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Regularly brushing and flossing your teeth are essential for good dental health. Your teeth stay white, your breath smells great, and most importantly it helps prevent any major dental issues down the road.

When it comes to brushing your teeth, you have two options: regular or electric toothbrush. If you visit the website of any electric toothbrush manufacturer, they claim that the electric toothbrush is superior in many departments. Take what you read with a grain of salt because they’re obviously trying to sell their own product.

We’re going to look at the pros and cons of both electric and traditional toothbrushes and come to a conclusion as to which one is superior.

Regular Toothbrush

For thousands of years prior to the invention of the modern toothbrush in the 1930’s, people “brushed” their teeth using a rough cloth and water. Sometimes they’d rub salt and/or chalk across their teeth in order to get rid of the grime. Instead of toothpaste, they’d use the ashes of burned eggshells and ox hooves – which probably didn’t leave a very minty-fresh aftertaste in their mouths.

Since the 1930’s hundreds of millions of people have used the regular toothbrush to clean their teeth. Over time the standard toothbrush has gone from pig and horse hair to synthetic fibers that are designed to gently clean your teeth without damaging them.

Different Types & Sizes

Not all toothbrushes are created equal. There are two general kinds of manual toothbrushes that are designed to perform a specific function:

Conventional – A conventional toothbrush is either rectangular or heptagon (7 sided) in shape. It’s the most basic form of a toothbrush and is used by a large number of people.

Diamond shape – The tip of the head of this brush is much narrower than a conventional one. This allows for quick and easy access to the back teeth.

The average toothbrush comes in assorted sizes as well. There are sizes specifically designed for infants zero to two years old, children two to twelve years old, and a one-size-fits-all for anyone 12 years and older.

The bristle pattern can also differ. Toothbrushes come in:

• Block - bristles arranged like a square block
• Wavy or V-shape – bristles arranged in a v-shape patter
• Multilevel trim – bristles are arranged in a trimmed multilevel pattern
• Criss-cross – bristles are arranged in a criss-cross pattern
• Polishing-cup – there is a polishing cup made of bristles in the center.

The manufacturers of all of these types of toothbrushes claim they are superior for plaque removal, allowing easier access to difficult-to-clean areas and even the ability to clean surface stains (such as coffee or tobacco) effectively.

Pros of a Manual Toothbrush

With all the various shapes, sizes, and designs of a toothbrush, what are the pros of using a manual toothbrush?

• With a proper brushing technique, you can thoroughly clean your teeth. A good brushing takes around 2 minutes with a good toothbrush.
• You have multiple styles, colors, bristles, and heads to choose from.
• Easy to travel with. Doesn’t take up much room in your suitcase or day bag.
• No bulky charging device or having to replace batteries.
• Inexpensive

Cons of a Manual Toothbrush

• It’s going to require more work to perform the same effective cleaning as an electric toothbrush would. All fine and dandy, but think about the last time you were completely tired when you brushed your teeth. Do you think you did a thorough job in your sleepy state of mind?
• Timing Guesswork. Unless you set a timer, which most people don’t, you’re going to have to guess when the suggested 2-minute mark is up. If you’re not brushing your teeth for 2 solid minutes, then you’re not cleaning them as best they should be.
• Over brushing. You can easily apply too much pressure when manually brushing your teeth. This is just as bad as not brushing your teeth at all – maybe even worse. By applying too much pressure with a manual toothbrush, you’re essentially wearing down the enamel on your teeth which can lead to severe dental issues later down the road.

Electric Toothbrush

Electric toothbrushes come in many shapes and sizes. We’re not going to recommend one brand over another in this article. If you perform the proper research, you will find a brand that suits your lifestyle and oral requirements the best.

As the name states, electric toothbrushes operate on electricity – whether they are plugged into the wall or operate on battery power. There is a computer chip inside them that is pre-programmed with the optimal brushing patterns and a time limit that’s agreed upon by dental experts.

Why buy an electric toothbrush over a manual one?

Electric toothbrushes are more efficient and can give you peace of mind that you’re being 100% thorough in brushing your teeth on a daily basis. These kinds of brushes are recommended by dentists for patients who have poor brushing skills or who aren’t 100% vigilant in making sure they’re using proper brushing techniques (and time limits) when using a manual toothbrush.

Many people could stand to benefit from using an electric toothbrush. Think of how many times you were brushing your teeth at night and basically “phoned it in”. You could have done a real shoddy job, but were so tired or pre-occupied with something else that you either didn’t realize it or just shrugged it off. Every once in a while, and it doesn’t matter, but over time it can add up. And most of us are poor at keeping track of nights when we didn’t brush as good as we should have.

Pros of an Electric Toothbrush

• Better plaque removal – According to a study performed in 2005, “Brushes that worked with a rotation oscillation action removed more plaque and reduced gingivitis more effectively than manual brushes in the short and long term... No other powered brush designs were consistently superior...” The human hand cannot perform as efficient and good of job removing plaque than the oscillating head of an electric toothbrush.
• Easier to use – Simply grab it, push the power button and let the pre-programmed toothbrush run its course. Once it’s done, it will automatically shut off and you can then rinse your mouth with a piece of mind knowing that your teeth have been thoroughly brushed.
• Technology – Some of the newer electric toothbrushes on the market incorporate such advanced technology features such as pressure signals to indicate when you’re brushing too hard, multiple brush heads for various kinds of teeth, pulsating/oscillating, cupping and sonic technologies that help remove plaque and food 10x better than any manual brushing could.

Cons of an Electric Toothbrush

• If it’s battery operated, you will need to change out the batteries every so often.
• Electric toothbrushes cost more than a standard toothbrush you can buy at the local drugstore – however, due to the superior teeth cleaning the electric toothbrush will perform on a daily/nightly basis, you could be preventing a major – and expensive dental issue years down the road. In short, it could pay for itself ten-fold over the course of a few years.
• Easy to break – if you drop your manual toothbrush, oh well. Run out and spend $5 at the local drugstore. If you drop your electric toothbrush, there is a chance it could break beyond repair.

Manual or Electric?

If you’re like most people out there, you would stand to benefit from switching from a manual toothbrush over to an electric one. Unless you’re 110% vigilant and conscious of perfectly brushing your teeth (with utmost care and precision) in the morning and nights, you would get a much better cleaning if you were to use an electric toothbrush.

The pros of an electric toothbrush far outweigh the cons. Yes, it does cost more than a manual toothbrush, but if it saves you just one cavity or prevents gingivitis from occurring (due to its superior cleaning power), then you’re way ahead of the game. The heavy cost of filling in one cavity, or having a tooth extraction far outweigh the initial cost of an electric toothbrush.

Water Tower Dental Care is pleased to announce that we’re offering Botox solutions to help with certain dental issues.

You read that right: Botox for dental issues.

For many years, people have associated Botox with plastic surgeons and the removal of wrinkles and fine lines from the face. What many people don’t know is that Botox has been medically approved for many different therapeutic uses, including dentistry.

Botox is a neurotoxin otherwise known as “bacterium clostridium botulinm”. Basically, it’s a naturally occurring toxin that has been rendered completely safe to use on human beings. In plastic surgery applications, the botulinm toxin paralyzes muscles and wrinkles, thereby removing them and giving the face a more youthful appearance.

For dental applications, Botox has been shown to give very promising results in managing certain dental conditions such as TMJ, gummy smiles, and headaches. Many aesthetic dental conditions can also be treated.

Here are just some of the conditions that our new Botox application can help treat:

Gummy Smiles

For those people whose gums show rather prominently when they smile, Botox can help treat this embarrassing issue. It is injected into the upper lip so that it covers your gums when you smile. The entire process takes around 20 minutes and does not require any recovery time. The best part of this procedure is that it doesn’t take many vials of Botox, so the cost is rather low.

Gummy smiles in and of themselves do not indicate that something is medically wrong. The main reason people look to get them treated is because a gummy smile has been linked to low self-confidence, and detrimental effects upon a person’s social and professional life.

There are no side effects from this procedure. It can take up to 7 days for the full results to appear. This is due to how Botox works – it takes time for it to work itself completely into the muscles and relax them.

TMJ Issues

For those people who suffer from TMJ issues, Botox can help relieve the pain. The dentist will inject Botox directly into the chewing muscles to relax them. This helps soften the pain that people with TMJ experience. Only the muscles that cause TMJ will be injected – no other part of your body will be affected by the Botox.

The headaches associated with TMJ are also relieve in many patients. If you suffer from severe stress, Botox can even help minimize lock jaw. It can also relieve soreness and discomfort caused by facial muscles as well as relieve jaw tension for many patients.

The only downside is that most insurance companies will not cover Botox for TMJ issues. However, this could change in the future as Botox has been medically shown to help prevent damage to the teeth and gums that is caused by excessive jaw grinding.

Headaches/Neck Pain

Botox has also been found to help relieve the pain from migraine headaches and muscle pains in the neck area. Some people who suffer from TMJ also suffer from migraines, headaches, and neck pains. This procedure consists of 31 injections in 7 key areas. This may sound like a lot, but the results are well worth it. The FDA has approved Botox to reduce or completely eliminate headaches and migraines.

Since Botox works on muscles, it’s very important for you/the dentist to figure out exactly what the source of the pain is. This way they can treat the right muscles that are causing the pain.

Botox can also be used as a diagnostic tool. If the pain still persists after Botox is administered, then most likely the muscles that were treated are not the original source of the pain. In this case your dentist can investigate other potential causes or areas of concern.

Cosmetic Purposes

Botox is also used for smoothing out wrinkles on the face. It can shave anywhere from 5-10 years off a person’s face. Generally speaking, men sometimes need more Botox than women when it comes to removing wrinkles from the face. This is because men tend to have more wrinkles and “age lines” than women do. As such the cost for a male will sometimes be slightly higher than a female.

It can also help remove or lessen the crow’s feet that appear around the eyes. Wrinkles on the jowls and forehead also disappear when injected.

Botox for Dental Issues in Chicago

At Water Tower Dental Care, we have the latest and greatest dental technology that is designed to help you look and feel your very best. Our doctors are highly trained and skilled in the usage and application of Botox for your dental issues.

The entire process takes a short period of time, and there are no associated risks. Due to the nature of how Botox works, it can take several days to a week or so before you will notice the full results.

Give us a call at (312) 787-2131 or schedule an appointment to learn more about how Botox can help improve the quality of your life by treating certain dental issues that you may suffer from!

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) reports that 69% of adults from age 35-44 have lost at least one tooth due to decay, bad root canal, gum disease or accident. This accounts for the annual 100k-300k dental implant procedures performed every year.

With so many Americans missing at least one permanent tooth in their mouth, it’s no wonder that many people are interested in getting an implant. The problem with implants is that not everyone can afford them, so they sometimes turn to the next best thing: dentures.

Dentures

Dentures are removeable teeth that are placed inside your mouth. They are made by dental laboratories from impressions of your mouth taken by your dentist. They fit over your gums and the base of the upper denture covers the roof of your mouth. The lower one is shaped like a horseshoe so that your tongue can rest comfortably.

The look, feel, and installation of dentures have come a long way since George Washington wooden dentures days. However, it still doesn’t mean they have been perfected. Teeth were not meant to be removed from the mouth, and as such dentures go against what our bodies want most: to keep our teeth permanently in our mouths.

Healing Time

Overall healing time can take upwards of several months – due in whole to the dentist having to remove all your teeth. After the tissue in your mouth has healed, then you can receive your dentures. As time goes by, the shape of your gums could change, and this will result in the need to have new dentures created.

Complications

Many people who get dentures don’t realize that there can be complications after the fact. For example, dentures can move inside your mouth, especially when you eat or talk. Food can get caught underneath and special care needs to be taken with brushing, flossing, and hygiene. The jawbone itself can atrophy due to it not being used (as a function of how dentures work).

They also carry a social stigma – In this day and age it can sometimes be embarrassing for an adult to admit they have dentures, or for someone to suspect that they do. However, due to cost of implants and the number of teeth that need to be replaced, sometimes it’s the only option available – outside of doing nothing at all.

Cost

The main reason people tend to opt for dentures over implants is due to cost. A single dental implant can cost thousands of dollars and take multiple visits to the dentist office to complete. Dentures can cost just a fraction of what implants cost.

Dentures are not made to be permanent. After a few years they must be replaced or remade due to wear and tear. This can increase the cost of the denture over time and actually make it more expensive than if you were to have gotten a dental implant from the get-go.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are meant to be permanent replacements for missing teeth. They look, feel, and operate just like a normal tooth would. Assuming the dentist gets the shading correct, it can be extremely hard, if not impossible, to determine that someone has had a dental implant.

Implants are made from titanium and will last a literal life time if properly taken care of. If they are not taken care of properly, then they will need to be removed at some point in time – or worse yet they will just fall out on their own. This is why it is critical that teeth are brushed/flossed on a regular basis and dental checkups/cleanings are made on a regular basis.

Healing Time

The overall process for getting an implant can take many months to complete. Especially when a bone graft is needed. Sometimes the area where a tooth is missing is not strong enough to be the foundation of an implant. In this case, the dentist will perform a surgical bone graft procedure where bone is encouraged to grow so that the area can support the implant.

Despite their scary-sounding name, bone grafts are routine. They do take time to heal up and this adds to the overall time-frame for an implant procedure to be fully completed. It can also significantly add to the cost of the implant.

Recovery from implants can take multiple months. During this time your dentist will ask you to religiously brush and floss while the surgical area heals up. When it finally comes time to getting your implant installed, you’ll be amazed at how well your new teeth look and feel.

Complications

As with any surgical procedure, there can be complications. The good news is that implants do not carry a huge risk of complications. The biggest complication that patients face is the requirement of a bone graft in order for the implant procedure to be successful. Provided that good oral hygiene is followed, there shouldn’t be any major complications.

Cost

Implants tend to cost a lot more than dentures in the short run. A single tooth can run upwards of a thousand or more dollars. While this may seem like a lot of money up-front, the reality is that implants are meant to last your entire lifetime. So aside from regularly scheduled routine dental checkups and cleanings, there is no added cost. With dentures you will need to replace or repair them every 7-10 years, which over time can cost you more than had you gone with an implant.

Dental Implants and Dentures in the Chicago area

Millions of Americans are living with missing teeth. This can cause eventual health issues as well as lowered self-confidence. Dental technology has advanced to a point where it is now possible to get that missing tooth or teeth replaced so that you can live a fuller life.

If you have been debating on getting an implant vs. dentures, give us a call at (312) 787-2131 or contact us. At Water Tower Dental Care, we specialize in helping people fix their missing teeth which translates to a higher quality of life and more self-confidence.

Wisdom teeth are a set of molars in the very back of the mouth. They usually come in your late teens or early 20’s. For a lucky few people, their wisdom teeth are properly aligned and healthy. For the rest of us, our wisdom teeth come in misaligned and in some cases – growing in sideways deep beneath the gum line.

Misaligned wisdom teeth usually come in at an angle to the jaw. They can crowd other teeth and cause issues with nerves or the jawbone. In some cases, they can be impacted – meaning that 90% of the tooth is below the gum line and only a small top portion is visible. In others, the wisdom teeth can come in at a horizontal angle and start pushing against other teeth.

Impacted wisdom teeth can cause some of the most excruciating pain you will ever feel in your entire life. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that people visit the dentist starting around age 18-20 to see if their wisdom teeth are about to cause problems.

Surgery/Recovery

The way your wisdom teeth are removed is entirely dependent upon the position they sit in your mouth. For some people, their dentist can easily extract the tooth under local anesthesia. For others, a visit to the oral surgeon is required. In very complicated scenarios, the wisdom tooth will have to be removed in sections and this can add significantly to the length and cost of the surgery.

Recovery from wisdom teeth removal is like other tooth removal surgeries. For the first 24 hours you will most likely experience some bleeding from the surgical area. Your dentist will have given you some gauze pads. Change the pads out every hour or so. If they gave you pain meds or antibiotics, be sure to take them as prescribed.

Immediately After the Surgery

You should avoid any hot/cold or hard foods (such as crunchy potato chips and pretzels) for the first 24 hours after the surgery. The surgical site is still considered an open wound (until the bleeding stops) and the slightest agitation from chewing hard food could cause it to open up and bleed again.

Your local pharmacy or grocery store carries nutritional meal replacement drinks. They sometimes come in chocolate or vanilla flavors. They taste very good and have all the nutrients and vitamins that can help speed up the healing process.

Many people who have had their wisdom teeth removed opt for these meal replacement drinks for the first 24 hours after the surgery. If you go this route, be sure to drink it straight from the bottle. Do not use a straw as the suction your mouth creates could cause harm to the surgical site.

1-2 Weeks Post-Surgery

As time goes by, your mouth slowly starts to heal. If you follow the after-care instructions of your dentist, perform daily oral hygiene, and take care of the surgical site, you’ll help speed up the healing process.

Here are a list of foods that you could eat/drink for the first 1-2 weeks after your surgery.

Milkshakes/Protein drinks

These drinks are not only healthy and good for you, but they won’t cause any agitation to the surgical area. Instant breakfast packets (that are to be mixed with milk) are also a great alternative to the food you would normally consume.

Fruit Smoothies

If you’re fortunate enough to own a blender, gather up some fruit, yogurt, and ice and make yourself a healthy and cold drink. You can even add some protein powder into the mix to increase the nutritional value. Avoid using a straw to drink the smoothie, as the suction can harm the surgical site.

Mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are not only healthy, but easy to eat after you’ve had your wisdom teeth extracted. You can put gravy, butter, or even sour cream to liven things up. It’s advisable to not eat the mashed potatoes when they are hot – allow them to cool a bit before you eat them. The name of the game here is to avoid agitating the surgical site.

Soup

Soup is another nutritious and healthy food to eat after your surgery. It goes down easy and if you add some freshly cut vegetables to it, you can increase the nutrients your body receives. Avoid eating the soup when it’s hot, try to wait for it to cool down a bit.

Applesauce

Applesauce not only goes down smooth, but it’s very healthy as well. It contains vitamin C and dietary fiber which contribute to your healthy diet. There is very little jaw movement when consuming applesauce, so there is less risk of agitating the surgical area. You can use store-bought applesauce, or if you want more nutritional value, you can prepare homemade applesauce.

Instant Oatmeal

Instant oatmeal makes for a great quick snack or early morning breakfast. You should wait until the 3rd day after the surgery to eat oatmeal as the oats could cause irritation.

Chicken/Vegetable/Beef Broth

If you have the time, try preparing a homemade broth. It is very nutritious and will help speed up the healing process. If you decide to put beef or meat into the broth, make sure that it’s cooked very well. This will help you chew it better and kill off any bacteria/etc that may be present in the raw meat.

Conclusion

Millions of Americans have their wisdom teeth removed every year. It’s a safe, routine procedure that can alleviate the excruciating pain that some people feel when their wisdom teeth are impacted or are causing other dental issues. Proper after-care, such as watching what you eat, will help speed up the healing process and have you feeling better in no time.

The best time to detect potential wisdom teeth issues is when you’re in your late teens or early 20’s. If you or a family member are in this age group, give us a call at (312) 787-2131 or contact us to schedule an appointment to have one of our dentists perform an examination.

If you are currently suffering from mouth pain and suspect it might be your wisdom teeth, give us a call immediately as we can help stop the pain and chart a course to help fix your dental problems.