[Tejas@perioimpl]

I will be at new bombay teaching at d y patil on tuesday. you are most welcome to come in the morning for a free chat. PM me if you have a problem or wanna meet.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

This is why electric brushes are better:

1) That's two minutes and i'm sure no one does that.

2)As for ill effects, any brush, manual or powered will cause wearing of enamel and recession of gums if used with great pressure instead of a light touch. Even brushes with bent & worn out bristles cause this problem since the flexibility of a bristle is directly proportional to its length. Bend bristles have half the length, therefore less flexible, thus more pressure is applied.

3) EDIT: always use a soft brush

1) I think I am overdoing this. I brush daily for 10 minutes in the morning as soon as I get up.

2) I use great pressure. Leads to bleeding sometimes. Now I will be more cautious.

3) Generally very hard to find. Amyway made one, but now even they are selling relatively low quality brushes. An extensive search is required.

[Mpower]

My lower right wisdom tooth that is tilted like 75 deg from vertical. (I guess that explains my lack of wisdom)

Anyways, dentist looks at the Xray and says that the roots are close to a large nerve and during the oral surgery there is a small risk of nerve damage resulting in loss of sensation in the lips. Now this is a tough decision for me.

How common is this? Should I be worried.

[ECM]

Tejas
One of my friend has a very tiny series of teeth(smaller than avg) in upper raw.When he met dentist he asked him how long you brush you teeth and he said for 20 minutes once in morning-predinner and after dinner,he was advised to brush lesser times,dentist is attached with tata foundation of cancer and reasearch may be for oral cancer due to chewing of tobacco.Is this true that one should not brush excessively?

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

3) Generally very hard to find. Amyway made one, but now even they are selling relatively low quality brushes. An extensive search is required.

Best would be use a baby brush. Easily available.

Originally Posted by Mpower

My lower right wisdom tooth that is tilted like 75 deg from vertical. (I guess that explains my lack of wisdom)

Anyways, dentist looks at the Xray and says that the roots are close to a large nerve and during the oral surgery there is a small risk of nerve damage resulting in loss of sensation in the lips. Now this is a tough decision for me.

How common is this? Should I be worried.

It is fairly common. If the tooth doesn't bother you pain-wise or food getting stuck, then don't do anything. Just go for your routine check up 4 monthly.
Nothing to worry about, although the tooth is close to the nerve, only a thoroughly incompetent oral surgeon will cause damage. Fairly routine procedure. However, if you are symptomless, then err on the side of caution and don't do anything.

Originally Posted by ECM

Tejas
One of my friend has a very tiny series of teeth(smaller than avg) in upper raw.When he met dentist he asked him how long you brush you teeth and he said for 20 minutes once in morning-predinner and after dinner,he was advised to brush lesser times,

2-3 mins at the most. 2-3 times a day is fine. Excess brushing will lead to sensitivity and loss of gum tissue. It will not reduce tooth size.

[khan_sultan]

@tejas: what about the mouth washes? what should one look for while buying & using them or anyone would do.

I have observed that when I use the Listerene (green one) mouth wash, it creates little burning sensation in the mouth. But that is not the issue with the colgate mouth wash (red one)

Which would be one of the best -- AM/PM, Listerene. Colgate etc etc..?

Cheers,

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

@tejas: what about the mouth washes? what should one look for while buying & using them or anyone would do.

I have observed that when I use the Listerene (green one) mouth wash, it creates little burning sensation in the mouth. But that is not the issue with the colgate mouth wash (red one)

Which would be one of the best -- AM/PM, Listerene. Colgate etc etc..?

Cheers,

If you think you have gum disease / bleeding gums:

Use a chlorhexidine based mouthwash - any company. (10ml if it is 0.2% or 20ml if it is 0.12% strong). Periogard from colgate is the best. Undiluted. One hour after brushing (important). rinse for 30seconds with mouthwash. No water and food for an hour after. two times a day. Use for a month atleast.

Just for fresh feeling: use listerine or AM/PM. This you can dilute 1:1 and use to prevent burning sensation. Twice a day for 30secs, one hour after brushing.


The basic fund of 1 hour after brushing is this:

Toothpastes contain calcium as an abrasive which is positively charged in nature. Mouthwash ingredients are negatively charged so that they can bid to the tooth surface. So if you don't wait for an hour for the saliva to wash away the residual calcium, it will combine with the negative ions of the mouthwash rendering it useless.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

... One hour after brushing (important). ... No water and food for an hour after. ...

The basic fund of 1 hour after brushing is this:...So if you don't wait for an hour for the saliva to wash away the residual calcium, it will combine with the negative ions of the mouthwash rendering it useless.

Tejas: What about smoking? can we smoke after brushing/mouthwash etc.. . Would the 'smoke' ions negate the effects of brushing/mouthwash?

Cheers,

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Tejas: What about smoking? can we smoke after brushing/mouthwash etc.. Would the 'smoke' ions negate the effects of brushing/mouthwash?

Theoretically, don't smoke at all...

Realistically, there is no problem with regards to timing of smoking and brushing/mouthwash.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Tejas: What about smoking? can we smoke after brushing/mouthwash etc.. . Would the 'smoke' ions negate the effects of brushing/mouthwash?

Cheers,

More than your teeth, your Lungs will require some cleaning.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by DCEite

More than your teeth, your Lungs will require some cleaning.

Correct! Outta my scope of specialization though...

Smoking however, does cause a lot of harm to the gingival tissues (gums) and is know to cause oral carcinoma not to mention other systemic issues. Also delays healing.
So quitting smoking is always a good thing.

Just a few things that improve when you kick the habit:

20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.

12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.

1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.

10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease, too.

15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker's.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

...
20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
...

Oh ok. Now I understand. This is what happens and I have to smoke again to get my heart rate and BP back to normal again. .

On a serious note, Tejas, good insights man.

Cheers,

[DKG]

Wonderful initiative Tejas. Hope many others follow suite and dedicate a tiny portion of their time helping people out with their questions.

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Smoking however, does cause a lot of harm to the....

What a great post!

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Oh ok. Now I understand. This is what happens and I have to smoke again to get my heart rate and BP back to normal again.

You were probably joking Khan-bhai but it's true. That's one of the main reasons why your body wants another shot of nicotine. Your body gets used to the higher blood pressure. I had been a smoker for 29 years. I used to smoke one before brushing and one after brushing, not to speak of the other 38 during the day !! Now it's zero. I am sure one day you will join our club.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

You were probably joking Khan-bhai but it's true. ...

Of course I was joking sir .