Education

Nursing-Bottle Syndrome

Nursing Bottle Syndrome is a condition which is caused when babies and toddlers are allowed to go to sleep sucking a bottle of milk or juice. When a baby is put to bed with a bottle containing anything other than water, a destructive oral environment is created.

The juice or milk bathes the teeth and gums for hours, leaving a residue of plaque and debris. This is an open invitation for decay. This same oral environment exists when a baby has a bottle containing something other than water during the day as well.

Plaque can accumulate on your baby's gums. This can cause irritation, especially when teething begins. Dental hygiene should begin even before your baby's first teeth start to come up. Clean your baby's mouth with gauze pads. That way, you can be assured that when the teeth do come in, they will be in a plaque-free environment.

You should continue to clean the newly erupted teeth with gauze pads until the child is eating solid food - at which time a soft-bristled toothbrush should be used. If you stop by the office, we will provide you with one.

TMJ (Temporomandibular joint)

The seemingly simple act of opening and closing your mouth is actually quite complicated. Five pairs of muscles make opening, closing, forward, backward, and side-to-side movements of the lower jaw possible. When these muscles are imbalanced, the jaw joints can go out of alignment. TMJ problems can then develop.

The symptoms of a TMJ disorder can often be misleading. So much so, that some people experiencing TMJ problems mistakenly consult a variety of specialists to alleviate head, neck, back or ear pains. Here's a list of some of the symptoms associated with a TMJ disorder:

• Facial pain
• Ear pain, sometimes with ringing sounds and/or dizziness
• Jaw locking open or closed
• Clicking or popping noises when opening or closing the mouth
• Difficulty moving the mouth freely
• Headaches
• Bite that feels uncomfortable
• Neck, back and shoulder aches
• Swelling on the side of the face
• Toothaches without apparent cause

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should contact your dental professional right away to see if the problem is TMJ related.

Understanding a Toothache

Toothaches can be the result of many factors. The dental origin of toothaches can include cavities, an abscess (infection around the tooth or gum), debris trapped between the teeth or gums, or trauma to the face or teeth.

Sometimes a toothache can result from a medical condition and not have a dental origin. Most common medical conditions that can cause a toothache are sinusitis or an ear infection. Other conditions such as cancers, TMJ, or angina could also be the cause of the toothache. If left unchecked, a more serious and even life threatening condition may result.

Symptoms of a toothache are:

• A throbbing sensation that can either be sporadic or continuous.
• An ache that intensifies while eating, chewing or drinking cold and/or hot liquids.
• Pain that increases when you lie down.

Any pain in a tooth or gums, whether a dull throbbing or sharp ache should be brought to your dentist's attention.

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