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(#1) Dentists Can Detect Diabetes By Smelling Your Breath
From Redditor /u/maksidaa:
Acetone breath - diabetes. The smell is from ketoacidosis of the blood due to the body not having sugar in its cells, and thus burning through a serious amount of fatty acids to stay alive. The by-product is a bunch of ketone bodies being released into the blood.
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(#2) Please Don't Eat In The Waiting Room
From Redditor /u/90TTZ:
Come in regularly, and when you first suspect something may be wrong. It not only makes it easier for us, but for you too. Do what you're supposed to at home, especially before bedtime. Also, don't eat in the waiting room.
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(#3) Technically, Your Teeth Shouldn't Be 'White'
From Redditor /u/VeterisScotian:
The issue is that whitening and having healthy teeth aren't the same thing. Your tooth enamel isn't naturally brilliant white, it's an off-white color - and fluoride forms a strong compound which is actually yellow in color.
So if you want healthy, strong teeth, then you want a fluoride varnish applied by a dental professional. It will make your teeth yellowish.
If you want white teeth, then you want your teeth bleached (again, by a dental professional).
Once you have white teeth, however, the trick is to stop your teeth from being stained. For that, chew xylitol chewing gum after you eat/drink anything. This stops bacteria from producing plaque in the first place.
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(#4) They Actually Don't Use Novocaine
From Redditor /u/fattyre:
We don't use Novocaine. In fact, Novocaine has not been available for dental purposes in the US in about 15 years. I'm a dentist and people ask about Novocaine all the time. I think it's weird. It's a bit like going in for surgery and asking the anesthesiologist about ether.
So what do we use? Various other anesthetics that work better. Most commonly Lidocaine 2% and Articaine 4%.
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(#5) Not Everyone Needs Their Wisdom Teeth Removed
From Redditor /u/alison_bee:
Wisdom teeth removal depends on each person and their mouth. If the teeth are impacted and come in sideways, they will more than likely be removed. If the patient has a small mouth or teeth that are already crowded, they will be removed. If they come in at a very awkward angle and will more than likely be hard to clean and open to cavities, they will be removed.
Have you seen a dentist since they have come in? It's best to have a panoramic X-ray taken so that the dentist can see if removal is best or not.
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(#6) Even 6-Year-Olds Can Wear Dentures
From Redditor /u/darkerthanmysoul:
I’ve actually got 6-year-olds in my practice with dentures! I’ve dealt with teenagers, 20s, 30s, and every age you can think of that have dentures, and it’s only the people with brighter shades than their normal teeth that you can tell.
Dentures are so much more common than you’d think and honestly not as bad as they’re made out to be. Don’t give up hope, good hygiene will make a difference. Maybe not noticeable but it does. And it’s good to look at dentures anyway and see your options.
Many people think implants are a quick fix but your bone has to be strong and not everyone is a good candidate. Sometimes people can have implants that have magnetic or clip on dentures. First time I’d ever seen them I was amazed.
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(#7) Different People Have Different Enamel Thickness, Which Affects The Whiteness Of Their Teeth
From Redditor /u/OdoyleRulzz:
Dental hygiene student here. Dentin, which lies under the enamel, is naturally yellow. Some people such as redheads have thinner enamel so their teeth appear yellower. Black people have thicker enamel which is why their teeth tend to look super white. There is only so much stain-lifting you can do, but if you have thin enamel it is what it is.
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(#8) Don't Buy Whitening Products Online
From Redditor /u/darkerthanmysoul:
Dental nurse/manager/surgery nurse/assistant. I’ve worked nearly every job except for actually becoming a dentist.
PLEASE DON'T EVER BUY WHITENING PRODUCTS ONLINE. You have no idea what they put in it. The whitening products that come with the blue light - please be careful. The blue light can burn you if done incorrectly, also don’t look directly at it. It’s bad for your eyes, too.
I’ve had people come to my emergency clinic with severe tooth damage and burns because they saw an offer online for bleach and trays and they've burned their gums and f*cked their enamel. I’ve had people go to their beauty salon and hairdressers for whitening.
My most recent one was a 20-year-old coming in for emergency care because she had used all sorts of whitening toothpaste and over-the-counter products that got her nowhere and she saw an offer online for bleach and trays where you get sent the molding kit and make your own trays. These things are not made correctly and she wasn’t taught how to correctly put the bleach in the tray. She used it for 12 hours a day and ended up with her gums peeling, as she had gotten third-degree burns, and her teeth looked like they had rotted away. At the clinic, we always tell them to bring the products they use and we test it. She was putting large amounts of bleach in the trays and doing a full mouth. She had managed to burn almost every part of her mouth. We had to extract eight teeth due to the damage and we're hoping we can save the others but it’s looking like extensive dental work.
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(#9) Don't Rinse Your Mouth With Water After Brushing
From Redditor /u/darkerthanmysoul:
Swallowing it is fine as you’ve brushed the majority of the good stuff on your teeth. It’s perfectly safe. If you rinse your mouth after brushing, you’re washing away the toothpaste so you’re basically brushing for nothing.
Obviously don’t pour toothpaste in your mouth and swallow it, that’s when it’s bad for you.
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(#10) Use A Soft-Bristle Brush And Stop Brushing So Hard
From Redditor /u/AggressiveOsmosis:
Brush with a soft bristle brush (if your brush looks like it was parted in the middle, get rid of it AND STOP PRESSING SO HARD WHEN YOU BRUSH - You are pushing your gums up and exposing your roots, guaranteeing you lose teeth), floss once a day, use a toothpaste with baking soda.
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(#11) Before You Get In The Seat, Relieve Yourself
From Redditor /u/JeansAndHeels:
Pee before you get called back. It's so annoying when you're ready to start, but then you have to wait for the patient to do his/her business. And reschedule your appointment if you are sick. I really don't want to work in your mouth when you have a cough or cold.
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(#12) The Way You Floss Matters
From a former Redditor:
I'm a dental assistant. I've been assisting for a while now, and have worked in one private oral surgery practice and now I work for a large general practice. Here are some things to remember.
When you floss, don't just shove it down and pop the floss back out. If you have tight contacts (the space between your teeth) you're going to damage your Sharpey's fibers. Sharpey's fibers are the tiny ligaments that attach your tooth to the bone. Also, you might actually be cramming food deeper into your gingiva. Not cool. Use a slow see-saw motion down, wrap the floss around the sides of each tooth, then see-saw back up.
Also: Stop drinking Mountain Dew now. It is terrible for your teeth. Google "Mountain Dew mouth," I see that at least once a day.
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(#13) Baking Soda And Hydrogen Peroxide Can Help With Whitening
From Redditor /u/jr2thdoc:
Best toothpaste for natural whitening contains baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Arm & Hammer makes this blend. Mentadent used to but I have not found it locally lately.
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(#14) Dentist-Recommended Fun Facts
From Redditor /u/MesialBuccal:
Canines have the longest roots of any human teeth. (Presumably for holding small animals firmly as you eat them).
Sports drinks like Gatorade are more acidic than soda and are worse for your teeth.
Cavities are not directly caused by sugar. They are caused by bacteria de-mineralizing teeth with acid. (Sugar doesn't help).
Very early cavities are reversible. In fact, the minerals in saliva can re-mineralize teeth. (If you have noticeable cavities, however, you're probably past the point of no return).
Dental X-rays use very little radiation compared to other medical X-rays (Equivalent to several days of background radiation in most cites).
No one knows for sure how dentin (the core of your teeth) senses pain.
Enamel (the exceptionally hard outer surface of your teeth) is from the same embryological origin as skin and hair.
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(#15) Your Genetics Can Help You (But Only For So Long)
From Redditor /u/AnActualDentist:
The long-term health and success of your teeth and gums depend on three factors, akin to a three-legged stool: (1) Dietary and personal hygiene factors (2) bacterial and genetic factors and (3) success of and quality of professional interventions. Anything wrong with one of these three factors can lead to an increased risk of cavities, gum disease, etc.
Flossing falls into category #1. With few exceptions, there is no better cost-effective way to clean out lingering bacteria and food debris from the contact points between your teeth.
However, if your diet sucks, or you have defective fillings between your teeth that trap food all the time, or your bacterial levels are unfavorable, then the benefit from the flossing becomes eclipsed by the other negative factors.
I've seen lots of patients who pride themselves on having great teeth, only to discover years down the road that they've had cavities festering between their teeth because they failed to floss throughout their lives.
I tell my patients that flossing three times a week is a minimum level that you should strive for. More than that won't hurt you, as long as you're doing it properly.
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(#16) Here's How To Brush Properly
From Redditor /u/darkerthanmysoul:
Don’t believe the sh*t about fluoride. It’s minute amounts and it does help your teeth. It’s just brushing techniques that are honestly the most important.
- 30 seconds on the bottom right, circular motions.
- 30 seconds top right, circular motions.
- 30 seconds top left, circular motions.
- 30 seconds bottom left, circular motions.
Spit out. Don’t rinse with water. General rule is, two minutes doing this you’ve done your whole mouth. Aim your brush so that it is angled towards the top of your tooth where it meets the gum. Gum care is so important. You don’t need to floss daily or use mouthwash daily but if you do, then don’t do it at the same time as brushing. Do it later on as the toothpaste is left on your teeth and you don’t want to interrupt the process.
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For many people, healthy and beautiful teeth are not only good for their health but also make them full of confidence and charm. Although the dental disease does not cause serious malignant lesions, it can also cause a series of health problems. There is no need to be afraid to visit the dental clinic, professional dentists can many of the simplest and most convenient tooth protection tips.
The mouth is the first step in the digestion process, so diet will directly affect dental health. With the random tool, you could find other 16 helpful tips for keeping the mouth healthy from dentists.
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