Randall LaFrom, DDS COSMETIC AND GENERAL DENTISTRY (408) 996-8595 PH randy@club2000.com

PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY - Prevention of problems BEFORE they start.

This section will discuss methods of preventing mankind's most preventable disease... tooth decay!! We will also be discussing nutrition, routine check-ups and sealants for BOTH children and adults and the benefits of these. In addition to routine check-ups and placing sealants on the teeth, proper home care is critical. We can't undo in 2 to 4 visits per year what you can do to your mouth the other 361 days of the year!! So how does one determine which toothbrush is good, which toothpaste is good and what floss to buy or any other products to get in addition??? We know this is a problem for many people, and therefore, we have set up a separate section specifically for that. ORAL HYGIENE TOOLS.

Nutrition - One of the top contributing factors to tooth decay is processed sugars. We have found that often when we have a patient from another part of the world where there is a limited supply of refined sugars, that those patients rarely have any cavities! We always advise our patients to eat their sugar doses at once, rather than nibble on it just before bedtime, or throughout the day! Watch out for hard sticky candies that you might either suck on, or need to chew. Those are the candies that are eating away the surface of you teeth, that will start the ball rolling! What are the things that we eat that contribute the most to tooth decay? Soft drinks, coffee with sugar, sugary fruit drinks and acidic foods. Medicines that lower our saliva flow and smoking are two other major contributors to decay, because without saliva to dilute the acid attacks, the teeth will get decay quicker. Routine check-ups and cleanings- It is important to have your teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year and most patients can benefit from three or even four cleanings per year depending upon factors such as diet, smoking and coffee, medications, diabetes, heredity and home care. While we can't do much about heredity, we can do something about our diet and our home care. For more info on home care tips, see the preventive dentistry section below. Fluoride - Fluoride helps to increase the tooth's resistance to decay. It strengthens the outer layer of the tooth. Therefore, when the teeth are developing, we suggest fluoride treatments to our patients who could benefit from it. In patients who have sensitive teeth or frequent decay at the gumline, then fluoride has been known to help as well. In older patients we often find gumline decay which is both hard to prevent as it is to treat. Fluoride treatments have been shown to help minimize this when both professionally given as well as at home. Sealants- seal up the pits and fissures in the tops of the teeth, especially the molars and bicuspids which frequently have these deep developmental grooves that never fully seal and are susceptible to decay and bacteria. As shown on the left, the toothbrush can not access the groove to clean it, however the bacteria can easily drop in there and start to eat away at the tooth.

A toothbrush bristle can not get into the deeper grooves on a tooth. The back molars have these deep grooves where sugar and bacteria can hide.

LINKS TO PAGES OUTSIDE ON THE WEB: Oral-B has a patient Education Center that discusses cleaning and brushing and flossing. Flouride and Tooth Decay - brought to you by Proctor and Gamble. Importance of Regular Visits - Explains what we do in a typical exam and cleaning.