MIND THE GAP

Young children can become upset and self-conscious about a gap between their upper front teeth. However, there usually is no reason for concern because during tooth eruption, it is normal for a diastema, or gap, to appear.

Nearly every 5-year old has a diastema. Half of all 8-year olds will have a diastema. At this age the permanent “eye-teeth” start pushing against the roots of the permanent central incisors and move them apart. The eye teeth complete their eruption when your child is about 12-years old, letting the teeth naturally snuggle up next to each other.

However, sometimes teeth do not develop normally. An abnormal diastema can cause speech problems and poor chewing function as well as affect your child’s self-esteem and social behavior.

There can be several reasons why the diastema appears, including:

1.    •an oversized frenum, the flap of tissue that connects the upper lip to the gums.

2.    •a habit such as pushing the tongue against the front teeth.

3.    •a hormone imbalance that makes the jaw grow larger, but the teeth are normal size.

If the diastema does not close on its own, we can consider several treatment options such as doing nothing, fitting braces, adding veneers (thin porcelain shells that cover the fronts of the teeth), bonding (placing tooth-colored material between the teeth) or creating crowns or a bridge.

It’s important that we regularly examine your child’s developing teeth to prevent dental problems later in life because everyone’s teeth are meant to last a lifetime.

HOT AND DRY

Have you ever had ‘cotton mouth’? Everyone occasionally has a dry, sticky feeling in their mouth because of heat or a reaction to food but when your mouth is chronically dry, it’s a serious problem. When you notice a dry mouth, it’s a condition called xerostomia (zero-stow-me-uh) and may be only noticeable after you've lost about 60% of your saliva.
Xerostomia refers to a sensation of a dry mouth and can be caused by many different factors including over 400 different medications. A constantly dry mouth isn't just annoying but makes it difficult to speak, chew and swallow foods and prevents you from maintaining proper nutrition.
Without that protective saliva, your mouth becomes a bacteria playground. If left untreated, xerostomia can result in tooth decay and gum disease, painful oral ulcers or a rampant yeast infection.
There are a few things that you can do to treat the symptoms of xerostomia. There are over-the-counter and prescription products and saliva substitutes that may help alleviate symptoms. They are available in sprays, toothpaste, lozenges, gels, chewing gum and liquids.

Another way is to avoid the things that cause dry mouth. Dental products that contain drying ingredients like alcohol or sodium laurel sulfate can exacerbate the existing problem. Other steps include stopping smoking and the drinking alcoholic beverages, consulting your physician about changing medications as well as reducing stress and anxiety.
If you are experiencing chronic dry-mouth, it is also important to have more frequent dental check-ups so that we can closely monitor the condition. If you are concerned about xerostomia, call and make an appointment, and bring a current list of medications with you to your check-up.

BETWEEN CHEEK & GUM

Just a pinch between your cheek and gum can cause a condition called leukoplakia. Leukoplakia is a white or gray patch of thick and slightly raised soft tissue that usually appears on the tongue, gums or the inside of the cheek.
Tobacco users who hold a wad of tobacco in the mouth for long periods of time or smoke a pipe are at high risk of developing leukoplakia. It can take weeks or months for the patch to develop. Although it is painless, it might become sensitive when touched or to hot and spicy foods.
Fortunately, the condition usually resolves itself when the irritation is removed; however, sometimes, we must perform surgery to remove the patch. Leukoplakia can progress into oral cancer or remain as a pre-cancerous lesion if left unchecked.

Non-tobacco users aren’t off the hook for leukoplakia though. Along with smoked or smokeless tobacco, leukoplakia can result from other irritation caused by a broken tooth; a poorly fitting denture; rough spots on a filling, crown or tooth and chewing the inside of your cheek.
Identifying conditions such as leukoplakia when they are in their early stage is very important, which is one reason why we recommend bi-yearly dental check-ups. However, you should see us immediately if you have something out of the ordinary in your mouth. The earlier we make a diagnosis, the quicker we can restore your health.

A HARD ITCH TO SCRATCH

tongue It itches; it flakes, and it‘s unwelcome. Psoriasis is an auto-immune inflammatory condition that runs in families. It could be running across your mouth as well. Recently made notable by Kim Kardashian, psoriasis only affects about three percent of the world population. If you’re in that three percent and develop it, especially in your mouth, it can be annoying at best and scary at worst. An equal opportunity disorder, it affects men and women equally and often doesn’t show up until a person is in their 20s or 30s.

While we primarily think of psoriasis as a dry skin condition, it can appear anywhere in the moist oral cavity. Commonly seen on the top of the tongue, it resembles the inflammatory condition known as geographic tongue, which consists of bare patches outlined by a thin white or yellow line, like outlining the continents on the globe.

On the cheek, lip, gums, palate or floor of the mouth, oral psoriasis can be irregularly-shaped, flat or raised, red or white patches or even ulcers. It’s no surprise that if you have psoriasis in your mouth you probably have it on other parts of your body. The exact cause is unknown. There are several likely factors, such as stress, trauma or infection. The episodes come and go, and some episodes are more severe than others.exam

It is fairly easy to diagnose, especially when we have your complete family medical history. We might need to take a biopsy to rule out other conditions. The good news is that oral psoriasis is not cancer, nor does it permanently damage your oral tissues. It usually goes away on its own without treatment. Most importantly, anytime you notice something unusual in your mouth, please see us immediately so we can check it out.