The effects of dental chewing gum on our oral hygiene has been an arguable issue for many years. Many specialists found it beneficial to chew some sugarless chewing gum after meals since it stimulates saliva production, helps to rinse away tiny pieces of the foods, as well as neutralize the effects of some bacteria and acids, eventually lowering the risks of developing dental plague and cavities. However, some experts used to point out potential problems, related with dental chewing gum. In particular, those include possible problems with temporomandibular joints, which can lead to muscle fatigue, discomfort or even headaches. Besides, specialists claim that some sugar-free chewing gum can contain some sorts of sweeteners, which can be dangerous to our dental health.

Nowadays, a great variety of dental chewing gums with xylitol are available in our markets and pharmacy shops. A great number of competent researches and studies found evidence for positive effects and the importance of xylitol for the improvement of oral hygiene. Xylitol can inhibit the development of many oral bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans and substantially reduce dental decay. Xylitol is used in many foods as a sweetener, and it also occurs naturally in many fruits, berries, as well as such foods as lettuce, corn, mushrooms and others. Every day, our body produces up to 15 grams of this useful substance, which is quite sufficient for tooth decay prevention.

Recent studies show that regular use of dental chewing gum with xylitol can assist in decreasing dental plague formation and lowering the risks of tooth decay up to 80%. Moreover, using dental products with xylitol is claimed to help in preventing ear infections in children and lower the risks of having earaches up to 40%. Besides, according to the specialists, chewing dental gum with xyliol can provide a relief for those people, who have dry mouth. Finally, dental chewing gum with xylitol have very pleasant taste, as well as excellent cooling and refreshing effects.

It is absolutely individual choice, whether to use dental chewing gum or not. Some people simply do not enjoy chewing and prefer brushing or flossing their teeth after having meal. Besides, a lot of other dental products wit xylitol, such as pastilles or gummy candies, are currently available for everyone. However, using a dental sugarfree chewing gum with xylitol for 5-15 minutes 3-5 times a day (preferably, after every meal) is recommended as an effective solution for decreasing the amounts of cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth, refreshing your breath and improving your dental health.

Tags: dental chewing gum, dental chewing gum with xylitol, sugarfree chewing gum, xylitol

Posted: January 28th, 2009 under Dental Care for Every Day.
Comments: 1

Taking proper care of your child’s teeth, as well as developing good brushing habits in your toddlers and young children, are very important practices for your child’s having healthy and strong teeth all life long. Sometimes, children refuse brushing their teeth and the bathroom turns into a battleground. Sometimes, parents do not pay proper attention or have a lack of knowledge for teaching their children good dental habits. We hope that the tips below will help parents to make their children love and enjoy tooth brushing.

• Before the age of 1, clean your child’s teeth and gums with water and a soft washcloth.
• Between the age of 1 and 2, clean the teeth of your child with a small toothbrush and a soft toothpaste with or without fluoride (such as Baby Oral Gel, etc.). Train your child to spit the toothpaste out of his mouth.
• You can start getting your child to brush his teeth himself at the age of 2.
• To begin with, make your child hold a mirror in front of his mouth while you are brushing his teeth. This way he will be able to see what’s going on.
• Be sure that your child uses a small-size tooth brush with soft bristles.
• Let you child pick several toothbrushes for children with his favorite cartoon characters, toothbrushes with blinking lights or a battery operated vibrating toothbrushes. Every time let your child choose which toothbrush to use (this way he will be in control of the situation).
• You can buy special toothbrushes that play various songs for 2 minutes, or use an egg timer set for 2 minutes (the recommended duration of every tooth brushing session).
• Let him use a pea-size toothpaste drop for brushing his teeth.
• Let your child learn brushing his teeth with small circles: first, on the cheek and tongue sides, then on the chewing surfaces, and then on the tongue and gums.
• Always help your child to finish brushing his teeth. Usually, until the child is about 7-8 years old, he is not able to do a good job on his own.
• Do everything possible to make tooth brushing a fun activity! Brush you teeth together with your child and allow him to brush your teeth, too. Laugh and make noises! Allow him to brush the teeth of his favorite toy! Make it a game and make it fun! Catch “sugar bugs” on his teeth! Or let him know that Tooth Fairy leaves prizes for clean teeth!
• Be sure that your child rinses the mouth well after brushing and does not swallow the toothpaste. Tell him that swallowing toothpaste can lead to serious problems with health.
• Remember to store the toothpaste out of child’s reach to prevent him eating it.
• Do not forget to replace your child’s toothbrush every 2-3 months or after a heavy infection, flu and other infectious diseases. Be sure that your children never use each other’s toothbrushes.
• Remember that in order to ensure excellent dental health of your child, the specialists recommend brushing his teeth for 2 minutes twice a day: in the morning and before the bedtime.

Tags: children's oral health, dental care for children, tooth brushing for children

Posted: October 30th, 2008 under Dental Care for Babies and Children.
Comments: 1

Everyone knows how big and embarrassing the problem of bad breath can be. People start turning their faces away and avoiding talking to you because of it, and, to make the things worse, your close friends and family do not always let you know that you have this problem. Usually, bad breath is caused by the odorous sulfur wastes created in our mouth by oral bacteria. When we consume protein rich foods, such bacteria get activated, and odorous waste products are the result of this metabolic activity. Professionals call the problem of bad breath halitosis (oral malodor), which can be transient (temporary) and chronic.

Undoubtedly, bad breath can seriously affect our social life and all sorts of our relationships. That is why people always look for the ways to get rid of it and make the breath fresher. First of all, if you need to combat bad breath, you have to find out what are the reason(s) of it. There are several major general reasons that cause bad breath, including:

• poor dental care and improper mouth hygiene;
• problems with digestion, dieting and poor nutrition;
• dehydration of your mouth and certain problems with the throat.

These are the most common problems causing halitosis, but usually it is not easy to diagnose correctly, whether you suffer from only one or all of those conditions at the same time. Therefore, your complex strategy for getting rid of bad breath must embrace as many of the tips suggested below as possible:

• Observe the basic rules of proper oral and dental hygiene: brush you teeth two times a day, regularly floss and use mouth wash, and also visit your dentist for periodical check-ups and cleaning procedures.
• Do not forget to scrape your tongue when brushing your teeth, because a great deal of odor-causing bacteria is usually located on your tongue.
• Drink plenty of water during the day to avoid dehydration.
• Change your diet, eat more of natural and healthy food.
• Avoid eating a lot of cheese and cheese products (sometimes they can cause bad breath), as well as garlic, onion and fish.
• Drink green tea.
• Consult your doctor if your digestive system is problematic.
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• Use the following ideas to instantly remove your bad breath for some period of time: chew a sugarless chewing gum, minty candies, a spring of parsley or some mint leaves, a piece of cloves or couple of fennel seeds. You can also wash your mouth with some essential oil which has antiseptic properties (Tea Tree oil, etc.): add three-four drops of the oil in 100 ml of water and wash you mouth thoroughly.
• If you are taking medications, learn more about their side effects: possibly, they are also causing bad breath.
• Reduce your tobacco and alcohol consumption.
• Avoid having such problems as overweigh and obesity.
• Remember that various sprays or mouth washes available in the pharmacies can cure your problem only temporarily.

Tags: bad breath, dental care, Flossing, halitosis, mouth hygiene, oral bactaria, oral malodor, tooth brushing

Posted: September 26th, 2008 under Dental Care for Every Day.
Comments: none