Our dentist knows for sure, or does he/she?
At some point in life we all end up in the dentist’s office. Many of us made the bulk of our dental visits during our childhood years. As children sitting in the dental chair we were often told the actual cause for cavities and tooth problems were poor nutritional choices, with the culprit most often being identified as sweets. I vividly remember one particular visit to the dentist as the most embarrassing. Emerging from his office my pre-molar teeth were all black. I was mortified of course, but the dentist insisted it was the only way to prevent further damage. However, as I later learned, the truth was not that my teeth were being damaged by sweets, but by a lack of fluoridation in the water system that supplied water to the area where we lived.
But patients should be aware that cavities can occur even with regularly scheduled dental care, and dentists are not always able to help them avoid poor oral care. A recent study in the United Kingdom showed that even the teeth of children who frequently went to the dentist fell prey to the oral bacteria that cause cavities. A research team interviewed over one hundred dentists from four different areas of the UK and found, to their surprise, that the advice dentists give to patients varies, which could be a possible cause for the overall decline in oral health.
While 50% of the dentists surveyed advised their patients to abstain from sugary foods and drinks and to brush their teeth on a regular basis, they failed to suggest alternatives such as adding fluoridation to a daily regimen of oral health care. Curiously, the mere mention of fluoridation can spark a debate among dental professionals. Some dentists believe that the use of fluoride is detrimental to humans, and they harbor personal objections regarding “mass fluoridation.” Interestingly enough, the people who are in the best position to impact oral health do not seem to know enough to be able to educate their own patients. So they continue to tell patients young and old to stay away from candy and brush their teeth everyday. The next time you find yourself sitting in the chair with the bright light in your eyes, and someone is digging around in your mouth with a dental instrument, ask them what they think about fluoride and see what kind of response you get.
Posted by Mike
posted by PWH @ 4:06 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
You raise some interesting points. It is interesting to think about whether it is ethical for dentists avoid telling their patients something if they, personally, don't agree with it.
Also, I would imagine there is a strong link between cavities and genetics. Perhaps this is why people who visit dentists often, brush their teeth, floss, and use listerine could still be very well prone to tooth decay.
Course ID: tokard7
Nice descriptions of a dentist's office. You were right to the point, but maybe you could mention why and how flouride is so important to one's teeth. What does flouride have that other compounds don't? Good job overall!
As a self-proclaimed "tooth-person," I found the points raised in this post particularly interesting. Dentists do tend to reiterate the importance of avoiding sweets to maintain a healthy set of teeth, but I think they should be clear that other things (besides what most Americans tend to think of as 'sugary') can certainly lead to cavities. For instance, not everyone knows that salivary amylase is actively working in your mouth to begin breaking down carbohydrates into simple sugars. So, after eating that cracker, pretzel, bread stick, etc. most people may not feel the immediate need to clean their teeth. However, if they understood that those little pieces of carbohydrate that are stuck in their molars are rapidly turning into sugar in their mouths, they may think twice. Dentists should avoid demonizing all things sweet, and should be more clear about just what is going on in the mouth, and how many non-sugary things can be broken down into sugar. Brushing is key, sweets or not.
As far as the fluoride debate is concerned, it'd be interesting to look at a few studies regarding how this procedure (or lack thereof) has affected dental health in the long run. I think it's still unclear to the public: Should our kids get extra fluoride, or not? What are the pros and cons?
I find this post to be interesting and relevant to everyday life. Up until freshman year of high school I received fluoride treatments when I went to the dentist, and I have only gotten two cavities. In my experience Fluoride helped to strengthen my teeth, but my strong enamel could also be attributed to my low-sugar diet, or heredity. What are some of the arguments against fluoride, how is it detrimental to humans? What are some of the arguments supporting the use of fluoride? Did you find any statistics for the use of fluoride and its negative and/or positive impacts? How does Fluoride compare with other methods for maintaining oral health?
Morgan Lindemayer
lindema7
As an undergrad seeking further education in the dental field, i found this article rather interesting. I liked how you brought in the personal story in the beginning, showing that anyone can be affected by this dental problem. I also enjoyed how you turned the artical to the reader at the end, telling us to question our dentist.
However, I do have a few comments that you may or may not take into consideration. In the last paragraph the way you wrote about staying away from sweets and brushing your teeth makes it sound like you can eat all the candy you want and not brush your teeth...and your teeth will not be affected. If it is possible include that..."although it is also important to stay away from sweets and brush your teeth daily...this alone will not completely eliminate cavities." or something along these lines.
Also, are there any statistics that can be posted on the patient level? Like are there numbers showing flouridation in the water of various places and how it affects peoples teeth. Also, not enough flouridation has been proven to be bad, but is too much also bad?
I think this is a very interesting topic you choose, obviously out of some bad, personal experience; however, I like that it is a topic that a lot of us have experienced before or at least can relate to in some way. I do wish you would have gone a little more into the tedious definitions, maybe said a little background information on just exactly what Fluoridation is and how it prevents tooth decay. Also, maybe equally display both sides, state why you believe Fluoridation is so important, but also don’t hide the other side, state way many dentists believe it is unsafe –and let the reader decide for themselves how they feel about it.
After reading this article, I agree that doctors should inform their patients of different methods of preventing cavities, and not just the ones they agree with. Also in general, I think it is important for doctors to educate their patients about these different practices because some might be more helpful than others.
rufoa6
I found this blog to be particularly interesting because during my childhood years I was in and out of the dentists office more often than I wanted to be. The majority of my visits to the dentists office ended up with me being treated for cavities. My dentist never really discussed how fluoride could help keep me from getting cavities. On the other hand my younger brother has been taking fluoride tablets prescribed by his dentist since he was little and has had only one cavity, yet he eats sweets all day long.
I find this topic to be very interesting and would like to know just how much of an importance fluoride plays in keeping cavities away.
I think all dentists should discuss this with their patients whether they agree with it or not. They should leave it up to the patient to decide whether they want to try using fluoride more on a daily basis. I enjoyed reading your blog and found it to be very interesting.
Barbara Torres
Course ID: torresb5
When I missed a dentist appointment at the age of 18 my mother stopped scheduling them for me. It was almost two years since I had been back to the dentist office and boy did they let me have it. Nonetheless, they had nothing negative to say about the condition of my teeth, save for the need of the wisdoms to be removed.
As a big fan of oral hygiene, I feel there is no need to go the dentist once healthy brushing, flossing, and mouth washing habits are established. You can always find me with a toothbrush in my mouth or smiling in front of the mirror, proud of the products of my efforts. My mouth has been void of cavities for my entire life.
I am not really sure of the flouride content of the drinking water of my home town or at UMass, but I believe with or without flouride, there is no reason that anyone should get cavities. It is not that difficult to keep your mouth clean, plus it makes you feel better. After I brush my teeth, I feel refreshed, invigorated, lively and full of spark! I feel ready to take on the day.
course ID: grinste6
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