A new compound might be able to prevent cavities.

Keep 32 was discovered by researchers Jose Cordova from Yale University and Erich Astudillo from the Universidad de Santiago in Chile, who discovered the chemical and said it is able to eliminate the cavity-producing bacteria Streptococcus mutans which causes decay.

Although not everyone in the dental community is optimistic, the uses of Keep 32 as additives to mouthwash, toothpaste, chewing gum and candies, may work to reduce bacteria enough to make the battle with tooth decay a little easier.

To effectively prevent tooth decay, Curatola recommended avoiding harsh detergent toothpastes and alcohol-based mouthwashes, which disturb the balance of the oral biofilm, eating a healthy diet high in ‘alkalizing’ green foods and low in acidic foods such as refined carbohydrates, sugar and soda, and eating anti-inflammatory foods because inflammation causes profound effects on all organ systems in the body and can relate to gum disease and tooth decay.

A mouthful of cavities is making it necessary for dentists to anesthetize very young children for dental procedures such as filling cavities, root canals and extractions.

Geting children to sit through an x-ray can be difficult not to mention the restraint necessary to get through a potentially painful dental procedure making sedation the most practical way to handle the situation.

Fruit juices, bottled water lacking fluoride and poor dental hygiene have contributed to children’s toot decay across socio-economic lines.

Children from all walks of life are experiencing a rise in tooth decay affecting children as young as 18 months old.

Early symptoms can be hard to distinguish from normal teething so parents often miss the symptoms.

Using general anesthesia on healthy children has risks, including vomiting and nausea, and, in very rare cases, brain damage or death. Using anti-anxiety drugs to relax a child coupled with local anesthesia for pain has risks, too, including an overdose that could suppress breathing.

Given the risks of general anesthetic it would be well advised to make the changes necessary to improve dental health.

Stop endless snacking on sweets

Skip juices in favor of fluoridated water

Brush teeth daily regardless of the inconvenience and resistance

And start dental check-ups by your child’s first birthday.

Seeking primary dental care in the ER is a new phenomenon facing medicine today.

Lack of access in rural areas, and little or no emphasis on preventive care have contributed to a gross misuse of medical resources.

Too few dentist participating in Medicaid has also contributed to the problem.

Using emergency rooms for dental treatment “is incredibly expensive and incredibly inefficient,” said Dr. Frank Catalanotto, a professor at the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry who reviewed the report.
Preventive dental care such as routine teeth cleaning can cost $50 to $100, versus $1,000 for emergency room treatment that may include painkillers for aching cavities and antibiotics from resulting infections, Catalanotto said.

With new technology at their fingertips, Dentists may be over treating your teeth.

With increasingly sophisticated detection technology, dentists are finding — and treating — tooth abnormalities that may or may not develop into cavities. While some describe their efforts as a proactive strategy to protect patients from harm, critics say the procedures are unnecessary and painful, and are driving up the costs of care.

“A better approach is watchful waiting,” said Dr. James Bader, a research professor at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. “Examine it again in six months.”

The old “wisdom” on wisdom teeth no longer holds true.

And scientific evidence supporting the routine prophylactic extraction of wisdom teeth is surprisingly limited.

Numerous comprehensive reviews of research, conducted by independent bodies not affiliated with oral surgeons, have concluded that there was no evidence to support routine prophylactic extraction of impacted but healthy wisdom teeth

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