Who doesn’t love candy at Halloween? If your kids are like mine, they’re going to come home from trick-or-treating with tons of candy. Sugary candy can lead to tooth decay, but following these simple steps can help you and your children have a fun Halloween without the nightmare of harming their teeth in the process.

1. Don’t let your kids gorge on Halloween candy all night. Teaching your kids moderation on Halloween is important.
2. Monitor that your children are brushing their teeth three times a day.
3. Make sure that your children use an age-appropriate fluoridated mouthwash every evening.
4. Have extra disposable dental flossers laying all over the house. You’d be amazed at what kids will do when their bored.
5. Avoid or limit candy such as caramels, candy corn, jelly beans, and taffy. These particular candies are extra sticky, making it hard for saliva to wash away the sugar.
6. Give your kids sugar free gum to chew. Not only does sugar-free gum help prevent cavities,  it also helps neutralize the effects of sugar from the candy. Therefore, it combats the bacteria in plaque that causes cavities.

Halloween is a fun holiday and you shouldn’t have to worry about things like tooth decay. By practicing good oral hygiene and using moderation, your kids can have a fun and safe Halloween and still enjoy the candy!

Wayzata Dental

“Back to the Blog”

Wisdom teeth are a valuable asset to the mouth when they are healthy and properly positioned. Often, however, problems develop that require their removal. When the jaw isn’t large enough to accommodate wisdom teeth, they can become impacted (unable to come in or misaligned). Wisdom teeth may grow sideways, emerge only part way from the gum or remain trapped beneath the gum and bone.

Extraction of wisdom teeth is generally recommended when:

• Wisdom teeth only partially erupt. This leaves an opening for bacteria to enter around the tooth and cause an infection. Pain, swelling, jaw stiffness and general illness can result.
• There is a chance that poorly aligned wisdom teeth will damage adjacent teeth.
• A cyst (fluid-filled sac) forms, destroying surrounding structures such as bone or tooth roots.

Patients should ask the dentist about the health and positioning of their wisdom teeth. The dentist may make a recommendation for removal or send the patient to an oral surgeon for further evaluation.

Wayzata Dental

“Back to the Blog”

Facts About Oral Cancer

Incidence and Mortality

• Oral cancer strikes an estimated 34,360 Americans each year.  An estimated 7,550 people (5,180 men and 2,370 women) will die of these cancers in 2007.
• More than 25% of the 30,000 Americans who get oral cancer will die of the disease.
• On average, only half of those diagnosed with the disease will survive more than five years.
• African-Americans are especially vulnerable; the incidence rate is 1/3 higher than whites and the mortality rate is almost twice as high.

Risk Factors

• Although the use of tobacco and alcohol are risk factors in developing oral cancer, approximately 25% of oral cancer patients have no known risk factors.
• There has been a nearly five-fold increase in incidence in oral cancer patients under age 40, many with no known risk factors.
• The incidence of oral cancer in women has increased significantly, largely due to an increase in women smoking. In 1950 the male to female ratio was 6:1; by 2002, it was 2:1.

Prevention and Detection

• The best way to prevent oral cancer is to avoid tobacco and alcohol use.
• Regular dental check-ups, including an examination of the entire mouth, are essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions.
• Many types of abnormal cells can develop in the oral cavity in the form of red or white spots.  Some are harmless and benign, some are cancerous and others are pre-cancerous, meaning they can develop into cancer if not detected early and removed. (American Cancer Society)
• Finding and removing epithelial dysplasias before they become cancer can be one of the most effective methods for reducing the incidence of cancer.
• Knowing the risk factors and seeing your dentist for oral cancer screenings can help prevent this deadly disease. Routine use of the Pap smear since 1955, for example, dramatically reduced the incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer in the United States.
• Oral cancer is often preceded by the presence of clinically identifiable premalignant changes. These lesions may present as either white or red patches or spots. Identifying white and red spots that show dysplasia and removing them before they become cancer is an effective method for reducing the incidence and mortality of cancer.

Wayzata Dental

“Back to the Blog”