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Our Southern California Bioidentical Dental office routinely offers nutritional advice for dental and total body wellness.  We believe that oral health and total body wellness depend on one another for balance.   As many of us know, soda and diet soda drinks are known to cause the breakdown of tooth enamel.  This leads to high amounts of acidity in the mouth, causing cavities.  Once the tooth enamel is weakened, it is difficult to rebuild and strengthen before a cavity is developed.  Aside from soft drinks, any drink with citric acid and artificial sweeteners using aspartame or Splenda is extremely harmful to your health.  Aspartame was approved by the FDA as a food additive in the early 1980’s.  Interestingly, the FDA denied the approval of aspartame for 15 years prior to this date.  With persistence and politics, aspartame was approved with little research showing dangers of it as an additive to food and drinks.  To date, there has been more than 90 independent studies proving the dangers and health risks associated with aspartame aka Nutrasweet.  As for  Splenda sweetener, it was discovered first for its pesticide abilities.  Unfortunately, we are the test group to determine the long term effects of these dangerous additives.  The light at the end of the tunnel is that sweeteners like Xylitol and Stevia are healthy natural alternatives and are safe for diabetics.

How do artificial sweeteners harm the body?…..

The following is a quote from an article entitled Aspartame: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You.

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic.” They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

Here is a list of serious health problems associated with aspartame:

Diabetes                         Lymphomas                         Leukemia

Anxiety                           Memory Loss                       Asthma

Brain Cancer                  Depression                       Autoimmune Disorders

Fatigue                           Headaches                         Stomach Problems

So you think you may have sleep apnea or a sleep disorder?  Or, your spouse or partner has mentioned that you snore excessively or stop breathing during your sleep.  Are you always exhausted and cannot find out the reason why?  These are several reasons that it would be beneficial to participate in a sleep study.  A sleep study helps to determine what your body, brain, and hormones do while you are in a state of sleep.  Sleep studies can be done either in a medical facility or at home.  Both ways require equipment to be worn overnight, however the at home test is much more accurate.  When we rest in our own beds, we sleep better therefore giving the sleep study the most correct information.

What do sleep studies show?

Sleep studies show the amount of the three sleep stages that occur during the night.  Also the study will show the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide processed by the system.  Most importantly, it allows us to see if the system has chronic inflammation, pH imbalances, or hormonal imbalances.  By looking at all of the combined data, a sleep study gives us a look at what is going on with the system.  Many doctors unfortunately, do not combine all of the data to determine the real reason behind any sleep apnea or sleep disorders an individual experiences.

As a Biological dentist, I am always striving to achieve excellence for my patients’.  This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend an advanced course in sleep apnea and reading sleep studies.  My Biological and Cosmetic Dental wellness office does offer snore-guards and sleep apnea devices to those who cannot tolerate the CPAP machine.  I am pleased to share that after this course, I am confident in providing a comprehensive reading of any sleep study.  An individual can learn many things regarding the results of their sleep study.

If you or someone you know is experiencing sleep apnea, sleep disorders, or excessing snoring please contact my Southern California Biological dental wellness office at (951)686-3666.  Also please contact my office if you are hoping to learn more about your sleep study.  We are located just off of the 91-freeway in Riverside.

The prevention of tooth decay is what our Southern California Biological Dental wellness office strives for on a daily basis.  My dental team is highly-skilled when it comes to providing dietary recommendations and at home dental care to assist our patients’ in cavity prevention.  We have researched the wide variety of dental products on the market and have discovered that the best tool on the market for preventing tooth decay is Xylitol.

Our dental team recommends our carefully chosen product line by the makers of Spry for the following patients with:

Acidic Saliva

Xerostomia (dry mouth)

Gum Inflammation

Infants/Children

Extensive Restorations

Halitosis (bad breath)

Orthodontics

Preventative Care

Tooth decay is a result of an imbalanced oral cavity.  Proper toothbrushing/flossing to remove food and drink debris is very important in the prevention of tooth decay.  Diet also plays a huge role in the prevention of tooth decay.  Drinks containing sugar and citric acid as additives are highly damaging to teeth.  Food high in simple carbohydrates (think white starches) are also damaging to teeth.  Unfortunately, many products out there contain these ingredients, therefore its best to be mindful when consuming these products.  Having a goal for a balanced mouth and overall system will help reduce the risk for tooth decay.  Please contact our Southern California Biological dental office to discover if you are at risk for dental caries (951)686-3666.

As more and more research and knowledge has surfaced in regards to healthy eating = a healthy body, it is now common knowledge in the dental community that a healthy diet = healthy teeth and gums.  My Southern California Biological Cosmetic Dental wellness office is focused on this issue.  We believe in educating and helping our patients to discover what foods are needed to maintain good oral health.  Proper nutrition includes eating lots of organic greens, vegetables, and fruits.  We recommend organic due to the various pesticides and fungicides being linked to cancer and other systemic disorders.  Below is a list of vitamins and minerals that are important in maintaining healthy teeth and gums.

VITAMINS                                                                                                                                                                                FOODS

A Helps to maintain gum health                                                                                                                          milk, carrots, dark leafy greens
D Essential for healthy teeth and jaw growth                                                                                                       fortified milk and fish
K Essential clotting factor to decrease bleeding                                                                                                    dark green leafy vegetables
C Helps heal gum tissue/collegen formation/wound healing                                                                           potatoes, green vegetables, fresh fruit
Riboflavin Helps to prevent Angular Chelitis (sores on corners of mouth)                                                   milk, yogurt, cheese, green vegetables
Folic Acid Body  uses this in the development of cells                                                                                           liver, dark green vegetables

MINERALS

Calcium Formation of bones and teeth                          dairy and seafood

Phosphorus Healthy bone development                 dairy, meat, eggs, legumes, whole grains

Potassium Muscle/Nerve function                    milk, cheese, vegetables, whole grains

Iron prevents (red/painful tongue) Glossitis                      meats, whole grains

**For further information on dental wellness and care please call our Biological Dental Wellness office located in Riverside, California (951)686-3666.

It is actually more common than most of us realize to have children missing some of their adult teeth.  Missing adult teeth is a common developmental problem with children.  When a child is missing one or more of their adult teeth, typically a family member is also missing one or more of their adult teeth.  This is due to a mutated gene during development.  Statistically, 3.4% of the populations missing their second premolars.  Also, 2.5% of the population is missing their upper lateral teeth.  It is rare to have missing baby teeth in general.  A good rule of thumb is if a baby tooth is missing during eruption, the corresponding adult tooth will also be missing.  This can be frustrating for parents as there are several options to choose from when it comes to their child missing their adult teeth.  In this blog I am going to review treatment options for congenitally missing teeth.

Treatment Options:

1. Retain deciduous (baby) tooth:

It is common for dentists to recommend to patients to retain their baby tooth during the developmental years of childhood.  The deciduous tooth maintains the spacing between the teeth so that when development and growth is completed in the later teenage years, there are better options for permanent replacement.

2. Removal of deciduous tooth:

Depending on if your child will need orthodontics it may be recommended that the tooth be removed.  Here at my Riverside Biological Family dental office, we collaborate with our referring orthodontic specialist on the removal and replacement of deciduous teeth.  At times, the removal of the deciduous tooth is all that is needed for the orthodontist to maneuver the teeth and bite into a proper position.

3. Removable Prosthetic:

If the deciduous tooth is being removed for cosmetic purposes in the smile line, then a removable appliance is made.  The “flipper” is used as a removable temporary device to conceal the extraction area and a ceramic tooth is made to fill the space.  This device is typically only worn until the final restoration of the area is complete.

4.  Fixed Bridge:

A great option once your child has fully developed or has completed orthodontics is a fixed bridge.  A bridge consists of a porcelain tooth in the area where the tooth once was along with shaving the adjacent teeth down and placing porcelain crowns on top of the teeth.  All of the teeth would be connected with porcelain thus a bridge is formed.  These can be tricky to keep clean.  Also, the bone surrounding the adjacent teeth can be lost much more quickly do to the weakened structure.

5. Placement of an Implant:

This is the option that I prefer as a dentist when it comes to the removal and replacement of deciduous teeth.  Implants help retain the bone structure surrounding the area where the tooth was removed as well as around the adjacent teeth.  Your child is best served when it comes to bone retention, especially in the smile line.  Implants last a lifetime as a general rule and are the best from a cosmetic standpoint.

For a consultation on the best treatment options for yourself or your child please call (951)686-3666.  Please visit my dental office which specializes in cosmetic implant placement.