Tooth whitening

Anyone can buy over-the-ounter whitening products that improve the flat surface of the tooth, but for more thorough results there are home whitening kits and laser bleaching. With whitening kits, patients wear custom-made trays filled with a carbamide peroxide get every night for 10 to 14 days. Dentists handle tooth sensitivity by adjusting the concentration of the get solution. Results can be touched up when needed, usually every six to eight months, or before special events. "when you bleach teeth, old dental work may look dark," says Dr James McKenzie of the whistler Dental Office, B.C bleaching won't harm veneers or crowns but it won't bleach bonding either. When scheduling cosmetic dentistry work, bleach first so you can match the work to the new colour.

Laser bleaching is an in-office procedure where different concentration of laser light helps activate the brushed-on bleaching solution. The light is applied in a cycle lasting from one to two hours, and "teeth can lighten up to ten shades," says McKenzie. Touch-ups are done with your own custom at-home bleaching trays. This instant results costs about three times as much as gel bleaching.

Keep on smilin

How to keep your teeth picture-perfect

Now, thanks to the many alternatives of cosmetic dentistry-from whitening to braces-we can all have something to smile about. Imagine never smiling, or talking with your hand overyour mouth. Many people don;t know what it's like to grin from ear to ear-all because they are ashamed of their teeth. Now, thanks to the many alternatives of cosmetic dentistry-from whitening to braces-we can all have something to smile about.

Bleaching agent

rom?James Goonik, of the British Academy of cosmetic destistry, said the use of a substance by there of th clinics-chlorine dioxide-was particularly worring. 'This chemical is a bleaching agent used to purify water and is very acidic,'he said. "It can wreck tooth enamel".

The other three clinics reportedly used a hydrogen peroxide formula at a strenght abouv the legal limit. Concerns were also raised about the failure of some of the clinics to check for gum disease. Clinics saying they would take impressions of teeth to check for problems were accused of acting illegally because this would have been carried out by an untrained person. There's more and more demand from clients. But while it may be illegal for a non-dentist to carry out teeth whitening on someone it is prefectly legal for someone to take home a teeht whitening kit and perform it on themselves. Wendy Nixon, of Habia the government-approved body which helps salons understand legislation-said it was this which may have confused salons. most of which "were not deliberately acting irresponsibly".

"A lot of people just don't know about there regulations and they are continually being pressured be very pushy sales people who say it's perfectly OK for them to offer this service," she said.
"At the same time, there's more and more demand from clients whitening has become a fad of recent years, popularised in part by celebrities.
However, the desire for gleaming teeht is not modern phenomenon. The Romans, for instance, used urine to whiten theirs.

Illegal teeth whitening warning

Untrained salon staff are carring out teeth whitening on clients according to consumer magazine which?

The general dental counciL (GDC) said it was illegal for non-dentists to carry out the procedure. The dental regulatory body has launched to invertigations into six London clinics offering the service and visited by which? magazine. Habia, the body which helps salons understand legislation, said some may have been confused by regulations.

Bone mineral Density(BMD)

BMD is a measure of bone density that is often used to diagnose bone health. If BMD falls below a certain level you may be at risk of osreoporosis i.e., if your BMD is low, you ar at a risk for fracture.

Much better predictor of osteoporosis is dietary ratio of animalto-plant protein the higher the ratio higher the risk of disease. BMD appears as it is associated with the ratio.

Duke Univrcity researchers recently found as association betweeen a high dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D and brain lesion volume in elderly men and women.

The researchers believe that the problem may be due to the effects of calcification and bone like formations in blood vessels Vit. Denhances calcium absorption. Current dietary calcium and vitamin D recommended for adult over 50 years of age are 1,200mg and 400 to 600 i.u respectively and recent finding suggest that these recommendations may be too high for general population. The WHO acknowleges that less dietary calcium is needed when animal protein consumption is low.

Bad sleeping 'double heart risk'

Researchers say both too much and too little sleep in linked to a double risk of fetal cardiovacular disease. Teams from the University of Warwick and Universty collage London examined sleep patterns and death rates over two decades among 10,308 civil servants.

They found a doubled risk among those who cut their sleeping from seven to five hours a night compared to those who stuck to seven hours a night. But risk was similar for those who increased to at least eight hours. Our finding indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health.

Risk of Osteoporosis

1) Stay physically active. Take the stairs instead of the lift; Brisk walking daily for about one hour or jogging, cycling or swimming or doing yoga are useful measurers.

2) Eat a variety of whole plants foods, avoid animal foods; calcium is available in plenty in plant foods such as 'niwithi', legumes such as beans and leafy vegetables. Stay away from refined carbohydrates like sugary cereals, candies, plain pastas and white breads.

3) Keep your salt intake to a minimum. Avoid highly processed and packaged foods which contain excess salt.

4) Don't be deceived by misleading TV ads about milk foods which the dairy industry claims to prevent osteoporosis.