by admin on July 15, 2009
Does your wife or partner complain, every morning, about your teeth grinding or teeth clenching keeping her awake? The very fact that your wife complained about it keeping her awake made you aware about your habit. It is always the person sleeping at the side of you who will be able to tell you.
This habit of grinding and clenching the teeth is known as bruxism.
Here, people with irregular or infrequent bruxism do no get affected as much. It does not really show the damage done to the jaws and teeth. It is those who are habitual grinders who get affected. In severe cases it can also damage one’s jaw or hearing.
The question arises as to how would one know if he or she grinds or clenches their teeth? If detected how bruxism can be treated? It has been studied that some people make a noise when grinding their teeth thus making it detectable while some do not make a single sound making it hard to detect.
There are two ways one can know if they have bruxism, first is when your partner complains about it and second is when after a night’s sleep you get up with an ache in your jaws or a slight, persistent headache. Whatever the case, a checkup by the dentist is pertinent.
Consequences of teeth grinding or clenching:
There are many outcomes to teeth grinding two of which are mentioned above:
- Severe toothache
- Sensitive to biting food
- Sensitive to hot or cold food
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In advanced cases the teeth can break or result in fractures
- Tooth loss
Precaution And Treatment
People visiting the dentist usually complain of severe toothache. To stop this toothache the very habit has to be put to an end. Otherwise there are other factors that could cause it and have to be contained:
- Lower stress and relax daily
- Reduce alcohol consumption and intake of caffeine
- If grinding becomes a problem at night ask your dentist to recommend a nightguard
- If your dentist says it is caused because of irregular bite, he would suggest teeth alignment.
by admin on July 15, 2009
Eating candy, toffee, snacks and munchies can cause teeth to decay because of the cultivated starches that get stuck between the teeth and in turn cause periodontal disease. This type of fast food that remain in the mouth for long intervals cause bacteria to grow which forms acidic and then decay the teeth and the gums.
How do we know when food can affect our teeth causing bacteria?
We would be able to make out when food is stuck between teeth when even after some a long time we can get the taste of that food or can feel it around. This is bad because it has already caused the bacteria to thrive.
What are the consequences of eating Fast Food in Children?
Children are the first to bear the brunt of fast foods especially if their life revolves around it. The outcomes, which not only affects teeth but also overall health in daily life are:
- Food that gets stuck in between teeth causes tooth decay leading to endless pain.
- Their school life gets affected with this pain disturbing their concentration and hindering their learning capacity.
- Eating too much of this food, which lacks nutritive value, can result in obesity, diabetes (Type 2) and problems related to the heart.
- All these factors can worsen over time causing acute tooth infection.
- For growing children, fast food which lacks nutrition and does not have enough calcium causes harmful effects on new teeth coming in which could be unhealthy and lack strength.
- Lack of nutrition and calcium can cause weak bones and ion deficiency could result in stunted brain development.
Healthy habits to follow
Our body requires the necessary amounts of calcium, ion and nutrients to grow. To achieve this development a healthy balance of food is required. Home cooked food is the healthiest for children and economical.
Eating good home cooked food does not require lots of money. In the first place it is healthy, nourishing, wholesome and cheap if cooked in large quantities for the whole family as compared to any outdoor eatery where the quality may be questioned and the quantity limited.
A diet full of fruits and vegetables is the ideal diet. The more colorful they are the more nutritious they can be. So, the right amount of healthy food and the minimum amount of processed foods or packaged foods, as they contain preservatives, should be consumed. Before buying any processed foods it is better to check the ingredients listed on the package. A list with more preservatives should be avoided.
Teaching a child when he or she is small is very important. What he learns to eat at this age will be carried on till he grows up. Therefore it is imperative to start healthy food early in life. A child has also to be made aware that processed foods have preservatives which are not good, they should be kept to the minimum and should not be eaten as a substitute to food.