Areas of Specialization

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• Join Our Family of Happy Patients!

  "Thank you for being the best experience I've ever had at a dentist. You always work so hard to keep me healthy and take care of me well when I am not. All of you deserve huge raises! With heartfelt appreciation,
  Michelle O'Brien

  "My experiences at Woodside Dental have always been pleasant. From the moment one enters the dental office, the charming Liana creates a first impression to remember. Dr. Raschkovsky is the best! While in the dentist chair, under her care she assures you that everything is okay. She creates an environment that definately helps eliminate the "dentist chair jitters." The staff at Woodside Dental are certainly a winning team. Because of them I do not dodge or dread the thought of going to the dentist." Thank you,
  R. Jones

• Westwood, Los angeles

  "Prior to becoming a patient of Woodside Dental, I was tossed around from dentist to dentist, referral to referral and was in a pretty unpleasant state of mind. Fortunately, from the moment I stepped into the office, the entire staff was so friendly, personable and most importantly, professional that I was able to set aside my frustrations and focus on my dental issues at hand."
  Priscilla Resendiz
  Los Angeles, CA

    Repeated exposure to acidic drinks and foods permanently destroys
enamel

    CHICAGO, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Fruit, yogurt, citric and
soft drinks, may seem like harmless snacks and beverages, but improper
consumption and overuse may lead to devastating and permanent damage to
teeth. It's known as tooth erosion, and an online member poll conducted by
the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) revealed that dentists feel tooth
erosion is more common today compared to five years ago.

    To help the public better understand tooth erosion as well as find the
most effective treatment, the AGD recently launched a new print public
service advertisement (PSA) campaign to educate the public about this
issue. The AGD also created a special section on its Web site, http://www.agd.org,
which provides free tools the public can use to learn more about this
issue.

    Tooth erosion is the breakdown of tooth structure caused by the effect
of acid on dental enamel that leads to decay. Dental enamel is the thin,
outer layer of hard tissue that helps maintain the tooth's structure and
shape while protecting it from decay.

    "Our profession and our members continue to see an increase of cases of
this condition mainly due to changes in nutritional habits," says AGD
President Vinny Mayher, DMD, MAGD. "Members who participated in our survey
felt that consuming soft drinks, as well as other foods with a low pH
value, contributes to tooth erosion."

    For example, soft drinks, which contain acids, break down the tooth
surfaces. These acids also damage tooth enamel over time by dissolving the
mineral structure of teeth, thinning the teeth. Eventually, because of
repeated exposure to acid, the tooth's enamel will lose its shape and
color. As the damage progresses, the underlying dentin (which is the tissue
that makes up the core of each tooth) becomes exposed, causing the teeth to
look yellow.

    "To prevent tooth erosion, patients who eat or drink an acidic food or
beverage should wait at least 20 minutes before brushing the teeth so as
not to destroy the weakened enamel," according to David Bartlett, BDS, PhD,
who led a discussion during the AGD's Annual Meeting & Exhibits titled,
"Acid Erosion -- Why is it Important to My Patients." Dr. Bartlett also
suggests eating acidic foods within five minutes, instead of snacking on
them throughout the day, and eating these foods just during meal times in
order to minimize the amount of time the acid is on the teeth.

    Frequently consuming and continual snacking on foods with a low pH
(potential of hydrogen) value, such as fruit juices, pickles, fresh fruit,
yogurt, honey and raisins can lead to irreversible dental erosion. Dr
Bartlett says it is important to also beware of habits such as
lemon-sucking and swishing soda in the mouth. "Doing this extends the
amount of time that enamel and dentin are exposed to the acids and can
increase the structural damage. But eating fruit as part of a balanced diet
is good."

    Dr. Bartlett also encourages patients to talk to their dentist about
the use of dentin bonding to help prevent tooth erosion, a procedure that
dentists learned about during his course at the AGD's annual meeting.
Dentin bonding is when the dentist paints a very thin layer (about the
thickness of plastic cling film) on the surfaces of teeth showing signs of
erosion.

    "Together, with dietary advice and daily desensitizing toothpaste, the
aim is to prevent and treat early or moderate signs of erosion on the
teeth," says Dr. Bartlett. Early signs of tooth erosion also consist of
dentin hypersensitivity. In other words, if hot or cold foods and beverages
cause pain or sensitivity this is an indication of tooth erosion. Dentists
may also recommend daily use of over-the-counter fluoridated
anti-hypersensitivity toothpaste with a neutral pH to help re-harden
softened tooth enamel.

    "Early diagnosis and prevention of the effects of tooth erosion are
fundamental to keeping teeth healthy for life," according to Dr. Bartlett.

    About the AGD
    The AGD is a professional association of more than 35,000 general
dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through
continuing education. Founded in 1952, the AGD has grown to become the
world's second largest dental association, which is the only association
that exclusively represents the needs and interests of general dentists.

    More than 772,000 persons are employed directly in the field of
dentistry. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of
all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and
overall coordination of services related to patients' oral health needs.

    For more information about the AGD, please visit http://www.agd.org.

SOURCE Academy of General Dentistry

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