Friday, September 18, 2015

I Brush and I Floss, but I Still Have Bad Breath!

I Brush and I Floss, but I Still Have Bad Breath!
By Mina Levi, DDS, 09/18/2015

Bad breath is not something that anyone wants to suffer from, but sometimes no matter how often you brush and floss your teeth, your breath is still bad. In this week’s article, San Francisco Dentist Mina Levi, DDS discusses causes of bad breath, what bad breath could mean, and how we can treat it.

Bad Breath Dentist San Francisco

What are some of the causes of bad breath?

1. Food particles in the mouth. The first cause is simple, which is a buildup of old food/drink residue still left on the teeth. If you are brushing and flossing well every day, this shouldn’t be the problem causing the bad breath for you.
2. Bacteria build up on the tongue. While brushing and flossing your teeth is great and definitely necessary to clean the bacteria and food debris from the teeth, sometimes the tongue is ignored and can be a place where bacteria builds up into a film over the tongue and can cause bad breath.
3. Using tobacco. Smoking or chewing tobacco-based products can cause bad breath and stain the teeth.
4. Something’s wrong somewhere else in the body. Bad breath can be a sign that there is something going wrong or needs attention from somewhere else in the body, no matter how clean your mouth is. For instance, diabetes and acid reflux tend to have a specific breath odor associated with them.

What health problems are associated with bad breath?

1. Gum disease. Bad breath could mean that you are in the beginning stages of gum disease. Gum disease is caused by build up of plaque and bacteria in between the teeth and gums. If the gum disease goes untreated, it will advance to periodontitis and can cause tooth loss and jaw bone damage.
2. Dental decay. Decay of the teeth and especially the roots of the teeth can cause bad breath.
3. Dry mouth. Dry mouth is an underproduction of saliva, a necessary substance in the mouth to moisten and neutralize acids. Dry mouth can cause bad breath when dead cells are not washed away and the acids in the mouth build up.
4. Disease. Pneumonia, sinus infections, diabetes, acid reflux and liver or kidney failure all have associated bad breath odors.

What can we do to treat bad breath?
1. Brush your tongue too!
2. Drink lots of water
3. Quit using tobacco products
4. See the dentist and general health practitioner regularly

If you have concerns about your bad breath, visit Dentist San Francisco Mina Levi, DDS on the web at www.minalevidds.com or give us a call at (415) 513-5066.


Friday, September 11, 2015

Causes of Tooth Stain and Discoloration

Causes of Tooth Stain and Discoloration


By Mina Levi, DDS, 09/11/2015

Almost everyone wants to have a pearly white smile instead of having yellow or brown staining on the teeth. Whitening is a great option for most to whiten the color of the teeth. However, sometimes there is stain on the teeth that needs to be cleaned before the color of the enamel can show through. In this week’s article, San Francisco Dentist Mina Levi, DDS talks about the causes of tooth stain and discoloration and what you can do to keep your teeth white.

 Causes of tooth stain and discoloration san Francisco Dentist

1. Staining food/drink. Dark colored foods and drinks like coffee, cola, wines, fruits, and red sauces stain the teeth. Avoid eating a lot of these foods, or keeping the food/drink in your mouth for an extended period of time. You can also rinse out your mouth and/or brush and floss after eating staining foods to keep staining at bay.

2. Poor hygiene. When you don’t brush and floss regularly, plaque and bacteria build up on the teeth can cause tooth discoloration. Also, without brushing and flossing, staining foods and drinks like coffee stay on the teeth and stain them.

3. Tobacco use. When you smoke cigarettes/cigars or chew tobacco, the substances used to make these products cause the teeth to change color.

4. Medications. Certain medications like antibiotics, especially when given as children, can affect the color of the teeth.

5. Age. As we age, the outer layer of enamel wears down and the darker dentin shows through, causing the teeth to appear darker. For more information about how teeth and oral health change as we age, check out our previous article here: AGING AND ORAL HEALTH.

6. Trauma. Damage to the teeth can cause the teeth to die and change color.

If you have any questions about how teeth get stained or what you can do to avoid staining your teeth, visit Dentist San Francisco Mina Levi, DDS on the web at www.minalevidds.com or give us a call at (415) 513-5066.


Saturday, September 5, 2015

Causes of Tooth Mobility

Causes of Tooth Mobility
By Mina Levi, DDS, 09/04/2015

We’ve all experienced a loose tooth at some point in our lives – usually when our baby teeth came loose to make way for permanent adult teeth to come in. As adults, however, it’s much less common to have tooth mobility. In this week’s article, San Francisco dentist Mina Levi, DDS talks about what causes loose/mobile teeth.

Mobile or Loose Teeth in Adults San Francisco Dentist

Causes:
·     Gum disease – gum disease is the most common reason for loose or mobile teeth. When bacteria builds up between the gum and the tooth, the attachment of the gum to the tooth slowly loosens and comes apart. When the gum is no longer firmly attached to the tooth, the tooth can become mobile. If the gum disease is not treated, the tooth can eventually fall out or need to be extracted. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

·      Trauma – if you hit your tooth on something in a fall or a physical altercation, it can affect the attachment from the gum to the tooth or from the tooth to the jawbone and cause the tooth to become loose or even fall out.

·      Malocclusion (Bite Interruption/Error) – if the bite of your teeth or the way that the teeth fit together is off or interrupted, the uneven forces can cause the teeth to become mobile. Bite errors can be caused by crowded teeth or by clenching/grinding the teeth at night.

·      Abscess – a gum or tooth abscess will cause the tooth to come loose, and must be treated as soon as possible to reduce risk of an infection getting into the bloodstream and/or eventual loss of the tooth itself.

·      Orthodontic treatment – while undergoing orthodontic treatment to straighten the teeth such as Invisalign clear aligners or traditional braces, the teeth may feel mobile because the attachments are being moved. This should go away once the teeth are set in their final position and have been retained there for some time.

If you have loose or mobile teeth as an adult or are concerned about possible causes of mobile teeth, visit Dentist San Francisco Mina Levi, DDS on the web at www.minalevidds.com or give us a call at (415) 513-5066.