What is tooth whitening?

It is a process that lightens the color of teeth. The whitening process is most effective on mildly discolored teeth. Darker stains such as those caused by antibiotics, take longer to respond to treatment.

Tooth lightening is ideal for patients who have healthy , unrestored teeth (no fillings) and would like a brighter smile. Not recommended for people having sensitive teeth.
What causes tooth discoloration?

There are many causes. The most common factors are age, tobacco, coffee, or tea. Other types of stains can be caused by antibiotics, such as tetracycline; or too much fluoride.
What are most popular tooth whitening treatments available and how they work?

1. At home tooth bleaching kits

In a bleach based tooth whitener kit, you apply a tooth bleaching agent to a mouth tray then insert the tray into your mouth. Most of the trays are worn for an hour.

These products contain peroxide(s), which actually bleach the tooth enamel. These products typically rely on percent carbamide peroxide as the bleaching agent, carbamide peroxide comes in several different concentrations (10%, 16%, 22%).

Peroxide-containing whiteners typically come in a gel and are placed in a mouth guard. Usage regimens vary.

Some products are used for about twice a day for 2 weeks, and others are intended for overnight use for 1-2 weeks. We recommend this Arctic White Tooth Whitening Kit which is really effective and one of the best.

2. Tooth whitening strips

These are placed on the teeth and are usually removed after wearing for 30 minutes. These are one of the most effective and affordable treatment for the whitening of teeth.

The best whitening strips available are Crest White strips They are highly recommended! Read the customer’s reviews of Crest White strips here. They also have peroxides as their main ingredient.

3. Toothpastes

All toothpastes help remove surface stain through the action of mild abrasives. “Whitening” toothpastes have special chemical or polishing agents that provide additional stain removal effectiveness.

Unlike bleaches, these products do not alter the intrinsic color of teeth. If you wish to use whitening toothpaste, we recommend Colgate simply White Advanced whitening Toothpaste which is probably the best out there.

4. Laser tooth whitening

A rubber dam is placed over your teeth to protect the gums. A bleaching solution is placed on the teeth.

A light or laser that generates a small amount of heat is directed at the teeth. Oxygen from the solution enters the enamel and bleaches the colored substances. The color of the tooth is made lighter.

It is one of the powerful treatment for tooth whitening. The process takes approximately one hour. The teeth have the solution applied throughout the course of the appointment. The results are usually seen at the first appointment.

5. Aura Ear drops for teeth whitening
Auro Ear Drops, which is found in most drug stores, uses 6 ½% carbamide peroxide and can be really effective for whitening of the teeth.

Even though the percentage of carbamide peroxide is slightly lower than the 10% concentration normally used, it is still carbamide peroxide and works great to whiten teeth.
How effective are bleaching systems?

Teeth bleaching is effective in lightning most stains caused by age, tobacco, coffee, and tea. Based on clinical studies, 96 percent of patients with these kinds of stains experience some lightning effect.

Other types of stains, such as those produced by tetracycline use or fluorosis (too much fluoride), respond to bleaching less reliably. And one cosmetic dentist points out that bleaching systems are not fully predictable.

If you have a tooth-color filling when your teeth are bleached, the filling will stay yellow—dental restorations do not change color when tooth whitener is applied.

Are there any side effects?

Some people experience increased tooth sensitivity because of hydrogen peroxide, particularly at higher concentrations, and night guards often cause gum irritation. Patients have also experienced uncomfortable short-term side effects when having teeth bleached.

The general health risks of bleaching systems are minimal as far as your body is concerned.
The Bottom-Line: If you don’t have sensitive teeth and looking forward for a brighter smile, then definitely go for a tooth whitening treatment.

The benefits of smoking cessation are clear: only 20 minutes after a smoker’s last cigarette, blood pressure and heart rate start to return to normal. Yet millions of smokers find it virtually impossible to quit. What are the best long-term solutions?

Nicotine addiction is “highly underrated”. So bad is it for some that the addiction has been likened to the one of heroin, says Prof Chris Bolliger, pulmonary expert from the University of Stellenbosch’s (US) Faculty of Health Sciences.

There are more factors involved in smoking addiction than mere nicotine addiction and these factors make smoking cessation a complex and challenging process.

Research has shown that most committed ex-smokers stick to their resolution after they’ve managed to abstain for at least one year.

According to a study conducted by Boston University’s School of Dental Medicine, only two to four percent of ex-smokers generally pick up the habit again each year after the initial two-year period.

The very best results, yet to be scientifically verified, indicate a maximum success rate of 50 percent after six months, an estimated 35 percent after one year, and an estimated 30 percent after two years.

Some of the options available that may lead to a long-term solution, include nicotine replacement therapy (gum, inhaler or patches), the drug Zyban, a combination of the above, the Smokenders programme, or quitting all by yourself. Choose the one that suits you best.

1. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
According to Prof Bolliger, any form of NRT increases the success rate of a smoking cessation programme. All the different types of NRT have been shown to be effective, with little or no side-effects.

NRT can be regarded as a temporary solution that helps smokers get past the first hurdle on their journey to long-term smoking cessation.

A tip for ex-smokers: Always carry a batch of gum or another type of NRT with you while you travel. “The urge could come at any time,” says Bolliger.

2. Zyban alone
The antidepressant Zyban (bupropion) is the latest aid in smoking cessation. The medication seems to increase levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, leading to an enhanced feeling of pleasure.

Not only has buproprion been an effective tool in helping many smokers quit, but it seems to prevent relapse, according to researchers from the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center. Unfortunately, the relapse-free period did not persist. At the end of the first year, 55% of the Zyban group in the Mayo Clinic study were still smoke-free, but two years later, similar numbers of the Zyban and non-Zyban groups had relapsed.

Longer-term treatment of bupropion may prevent relapse, but more research on the long-term benefits of Zyban is necessary before definite conclusions can be drawn.

People who should not take Zyban include:

• people with seizure disorders such as epilepsy,
• those who have shown an allergic response to bupropion,
• people with a current or prior diagnosis of bulimia, anorexia nervosa or bipolar disorder,
• people with a liver disorder,
• those with kidney problems,
• those with heart problems,
• those with hypertension,
• those with head injury,
• people who have a brain or spinal column tumour,
• diabetics,
• people using alcohol or benzodiazipine sleeping tablets.

Zyban is only available on prescription.

3. Combination therapy
Combination therapy, which involves counselling, the simultaneous administration of NRT (patches and/or gum) and/or the drug Zyban, seems to be an effective solution for many smokers. Preliminary research results indicate a 50 percent six-month success rate for combination therapy.

The dosage and usage of NRT and/or Zyban vary according to the individual. The usual recommendation is to take NRT and/or Zyban for three months – then you either make it or you don’t. If you don’t make it, it’s not useful to try again immediately. Accept it and have another go in six months’ time, is Bolliger’s advice.

Counselling forms an integral part of the Stop Project, a smoking cessation programme that is run at the US Faculty of Health Sciences.

4. Smokenders’ behavioural changes
Some experts do not regard NRT alone as a long-term solution, but as a temporary replacement. This replacement method doesn’t address the core psychological factors involved in smoking addiction.

According to Mercia Axon, managing director of Smokenders, nicotine addiction is just one aspect of smoking addiction. This factor is being blown out of proportion, she says. The focus for long-term smoking cessation should be on behavioural changes.

“Most smokers will recognise that the emotional bond with their cigarettes is the biggest issue. Our programme gives people a stress management tool and helps them to reconstruct their emotional support system,” says Axon.

The international Smokenders group specifically deals with the emotional and psychological aspects involved in smoking. These factors are addressed during seven group sessions with clients. Long-term success is linked to appropriate ways of managing emotions and stress – without cigarettes. The first six months is the most difficult period for many smokers. Clients who feel the urge to light up during this period should contact their counsellors immediately, Axon advises.

The group claims that they have a 92 percent success rate after a one-year period and a 70 percent to 75 percent success rate after a period of five years.

Bolliger, however, queries the high success rates of some smoking cessation programmes. He speculates that inaccurate feedback from clients may be boosting the figures.

5. Kicking the habit on your own
Quitting all by yourself is not easy, but not impossible.

The biggest reason for relapse, in general, is that the quitter feels anxious about being without his cigarettes. Other reasons include missing the pleasure of smoking, feeling pressurised by family members or friends who smoke or feeling addicted. Men who drank more than five alcoholic drinks a day were more likely to relapse. Drinking more than six cups of coffee daily, also increases the risk for relapse.

These findings by the Boston researchers suggest that stress management techniques, like exercise or yoga, can play an important role in long-term success, whether you want to stop by yourself or join a programme.

People who are committed to stop smoking should make it easier for themselves by monitoring their diets to prevent weight gain and cutting back on excess alcohol and caffeine intake to limit the risk of relapse.

“Whatever works is fine,” Bolliger says. “In the end, most people stop by themselves.”

Electronic-cigarette

The electronic cigarette is a device that is inhaled to provide nicotine as a vaporized solution. It is sometimes called a personal vaporizer. This alternative to actually smoking a cigarette is a relatively new development that is gaining in popularity. The nicotine is inhaled and when you blow out, the vapor provides a flavor and sensation similar to inhaling tobacco smoke, however, no tobacco or smoke is involved in the use of an electronic cigarette.

source:  http://hoahh.com/?cat=109

Dengue – fatal disease, causes and cures
How to fight Dengue? Causes and Prevention of Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a flu kind of illness spread by mosquito bites. Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever are caused by any of the dengue family virus. This is also widely known as ‘Break bone fever’ due to the severe joint pain caused during the attack. Dengue can be diagnosed by blood test. The infected person as such cannot spread the infection but can be a source to spread it.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is often complicated and severe. This rather can be termed as a complication dengue fever. Those bitten by the mosquito can get dengue fever and those already infected once if infected again are prone to higher risk of getting dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Dengue is an infectious disease causing frequent epidemics. There are various factors that contribute like lack of effective mosquito control, lack of public health systems to control the epidemic, the increase usage of plastic items which are the breeding sites of the mosquitoes.

Dengue is spread by the bite of an ‘Ades’ Mosquito. This mosquito bites the infected person and then bites someone else who is not affected thus transmitting the infection. These mosquitoes are active during the day time and spread the infection during day time. These mosquitoes live among human beings and breed in discarded tyres, flower pots, water stores etc.,

Dengue fever starts suddenly accompanied by headache, severe joint pain ,rashes, nausea and lack of appetite. The illness can last up to 10 days and the complete recovery could take about four to six weeks. Widely the dengue infections result in relatively mild illness however in some cases it may lead to the dengue hemorrhagic fever. In the complicated stage the blood vessels start to leak and cause bleeding through mouth, nose and gums. This is most prevalent among children and young adults. This stage requires close medical attention.

Treatment for Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic fever

As far as the treatment is concerned there is no specific course, However the affected person is treated with Paracetamol to bring down the fever. The person is usually adviced to drink lots of fluids. The infected person should be isolated until recovery from the rest of the family to prevent further infections.

Although there is no vaccine to prevent this epidemic certain preventive measures as specified below can be taken to control the epidemic.

Preventive Measures to control Dengue Fever

• Use mosquito repellents.
• discard all unwanted items getting gathered around the living area to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes.
• Keep the water stores clean and closed.
• keep yourself well covered when outside.
• Take prompt medical advice once fever starts.