The human tongue is often referred to as the most powerful muscle in the body.  But your tongue is actually comprised of eight muscles working together as a multi-use tool.  Washington Irving once said, “The tongue is the only instrument that gets sharper with use.”  Both wars and romances have begun with words rolling off the tongue, and a healthy one helps us taste food, swallow, and talk.

Changes sometimes occur on the surface of the tongue that may leave you wondering what’s going on.  While discomfort characterizes some tongue conditions, many changes could go unnoticed without a quick inspection. When you visit Queen Anne Dental Group for care, we monitor the surfaces of your mouth for any alterations, including on and around your tongue. We can help you determine which ones reflect concerns requiring further evaluation or monitoring.

A healthy tongue is pink and covered with papillae:  small nodules with taste buds on top. The average person has about 10,000 of these projections, and they’re replaced every two weeks.  Many changes alter the papillae, although few are serious.  Let’s explore a few color shifts that you might notice on your tongue:

White Tongue

• Leukoplakia:  Cells of the tongue sometimes overgrow and produce a white film or patch, especially in areas of irritation. Tobacco is a well-known irritant along with ill-fitting dentures. Leukoplakia isn’t dangerous, but it can lead to cancer in some cases. This should be evaluated.
• Thrush:  Oral thrush, or candidiasis, is a yeast infection that can lead to excessive, thick white patches.  Babies and elderly patients sometimes get thrush, a condition that may thrive under dentures also. Diabetics, immune-compromised patients, or people using antibiotics may develop candidiasis. We can help if you’re dealing with thrush.
• Lichen Planus: This condition has an unclear cause, but it’s marked by raised white lines interlaced on your tongue. Sometimes eliminating certain foods or improving your oral home care will bring things back to normal.

Red Tongue

• Vitamin Deficiencies: The tongue may take on a generalized reddish appearance if you lack B-12 or folic acid.
• Scarlet Fever:  If you come down with a high fever and a red tongue, you need to see your doctor right away.  If you have Scarlet Fever, antibiotics are required.
• Geographic Tongue: If you notice red dots with meandering borders resembling a map, you may have this condition.  While it's benign, certain ointments can be prescribed if it results in any discomfort.

Black Hairy Tongue

• Remember the papillae mentioned earlier?  Sometimes they overgrow and become a haven for bacteria and stain.  Chemotherapy, diabetic, or antibiotic patients may also deal with black hairy tongue. While it doesn’t look pleasant and can contribute to bad breath, it rarely indicates a serious problem.  Usually better oral hygiene and tongue cleaning will take care of it, and our team can help you find a personalized strategy to deal with it.

Your tongue often reflects messages about your general health and deserves a regular inspection.  While cancerous changes are rare, it’s important that discolored or irregular areas are checked.  If you notice any of these changes, be sure to schedule an exam with us. By seeing us for your regular preventive visits, we’ll help monitor your teeth, gums, tongue, and mouth lining for optimal health!

You feel it coming on:  A spot in your mouth starts to burn or tingle, and you know what’s about to happen. By tomorrow you’ll have a nagging sore cratered into the lining of your cheek. Aphthous ulcers afflict 20% of the population, recurring intermittently and often without a distinct pattern. After a week or two, the pain disappears and your mouth feels whole again.

Aphthous ulcers are sometimes confused with cold sores, but they’re only related by their discomfort and proximity to each other.  Cold sores occur on the lips and surrounding skin as a result of the Herpes Simplex Virus.  Aphthous ulcers don’t have such a clear cause.  These lesions show up on movable tissue surfaces inside the mouth and may be difficult to pin to a single instigator.  We understand that the body’s immune system sends inflammatory cells into an area and destroys its own tissue, but what triggers the assault?

Where Do They Come From?

Mouth sores may show up one at a time or in groups spread across multiple areas.  Many patients feel frustrated by their inability to control these painful ulcers, but understanding possible causes may help you take steps to eliminate or reduce outbreaks.  Here are a few triggers to consider:

• Stress. If we started a list of all the maladies stress creates in our bodies, we’d need to buy a ream of paper to finish it.  Aphthous ulcers often erupt when we’re experiencing a high level of stress.
• Hormone Changes. Some women experience outbreaks before their period, while others are ulcer-free until after menopause.
• Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies.  Low levels of iron, vitamin B12, calcium, selenium, or folic acid are just a few nutrients linked to aphthous ulcers.
• Genetics. A lot of health conditions run in the genes, and mouth ulcers seem to be one to add to the list.
• Toothpaste.  Most toothpastes contain a foaming agent called sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). This ingredient is linked to mouth ulcers in some patients.  Sensitivity to mint flavoring may also lead to a similar problem.
• Systemic Diseases. Crohn’s Disease, Coeliac Disease, Reactive Arthritis, and Behcet’s Disease are a few conditions that might also include mouth sores.
• Medications.  Some people find that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, lead to mouth sores.  Beta-blockers, used to treat high blood pressure and certain heart conditions, along with chemotherapy agents, are also culprits.
• Foods.  When a sore shows up, consider certain foods in your diet in the previous 24 hours. Chocolate, coffee, spicy foods, peanuts, almonds, strawberries, cheese, and wheat flour are known initiators.

Most episodes of aphthous ulcers clear up and move on within a couple of weeks.  If you have a sore that doesn’t resolve within a month, it’s time to see the team at Queen Anne Dental Group. In these cases, a closer analysis of the area should be done. 

While identifying a cause may lead to a lifestyle adjustment that eliminates sores, many patients end up enduring the discomfort until they heal.  Here are a few tips to minimize the disruption:

• Be Gentle. Stay away from spicy or acidic foods during an outbreak.  Use a soft toothbrush and consider an SLS-free toothpaste for awhile.
• Numb It.  Grab a tube of a numbing or coating agent like Oragel, Kanka, or zilactin-B. Carry it in your pocket and apply as needed to cut the pain.
• Rinse.  You might try mixing ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup water, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt to create a rinse that disinfects and neutralizes sore spots. This mix is particularly useful if you’re suffering from multiple ulcers.  Rincinol PRN is a commercial rinse available at many retailers that draws strong reviews from users.
• Try Tea.  Some patients get relief by applying a damp tea bag to a mouth sore for a few minutes at a time.  You may also find that sipping licorice tea helps.
• Bump B-12.  A well-designed research project showed that patients taking 1000 mg of sublingual B-12 experienced a significant reduction in mouth ulcers and pain levels. Regardless of initial B12 blood levels, 74% of patients were ulcer-free after six months compared to 32% in the control group.  Definitely worth considering!
• Chat With Us.  If you’re dealing with mouth ulcers, talk to us the next time you’re in our office. We may be able to personalize our recommendations and offer other management suggestions.

At Queen Anne Dental Group, we want to help you find answers to every question you have about your dental health.  Aphthous ulcers frustrate many people, but sometimes just one tip contributes to reducing your pain.  We look forward to discussing all your concerns at your next visit!

Kids reach many milestones as they grow, including frequent visits from the tooth fairy. A series of developmental steps cause baby teeth to fall out and adult teeth to replace them. But sometimes adults lose permanent teeth from disease or trauma. Modern dentistry presents options for every unfortunate scenario, restoring full function and appearance. We enjoy techniques and materials today for tooth replacement not available in previous generations. Yet dental scientists continue their reach for new horizons and innovative possibilities.

Tufts School of Dental Medicine researchers are harvesting stem cells that grow new teeth and jaw bone. These “universal cells,” taken from inside healthy adult teeth, differentiate into tooth buds. But this intricate process of cellular differentiation only takes place under conditions that replicate an embryonic jaw. Growth hormones and nutrients must stimulate development at exactly the right times. As a result, new teeth won’t grow in a petri dish. They need a precise framework, one which the Tufts researchers continue to design.

Progress Continues

The Tuft’s team recently constructed a cellular matrix that allows successful implantation of a tooth bud into a pig’s jaw. Under their design, early adult-stage teeth develop within five months. But the transfer from pigs to humans requires significant advancements yet to come. Researchers project that humans won’t profit from these developments for another ten years. The exciting progress hints at options once believed to be impossible.

In the meantime, dental implants offer the closest alternative to growing new teeth. Titanium pieces placed into the jawbone mimic tooth roots that support life-like porcelain crowns. And research has brought major benefits to implant technology as well. Specialized coatings and modified designs help produce outstanding integration success, while 3D imaging technology allows precise planning of every case.

A Cavity Disappearing Act

Another intriguing frontier in dental research involves dental fillings that stimulate teeth to repair their own damage. Decayed parts of teeth usually are drilled out and restored with various materials. But researchers at Nottingham and Harvard University recently earned recognition from the Royal Society of Chemistry for their innovative approach.

These teams created a filling material that stimulates stem cells to grow dentin, the firm inner layer of every tooth.  They’ve also demonstrated the ability to regenerate the internal nerve and blood vessel center of teeth, the pulp. This part of the tooth usually undergoes root canal treatment when it's infected. Widespread regenerative procedures are a few years off. But these materials could revolutionize the treatment of some common dental problems.

"We are excited about the promise of therapeutic biomaterials for bringing regenerative medicine to restorative dentistry."

-Kyle Vining. Fellow, Harvard University

Stay Tuned!

Research keeps moving dentistry into fascinating new frontiers with solutions once considered impossible. Dental stem cells open doors to future procedures that will someday be commonplace. But you don’t have to wait for life-changing dentistry: Implants and biocompatible restorative materials now offer modern options for full function and beauty. The Queen Anne Dental Group constantly monitors our profession for developments that enhance your experience. We look forward to discussing the fascinating world of biomedical research in dentistry with you at future visits!

Do you ever wake up and feel like you’ve been sucking on a cotton ball? Or that you just crossed the Sahara Desert without taking enough water?  Everyone deals with a dry mouth occasionally.  At night, your saliva glands reduce their output and little moisture flows into your mouth.  Plus, mouth-breathing often dries you out a bit more.  But as you wake up, saliva glands start pumping the first of 50 ounces of daily fluid supporting the first step of digestion. Soon everything feels back to normal

But what if you’re amongst the 10% of the population that deals with persistent dry mouth, known as xerostomia?  No matter what you do, your mouth feels parched most of the time. Good saliva flow is easy to take for granted, until you no longer have it.  And for millions of people, the loss of mouth moisture is a serious quality-of-life issue. 

Saliva is 99.5% water, but it also contains a host of components that support your health. Key enzymes, suspended in a mucous matrix that lubricates the mouth, comprise the first step in digestion. And other enzymes that destroy bacteria join the complex environment supported by healthy salivary flow.  Electrolytes, along with specialized compounds like opiorphin, a pain-killing substance, help support a system that’s easy to take for granted when it works right. Furthermore, saliva helps buffer against acidity, a state that leaves teeth dangerously susceptible to rapid tooth decay.

Why Does This Happen?

Numerous causes lurk behind the scenes to hinder the reliable production of saliva. A few of the most common culprits to consider include:

• Medications:  Xerostomia is a frustrating side effect of nearly 500 medications! And frequently patients taking multiple prescriptions compound the problem even further. For many patients, this is a catch-22:  The medicine is necessary, but the side effects create other problems.
• Disease and Medical Conditions:  Dry mouth accompanies a range of conditions including Sjogren’s Syndrome, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and others.
• Cancer Treatment: Radiation to the head and neck area can damage salivary glands leading to a permanent reduction in production.  Some types of chemotherapy may alter moisture levels also.
• Nerve Damage:  Surgery or an injury to specific nerves may cause dry mouth.

If any of these possibilities could be behind your dry mouth problems, definitive solutions may be difficult to find.  However, there are a few tips that will help you reduce both the discomfort and risk associated with xerostomia.  Consider the following:

• Medication Changes:  It’s rarely a good idea to drop your prescribed medications to eliminate dry mouth problems.  And you certainly wouldn’t want to make changes without consulting your physician. But there may be useful alternatives to explore.  Be sure to talk it over with your doctor.
• New Medications:  While you’re talking to your doctor, you might explore the possibility of using a prescription that stimulates saliva production. They’re not for everyone, but ask for more information in regards to your situation.
• Drink Water:  Dry mouth or not, most of us don’t hydrate enough. Carry water with you everywhere and sip freely...all the time.
• Limit Alcohol and Caffeine:  When you’re parched, you don’t need any extra hindrance. Avoid these dehydrating products.
• Try Oracoat Xylimelts, saliva substitutes, or other products:  Xylimelts, placed in your cheek like a lifesaver, dissolve slowly and add moisture to your mouth. But DON’T use other types of candies! They can promote tooth decay, while Xylimelts protect against decay.

Many other tricks will help you adapt to the challenges of xerostomia. The Queen Anne Dental Group team will help customize solutions that increase your comfort and decrease your risk of dental problems associated with a dry mouth.

An eye-catching smile reflects warmth, trust, and friendliness unlike any other human characteristic.  Actors discover that a smile aids their careers, and mothers instinctively know their smile calms a fussy baby. This universal asset crosses every border and brightens faded photos from bygone eras.  That’s probably why teeth whitening tops the list of the most popular cosmetic services requested by patients from their dentist.  Up to 10 million people will purchase whitening products and services in the U.S. this year alone.

Along with reliable information on teeth whitening, some misconceptions exist.  While the best source of accurate information and quality product selection is your dentist, here are a few myths that need a quick look.

Myth 1:  Whitening Toothpastes and Rinses Will Do The Trick

On a crowded supermarket shelf, every product looks for a reason to stand out. As a result, many whitening toothpastes and rinses catch the consumer’s eye. While there’s nothing wrong with these products, they’re far too weak to produce a significant result.  Breakdown of stain doesn’t occur until after about 20 minutes of product contact with the teeth. If you rely on these products for a brighter smile, you’ll be waiting a long time to see a difference.

Myth 2: Gels Purchased Online Are The Same As Professional Gels

The quality of the gels used for whitening makes a significant difference in the outcome.  While all gels are created from a base of carbamide or hydrogen peroxide, their formulations and handling aren’t always equal. Gels are highly sensitive to temperature and deteriorate if not stored or transported properly, and expiration dates come and go quicker than with many products.  Dentists use products from highly-reputable sources with excellent quality control protocols in place.  Plus, the type and strength of gel used should be personalized for each patient for predictable results.

Myth 3:  Discolored Crowns and Fillings Whiten Just Like Teeth

Your smile should be evaluated for materials that won’t respond to whitening, including porcelain crowns and composite fillings.  If these teeth don’t show when you grin, then there’s little concern. But a porcelain crown centered in your smile won’t change color at all, often leaving a discolored tooth unchanged.  Yet whitening can be a valuable initial step to brighten your overall smile, followed by replacement of dark crowns and fillings with modern materials.  Be sure to discuss the desired result with Dr. Calvo and discover which areas will lighten...or not.

Myth 4:  Once Teeth Are Whitened, It Lasts Forever

Stain accumulates on the surfaces of the teeth exposed to many different foods and drinks.  Coffee, tea, chocolate, wine and tobacco top the list of yellowing agents that deposit color onto the enamel.  While professional whitening agents break down the barrier, new deposits begin to form immediately. But the enhanced color usually holds nicely for 1-2 years and may stay indefinitely with a simple maintenance routine.  A customized strategy to keep your smile bright can be designed with the Queen Anne Dental Group team.

Myth 5:  Whitening Gels Damage Your Teeth

Be careful with this one.  Studies confirm that whitening gels are safe when used in the proper formulations, exposure times, and methods.  Higher concentrations provide benefits in the right situations, but these formulas usually contain fluoride to protect tooth enamel. Poor fitting whitening trays sold as a one-size-fits-all design may lead to excessive tissue irritation. But custom trays ensure an ideal fit and less unnecessary exposure to the whitening ingredients.   Dr. Calvo chooses the highest-quality systems and prescribes a protocol that fits your particular situation.  This approach leads to extremely safe whitening with exceptional results.

Teeth whitening enriches your life by returning the brilliance to your smile, removing years of stain accumulation.  Feel free to discuss your options with our team to find a safe, effective method that fits you.  Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the 24/7 benefits of a brighter smile!

In 1992, author John Gray wrote a book declaring Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. Selling 50 million copies, the publication spent 121 weeks on the bestseller list and became a key theme in American pop culture. Researchers have since shown that the catchy metaphor applies to smiles, too. When women see a nice smile, they’re inclined to believe it indicates a warm personality. Men look at the same smile and perceive success.

Regardless of the measure or those measuring it, your smile matters.  A gorgeous smile connects with those around us and facilitates social and career success in our lives. But sometimes a pleasant smile starts to lose its shine.  Teeth begin to dull, yellowing slowly from exposure to intense food pigments called chromogens.  Commonly found in coffee, tea, and wine, chromogens attach to the white outer enamel of your teeth.

Tar and nicotine are two of the many chemicals found in tobacco that discolor teeth.  While tar is dark, colorless nicotine changes to a yellow stain once it mixes with oxygen.  A potent discoloring mix forms with other food and beverage compounds and embeds into the enamel.  Along with natural aging that thins out enamel or a history of exposure to certain medications, a smile may lose its influence for many reasons.

A Bright Return

But returning brilliance to a smile is simple, fast, and safe. Professional whitening methods may remove years of unpleasant color and release the many benefits of a terrific smile. In-office and take-home tray systems offer the most efficient ways to break down color compounds.  But choosing the right approach and proper formulation for your teeth should be determined with the teeth whitening experts at Queen Anne Dental Group.  Guidance through a whitening program makes the all the difference in the outcome.

Various factors need a little consideration before starting a whitening program.  And you may be surprised to find some teeth respond to whitening and others prove more resistant. For example, porcelain teeth won’t respond to traditional whitening and should be evaluated to consider their role in your smile. That doesn’t mean we can’t find a solution that works for your teeth.  We specialize in bringing everyone’s smile to another level!

The Professional Advantage

Although teeth whitening gels are based on one of two general formulas, you’ll find significant differences in quality and strength.  We only use professional gels from reputable manufacturers, designed to be safe and non-toxic.  In addition, all gels are extremely sensitive to temperature and must be transported and stored correctly. If mishandled, even the best products will deteriorate rapidly and lose their ability to whiten your teeth. If they do, you end up wasting time and money.  We only use products from established companies with proven quality control measures in place.

Teeth whitening lifts years of unpleasant stain from your teeth and brings out the best of your natural beauty.  Or maybe you’ll find an underlying brilliance that you never knew existed!  We’d love to chat with you about your options for bringing your smile to life. Give us a call at Queen Anne Dental Group to discover the magic of professional teeth whitening.