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34 Results for search "Dental Problems: Misc.".

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Kaye Wellborn* will never forget her first -- and last -- abscessed tooth. The San Francisco Forty 49ers had just won the Superbowl, and a huge, exuberant crowd was celebrating in the street where she was house-sitting. "I was already in so much pain I had tears running down my face," she says. "People were honking horns and beating drums, and with every drumbeat the throbbing pain in my tooth bec...

With all of the difficulties facing people with Alzheimer's disease -- not to mention their caregivers -- oral hygiene may seem like a trivial issue. Getting a person clean and dressed is hard enough. Who has time to worry about a few cavities or slipping dentures? As it turns out, you do. Investing that time can be one of the most important things you do for your loved one. Dental hygiene cruci...

As a dentist for more than 30 years, Mike Downing, DDS, of Billings, Montana, has seen human fear in all its forms, from nervous twitches and darting eyes to outright crying -- and not just from kids, either. But when Downing puts on his mask and picks up a drill, he feels calm and confident. In the end, most patients relax after a little small talk. And while dentistry can be a tricky and stress...

With all the changes brought on by pregnancy, you may not be thinking about routine things like getting your teeth cleaned. But new research suggests that it is more important than ever to keep that date with your dental hygienist -- gum disease, perhaps surprisingly, may affect your pregnancy. To keep your gums in good shape during pregnancy, have your teeth cleaned professionally every six mont...

If you have diabetes, you're probably already committed to protecting your feet, your eyes, and your heart. But how much thought do you give to your teeth and gums? Dental problems are a serious and very common complication of diabetes. Without proper dental care, you could suffer pain and discomfort. You could even lose your teeth. Fortunately, everyone with diabetes can take steps to help preven...

What should I do if my child bumps or chips a tooth? If the tooth was merely jarred or loosened slightly, you probably won't need to do anything, though it's a good idea to call your child's dentist to get her opinion. If you see some bleeding from the gums, pat the area with a cold damp washcloth or gauze. The injury will heal in a few days. If the tooth was pushed in or out of its usual positi...

There are two basic ways to have a tooth removed: You can go to the dentist for a careful extraction, or you can take a serious blow to the face. Unfortunately, many people end up going with option number two. They catch a stray elbow during a basketball game, fall face-first on the sidewalk, or -- in rare cases -- get in a fistfight. What should I do if I lose a permanent tooth? A knocked-out (...

Does my child need braces? Strictly speaking, no child really "needs" braces. Crooked teeth are a cosmetic problem, not a health problem. But since teeth are so important to a person's appearance, braces are often worth the investment. There are lots of reasons why an orthodontist might recommend braces for your child, including severe overbite, crowded or crooked teeth. Braces will help teeth gr...

Most dental problems respond well to a take-it-slow approach. Brushing, flossing, and dental appointments every six months will take you far. But every once in awhile, the mouth can become an emergency. Without immediate treatment, a problem with your teeth or gums could quickly become a major threat to your overall health. How do you know if you're facing a dental emergency? Here are some common...

Considering all of the chewing we do on a daily basis -- including the occasional ice chip or peach pit -- it's remarkable that our teeth last as long as they do. And considering how easy it is to accidentally bite yourself, we should all be grateful if our lips, tongue and cheek aren't constantly sore. The mouth can be an especially sturdy and resilient part of the body. But when injuries do hap...

Do you fear your breath is strong enough to scare small children? You might be mistaken. People are notoriously inept at assessing the odor of their own exhalations. A breath-mint addict who constantly worries about his breath may never have had a problem. At the same time, a person with truly noxious breath may be baffled when friends start offering mints or backing away during a conversation. I...

Am I too old for braces? Although teeth can be moved more easily while the jaw is still growing, it's never too late for braces. In fact, about 20 percent of orthodontic patients these days are adults, many of them on their second set of tinsel teeth. Braces now come in a range of colors, including gold. For just a few hundred dollars more, you can get clear or tooth-colored ones made of ceramic ...

Kaye Wellborn* will never forget her first -- and last -- abscessed tooth. The San Francisco 49ers had just won the Superbowl, and a huge, exuberant crowd was celebrating in the street where she was house-sitting. "I was already in so much pain, I had tears running down my face," she says. "People were honking horns and beating drums, and with every drumbeat the throbbing pain in my tooth became m...

After years of dodging bullets and taking on bad guys, the fictitious NYPD Blue character Detective Bobby Simone finally died -- after a visit to his dentist. He caught a bacterial infection from an oral treatment in the dentist's chair, and the germ went straight to his heart. Within a few episodes, Andy Sipowicz had a new partner. The story may seem incredible, but similar dramas unfold in real ...

If your child is old enough to have teeth, he's old enough to have tooth problems. For infants and toddlers, the biggest threat to dental health is baby bottle tooth decay. Here's what you need to know about this common -- but largely preventable -- problem. What is baby bottle tooth decay? Milk, apple juice, formula -- just about everything young children drink contains sugar. When a child drin...

What are canker sores? They're small, painful, crater-like nuisances that sprout on the tongue or on the inside of the cheeks. The sores are usually white, gray, or yellowish with a red rim and last up to two weeks. (Some people confuse them with cold sores, which form blisters instead of craters and usually show up on or around the lips.) Canker sores are most common in teenagers and women, but ...

You know you need to brush your teeth and floss every day. But do you know how to get the most out of it? Even if you think you mastered brushing and flossing in grade school, you may still have a few things to learn. What kind of toothbrush should I buy? America is a world leader in toothbrush technology. Walk through the oral hygiene aisle of a grocery store, and you'll discover many innovatio...

What's the treatment for a broken tooth? Tooth enamel is made of the hardest substances in the human body, but teeth still have their breaking point. Any sharp blow to the mouth -- whether it's from a door, the sidewalk, or a baseball -- can damage a tooth. Breaks range all the way from minor chips to major fractures. Some are just cosmetic problems, but others are true emergencies. Here's what y...

Imagine a movie promo -- scary music in the background. In a low voice full of dread, the announcer intones, "It had been a long time. Longer than I liked to admit. But I knew the time had come. I couldn't put it off any longer. I had to face the dentist!" Dun-dun-DUH! Ok, so maybe it wasn't as dramatic as that, but when I realized it had been far too long since I'd seen a dentist, and an unpleasa...

Got 30 down at the bottom, 30 mo at the top All invisible set in little ice cube blocks If I could call it a drink, call it a smile on da rocks -- Nelly From Grillz I got my mouth lookin' something like a disco ball. -- Rapper Paul Wall from Grillz When a rapper starts bragging about his teeth, he's probably talking about diamonds, gold, or platinum -- not veneers. Paul Wall's smile on the cove...

Few methamphetamine users fit the stereotype of the gaunt, twitchy addict. Some users take the drug in plush offices or lavish houses. Some wear suits or even the white coats of the medical profession. But whether a user looks like a CEO, a vagrant, or a soccer mom, there's a chance that the addiction is on display when he or she smiles. As methamphetamine use became rampant over the past decade ...

Braces (orthodontic treatment) -- once nicknamed "railroad tracks," braces are metal, ceramic, or synthetic brackets and wires attached to the teeth, and adjusted regularly in order to move teeth into their proper places in the mouth. Braces are used on both adolescents and adults, and worn for six months to three years. Bridge -- nonremovable replacement for two or more missing teeth, anchored b...

Abscess -- pus-filled, inflamed area around a tooth. Amalgam -- silver-mercury alloy used to fill cavities. Bicuspid -- adult type of tooth located between the front teeth (incisors and canines) and the back teeth (molars). These teeth are used for crushing and mashing food, with two on the top and two on the bottom of each side of the mouth. Bonding -- process that first etches the tooth's ena...

Whether you're moving to a new city or working up the courage to schedule your first checkup in years, you don't want to trust your teeth to just anyone. Here's how to find a dentist who's right for you.

  • Get advice from family and friends. A recommendation from someone you know and trust is the best qualification a dentist can have, says Manuel Cordero, DDS, MAGD, a New Jersey dentist a...

In the 1700s, Pierre Fauchard, the father of modern dentistry, overturned an ancient belief that the throbbing pain of a toothache was caused by a worm -- a toothworm, to be exact. A popular illustrated history of dentistry explains that people of ancient times believed that the toothworm "had appeared spontaneously or had bored its way into the mouth." If the pain was unbearable, author Loretta...

When should my child start brushing? Clean your child's very first teeth by rubbing them gently with a damp piece of gauze. But when the first molars come in, usually by the age of ten months, it's time to start daily brushing. Use a soft-bristled brush and water. Move the brush back and forth gently in short strokes, making sure you reach the front, back, and chewing surfaces of all teeth. Be ex...

What's so smart about teeth that only cause trouble? "Wisdom teeth" may seem like a misnomer, especially since people often have to have them removed. But these teeth -- also known as third molars -- usually arrive in the late teen years, a time traditionally seen as the passage to adulthood and an age of wisdom, hence the optimistic name. The main problem is that wisdom teeth usually try to grow...

Most of us have been there: What starts as a dull ache or uncomfortable jolt when you sip your ice tea signals the onset of tooth decay. Soon the pain becomes so unbearable that you can't call the dentist fast enough. The good news is that you can prevent this all-too-common ailment with regular checkups and good oral hygiene. What causes toothache? Tooth decay is the most likely cause. Bacter...

1. You should start brushing your child's teeth as soon as the first one appears. ____True ____False 2. According to the American Dental Association, when should you schedule your child's first dental appointment? a. At 1 year b. Before the child's first birthday c. Soon after the child's second birthday d. Soon after the child's third birthday 3. It doesn't matter if a child gets cavities in ...

Are some snacks better for my teeth than others? Yes. The best snacks for a healthy mouth are low in starches and sugar. That's because sugars and starches mingle with bacteria in your mouth to create an acidic environment. Over time, the acid eats away at the teeth, leading to tooth decay and cavities. Some foods, such as soft drinks, are also acidic, something many baby boomers learned in scie...

What makes teeth turn yellow? If coffee doesn't get to them, age will. Dark pigments in foods, beverages, and cigarette smoke can bind to your enamel, staining the surface of your teeth. If you're concerned, you might try using a straw when you drink dark-colored juice or cola to minimize its contact with your teeth. Tannic acid, the bitter compound in coffee, tea, and wine, can also cause yellow...

Stand in enough lines at the grocery store or ride in enough crowded buses, and you're bound to catch a whiff of breath that's strong enough to peel paint. And, if you're honest, you'd have to admit there have been times when your own breath has been less than rosy. Bad breath -- also known as halitosis -- isn't a trivial problem. Severe cases can strain relationships and sap confidence. Fortunate...

Approximately 37,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer annually, and just over half will be alive five years later. These startling statistics from the Oral Cancer Foundation tell a warning tale, but there is some good news, too. If caught early, oral cancer is highly treatable. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, the high death rate of oral cancer is due to its usually being discover...

Tim Day is a master sergeant in the Air Force. When the Gulf War erupted in the early 1990s, he was one of the first to volunteer for Operation Desert Storm. He also runs three miles a day and plays full contact football, often emerging from games bloodied and bruised. But he is so terrified of seeing a dentist that he refused to get his teeth cleaned for nine years. Now when it's time for a routi...