Dental Health Tips

Baby-Bottle Caries

How early can a person have tooth decay? The answer is, as soon as a person has teeth erupted.

This means an infant under the age of 1 can start having tooth decay. Tooth decay that happens in infants is called Early Childhood Caries. ECC is a severe problem that causes debilitating tooth destruction in infants and young children.

The prevalence of ECC is estimated to be as high as 90 percent in some Head Start populations. However, by following the guidelines developed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and by visiting a dentist for the first check-up by the child's first birthday, ECC can easily be prevented.

ECC is a specific form of severe decay found in the teeth of infants and toddlers who fall asleep with bottles of milk, juice or any sweetened liquid in their mouths. ECC is also known as baby-bottle tooth decay, nursing-bottle caries and milk-bottle syndrome. It is the only severe dental disease common in children under 3 years of age.

Bacteria, which are found in the mouth, convert sugar into acids. These acids destroy the enamel and dentin of the tooth. The flow of saliva in the mouth helps to wash acids from the tooth surface during the daytime. However, when an infant is asleep, the flow of saliva is significantly reduced, and this allows acids to pool on the tooth. This, coupled with the sugars found in juices, milk or other soft drinks, will lead to early cavities.

The top four front teeth are most affected by ECC, which appears as white chalky marks on the teeth due to decalcification by the acids. If these teeth are left untreated, unsightly and often painful cavities will develop.

Baby teeth are important to a child for chewing and biting food, making a good smile, and speaking. However, the most important function of baby teeth is that they are holding space in the mouth for upcoming permanent teeth.

The first baby tooth erupts around 6 to 8 months of age, and usually all 20 baby teeth are erupted by the age of 2 or 2-and-a-half. Early loss of baby teeth can cause blocked eruption, drifting, crooking and crowding of the permanent teeth.

A child who prematurely loses baby teeth will have a very high chance of needing braces in the future. If an abscess or infection occurs around baby teeth with ECC, it may affect the development of the underlying permanent teeth.

The best treatment for ECC is prevention. But teeth affected by ECC can still be treated if intervention is early and the underlying causes are stopped.

The following are guidelines, developed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, for preventing baby-bottle tooth decay:

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Don't allow a child to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juices or other sweet liquids.
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Comfort a child who wants a bottle between regular feedings or during naps with a bottle filled with cool water.
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Always make sure a child's pacifier is clean, and never dip a pacifier in a sweet liquid.
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Introduce children to a cup as they approach 1 year of age. Children should stop drinking from bottles soon after their first birthdays.
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See the dentist if any unusual red or swollen areas appear in a child's mouth, or any dark spot on a child's tooth.

Healthy adult teeth begin with healthy baby teeth. Knowing and following the AAPD guidelines, and visiting a dentist for the first check-up around the age of 1, are very important for preventing young children from getting ECC.

High Blood Pressure Tips

Tips to help you control your high blood pressure


If you have diabetes it is even more important to maintain your blood pressure at an acceptable level, which reduces long-term complications associated with this disease process. You should be receiving regular monitoring and advice from you GP/diabetic practitioner.

Aim for a healthy weight

Ideally try not to gain extra weight in the first place, if you have then try to lose the weight slowly, at about half to one pound a week until you reach a healthy target. This can be easier to achieve if you include exercise as well to burn off those unwanted calories and tone your body as you lose the weight.

If you are overweight or obese, carrying this extra weight increases your risk of high blood pressure because the heart has to work very hard to keep blood circulating efficiently.

Exercise - be active every day!

Even the simplest exercise will help; you can walk, dance, use the stairs, play sports, or do any activity you enjoy. For instance: get off the bus one or two stops early; park your car at the other end of the car park and walk; walk or cycle to the corner shop.

Eat more fruit and vegetables

Eating more fiber should help to stop you feeling hungry and less likely to pick at sweets, chocolate and crisps etc.

Stop/reduce smoking - smoking causes the blood to thicken

Not only does this make you more at risk of developing a dangerous blood clot but it makes the heart work harder in order to 'push' the blood around the system to provide oxygen and other important components.

Reduce your stress levels

Take time out for yourself each day to do something you like to do without feeling guilty. If there are any problems worrying you try talking them over with a friend, or someone you trust, this is often all that is needed to make you feel better. Also remember if you wear a smile, it will rub off on others. Try it and see!

Take medication correctly

If you have been prescribed medication from your GP to control your blood pressure, make sure that you take the medication correctly and visit your GP regularly for your blood pressure to be monitored effectively.

10 Tips and Technics for Better Eyes

Tips to reduce eyestrain

-Modify your workstation. Adjust your workstation and chair to the correct height.
Use proper lighting.

-Match the computer screen to the brightness of the environment. The contrast between the background and on-screen characters should be high.

-Minimise the glare. Use window shades, blinds or drapes to block excessive sunlight or install an anti-glare screen to minimise reflections.

-Take frequent breaks. Full-time computer users should take a 10 minute break every hour.

-Blink more often. Tears in the eye evaporate more rapidly during long non-blinking phases and cause dry eyes.

-Get an eye examination done.

-Re-focus your eyes. Look away from your computer screen every 10-15 minutes and focus for 5-10 seconds on a distant object.

-Exercise even when sitting. Move about or exercise frequently.

-Get sufficient sleep. Fatigue promotes eyestrain.