What are the factors which cause excessive VSC to be produced?
Anything
that decreases the flow of saliva or stimulates the growth
of anaerobic bacteria.
Saliva
irrigates the mouth, stimulates swallowing thereby flushing
away debris. Morning breath occurs due to decreased salivary
flow during sleep. As saliva contains oxygen, the dryer
your mouth and the thicker your saliva, the less the
washing action and the lower the oxygen level creating a more
anaerobic environment for bacteria to produce sulfur compounds.
This oral stagnation is more pronounced in mouth breathers
and those who snore. Alcohol and even certain mouthwashes
containing alcohol can dry the oral tissues causing bacteria
to profilerate. Certain medications for high blood
pressure, antihistamines and depression can decrease saliva
flow. Dehydration and stress also reduces the
flow of saliva.
These
anaerobic bacteria breakdown proteins as the start
to digestion, and produce these sulfur compounds as a by-product.
These proteins come from oral cellular debris (poor
oral hygiene), dead bacteria, saliva, food debris, mucous,
post nasal drip and phlegm. Certain conditions cause these
bacteria to produce these VSC at an unusually rapid rate.
Types of foods may include dairy products especially if you
are lactose intolerant and certain foods high in protein.
Numerous antibiotics or sulfa-drugs upset the balance
of bacterial flora causing some to proliferate and others
to perish. An important factor in bacterial growth is the
pH of the mouth. Bacteria reproduce faster in a more acid
environment. Coffee and acidic foods increase acidity. Hormonal
changes have even been implicated with bad breath. During
menstruation, estrogen causes sloughing of body lining tissue
including that of the mouth. This gives additional nutrition
for anaerobic bacteria. Then their is the luck of the draw....your
genetics. We all have a different tongue morphology.
The more fissured the tongue, the greater the anaerobic environment
and the higher the level of VSC.
Products
currently available which claim to neutralize vsc include
Breath Remedy, BreathRx, CloSys11, Oxyfresh, Profresh and
Therabreath
These
products do not foam like regular toothpaste and do not contain
minty flavoring agents. They are bland tasting and some may
even find it unpleasant tasting, but they do appear to work.
Profresh is the only product that contains the active form
of chlorine dioxide. The others contain a stabilized form
of chlorine dioxide which needs an acidic environment to break
down to the active form. Some question their efficacy, while
others indicate that Profresh is overkill. Oxyfresh is the
only one that contains sodium laryl sulphate(a foaming agent-like
regular toothpaste) which some say may dry out the mouth.
There is inadequate research at this time to indicate any
product superiority and dentist.net recommends that you try
the different products until you find the one that work best
for you.
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There
are a number of different ways to whiten teeth. There are two
main choices. One is professional bleaching which requires
visiting a dentist and the second is over the counter whitening
i.e. buying it from a retail store.
The Dentist has 3 different ways to bleach teeth:
-
Chair side bleaching, which
involves getting your teeth, bleached in usually a single dental
visit.
-
Dentist
supervised at-home-whitening where the dentist takes moulds of your
teeth and fabricates custom-made bleaching trays, which you use at
home with a professional strength-bleaching agent.
-
Purchase
Professional strength Crest Whitening Strips. This is the same as
the strips you can buy in retail stores but it is a professional
strength and therefore more effective.
Chair side bleaching can be done in
two ways. The dentist uses a very strong bleaching agent alone or in
combination with a light/laser. With both, the dentist cleans your
teeth with a sandy, pumice-like material to remove plaque and cleans
the surface of the tooth. Then a peroxide-based gel is applied after
which a light may be applied to assist the whitening process. Some
gels are self-activating and others are activated and by the use of
a light. The laser does NOT whiten teeth. It merely activates the
bleaching gel and initiates the chemical reaction that produces the
whitening effect (the laser doesn't actually penetrate the teeth).
The procedure takes about an hour and a half and offers immediate
results, although it may take more than one session to achieve the
desired level of bleaching.
The at-home bleaching method
requires a visit to your dentist for an exam to make sure that you
don't have any cavities or cracks into which the bleaching solution
could leak and cause tooth damage, and to get fitted for a mouth
tray. You will fill the tray with a bleaching gel provided by your
dentist and wear the combination either overnight or hourly
depending on the strength of the bleach dispensed. The most
effective way to whiten teeth is to see a dentist.
There are over-the-counter
options available for tooth whitening. However, because they are
intended to be used in an unsupervised fashion, to avoid the
potential for serious damage to the teeth and gums the bleaching
agents they contain are significantly weaker than those that can
be obtained through a dental professional. Therefore, the
results you might expect from these products are significantly
limited as well. Without custom-made trays, the whitening mould
is large and uncomfortable. Also the whitening stuff is not
confined to the mould and tends to go everywhere. A recent
popular option are the crest whitening strips which maybe a
better option for those who don’t want to wear a cumbersome
mould.
No
matter which method you choose,
how white your teeth will get depends on what color they are to
begin with and the source of the discoloration. Brown or yellow
teeth (often the result of superficial staining caused by smoking,
coffee, and tea) will usually get four to five shades whiter. Gray
teeth (caused not by stains but by pigment deep inside the tooth)
will lighten less -- two to three shades at best. To determine the
initial color of your teeth, compare them to a sheet of bright white
computer paper held up to your mouth.
Chair side
bleaching is the fastest
but also the most expensive -- anywhere from $400 to $1,000 per
session -- and usually requires more than one session. Take-home
professional bleaching kits cost anywhere from $200 to $500, and can
be used on your own schedule. Over-the-counter options, as you might
expect, are the least expensive, but again, tend to have limited
effectiveness. The most common side effect of any of these
procedures is sensitivity to hot and cold, but that lasts only while
you are using the bleach and tends to persist for 1-2 days.
If there's little chance that
you'll remember to pop in a mouth tray every night, or if you are
impatient to see results, chair side bleaching may be a better
option for you. This method also allows the dentist to treat teeth
individually, which is ideal if you have veneers or teeth that vary
in shade.
With proper aftercare, whitened
teeth can stay bright for up to three and a half years. To keep your
smile bright as long as possible, try these easy tips:
-
Follow the "white teeth
diet" Drink white wine instead of red wine, cappuccino instead of
espresso, and grapefruit juice instead of cranberry juice.
-
Use ”whitening"
toothpaste with a mild abrasive (for example: Opalescence
Toothpaste, ZOOM Whitening Toothpaste and most of the
over-the-counter "Whitening Toothpastes" on a daily basis.
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Air
Abrasion
Instead of using a conventional drill, the dentist is able
to remove decay with a wand-like device that has a small
opening through which minute particles are sprayed in a thin
stream of air. As these particles bounce-off the tooth they
are collected by a large suction hose. These same particles
are commonly found in toothpaste and are harmless if
swallowed. Air abrasion is commonly used on children and small
shallow cavities. It emits a windy sound (unlike the noisy
drill) and in numerous situations no anesthesia is required.
You may however feel some coolness. Air Abrasion cannot be
used for extensive work like caps (crowns), removing old
silver fillings, and will require anesthesia if the decay is
deep.
Digital X-rays
Instead of the conventional x-ray film the dentist places a
x-ray sensor in your mouth. Attached to the sensor is a wire
connected to a computer (some systems are now cordless). The
same x-ray beam is directed at the sensor, which then sends
the image directly to the computer and onto the monitor. The
sensor is then repositioned to take another section of your
mouth. This allows the x-rays to be immediately viewed on a
monitor without having to wait for them to be chemically
developed. With the click of a mouse the size, sharpness,
color and contrast of the image can be altered for easier
viewing and diagnosis. This allows the dentist to enlarge the
actual x-ray image for better communication. The image is then
stored on the computer and can be retrieved at any time for
viewing, printing or even email. Besides saving time and being
more environmentally friendly (harsh developing chemicals) the
radiation exposure to you is reduced by approximately 60%.
However, bear in mind that the current digital image displayed
is still not as clear as conventional x-rays.
Power Whitening
This allows your dentist to whiten your teeth in one or two
hours using a concentrated whitening agent, which is thought
to be activated and intensified, by using a special beam of
light. This is very similar to the whitening offered by the
much-commercialized Britesmile Whitening Centers. The cost
averages around $500. Although the results are immediate, the
result differs between individuals and for maintenance it
should be followed up with the Take Home System. Power
whitening is for those who do not want to be bothered wearing
the bleaching trays. Keep in mind that whitening fades with
time (6 months to 2years) and the Home System gives you the
best value. Besides being less expensive ($150-$300) the home
system allows you to touch up the whitening every 6 months for
a night or two to keep them white. This consists of
custom-made trays, which holds the whitening against the tooth
either overnight or for an hour if you are using a stronger
percentage of bleach. If cost were not a factor, power
whitening followed up by the one-hour take home system would
be ideal. Recent research has shown that the use of light,
including that of the so called 'laser lights', to magnify the
bleaching process has made little difference to the whitening
process.
Intra-Oral Camera
This is a wand with a tiny camera lens at the tip. The dentist
positions it over the tooth and the image is then displayed on
a monitor. The image can then be stored as a pretreatment
record or printed. This provides an excellent tool not only to
show you those old, leaking, cracked fillings, which do not
hurt, but also to send along with your insurance claim to
secure payment.
Cosmetic Imaging
A picture is worth a thousand words. Using a Dental Imaging
system, the dentist photographs your teeth while smiling which
is then immediately viewed on a monitor. Together with your
dentist, you can alter the shape, color, length and
proportions of your teeth with the click of a mouse. By
graphically altering your teeth before beginning cosmetic
treatment gives you an idea of what your new smile could look
like. Be cautious as this an approximation. What changes are
done on the monitor may not exactly match what the dentist is
capable of creating. If the dentist does not have an imaging
system you can request a diagnostic wax-up. This is a stone
mould of your teeth which is cosmetically altered using tooth
colored wax. Before doing any cosmetic dentistry ask to see
some before-and-after photos of cases your dentist has
actually completed himself.
CAD / CAM
This is a sophisticated machine which is able to manufacture
your crown (cap) chair-side in a single dental appointment
without having to send it to a laboratory to have it
fabricated. This saves you having to wear a temporary cap for
2 weeks and makes a second dental visit to get it fitted
unnecessary. Using a 3-D camera the dentist freezes an image
of the prepared tooth on a computer. From the image the
computer designs the crown. The computer then send a signal to
a small milling machine which then cuts the cap from a solid
tooth colored ceramic block. The crown is then fitted and
bonded into place. It saves the dentist and you time but at
$75 000 only a few dentists in the USA have one. Some
opponents believe that the fit of these machined crowns are
not as accurate as the conventional laboratory method.
