Habits That May Be Bad For Your Teeth

The teeth consist of hard calcium materials to make up the enamel, dentin and cementum layers of the teeth. Tooth pulp and the dental nerve sit behind the hard tooth material. Dental nerves provide sensations to the teeth while tooth pulp offers good hydration and nutrition. The outer tooth enamel helps to protect the teeth with a fibrous construction that is impenetrable. However, certain habits can destroy tooth enamel and weaken the teeth. These habits should be controlled or discontinued to retain good oral health.

 

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding is one bad habit that can harm the teeth. Teeth grinding occurs at night most often when an individual mashes their molars together. Normal biting and chewing can place over 200 pounds of pressure on the teeth and grinding will cause even more pressure to be retained. Teeth grinding slowly forces openings in the tooth enamel to create sensitivity. Also, the intense pressure can wear away the top surfaces of the teeth. People who have troubles with teeth grinding require a night guard made by a general dentist. Teeth that are ground down too much will require more extensive treatments that include root canal therapy and crown adhesion. A general dentist, oral surgeon or an Abougoush Professional Corp, a sedation dentist in Calgary, will be needed to offer medication or IV sedation to limit pain, fear and discomfort during the treatments.

 

Poor Food Choices

Some people have a habit of eating sugary and acidic foods on a regular basis. These foods are bad for the teeth because they eat through the dental enamel. Dental enamel cannot grow back after it has worn away. This means that the teeth will become very sensitive once enamel is thinned. Thinned enamel allows for the exposure of dentin to the degree that dental decay can occur. Individuals should rinse the mouth after they drink orange juice or eat sugary foods. Also, a dental professional can offer fluoride treatments to help shift the dental enamel to areas across the teeth that need protection.

 

Poor Oral Hygiene

People who brush and floss irregularly will notice poor dental health. This is the case due to the build up of plaque and dental tartar across the teeth. Both plaque and tartar allow bacteria to feed and multiply at an increased rate. These bacteria release chemical agents that will eat through areas of the tooth enamel. Bacteria will start to decay cementum and dentin after a hole or weakness forms in the tooth. Dental decay can be prevented by brushing the teeth twice a day with a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Brushing the teeth for a full two minutes will be adequate enough to remove all plaque before it can turn into tartar.

 

Nail Biting

Nail biting is a compulsive habit in which people gnaw at their nails with their teeth. This habit will wear down the dental enamel and create rough surfaces across the edges of the teeth. Misalignments or malocclusions of the teeth are common as well when nail biters consistently force stress on the teeth. Dentists will need to treat damaged teeth by using fillings, caps and crowns. Any misalignments will need to be repaired with the use of metal or clear aligner braces.

 

Bad habits and poor oral care can create a variety of dental conditions. Individuals should know that their choices and behaviors can create dental decay and eventual tooth loss conditions. Speaking to a dental professional to discuss behaviors can greatly reduce oral health risks.

Categories: bad, dental decay, dental enamel, general dentist, Habits, nail biting, nbsp poor, oral health, poor oral, teeth, teeth grinding, tooth enamel

Is Your Community Concerned about Becoming a Heat Island?

It’s easy to see how environmental wellness changes as urban areas develop; buildings and roads replace open land and vegetation, and once permeable and moist land becomes hard and dry. When this happens, you get what’s known as an urban heat island, or an urban region that’s warmer than its rural surroundings, forming an “island” of higher temperatures in the landscape.

 

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ‘Heat islands occur on the surface and in the atmosphere. On a hot, sunny summer day, the sun can heat dry, exposed urban surfaces, such as roofs and pavement, to temperatures 50–90°F (27–50°C) hotter than the air, while shaded or moist surfaces—often in more rural surroundings—remain close to air temperatures. Surface urban heat islands are typically present day and night, but tend to be strongest during the day when the sun is shining. In contrast, atmospheric urban heat islands are often weak during the late morning and throughout the day and become more pronounced after sunset due to the slow release of heat from urban infrastructure. The annual mean air temperature of a city with one million people or more can be 1.8–5.4°F (1–3°C) warmer than its surroundings.3 On a clear, calm night, however, the temperature difference can be as much as 22°F (12°C).’

 

But why should you care about urban heat islands? Does it have an impact on your wellbeing? The EPA notes, ‘Elevated temperature from urban heat islands, particularly during the summer, can affect a community’s environment and quality of life.’ Some of the impacts of heat islands seem positive, as they can lengthen the season of plant-growing, for example. However, most of the heat island impacts are, unfortunately, negative. These include:

 

• Increased energy consumption: The EPA explains, ‘Higher temperatures in summer increase energy demand for cooling and add pressure to the electricity grid during peak periods of demand. One study estimates that the heat island effect is responsible for 5–10% of peak electricity demand for cooling buildings in cities.’

 

• Elevated air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions: ‘Increasing energy demand generally results in greater emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from power plants,’ the EPA says. ‘Higher air temperatures also promote the formation of ground-level ozone.’

 

• Poor human health and comfort: When the days and nights become warmer, and the air pollution level rises, this can contribute to general discomfort, as well as respiratory difficulties, heat cramps and exhaustion, non-fatal heat stroke, and heat-related mortality.

 

• Poor water quality: ‘Hot pavement and rooftop surfaces transfer their excess heat to stormwater, which then drains into storm sewers and raises water temperatures as it is released into streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes,’ details the EPA. ‘Rapid temperature changes can be stressful to aquatic ecosystems.’

 

Heat islands, then, are no picnic – but what can be done about it? According to the EPA, there are four main strategies that, as a community, you can take to reduce the heat island effect:

 

1. Increase cover from trees and vegetation.

2. Create green roofs, otherwise known as rooftop gardens or eco-roofs.

3. Install cool—mainly reflective—roofs.

4. Use cool pavements.

 

The EPA concludes, ‘Typically heat island mitigation is part of a community’s energy, air quality, water, or sustainability effort. Activities to reduce heat islands range from voluntary initiatives, such as cool pavement demonstration projects, to policy actions, such as requiring cool roofs via building codes. Most mitigation activities have multiple benefits, including cleaner air, improved human health and comfort, reduced energy costs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.’

Categories: air temperatures, energy demand, EPA, gas emissions, greenhouse gas, Health Risks, heat island, Heat Islands, human health, nbsp poor, urban heat