What Stannous Fluoride Toothpaste Does

There are different types of fluoride toothpastes. These include sodium fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate, and stannous fluoride.  There are different benefits to each, and even if you don’t know the chemistry, they’re important to understand.

What Fluoride does 

Fluoride is basically what stops tooth decay, through the use of enamel strengthening, which we find in a lot of oral care items. It actually is considered a big part of toothpaste. If you want the ADA seal on your toothpastes, it must contain it.  There are different forms though, and stannous fluoride is one type of it. 

Fluoride also has the benefits of fighting tooth decay, and also cavities, and prevents the demineralization of tooth enamel that’s damaged, which is useful before cavities form, and it can also be good for other dental issues that are there.

What Stannous Fluoride Does 

Stannous fluoride is basically a very common type of ingredient that you find in different toothpastes, and it’s recognized by the ADA as a big part in reducing overall tooth decay. The difference between stannous and other types of fluoride are the different benefits, such : 

• It naturally fights cavities, simply by strengthening the dentin and the enamel, and it’s been shown that is’ resistant to a lot of different acids 

• It’s antimicrobial, so it’ll kill off the plaque that you see that creates gum disease, and also decay in the teeth too. 

• It helps with sensitivity, since this actually can help to reduce sensitivity that happens with foods and drinks that are there. It creates a layer over the other tubules, which are small channels of the dentin that lead to the pulp, which is the sensitive portion of this.

You might wonder the difference between sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride. Well, the big difference is sodium is used in water, and it's basically used with different toothpastes too. It’s great for strengthening the enamel and also fighting the cavities, but it doesn’t really address the sensitivity and also the antimicrobial sorts of benefits that stannous fluoride tends to offer. 

Other ways to fight tooth Decay. 

If you’re someone who is already using fluoride, then you might wonder if there are other ways to fight this. luckily, there sure are different ways to do this.

The first thing to look at is your diet. If you consume a lot of foods and drinks that are sugary, try to cut down a little bit on this.  When you have sugar, it causes the acids to be secreted, and this wears away at the enamel of the teeth.

You should also make sure that your oral hygiene is also up to snuff. Tht means, you want to brush your teeth two minutes twice daily, and also, you want to consume the fluoride supplements that you can. Using a fluoride toothpaste is a good way to help with this. On top of that, flossing is also good for gum disease, and other concerns.

Finally, your dental health relies on how well you take care of this, but sometimes, there are certain things that the dentist can only treat. Make sure to go to dental cleanings, so that the dentist can give this a deeper cleaning, get rid of any tartar that’s there, and also, you can get further guidance on how to have the ideal oral hygiene that you can, and also other ways to boost your oral hygiene overall, especially for your own personal needs too.

Take care of your teeth today, and make sure that in the care process, you don’t get rid of the one important thing to have: fluoride toothpaste.

Should you Get Gum Reshaping

If you’ve been thinking about gum reshaping, otherwise known as contouring, you may not be alone in this. Sometimes, people have issues with their gums, and it impacts the way that they look at their teeth. Some people may want to choose to get gum reshaping. Here, we’ll discuss what it is.

What gum reshaping Is 

Gum reshaping, or gum contouring, is basically changing your gum shape to make it look better. For uneven gums, or those that cover too little or even too much of the teeth that you have, you may want to get this. it’s not considered a medical necessity, but instead is used to make the gums and the teeth look better too. Usually, the person who does this is a periodontist, or a dentist that specializes in cosmetic dentistry, as this usually depends on the state of your mouth and how it looks.

Gum Contouring for Gummy Smiles 

 A gummy smile, which is where you have too much gum and too little teeth, usually involves the professional using a scalpel or a laser to get rid of the tissue that’s in excess. They then will make a gum line that's new to show off more of your teeth. This usually takes a couple of hours. Usually, a local anesthetic is used, but you’ll feel some tenderness, and may be in pain due to the soreness after the procedure. 

Too Little Gums 

You can also get this for too little of gums, this is known in circles as gum recession. The teeth might look discolored, or elongated. This usually also exposes your teeth roots to the bacteria that’s harmful, along with plaque, and it can lead to decay, and even loss of bone and teeth. Gum recession may happen on a couple of the teeth, or it might impact your entire mouth.

This happens due to the following: 

• You brush your teeth too much 

• Gum disease 

• Genetics 

Usually, for those who have periodontitis, they get the treatment before they get the gum reshaping. Then, once you’ve cleared up the infection, they then do the procedure, which usually involves taking the tissue from one area of your mouth, and literally grafting this to the area that’s receded, shaping the gumline to look bigger, and also lengthening this as well.

Recovery 

If you’re looking to get this done, expect to feel pain for a couple of days, depending on the state of your mouth. The healing can take up to a few weeks. You do need to eat foods that are softer, and then, talk to the dentist about the care for this. if you notice infection, or more swelling and pain, see the dentist immediately.

How to Know if it’s Right for you 

There are a few things that you should think about before you decide to get this.

First, is your oral health. Do you have tooth decay or gum disease? You may get more out of actually restoring those teeth before you get cosmetic dentistry 

There is also the cost that’s involved. This can cost up to $500 a tooth, depending on the work. Plus, due to the fact that it is usually for cosmetics, the insurance might not offer coverage for this.

Finally, your cosmetic needs. It just makes the teeth appear bigger or smaller. It will not change the color, shape, or where the tooth is. That’ll require further procedures to fix this.

Talk to the dentist before you get this, and they can tell you whether it’s right for you, or if you need something else.

All about Macroglossia

If you have a tongue that’s considered bigger than what it normally is, that’s called macroglossia. Here, we’ll go over the causes of this, the symptoms, diagnosis, and other treatment from his too. 

The causes 

Usually, macroglossia is not common and is congenital or it can be acquired. Some of the causes include: 

• Down syndrome 

• Beckwith Wideman syndrome, which causes weird growths on children’s bodies. 

• Mucopolysaccharidosis which cause a condition where the body is unable to break down molecules of sugar. 

• Hemangioma which is where there’s an abnormal blood vessel growth that creates a birthmark that’ll fade over time. Sometimes, it can make the areas larger, such as the tongue 

• Congenital hypothyroidism 

• Neurofibrosis which causes tumors to appear on nerve tissue 

• Amyloidosis which causes a problem with the buildup of this protein and reduces function of this 

• Acromegaly which is a problem with the pituitary gland that causes overgrowths of hands, face and feet 

• Pemphigus vulgaris which is a disease that cause s blistering and swelling of the tongue 

• Diphtheria which is an infection that is spread through coughing and sneezing 

• Tuberculosis 

• Sarcoidosis which causes abnormal growths in the eyes, lungs and tongue 

These are the main causes, and it can sometimes be seen through the size of the tongue. 

Symptoms of this 

If the tongue is way too big for the mouth, it does cause symptoms in the mouth, including but not limited to the following: 

• Teeth that are misaligned 

• Problems eating 

• Snoring 

• Protruding teeth 

• Problems speaking 

• Breathing which is high-pitched 

Diagnosis 

If you have macroglossia you usually get diagnosed through a physical exam. To fully figure out the underlying cause of such, they usually do medical testing, however, with the many different causes, the reasons will vary. The doctor usually can have a proper diagnosis after running these tests though, which is why some people will definitely like this for what it is. 

Treatment 

The treatment does vary based on how large the tongue is. If it’s treatable, they will use different therapies. For example, with hypothyroidism, treatment does help with this, and if you treat the underlying thyroid issue, it’ll help. But if the cause is not clear, you may not be able to get much help. In some cases, speech therapy may be recommended, and in more serious situations, the professional may offer surgery to help with this, and some of these can also help with problems involving chewing, feeding, and even speech issues. 

If you’re worried about your tongue, or may think that you have an enlarged tongue, it may be best to talk to a doctor to find out for sure. the best way to know however, is usually through different testing, where the professional will offer recommendations based on needs. The different circumstances with this condition do make treatment a variable thing, which is why in most cases, people will definitely take to a doctor to get help for this. 

Although it is a bit of a rare condition, for many people, this can be debilitating in some cases, and it might be due to how the person’s body is. In a lot of cases, even just a minor treatment of this especially for those with hypothyroidism will offer great benefits. It’s definitely something that you’ll want to look at, and something that, with the right tools and such, will offer a lot of benefits, and in turn, you’ll be able to take care of the problem in its tracks, and get the help you need.