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> Sea Birds Don’t Like Music
By sedron | November 15, 2007
There was once a giant sea bird which was as big and beautiful as the phoenix.
After hearing a sea bird was on the outskirts of the palace, the Emperor sent someone to bring it to the temple. As a welcome for the rare sea bird, the Emperor set up the orchestra and prepare the best food and wine for it.
The Emperor gave the sea bird a tour around the temple: “This is the best music in our country. Fantastic Huh? And…this feast of foods is all for you. Go ahead and dig in. And….yes, this is the best wine here. Drink up!”
After three days of neither eating nor drinking, the giant sea bird died.
The Emperor was confused and depressed: “Why didn’t you eat? I gave you all the best.”
This fable elucidates an important point: what some people believe to be the best music and the best food aren’t necessarily so for everyone. Raise a bird according to a bird’s wants, not a person’s. The saying “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do Unto You” is never really applicable.
Tags: Health & Well Being | No Comments »
> Is Milk in Tea Good for You?
By sedron | November 12, 2007
Adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy its ability to protect against heart disease, according to research.
A small German study found drinking black tea significantly improved the ability of arteries to relax and expand to keep blood pressure healthy.
But the European Heart Journal paper also found proteins in milk, called caseins, blocked this effect.
It is estimated as many as 98% of UK tea-drinkers prefer milk in their favourite cuppa.
The researchers tested the effects of tea in 16 humans and on rat tissue.
They showed molecules in the tea called catechins helped dilate the blood vessels by producing a chemical called nitric oxide. The caseins in milk prevented this effect by reducing the concentration of catechins in the tea.
Read more on: bbc.co.uk
Caseins in milk reduces the vasodilatory effect of catchins in tea by decreasing the concentration of catechins in the tea. This statement just sounds very weird, don’t you agree? If you add more water to the tea, the concentration of catchins is also reduced. Maybe casein acts as a chelating agent that binds to catchin, thereby reducing catchin’s availability.
Anyway, taking regular exercise, eating healthy balanced diet, and avoiding smoking are better ways to protect your health.
Tags: Medicine, Health & Well Being | No Comments »
> Eruption Sequence of Baby Teeth
By sedron | November 6, 2007
What is the eruption sequence of baby teeth? Which tooth comes out first? Which tooth comes after?
To get started, let’s first learn the names of the baby teeth, so that you know which tooth is which.
The following time table indicates the average eruption time (in months after birth) of each tooth among the general population. They are average values, so the variation can range ±6 months.
| Eruption Sequence of Deciduous Teeth (Baby Teeth / Primary Teeth) in months after birth |
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| central incisor |
lateral incisor |
canine | 1st molar | 2nd molar | |
| Upper | 10 [2] | 11 [3] | 19 [7] | 16 [6] | 29 [10] |
| Lower | 8 [1] | 13 [4] | 20 [8] | 16 [5] | 27 [9] |
The data is based on the Journal of American Dental Association: 1974; 89:872-879.
The number in bracket indicates the “order” of eruption.
The number beside bracket indicate the “month” of eruption on average.
General Trend & Cheat Sheet
- central incisor > lateral incisor > 1st molar > canine > 2nd molar
- First molar comes out during the First year of age.
- Second molar comes out during the Second year of age.
- By age of 3, all 20 deciduous teeth should be present.
- With full eruption, babies have 20 teeth, whereas adults have 32 teeth.
- If you’re really picky, you can remember the “order” of eruption sequence. See the red number in the above time table. You’ll notice the order goes clockwise, then counter-clockwise, and finally kinda half clockwise. Easy?
First Dental Visit for Kid
When should a baby start seeing a dentist?
It’s recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics that every child should begin to receive oral health risk assessment by the age of 6 months (ie, when the first tooth starts to come out) from a pediatrician or a qualified pediatric health care professional. [Pediatrics 2003; 111:1113-1116]
Tags: Pedodontics, Dentistry, Health & Well Being | No Comments »
> Dental Bleaching
By sedron | November 10, 2007
What is dental bleaching? How does it work?
For stubborn extrinsic discoloration and intrinsic stain, dental bleaching techniques may be attempted. Tooth bleaching can be performed:
a. externally: termed vital tooth bleaching
b. intracoronally: called non-vital tooth bleaching
Active Bleaching Agents
The bleaching agents used in dentistry are either hydrogen peroxide or its precursor carbamide peroxide. It is NOT the same as the household bleach, hydrogen hypochlorite (NaClO). Some people mistakenly think the “bleaching” term in dental bleaching refers to household bleach and use it to whiten their teeth, which really works by the way but is very dangerous.
Hydrogen hypochlorite is mainly used to remove stains from laundry, toilets, or any inanimated objects, but definitely not tooth stains or body stains. It is a strong oxidizer and is highly corrosive, resulting in damage or burn of the oral mucosa (gum, tongue, soft tissue in the mouth). Repeated trauma can subsequently lead to oral cancers. Ingestion of the solution is another risk to get concerned of. Household bleach actually is not always dangerous as in fact it is the same substance used in the chlorinated water we drink in a certain dilution proportion believed to be safe. It is the concentration that makes it dangerous. To whiten the teeth however, it needs to be in high concentration to achieve its purpose which will also put your health into compromise. However, household bleach does have an application in dentistry; ie, during root canal treatment to disinfect canals and dissolve any remaining necrotic dead pulp tissue. This procedure is done in a confined and controlled environment, where soft tissue and teeth other than the one being worked on are isolated with a rubber dam and high volume suction is turned on to remove excess hypochlorite when the solution is administered. Another application of household bleach is to disinfect dentures that has been infected with candida (a fungal infection); however, this is done extra-orally. As long as the dentures are rinsed thoroughly under water following bleaching, it poses little risks to the oral mucosa.
Both hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite work similarly; they’re oxidizing agents, producing free radicals that degrade stains during bleaching process. No wonder some people think they’re the same and use hypochlorite to whiten the teeth, which is a no-no. Compared to hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide is relatively safe, but still should be used with cautions. Free radicals produced in the bleaching reaction are corrosive and can burn skin/oral mucosa/any soft tissues. If hydrogen peroxide is used inappropriately, the gum will be damaged and appear fibrotic and unhealthy white. Dental bleaching should be done best in a controlled and confined environment.
1. Carbamide Peroxide (aka urea hydrogen peroxide; CH4N2O.H2O2)
- most commonly used professional home bleaching agent
- breaks down into ⅓ hydrogen peroxide (active agent) and ⅔ urea when it contacts saliva
- 10% carbamide peroxide releases 3.5% hydrogen peroxide
- was used for many years as an oral antiseptic before it was applied as a gel for home bleaching
2. Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)
- most commonly used in-office bleaching agent
- more potent than carbamide peroxide
How does tooth bleaching work?
Tooth bleaching today is based on hydrogen peroxide as the active agent. It may be applied directly or produced in a chemical reaction from carbamide peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide acts as a strong oxidizing agent through the formation of free radicals, reactive oxygen molecules, and peroxide anions. These reactive molecules attack the long-chained (insoluble), dark-colored chromophore molecules and split them into smaller (more soluble), less colored, more diffusible molecules. The free radicals eventually combine to form molecular oxygen and water.
Tooth Whitening 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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> Tooth Whitening - treatment options
By sedron | November 10, 2007
Toothbrush & Toothpaste
Cheap & convenient, but limited whitening effect. A very slow inconspicious process in color changes.
Scaling & Polishing
- remove many extrinsic stains due to smoking, tea, coffee
- limited effect in changing tooth shades
- remove plaque and calculus at the same time, keeping your teeth and periodontal tissue healthy
Many people aren’t aware that a simple teeth cleaning during your regular recall dental visit can remove much staining. So, this option is worth considering before you resort to dental bleaching/crowns/veneers right away. It has the added benefit of maintaining your periodontal health.
Tooth Bleaching
An alternative for more stubborn extrinsic and intrinsic stains. There are many different approaches of dental bleaching, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. We’ll come back to this option later in greater depth.
Crowns & Veneers
For stains that cannot be removed from the above methods (eg, amalgam discoloration and any very dark stains), crowns offer the next option. Crowns do not change the color of tooth per se; they simply cover up the tooth so the actual tooth color is hidden. You select the desired color and shade for the crown to match adjacent teeth. The color change is immediate and permanent, as soon as the crown is cemented. Usually it takes two dental appointments to fabricate a crown (the first one to prep the tooth and the second one to insert the crown). With modern technology such as Cerec, crowns can be done within one dental appointment. There are other advantages and disadvantages associated with this treatment option. We’ll devote this topic fully to another article regarding the inidcations and contra-indications of this fixed prosthesis. After all, this procedure is invasive (ie, requiring tooth reduction). There are many considerations to pay attention to, before this treatment can be serviced. With proper diagnosis and evaluation, crowns not only offer esthetics but also, with fairly good prognosis, strengthen teeth that are already weakened.
Veneers are more conservative (ie, less tooth reduction required) than crowns. They are made of porcelain in fingernail thickness. Because they are thinner than crowns, this treatment is contra-indicated for very darkly stained teeth. However, it is a very good alternative to offer longer lasting color changes and avoid frequent relapses from dental bleaching.
Tooth Whitening 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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> Tooth Whitening - what affects tooth color, anyway?!
By sedron | November 10, 2007
All That You Need To Know About Tooth Whitening
Welcome back to this exciting series of seminars in dentistry: tooth whitenting. Today we’re going to take a closer look at the etiology of tooth discoloration. This topic may be boring, but actually it is quite an important one. Without identifying the cause of discoloration, the objective of a treatment may be inappropriate, become aimless, wander in a bush, or miss the target altogether. Similar scenario applies to using an antibiotic to treat a viral infection—it simply will NOT work!
Natural Color of Teeth
Before we talk about discoloration problem, let’s review the natural color of the tooth.
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Tooth Anatomy
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Tooth consists of enamel, dentin, cementum (not shown in the figure), and pulp.
Enamel is the outermost layer. It is translucent, thus allowing light to pass through. This property plays an important role in esthetic dentistry. When you look at your anterior teeth closely, the incisal edge (or the cutting edge) of the front teeth is translucent. If this translucency can be simulated while a tooth is restored/fixed, the tooth will have a more natural look.
Dentin lies beneath enamel and is yellowish white in color. Due to the translucent property of enamel, the tooth color that we see comes mainly from the yellowish dentin. Supposed enamel is less translucent, then the underlying dentin will not show through enamel as much, and therefore the tooth will appear whiter. This explains why baby (deciduous) teeth are whiter than adult (permanent) teeth. As well, tooth with thin enamel also appears more yellowish; this condition can be due to a number of factors.
As with enamel covering dentin at the crown portion of a tooth, cememtum covers dentin at the root portion of a tooth. Cementum has similar constituents as dentin and thus also appears yellowish white. You won’t see cementum (or the root of a tooth) unless there is gum recession, which may be esthetically compromised.
Pulp is located in the center of a tooth. It contains nerves and lots of blood vessels and hence it’s pinkish red. Normally we won’t see this color because there is enough thickness of enamel and dentin. In case of trauma where the blood circulation inside the tooth is impaired and microscopic fractures exist, the pulp undergoes necrosis and the tooth will turn purple or black. It’s like a bruise (or hematoma) in the tooth. Basically a puddle of stagnant blood & rotten tissue in the pulp chamber.
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