being good and useful for our dental health. According to the experts at King’s College London Dental Institute, eating certain varieties of apples can be as much as four times more dangerous to our dental health than drinking carbonated drinks. The findings of new researches have shown that eating an apple a day could be linked to more dental damage than consuming such foods as grapefruits or pickled onions. However, as the scientists confirm, it is important to how much but how we eat it. Such beverages as wine and light bear were also found quite harmful.

Professor David Bartlett, a head of prosthodontics department and a leader of the study, comments on it as the following: ‘Doctors quite rightly say that eating apples is good, but if you eat them slowly the high acidity levels can damage your teeth. The drinks most often associated with dietary erosion, particularly cola, showed no increased risk.’

During the tests, specialists looked at the links between tooth enamel wear and certain food consumption. About one thousand men and women aged between 18 and 30 were invited to participate in the study. It turned out that those who like eating 1-2 apples a day are actually 3.7 more times to suffer from dental damage compared to those who drink various fuzzy drinks on a daily basis. In addition to raised acid levels, some varieties of apples contain also increased amounts of sugars, which are also very harmful to our dental health. Fruit juices were also considered increasing the chances to have dental problems.

In order to lower the mentioned negative effects of consuming fruit, specialists recommend supporting eating apples or drinking fruit juices with a small slice of cheese or a sip of milk. These products contain calcium which have a great property to neutralize the activities of acidic components. Rinsing your mouth with a mouthwash or just drinking water can also be a great and effective decision. Dr Glenys Jones, nutritionist at the Medical Research Council’s Human Nutrition Research unit, offers more solutions for this problems: ‘Drinking fruit juice and smoothies with a straw is a way of protecting your teeth. Brushing your teeth before eating acidic foods can also help because it provides a barrier between the food and the teeth.’

Tags: apples, dental health

Posted: October 17th, 2011 under Miscellaneous.
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All of us know so well that preventive dental care is one of the most effective tools and factors to lower the risks of very serious dental problems and diseases. However, more and more experts are point on modern tendency to neglect easy rules of dental care. Certainly, people with good jobs and proper insurance in the economically strong countries of the world observe the rules more or less regularly. We brush our teeth twice a day, floss and follow the routine of biannual dental check-ups. We teach out children and grand children to do the same. However, there are many nations with extremely high risks of dental problems. For those, regular dental check-ups and even daily dental care is something luxury.  Moreover, there’s no access for them to good or high quality dental care.

There is some worrying statistics even about today’s citizens of the US.

For adults:

• Every year, 164 million working hours are lost due to dental problems and emergency situations with adult working people.
• Every year, about 30,000 Americans are being diagnosed with pharyngeal and other types of oral cancer, and every year about 3,000 Americans die from these cancers. At that, five-year survival rate for people with such type of cancers is 56 percent for white Americans, and 34 percent for African Americans.
• For a great deal of modern Americans, whose parents did not pay attention much on regular dental care of their children, periodontal diseases, cavities and other dental problems contributed greatly in the development of diabetes, stroke, heart disease and other serious health conditions.
• About 23 percent of today’s Americans aged over 65 have severe periodontal disease.

For children:

• Every one of four children from low-income families never see a dentist prior entering kindergarten.
• Every year, about 51 million school hours are lost due to various dental problems of children.
• Currently, tooth decay is the leading chronic disease of children aged between 7 and 17. It is 7 times more common than hay fever and 5 times more common than asthma.

It is very important for everyone of us to pay proper attention on dental care issue. And it is very important to remember that for those who can not afford dental check-ups or dental care services, there are numerous government and charity programs to support nation’s dental health. To name just one: recently, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation $11.7 million to local universities for free dental care services, for education programs and dental researches. The main purpose of these grants is to decrease the effects of overwhelming lack of dental care in modern society.

Tags: dental care, dental health, dental problems

Posted: August 13th, 2011 under Miscellaneous.
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