Tooth decay occurs when you expose your teeth to foods that destroy the tooth enamel. When you eat foods that contain sugar and starch, your body produces acid to dissolve the food. The acid and other debris mix together to form harmful plaque....
The presence of mysterious lumps, lesions or growths is a hallmark of all forms of cancer. Your dentist will check for visible early signs of oral cancer during your routine dental checkup, but it's important that you be proactive about getting...
When you need braces, there's a specific process for placing them on the teeth. The tooth surfaces must be very clean before the orthodondist applies brackets and wires. While orthodonture has evolved significantly, no longer requiring bands...
Fluoride is famous for its cavity fighting ability, and is often placed in our drinking water or added to our toothpaste; however, too much fluoride can do more harm than good. Fluorosis, or the presence of too much fluoride in the body, can...
You may be worried that getting dental treatments isn't safe during pregnancy, especially considering how what you do directly impacts your growing baby. Yet getting your teeth cleaned and examined regularly is not only safe for the health of your...
The National Cancer Institute describes multiple myeloma as a kind of cancer that develops from white blood cells that make antibodies, called plasma cells. In multiple myeloma, too many plasma cells are made and crowd out all the normal healthy...
Proper dental care has come a long way. KidsHealth, a Nemours Foundation website, explains that people used things like ashes, lemon juice and ground chalk to clean their teeth before toothpaste was invented. Now there are effective home care...
Because chemotherapy drugs contain powerful agents designed to kill cancer cells throughout the body, they also kill healthy cells, report doctors at the American Cancer Society. Every patient reacts differently to chemotherapy. Most patients can...
Around the age of 3 you will notice the protruding belly on your preschooler has flattened, the baby fat has decreased, and your child has more of a muscular look. The center of gravity shifts from the breastbone to the belly, which allows the...
Dental pain can make your life miserable. Eating and talking can be difficult when your mouth hurts. Chipped teeth, swollen gums, and sensitivity to hot and cold are relatively common dental complaints. Aches and pain in the jawbone and gums are...
According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease. Conversely, diabetics with gum disease have a more difficult time controlling blood sugar.
Pregnancy is a time you need to take good care of your health, especially oral health. According to the American Dental Association (ADA) pregnant women who have severe gum disease may be at higher risk for pre-term delivery, which in turn...
Once a child masters good oral hygiene habits, it can set the stage for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums, according to the American Dental Association. While regular dental checkups are a vital part of preventative oral health, dentists say...
An infection in a tooth or the surrounding gum can result in severe pain and swelling. It is critical to make an accurate diagnosis in order to correctly treat the problem. Not all gum infections include an abscessed tooth and can be resolved with...
Some throbbing toothaches occur suddenly and without warning. Others begin as a slight sensitivity and become increasingly painful over days or weeks. According to the American Dental Association, people experiencing toothaches turn to dentists,...
A diseased dental pulp within a tooth can cause a severe toothache and result in an abscessed tooth. Plaque accumulating outside the tooth can cause a gum abscess with pain and swelling. At one time, a diseased tooth required extraction, according...
An abscess is a limited area of pus formed as the result of a bacterial infection of the tooth or the gum. As the body's immune system reacts to the infection, white blood cells are sent to the area, and the resulting mixture of live and dead...
Small bumps on the lips can have many causes, from mild to serious. In some cases, they may simply be acne brought about by hormonal imbalance or poor skin health. In other cases, they can indicate an underlying condition. When bumps appear on...
Toothache pain is most often caused by decay, which is described as the destruction of tooth enamel, according to the National Institutes of Health. But other conditions--such as a sinus infection, an earache or a mouth injury--can mimic the pain...
It's generally well understood that good oral hygiene consists of frequent brushing, flossing and regular dental checkups. The foods you eat also play a significant role in the health and preservation of your teeth. While sugary foods are known to...
There are two stages of gum disease, early or gingivitis, and advanced or periodontitis. In the early stage, the gums are red, swollen and bleed easily when brushed or flossed. In the advanced stage, there can be loose teeth, pus from the gums,...
While it is natural to lose some muscle tone and acquire a few age-related wrinkles on your cheeks and around your lips, a sunken mouth and receding jaw line is not a normal part of the aging process. Lifestyle choices such as smoking and poor...
Pain in a tooth is commonly linked in the minds of many with a dental cavity. Yet the complexities of the inside of a tooth and its connections with surrounding tissues make tooth pain without a cavity a common finding. Understanding the possible...
Heart disease is most often related to being overweight, sedentary and eating an unhealthy diet. However, periodontal disease may contribute to it as well. Getting regular dental checkups is not just about preventing cavities and keeping the gums...
Keeping your body properly cleansed is a fundamental but not sole element of good personal hygiene. Good hygiene practices literally continue around the clock. Brushing your teeth at least twice a day, washing your hands at appropriate times and...
A toothache can be a minor inconvenience, or it can be fatal, according to ABC News. A painful tooth can arise from minor inflammation or signal an infection accompanied by serious medical complications. Toothaches require immediate attention to...
A toothache can originate from within the tooth or the surrounding bone, ligament and gum tissue. This pain ranges from mild to severe and may include swelling and other symptoms such as fever and swollen lymph nodes. Determining the source of...
Late side effects of radiation therapy are rare but they do occur and can begin as early as six months after the last treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute. The type of late side effects depends on what part of the body was...
Braces are devices that orthodontists use to correct problems such as misaligned teeth, overcrowding, tooth gaps, crossbites, underbites and overbites. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), untreated orthodontic issues can lead to...
