Oral Care

Dealing with Toothaches

When a toothache hits, you can neither sleep nor eat. Even breathing becomes a conscious task as you try to control the airflow over the affected area. Here are some tips to help you until you can get to the dentist:

1. Put a drop of clove oil on a cotton swab and wipe it on and around the tooth and if the oil is too strong, cut it with Vitamin E oil or olive oil but if you use Vitamin E oil, please ensure that the oil is food grade and not cosmetic grade.
   
2. You must avoid carbonated water and sodas because they contain phosphates that leak out calcium and destroy the tooth enamel.
   
   
   
3. Rinse your mouth with warm water and salt water but it must be 1/2 teaspoon salt to 8 ounces of warm water so that it is balanced.
   
   
4. You can also use alcohol-free goldenseal extract as an antibacterial mouthwash to fight the infection.
   
   
5. Please use good dental hygiene and brush your teeth daily, preferably after each meal but if you cannot brush after eating, then rinse you mouth with warm water and make sure you floss your teeth daily.
   
   
6. Reduce sugar from your diet because sugar offers a breeding ground for bacteria and it one of the major causes of tooth decay.
   
   
7. Get yearly checkups from your dentist as some dentists will recommend you to be checked twice a year and if the pain is severe or if you notice bleeding around your teeth and gums, then you must see a dentist immediately.

Choosing a Toothbrush

• The brush head should be small, narrow and densely packed with bristles. For adults' brushes, the head should measure 22-28 mm x 10-13 mm, and for children's 20 mm x 10 mm.
• Choose synthetic bristles rather than natural ones if possible, since natural bristles do not dry out as quickly, and run the risk of collecting bacteria.
• Look for thin, flexible bristles that are rounded at the tip.
• Choose a soft or medium brush - hard bristles can scratch tooth enamel and cut your gums.
• The toothbrush handle should be long and slender, and if possible slightly flexible in order to moderate the pressure to your teeth and gums during brushing.

Ideal Teeth-Brushing Technique
(Pictures from www.dentist.net)

Place the head of the brush at a 45-degree angle against your gumline. Clean the front teeth by moving the brush in small circles for about 30 seconds.

Brush the outer surfaces of the upper and lower back teeth, keeping the bristles of your toothbrush angled against the gumline.

Clean the inside surfaces of the lower teeth, using small circular brushing movements. Spend about 30 seconds on each tooth.

Use and up-and-down stroke to clean the inner surfaces of the front teeth, only this time tilt the brush vertically to make access easier.

Brush the biting surfaces of the upper teeth, using firm to-and-fro strokes. Repeat the technique to clean the biting surfaces of the lower teeth.



Flossing Technique

1. Break off about 12 inches (30 cm) of floss. Wind it round the index finger of each hand, leaving about 4 inches (10 cm) of floss in between.
   
   
2. Pull the floss taut and carefully insert it between two teeth. Draw the floss firmly between the sides of the teeth with a sawing action. Stop when the floss reaches the gum tip.
   
   
3. Curve the floss into a C-shape against one tooth. Gently slide it into the space between the gum and the tooth until you feel resistance. Do not jerk or snap the floss into the gums.
   
   
4. Hold the floss against the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum. Repeat for the rest of your teeth, using a fresh section of floss each time.

Bleeding Gums

If your gums bleed when you brush or floss your teeth, you most probably have gingivitis - inflammation to the gums, caused by infection.

Healthy gums are pink or brown and firm; with gingivitis they become red, soft and swollen, and often bleed on brushing. The condition is usually caused by a hazardous build-up of plaque around the base of the teeth. Bleeding can also be caused by rough brushing or flossing, or by a cut or other injury to the gums.

Solution:
Make sure you brush and floss your teeth regularly using the above method. If your gums continue to bleed, see your dentist - untreated gum disease is one of the main causes of tooth loss. In any case, visit your dentist at least once a year to have your teeth checked and cleaned thoroughly.


Recurring Mouth Ulcers

There are possible reasons why mouth ulcers recurs:

• Run down feeling or stress
• Heredity
• Hormones - especially during puberty or menstruation
• Lack Vitamin B or C in diet, or anaemic
• Over-vigorous brushing of teeth which causes abrasions on the gums that can turn ulcerous.
• Mouth irritation from particular chemicals, spices, tobacco or alcohol.
• For more serious, herpes simplex virus. The first attack can be severe, with sore throat and ulcers inside the mouth. Subsequent attacks are less severe, with fewer and smaller ulcers.

For instant relief when ulcers appear, avoid hot or spicy food and drink, and alcohol and tobacco, and use an analgesic mouthwash or mouth gel to ease the pain. If the ulcers coincide with feeling run down, check your diet (ensure it is well-balanced) and take more rest.

Mouth ulcers usually self-healed, but consult doctor if they persist for more than two weeks or are accompanied by a skin condition or by other symptoms such as white patches in the mouth or throat.

Ulcers that appear in the wake of medication also need immediate medical advice, as do any that bleed or become infected, or that are associated with lumps or growths in the mouth. A doctor or dentist may prescribe a stronger mouthwash or ointment to accelerate the healing process, or conduct blood tests to check for other disorders.

Eye Care (Part 2)

Colour Blindness

Complete colour blindness, in which you see the world in only shades of grey, black and white, is extremely rare. More common is the difficulty in distinguishing between colours, particularly red and green, although the degree of difficulty varies considerably. Colour blindness is usually an inherited defect and while it cannot be cured, it is important for those affected to be aware of it.

Colour blindness is usually discovered accidentally but it is important to have a proper diagnosis if you suspect your colour vision, or that of a child, may be defective - close relatives should then take a test. Although it is not a disease or symptoms of any other eye problem, poor colour differentiation can cause difficulties in people who are unaware of it.

Testing can be done by a doctor or ophthalmic optician using a method known as the Ishihara test, developed in Japan. The subject is shown a series of plates made up of coloured dots, in which numbers or patterns can be discerned, depending on colour perception.

Here are some Ishihara images to test colour blindness:

Answer: 8

(Shades of grey, black & white?? Complete colour blindness??!!)
*LOL~ Don't worry about it... the image is intentionally set in grey scale*

Answer: 2

*No joke this time*

Answer: Pizza? 10!

Being colour blind has little effect on everyday life, except that motorists must learn to distinguish traffic lights by position. Careers such as airline pilot or train driver may also be problematic. Coloured spectacles and contact lenses may help to enhance contrast, but cannot correct actual colour vision.


Correcting Visual Defects

Problems often become apparent at about the time of puberty as the eyeball grows too long or not long enough, or becomes misshapen - the three commonest reasons for needing to wear glasses.

(Images from www.eyesite.org)

Normal Sight - Image focused accurately onto the retina

Types of Defects:

1. Short Sight
   Distance vision is blurred as the eyeball is too long and light rays converge short of the retina. Concave lenses correct the problem.
   
   
   Short Sight - Image focused in front of the retina
   
   
   
2. Long Sight
   Close-up vision is blurred as the eyeball is short and light rays don not converge. Convex lenses can overcome the problem.
   
   
   Long Sight - Image focused behind the retina
   
   
   
3. Astigmatism
   Vision is blurred both horizontally and vertically as the eyeball is irregular in shape. Cylindrical lenses correct the defect.
   
   
   Astigmatism - Image is focused onto retina but is distorted
   
   
   

Contact Lenses

The type of contact lenses that is most suitable for you depends on several factors: your particular vision problem; whether you want to wear your lenses every day or only occassionally; and how easy you want them to be to look after. There are five main types of contact lens:

1. Hard Lenses
   These are the original contact lenses, and still offer the best vision correction for people with astigmatism and irregular corneas. They are durable (possibly giving more than five years of use) and inexpensive. However, there are drawbacks: it may be several weeks before they are comfortable to wear all day; they are not very porous to oxygen, so should not be worn for more than 20 hours at a time; and they fall out more easily than other lenses.
   
   
2. Gas-permeable Lenses
   These are rigid like hard lenses, but allow oxygen to pass through more easily and reach the surface of the eye, thereby reducing the risk of infection. They offer the sharp vision of hard lenses (though less durability - up to five years), with some of the comfort of soft lenses.
   
   
3. Soft Lenses
   Soft lenses allow oxygen to pass through them, and because of their high water content, most people find them comfortable almost immediately. Soft lenses can correct short and long-sightedness. They are also very fragile, giving about two to three years of wear, and are more expensive than hard lenses.
   
   
4. Extended-wear Soft Lenses
   These soft lenses have a very high water content, and can be worn for up to a month without removal. But they may increase the risk of infection, because they allow a contaminated lens to stay in contact with the eye for a long period of time.
   
   
5. Disposable Soft Lenses
   These special soft lenses are replaced every two to four weeks. This disposability lowers the risk of eye infection and reduces the build-up of protein on lenses, which elsewhere can lead to blurred vision and eye irritation. Such lenses are increasingly popular. Disposable lenses must be cleaned in the same way as conventional soft lenses.
   

Bifocal Glasses

The key to wearing bifocal glasses successfully is to get used to looking through the appropriate section of the glasses for each task. Conventional bifocals have two distinct sections for each eye, the upper part of the lens being ground to correct for distance vision, the lower and usually smaller one for close-up vision.

Mid-range vision - the kind one relies on when descending stairs or stepping off a kerb - is sometimes blurry because it literally 'falls between the cracks' of the lenses.

The best way to adjust to bifocals is to wear them indoors at first, in safe and familiar surroundings. Practise going up and down the stairs at home until you feel confident enough to move with ease in public places.

In seamless bifocals (progressive lenses), one section of the lens blends into the other without a line in between. Some people find these glasses more attractive, but they sometimes prove difficult to adapt, and more expensive than the standard version.


Laser Eye Surgery

Any type of surgery involves some degree of risk, and laser eye surgery is no exception. On top of that, laser surgery can only help those with short-sightedness but not all of them - needs assessment by eye surgeon.

The degree of short-sightedness is a key factor in assessing your suitability. One with normal vision is said to have 6/6 or 20/20 vision. Deviation from the norm is measure in dioptres. The best candidates for laser surgery are those with up to -4 dioptres and no astigmatism or lens distortion, but surgeons will consider people with up to -6 dioptres and moderate astigmatism.

The process takes about 15 to 30 seconds for each eye. It is painless at the time, though the eyes may hurt in the following 24-48 hours. Painkillers are usually prescribed as a remedy. It takes approximately three months for the eyes to heal completely and for vision to stabilise.

After laser surgery, there is a 50-60 percent chance of perfect 6/6 vision, and an 80-90 percent chance of 6/12 vision - enough to allow you to play most sports and to drive by day without glasses.

There is a 1 to 2 percent chance that people who have undergone surgery may experience distortions in night vision, such as radiating lines from street lamps, or even experience double vision. In such cases, patients may have to wear contact lenses until a follow-up operation takes place.

Even when treatment is successful and long-distance vision is improved, glasses still may be needed for reading.

-Cartoon from www.cartoonstock.com-

Eye Care (Part 1)

Treatment for Eye Irritation

Eyedrops will usually cure the redness of a mild eye irritation, but the relief is only temporary and not risk-free. Eye irritation may have been caused by dust, smoke, allergies or even colds. Severe cases, especially when accompanied by a discharge, may be a sign of conjunctivitis, an infection that needs treatment with antibiotics. In any case, if the problem persists or recurs frequently, it is important to have a proper diagnosis.

Many over-the-counter eyedrops contain decongestants which reduce inflammation by shrinking the eyes' blood vessels. These drops may trigger allergic reactions in some people, particularly contact lens users and people with glaucoma; so consult a doctor or ophthalmologist before using eyedrops.

Try to use eyedrops only occasionally as excessive use can eventually worsen the problem, increasing redness as the effects wear off, and the need for more drops.

Always use eyedrops carefully to prevent risk of infection. Remember that as soon as you break the seal of the sterilised container, you open the way to contamination from germs. Squeeze bottles are the safest dispensers, as long as you do not touch the nozzle; eye baths are the worst. WASH your hands before and after applying drops, and DO NOT TOUCH your eye with the applicator. NEVER SHARE eyedroppers.


Treatment for Styes


Styes are intensely irritating, but extremely common. They are caused by a bacterial infection in an eyelash follicle. A small abscess forms on the edge of the eyelid and as it develops, the spot becomes red and painful. Eventually a visible pimple appears and shortly after the stye comes to head and discharges the pus that has built up. Afterwards the pain and irritation diminish and the abscess rapidly clears up.

There is no simple way of preventing styes, but the condition is reasonably easy to treat. The best time to start is as soon as you notice the symptoms. To encourage the stye to come to a head, hold a warm compress to the area for about 15 minutes, three or four times daily. It is important to be careful to no rub your eyes, as this may cause the infection to spread.

Styes are painful while growing, but seldom need treatment with antibiotic drugs. If the problem continues, or if the styes cause excessive pain, you should see a doctor.


Buying Sunglasses


A good starting point is to look at the labels on a pair of glasses. There are three sunglass standards:

1. The Australian Standard is AS 1067. The five sunglass ratings under this standard are based on the amount of light they absorb, 0 to 4, with “0” providing some protection from UV radiation and sunglare, and “4” a high level of protection.
   
   
2. The US standard is ANSI Z80.3-1972. According to the ANSI Z80.3-2001 standard, the compliable lens should have a UVB (280 to 315nm) transmittance of no more than one per cent and a UVA (315 to 380nm) transmittance of no more than 0.5 times of the visual light transmittance.
   
   
3. The European standard is EN 1836:2005. The four ratings are 0 for insufficient UV protection, 1 for sufficient UV protection, 2 for good UV protection and 3 for full UV protection.

The label will also supply other useful information - such as how much light the lenses let through, whether there is any image distortion, and how tough the lenses are. For most ordinary uses any pair that conforms to the Standard should be quite adequate.

One feature that may be worth considering is polarised lenses to cut down glare from water, snow and other highly reflective surfaces.

Before you buy your glasses, examine the lenses carefully and avoid any with bubbles or scratches. Glass lenses are less susceptible to scratching than plastic ones, but they are heavier and more likely to break. Also check for colour distortion by looking at red and green objects in the shop - poor differentiation could make driving hazardous.

CAUTION:

Unlike glass, plastic is permeable to ultraviolet light. If you buy plastic lenses, make sure they are marked UV400. Other types may let through ultraviolet radiation which can contribute to cataracts and cause painful - though temporary - snow blindness.

Do's

• Have your eyes tested every two years. Children and pensioners should have an annual checkup.
• Read and work in good light. Make sure that the light falls over your shoulder to avoid glare and shadow.
• Rest your eyes at least every 30 minutes when reading, sewing, or using a computer by looking up and peering at distant objects.
• Make sure that your computer and television screens are sharply focused.
• Wear safety goggles whenever you use caustic chemicals, do woodwork, or run power tools.
• Wear shatterproof sports goggles for games such as squash.
• Wear sunglasses when in bright sunlight.
• Wear goggles in chlorinated swimming pools or in any water of doubtful cleanliness.

Don'ts

• Never look directly at the sun, as you might be tempted to do during an eclipse; even the darkened sun can cause severe and permanent damage. Similarly, avoid staring at any bright or glaring lights.
• Do not rub your eyes to try to remove a foreign object. Try blinking and washing the eye with cold water. If that fails, see your doctor.

- Image from beautymarked.com.au -

Sleep

Shakespearean Quotations:

Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber:
Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies
Which busy care draws in the brains of men;
Therefore thou sleep’st so sound.

-Julius Cæsar (2.1.248-251)-

Huh? No matter how many times I read it, still don't get it...lol...
(Sorry Shakespeare~)

What is Sleep?

Sleep is the period when the alphabet ‘Z’ appears around our head continuously without us realizing it.


Generally, there are 2 types of sleep:

1. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep -
   This sleep makes up approximately one fifth of our sleeping time - comes and goes throughout the night. During REM sleep, our brain is very active, our body muscles are very relaxed, our eyes move quickly from side to side and we dream.
   
   
2. Non-REM Sleep -
   In contrary, during Non-REM Sleep, our brain is inactive, but our body may move around. Hormones are secreted by our body into the bloodstream for our body to ‘repair’ itself.
   
   There are 4 stages of Non-REM Sleep:
   i. Pre-Sleep - the muscles relax, the heart beats slower and body temperature falls.
   ii. Light Sleep –can be woken easily without feeling confused.
   iii. “Slow wave” Sleep – blood pressure falls, may sleep talk or sleep walk.
   iv. Deep “slow wave” Sleep – hard to wake, and feels confused when awakened.

We move between REM and non-REM sleep about five times throughout the night, dreaming more as we get toward the morning.

During a normal night, we will also have short periods of waking that last about 1 to 2 minutes, and happen every 2 hours or so without us realizing. However, we tend to remember them if we feel anxious or there is something else going on - noises outside, partner snoring, etc…


How Long to Sleep?

1. Infants – About 16 hours per day
2. Babies & Toddlers (6 months to 3 years old) – 10 to 14 hours per day
3. Children : Ages 3 to 6 – between 10 to 12 hours per day
   Ages 6 to 9 – about 10 hours per day
   Ages 9 to 12 – about 9 hours per day
4. Teenagers – 9 hours per day
5. Adults – 7-8 hours per day
6. Pregnant Women –may need few more hours of sleep per day

Effects of Sleeping Deprivation

If you cannot sleep last night or on occasional nights, you might feel tired the next day, but it would not harm your physical or mental health.

However, several sleepless nights, you will tend to:

• be tired all the time.drop off during the day;
• lose concentration;
• find it hard to make decisions;
• begin to feel depressed;
• be more vulnerable to hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity and diabetes.

Causes of Sleeping Deprivation
Minor:

• Your bedroom may be too noisy, too hot or too cold
• Your bed may be uncomfortable or too small
• Your partner may have a different sleeping pattern from yourself
  
• Eating too much
  
• Going to bed hungry can make you wake too early
  
• Cigarettes, alcohol and drinks containing caffeine, such as tea and coffee
• Suffering from illnesses or pain.

Serious:

• Problems at work
  
• Emotion instability – anxiety, worry, depression.
  

Forms of Medication
For many years, people have used Nitrazepam, Diazepam, Temazepam (older versions), and Zolpidem, Zalpelon, and Zopiclone (newer versions) as their sleeping deprivation remedy. However, now we know that these sleeping pills:

• leave you tired and irritable the next day.
• lose effectiveness quite quickly, thus the need to increase dosage.
• causes people to be addicted to them or physically or psychologically dependent on them.

It is advised that you should not consume sleeping tablets for more than 2 weeks. Only use it when you are so distressed that deprives you from sleeping. If you are already on sleeping pills for a long time, it is best to decrease your intake gradually after discussing with your doctor. Another alternative to sleeping pills is antidepressant.

Besides that, you can purchase other remedies at your chemist without the need of prescription. These products often contain anti-histamine (similar content used in medicines for hay-fever, coughs and flues. Be cautioned that you might still be drowsy the next morning, and it is best not to take anti-histamines for a long period.

Herbal alternatives are usually based on a herb called Valerian. However, its effects are not immediate, as it probably works best over 2-3 weeks of nightly consumption. Like anti-histamines, drowsiness may persist the following morning. If you are taking any medication for your blood pressure (or sleeping pills or tranquillizers), it is advised that you discuss with your doctor first.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, a form of psychological treatment can be helpful too. It involves looking at unhelpful ways of thinking that can make you more anxious, and so interfere with your sleep.


Other Sleeping Disorders

1. Narcolepsy (Daytime Sleepiness)
   This is an uncommon condition that doctors often do not recognise.
   Symptoms:
   
   • feel sleepy during the day, unexpected sleepiness attacks even in the company of people.
   • suddenly loses control over muscles, and collapse when you are angry, excited or laughing (known as cataplexy).
   • cannot speak or move when falling asleep or waking up (Sleep Paralysis)
     (this explains the body paralysis while sleeping whom people thought was ghost sitting/controlling them).
   • begin to hallucinate (hearing odd sounds, see dream-like images, etc…)
   • “run on auto-pilot” where you did something, but could not remember doing them, as if you had been asleep.
   • wake up with hot flushes during the night.
   
   Cause: Lack of substance called orexin or hypocretin.
   
   Treatment:
   
   
   • Regular exercise
   • Having regular night time routine
   • Medications (depending on symptoms) – antidepressant or drugs which increase wakefulness, such as Modafinil.
   
   
   
2. Sleep Apnoea (Interrupted Sleep)
   More common in older people, the overweight, smokers, and alcoholics.
   
   Symptoms:
   
   • Reoccurrence of loud snoring and stop breathing for short periods during the night. (Caused by the closure of the upper part of airway).
   • Every time you stop breathing, you wake suddenly, jerking your body, arms and legs but will fall asleep again.
   • Feel tired the next day with an irresistible urge to sleep.
   • May have dry mouth and headache when you wake up in the morning.
   Treatment:
   
   • correcting the parts of your lifestyle that worsens the problem – smoke and drink less, lose weight, and sleep in different position.
   • if in critical condition, wear a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) mask to supply high pressure air to keep your airway open.

Useful Tips
Do's:

• Ensure a comfortable bed and bedroom - not too hot, not too cold, not too noisy.
• Ensure that your mattress supports you properly. It should not be so firm that your hips and shoulders are under pressure or so soft that your body sags. Generally, you should replace your mattress every 10 years to get the best support and comfort.
• Exercise. Do not overdo it, but try some regular swimming or walking. The best time to exercise is in the daytime - particularly late afternoon or early evening. Exercising later in the evening may disrupt your sleep.
• Take some time to relax properly before going to bed. Aromatherapy may be helpful.
• If something is troubling you, and there is nothing you can do about it right away, try writing it down before going to bed and then tell yourself to deal with it tomorrow.
• If you cannot sleep, get up and do something you find relaxing. Read, watch television or listen to soothing music. After a while you should feel tired enough to go to bed again.

Don'ts:

• Do not go without sleep for a long time - go to bed when you are tired and stick to a routine of getting up at the same time every day, despite feeling tired or not.
• Caffeine remains in your body for several hours after your last drink of tea or coffee. Stop drinking tea or coffee by mid-afternoon. If you want a hot drink in the evening, try something milky or herbal (ensure there is no caffeine in it).
• Do not drink a lot of alcohol. It may help you fall asleep, but you will almost certainly wake up during the night.
• Do not eat or drink a lot late at night. Try having supper early in the evening rather than late.
• If you have had a bad night, do not sleep in the next day - it will make it harder to go to sleep the following night.
• Slimming tablets make it hard to sleep, as do street drugs like Ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines.