teeth – BioQuakes

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Brushing your teeth daily is certainly a necessity. Just like the rest of our body, it is important to clean your teeth to prevent infection and decay. However the type of toothpaste that you use, especially, at a young age can affect the effectiveness of your results. Scientists have noted that brushing your teeth with fluoride tooth paste can be very beneficial to successful dental health for adults but also possibly for young children.

“Fluoride works to prevent cavities by rebuilding teeth. Highly reactive fluoride sticks to molecules in the tooth that become exposed when bacteria-produced acid attacks the teeth. Fluoride molecules latch on to the tooth and beckon other minerals such as calcium and phosphate in a process called remineralization. When fluoride is ingested, the levels of the entire body are raised. The resulting fluoride-rich saliva bathes and when fluoride is ingested, the levels of the entire body are raised.”

Based on a study led by J. Tim Wright, a pediatric dentist at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill, the ADA now recommends that children’s teeth should be brushed with a smear of fluoride toothpaste as soon as they appear. Too much fluoride for a young one, however, can be detrimental and can lead to fluorosis. Studies have shown that risk of fluorosis for some permanent teeth peaks around age two, but fluorosis also comes from other sources as well such as water and some foods like fish. Therefore parents should be careful about using too much fluoridated toothpaste — a pretty common habit, studies have found. “People tend to think a little is good, more is better,” Wright says.

Fluoride toothpaste is surely one way to prevent cavities in adults and it is looking promising as a way to reduce cavity amounts in young children as well.

JamesDeMers
http://pixabay.com/en/mollusk-oysters-mussels-barnacles-60148/

Do you ever fell discomfort while eating a certain type of food? According to a recent study a substance similar to one found in nature may be able to prevent tooth sensitivity. Tooth sensitivity is a problem that millions of people face on a daily bases. This pain can be caused by consuming hot, cold, sweet, or sour foods and drinks, or even by breathing cold air.

Tooth sensitivity occurs when “the hard outer enamel layer on teeth and the softer underlying dentin wear away, stimulating the nerves inside.” Quan-Li Li and Chun Hung Chu are currently researching a sticky substance like the one mussels use to stick to a substance in the water. This substance will allow minerals to stick to teeth for a long enough period of time for the dentin and the enamel to rebuild. This would be a huge step in the recovery of teeth that have been worn down, being the first product to be able to help teeth rebuild the worn down dentin. There are some products out there that help rebuild enamel, but the damaged dentin still remains untouched.

The work with this new substance may lead to other medical discoveries that can take advantage of this super adhesive. Personally I believe that the work being done with this new substance will help save toothaches and maybe even lives all over the world.

BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Tag: teeth

Is Fluoride the key to Healthy Teeth?

Sticky Mussels and Sensitive Teeth

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