Archives for April 2017

It is the joint that connects the lower jaw to the temporal bones that are a part of your skull. There are two TMJ joints, one on each side of the jaw, that work together as a pair. These joints have two types of movement, a hinge movement and a sliding function that allows the jaw to drop down and open further.

TMJ Pain = TMD

Since the Tempormandibular joint takes part in chewing, drinking, speaking, swallowing, yawning and breathing wear and problems can easily arise. When problems happen in the temporomandibular joint they are called Temporomandibular disorders, or TMD.  It is a complex condition, that typically results in pain in and around the jaw, which can affect your ability to chew, speak and make some facial expressions.

TMD causes?

Due to the constant activity in the Tempormandibular joint it is difficult to find a single reason for the wear and pain. The possible factors are, tooth grinding and clenching, misaligned upper and lower teeth, injury to the jaw, stress, and arthritis. Researchers have discovered that people with Temporomandibular disorders may also suffer from other conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic headaches, endometriosis, or fibromyalgia.

TMD treatments

When the TMJ pain starts there are a few steps you can take that may be helpful in easing symptoms, such as:

• Eating soft foods.
• Applying ice packs.
• Avoiding extreme jaw movements (such as wide yawning, loud singing, and gum chewing).
• Learning techniques for relaxing and stress reduction.
• Gentle jaw exercises of stretching and relaxing that may help increase jaw movement.

If the pain persists it is important to make an appointment with our team and Tooronga Family Dentistry to examine the condition and help find the right solution.

Pregnancy Gingivitis

Starting around the second month of pregnancy, the increase in the hormone progesterone, may encourage the growth of bacteria that cause gingivitis in the mouth.  The hormone helps the bacteria multiply and makes the gum tissue swell giving rise to symptoms such as, swollen gums, gum bleeding during brushing or bright red gums. It is important to maintain a good oral hygiene to stop these symptoms.

Enamel Erosion

Women may have morning sickness during pregnancy leading to vomiting. Tooth enamel wears when exposed to the stomach acids which leaves it soft. Brushing immediately after vomiting will lead to more wear and enamel loss. If you are experiencing morning sickness, don’t brush immediately after vomiting, instead, rinse your month with water first and brush 20-30 minutes later.

Dry Mouth

During pregnancy you may feel that your mouth is dry, drink plenty of water.  It will help rinse the bacteria growing in the mouth that would usually be washed away by saliva.

Lump on the Gum

Sometimes a large lump with a deep red color forms next to the gum tissue. It may bleed easily, be painful and can make eating and speaking difficult. These lumps are called “pregnancy tumors” and can occur at any time during the course of pregnancy, although they usually occur during the second trimester. It is important to make an appointment and have Dr. Kaufman examine the lump since it can be an abscess or other gum problems as well.

Gum infection and disease.

It is extremely important to maintain good oral hygiene during pregnancy. Gum disease is caused by bacteria that release toxins to attack the ligaments, gums, and bones surrounding your teeth. But these bacteria can gain access to your bloodstream which will enable them to travel throughout your body, even to cross the placenta. Once the bacteria that cause gingivitis can enter the bloodstream, they trigger the body to produce prostaglandins, which is a natural fatty acid that normally controls inflammation and smooth muscle contraction.  When a woman is pregnant, an increase in the level of prostaglandins leads her to go into labor.  It is possible that if extra prostaglandins are produced when the body is reacting to infected gums, a pregnant women’s body may think it is a signal to go into labor sooner than expected, thus causing a baby to be born too early or too small.  This is the reason that women with gum inflammation are at risk of a preterm delivery of babies with low birth weight.

Please don’t hesitate to contact our team if you have more questions about how to care for your mouth during pregnancy or to make an appointment to have the condition of your mouth examined.

Foods groups that can cause inflammation?

There are two food groups in our modern diet that can affect your health, sugar and fat.

Sugar is added to all processed foods, refined grains, dairy products, grain feed meats and farm-raised fish. The human body has difficulty to process excessive amounts of sugar, especially in the form of fructose. That is the reason that eating too much Sugar causes symptoms known as the classic metabolic syndrome. These include weight gain, obesity, decreased levels of the “good fat” (HDL) and increased of the “bad fat” (LDL), high blood Sugar levels, high risk for Diabetes and high blood pressure.

Fat enriched diet increases the risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes in the population. These important factor to consider when consuming fat is the ratio between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Too much saturated fatty acids and not enough unsaturated fatty acids leads to the production of inflammatory mediators, which trigger inflammation.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet.

Having a diet that contains more unsaturated fats and less sugar will assists in the reduction of gum inflammation. It includes vegetables, unsaturated fatty acids, fish oil, olive oil, nuts and beans.

Changing lifestyle factors like smoking, stress, obesity and sedentary work will also decrease the production of free radicals, C-reactive protein and cortisol which add to and trigger chronic inflammatory conditions.

 Please don’t hesitate to contact our team if you have more questions about gum inflammation or to make appointment to find a solution for your gum problems.

Here are ways to stay healthy.

1. When at the festive dinner be conscious of what you put on your plate. Start with healthy options first and then put a few sweets on the side. Try to place on the plate only what you feel comfortable eating and don’t go back for seconds.
2. Keep healthy options available. Make an accessible cookie jar with fresh fruits or veggies. We often reach for the sugary foods simply because they’re at hand’s reach.
3. Bring better choices to holiday parties. Instead of adding to the pile of sugary treats bring healthy desserts. Try dark chocolate-covered strawberries, homemade pumpkin pie, or fruit tarts.
4. Wait after meals, before going for the dessert. It usually takes 20 minutes for your brain to process that your stomach is full. You can even take a walk after dinner, by the time you get back you may realize how full you are and eat less dessert. Walking has also been shown to increase metabolism.

The team at Tooronga Family Dentistry wishes you a Bright, Happy and Healthy Easter Holiday with your Family and Friends.

Here are some answers for you

Wisdom teeth are similar to any other tooth in your month. They are the third set of molars located in the very back of the mouth and they start erupting at the age of 18 years but can emerge later as well. Most people have all four wisdom teeth, while some may have only two or three. The best way to check their presence is with a large xray taken at the age of 15-17 years.

Since Wisdom teeth come later in life they may have a difficulty, finding enough room to erupt into place. When there is not enough room for the wisdom teeth to erupt, they may be tilted, crowd existing teeth,  damage nearby teeth or trap food and bacteria around them.

Misaligned or impacted wisdom teeth which trap food and bacteria, can cause tooth decay, swelling, tenderness and bad breath. The solution to these problems is to have them removed.

Since we can be foreseen when wisdom tooth eruption can lead to problems, it is recommended to plan for their removal at a younger age, before problems begin to arise. Removal at a younger age is also easier since the roots of the teeth are not fully developed and the bone is less dense.

Please contact us at Tooronga Family Dentistry to have the position of the wisdom teeth checked. The first step will be to have an x-ray to determine the presence and position of these teeth. From there, Dr. Kaufman can determine the best course of action for you.

Here are the facts that you need to know to avoid dental injuries:

1. Young children and teenagers have the highest rate of dental trauma from sport activities.
2. The top sports activities that result in trauma are footy, basketball, cricket, cycling, and hockey.
3. These injuries usually happen when one falls to the ground, when an arm, elbow or a hand makes contact with the mouth, or when a bat or flying object like a basketball hits the face.

Wearing a mouth guard can dramatically decrease the chances a dental injury while playing a sport. It is important to get a custom mouth guard from Tooronga Family Dentistry.  Our mouth guards come in three degrees of protection and provide the most amount of protection and comfort while being worn. Chemist bought mouth guards are ready to wear, but may fall out in the critical moment of impact.

If you or your child were injured, it is important to make an appointment at Tooronga Family Dentistry as soon as possible. If there was loss consciousness, there is a bleeding that does not stop or there are deep cuts to the face lips or tongue, seek first medical attention at an urgent medical care facility.