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A famous mouthwash company chose the marketing slogan, “Better than flossing.” As a consumer, would you believe a high-end commercial that essentially tells you to stop flossing? Just use this brand of mouthwash and the risk of gingivitis, cavities, etc., is gone. What a wonderful idea! Now for the reality: This is simply not true.

The company that made these claims received some negative feedback for making this false claim. Does this mean that all mouthwashes are ineffective? Absolutely not. It takes a little bit of research to know which mouthwashes are most effective and best suited for you. Here are some key points to remember when choosing a mouthwash.

First, think about why you want to use a mouthwash. If you are at high risk for cavities, you would benefit from a fluoride mouthwash. Check the labels to see which ones contain fluoride.

If you have active gingivitis, a mouthwash with some antibacterial properties would be preferable. Read the labels carefully. You do not want a mouthwash containing alcohol. If you have active periodontal disease, an antibacterial mouthwash is appropriate, though you may want to discuss which kind would be best for your individual needs.

Prescription mouthwashes are also an option. You should pay close attention to the directions, such as how much and how long to use them. There is one brand in particular whose effectiveness can steadily diminish if you use it continually. There can also be side effects you should discuss with our office and/or your pharmacist.

Some great mouthwashes for kids change the color of plaque on their teeth to help them see how they are doing with their brushing. This is a great learning tool for the child and the parent! Why not pick up a bottle for yourself next time you’re at the store and evaluate your own performance?

Beware of claims that a mouthwash can loosen plaque. This is not accurate. Beware of any mouthwash that has alcohol. This is worth mentioning twice. Take care of your taste buds. If you are using a strong mouthwash, it can reduce your sense of taste.

These tips should help you choose the right mouthwash for your needs. Please contact Dr. Joel Martinez, Dr. Christopher Martinez, and Dr. Vanessa Martinez at our McAllen office with any specific questions!

You pay attention to what you eat. After all, your oral health depends on it. Without the necessary proteins, vitamins, and minerals in your diet, your teeth and gums will suffer. But did you know it’s a two-way street? Without healthy teeth and a healthy bite, your digestive system can suffer as well.

Because digestion doesn’t start in your stomach—it starts in your mouth! Let’s take a quick look at how the digestive system operates.

• Teeth

The first step in digesting is breaking down foods so your body can extract their nutrients more easily. Healthy teeth are essential here. Incisors and canines tear food into smaller pieces while molars grind these pieces into an easy-to-swallow, paste-like consistency. While we chew, the surface area of the food increases, allowing the digestive enzymes in saliva, the stomach, and the small intestine to work more efficiently.

• Salivary Glands

Saliva production increases when we eat. Digestive enzymes in saliva begin breaking down carbs into sugars, and separating fat molecules. Saliva also contains antimicrobial peptides which are important for oral and gut health.  

• Esophagus

This muscular tube connects the back of the throat to the stomach. As we swallow, muscles in the esophagus contract and relax, an involuntary movement called peristalsis. These contractions push food down into the stomach. Peristalsis also occurs in the stomach and intestines, efficiently moving food through the rest of the digestive system. 

• Stomach

Inside the stomach are gastric acids and enzymes which break food down further to help the small intestine make use of these nutrients in the next stage of digestion.

• Small Intestine

This organ works to reap the benefits of our healthy diets. The small intestine absorbs about 95% of the nutrients from our digested food—carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, and minerals—and transfers these nutrients to the circulatory system to be used throughout the body. Any remaining food particles travel to the colon, or large intestine.

• Large Intestine

Bacteria in the large intestine help process soluble fiber, which we can’t digest on our own. The large intestine is also where insoluble fiber and anything else undigested are converted to solid waste. 

Now, let’s look at how a malocclusion, or bad bite, can disrupt the digestive process.

In some cases, malocclusions are mild, and require little or no treatment. A more serious malocclusion, though, can impact the way the jaws fit together, making it difficult or impossible for the jaws and teeth to align correctly for efficient and comfortable chewing. What are some possible consequences?

• Uneven bite pressure

With a healthy bite, your teeth and jaws fit together properly to let you get the most out of your meal. When teeth and jaws don’t meet properly, it’s hard to chew food into the paste-like consistency necessary for rest of our system to process it smoothly.

• Reduction in digestive enzymes and peptides

Difficulty chewing means less chewing. Less chewing means less saliva, and your system won’t benefit from the digestive prep work and gut protection which saliva typically provides. 

• Uncomfortable swallowing

Insufficiently chewed food makes peristalsis in the throat and other digestive organs more difficult. Larger pieces of food can become stuck in the esophagus, causing painful swallowing or even choking.

• Higher risk of stomach problems

When food isn’t chewed thoroughly, the stomach has to work harder, and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux increases. Highly acidic gastric juices can back up into the esophagus and mouth, causing heartburn, chest pain, sore throat, and vomiting. 

• Bowel irritation

When food particles are too large, the small intestine must work harder to break them down and to absorb their nutrients. Insufficiently digested food can also upset the bacterial balance in the large intestine. These problems can cause indigestion, constipation, gas, and bloating.

• Changes in nutrition 

Orthodontic problems can also lead to nutritional imbalances even before we start to digest. Soft foods and liquids are often chosen over proteins, fruits, and vegetables when chewing pain is a regular occurrence. While a soft diet is fine for a few days if your mouth is a bit sore following an orthodontic or dental treatment, it can be difficult to get the all the nutrients your body needs when you only eat soft foods.

Orthodontic treatment has many well-known benefits. Straighter teeth. A comfortable, functional bite. Increased self-confidence. Let’s add one more benefit to that list—making sure your digestive system gets off to a great start!

The team at Joel Martinez, DDS in McAllen recommends an orthodontic evaluation for children around the age of seven, because finding malocclusions early makes it easier to correct them. But if you’re an adult, don’t settle for painful chewing and an increased risk of digestive problems. Talk to Dr. Joel Martinez, Dr. Christopher Martinez, and Dr. Vanessa Martinez to learn how orthodontic treatment can give you an attractive, functional smile. Your healthy smile—and your healthy body—will thank you!

It seems like the ads are everywhere these days—repair your enamel and reverse tooth decay with a tube of toothpaste! Are these claims too good to be true? Let’s dive into the science of tooth decay—how decay develops and how (and if!) it can be reversed.

Teeth can stand up to the powerful pressures of biting and chewing because over 95% of our enamel is made up of minerals. Calcium and phosphate ions in our teeth bond to form a crystal structure called hydroxyapatite. Because of the strength of this crystalline design, tooth enamel is the hardest substance in our bodies, even stronger than our bones. 

But bones, like most other parts of our bodies, are living tissue, which means that they can create new cells to replace old or damaged cells. Tooth enamel can’t regenerate new cells to repair itself. This means that when a cavity has made a hole in the tooth, the enamel can’t grow back. And, while enamel structure is very strong, it’s also vulnerable to damage—specifically, damage from acids. 

Our teeth are exposed to acids throughout the day, whether they are acids created by plaque bacteria or the acidic foods and drinks we consume. Acids dissolve mineral bonds, stripping calcium and phosphate minerals from the enamel and leaving weak spots in the tooth surface. This process is called demineralization. Demineralization is the first stage of tooth decay.

The good news? Our bodies are designed with a built-in defense mechanism to prevent demineralization from causing lasting damage. All through the day, saliva helps wash away acids in the mouth and bathes our teeth with new calcium and phosphate ions. These ions bond with the calcium and phosphate in our enamel, restoring enamel strength. This protective repair process is called remineralization. 

Now for the bad news. In the tug of war between demineralization and remineralization, saliva can only do so much. If your diet is heavy with acids, if you don’t brush away acid-producing plaque bacteria regularly, if you eat a lot of the sugars and starches which feed plaque bacteria, the remineralizing effects of saliva can’t keep up with the demineralizing effects of acids.

The first visible sign of demineralization is often a white spot on the tooth where minerals have been stripped from enamel. Studies have shown that enamel-strengthening toothpaste can be effective in this very first stage of tooth decay. Toothpastes which advertise enamel repair generally contain one or more of these ingredients:

• Calcium Phosphate
• Hydroxyapatite
• Fluoride 

Toothpastes with calcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite contain calcium and phosphate minerals, the building blocks of tooth enamel. Studies have suggested that these minerals can replace the calcium and phosphate ions stripped from enamel. These toothpastes may or may not contain fluoride, which is something you should discuss with your dentist before deciding on a specific toothpaste.

Fluoride toothpastes remineralize enamel—and more! Fluoride ions are attracted to the tooth’s surface, and, when fluoride ions join with the calcium and phosphate ions there, they form fluorapatite. Fluorapatite crystals are larger, stronger, and more resistant to acids than hydroxyapatite crystals. And, once bonded with tooth enamel, fluoride attracts the calcium and phosphate ions in saliva to remineralize the teeth more quickly. 

Why consider enamel-repair toothpaste? 

Once enamel is gone, it’s gone for good. If excess demineralization isn’t treated, a weak spot on the tooth surface will continue to erode, growing bigger and deeper until it becomes a hole in the enamel. This is a cavity, and your dentist will need to treat and repair your tooth to prevent the cavity from growing and potentially exposing the tooth’s pulp to bacteria and infection. 

If you wear braces, you want to be especially careful about excess demineralization. Because it can be hard to brush and floss effectively with braces, white spots and discolored patches are a common concern for those with braces, especially on the enamel around brackets.  

Talk to Dr. Joel Martinez, Dr. Christopher Martinez, and Dr. Vanessa Martinez at our McAllen office about which toothpastes can help restore a healthy balance between the ongoing cycles of demineralization and remineralization when you have braces. While tooth-repair toothpaste can’t fix cavities, these products can often strengthen demineralized enamel and reverse this earliest stage of tooth decay.

Many people who are careful about brushing and flossing their teeth wonder how they still end up with cavities or tooth decay. Several factors affect wear and tear on tooth enamel. Diet is a major factor, with certain foods increasing the likelihood that your enamel will become discolored or decayed. Pay close attention to the foods you eat to keep your pearly whites looking healthy and clean.

What causes enamel damage?

Tooth enamel refers to the hard, semi-translucent, whitish part of the tooth that shows above your gums. The enamel is primarily composed of minerals that are strong but susceptible to highly acidic foods. When acid reacts with the minerals in enamel, it results in tooth decay. Strongly pigmented foods can also damage enamel by discoloring the surface of the tooth.

Foods that harm enamel

Acidic foods are the greatest source of enamel damage. To determine whether a food is acidic, look up its pH. Scientists use pH, on a one-to-seven scale, to define the relative acidity or alkalinity of a substance. Foods with low pH levels, between a one and three, are high in acidity and may damage your enamel. Foods with high pH levels, such as a six or seven, are far less likely to cause enamel harm.

So which foods should you avoid? Many fruits are high in acidity, including lemons, grapefruit, strawberries, grapes, and apples. The high sugar and acid content in soda makes it another huge contributor to enamel decay. Moderately acidic foods include pineapple, oranges, tomatoes, cottage cheese, maple syrup, yogurt, raisins, pickles, and honey. The foods that are least likely to cause enamel damage include milk, most cheeses, eggs, and water.

Beverages such as red wine and coffee also damage the enamel by discoloring it. Although stains do not necessarily undermine the integrity of your teeth, they can be unsightly.

What can I do to prevent enamel damage?

Fortunately, there are several measures you can take to prevent your enamel from discoloring or decaying. The easiest way to avoid decay is to steer clear of high-acidity foods. This may not always be possible, but eliminating sugary fruit juices and soda from your diet is a good start. Brushing your teeth after each meal and flossing frequently also preserves your enamel. Another good idea is to rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash after eating to wash away high-acidity particles.

Although enamel damage is common, it does not have to be an inevitable occurrence. Knowing the foods that harm your teeth gives you the tools to prevent discoloration and decay. With some easy preventive measures, your teeth will stay strong and white for years to come! Give us a call at Joel Martinez, DDS to learn more!