Frequently Asked Questions

Normally, every human being during their life,will grow 52 teeth. The first 20 ones are the deciduous teeth and they grow in the oral cavity gradually from the age of 6-36 months. From the age of 6-18 years, the deciduous teeth are being replaced by the permanent teeth. Since the age of 6-12 the human's dental bar is called mixed, because it consists of both deciduous and permanent teeth, which gradually fall and come out, respectively.

The precautional visit to the dentist, even without clear signs of a problem, is essential. Most of the dental cases (e.g. incipient caries, gingivitis) if treated on an early stage, can reduse the dentist's work, the time of the treatment and the cost of it as well.

In most of the patients, brushing their teeth twice a day, should be enough (at morning and at night). Apart from that though, flossing and mouthwash during the day is very helpful for the preservation of a good oral hygiene. There are of course some cases (e.g. patients having an orthodontic treatment, patients after surgical operation etc) in which oral hygiene differs and specilizes.

Bleeding of the gingival tissue during teeth brushing, is usually caused by the existence of severe microbial plaque and calculus on the teeth's surface. There are surely some other factors that can deteriorate the problem (e.g. bad prosthetic restorations, hormonal changes). The appropriate treatment is supragingival and / or subgingival scaling (cleaning) and learning the correct way of brushing.

Bad breath in 90% is due to local causes and only 10% due to general causes. The normal or transient bad breath occurs, when waking up due to the stagnant saliva. Also, normal bad breath can be caused by eating certain foods such as garlic, onion, spices, proteins, alcohol, smoking, and deprivation of water or some medications that usually cause dry mouth. In addition, the pathological bad breath may be intraoral or extraoral. In intraoral causes are classified pathologies of the oral cavity, such as dentures with poor embodiment, dentures, dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, dental abscesses, the "wounds" (ulceration) of the mucosa, oral cancer, the radiotherapy and certain drugs. The extrorally bad breath is less common, and may be due to respiratory problems (e.g. rhinitis, sinusitis, tuberculosis), gastrointestinal (e.g., gastroesophageal reflux disease, Helicobacter pylori), some metabolic diseases (e.g. example, diabetes mellitus) or organ failure (e.g., kidney, liver). In such cases, bad breath can be treated after the right treatment of each disease by the appropriate doctors.

The best age for a child's first contact with the dentist is that of six months. In any case, until its first birthday, the child must have visited a dentist or a specialist pediatric dentist for an initial examination and to provide initial information on oral hygiene to parents. Apart from diagnosing potential problems of caries and gingivitis, the dentist, in this age of young patients, can diagnose potential orthodontic problems (mainly of 3 years), damages from use of baby bottle, pacifier, finger, etc.

Be noted that even in this age, children may experience stomatological problems like cysts sunrise, herpetic gingivostomatitis, etc. In these cases, addressing the problem of the child should be immediate. The treatment of children is different from that of adults and mainly in preventive programs by the dentist with fluoridation and preventive coverage of the holes and fissures of teeth and oral hygiene education and non anticariogenic diet.

Dental caries is a multifactorial disease that destroys the hard tissues of the teeth. The dental caries is a disease caused by microorganisms normally present in the oral cavity and have the ability to cleave carbohydrates factor acids which erode the surface of the tooth. If not treated in time, it develops and leads to gradual destruction of the tooth resulting in tooth filling, in endodontic treatment (root canal therapy) and possibly in tooth extraction. The disease is caused by the interaction of many factors that influence the onset and rate of progression. These factors are:

1. Bacteria that are attached to the teeth (plaque)
2. The frequency of consumption of sugary foods
3. The durability of the tooth itself

Tooth caries can affect people of all ages, but particularly children and young adults.

Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Lesions may develop throughout and in the tissues of the oral cavity with multiple clinical presentations. Prevention is the cornerstone of treatment, as most oral malignancies develop from precancerous conditions, which, if treated in time, is treatable. The main etiological and predisposing factors are:

Smoking. Nearly 80% of patients with oral cancer are smokers. The risk is higher in smokers of pipe or cigars, while a very high frequency is observed in those who chew tobacco.

Alcohol. It plays a synergistic role in the development of malignancies, enhancing the carcinogenic effects of tobacco. The higher the alcohol content, the stronger the synergistic effect.

The UV radiation. It is considered causative factor mainly for cancer of the lower lip in patients who, for business reasons, are exposed to the sun (fishermen, farmers, laborers, etc.).

Oncogenes. Under the influence of various factors such as tumor viruses, radiation, chemicals, etc., it can be activated and cause disease.

Immunosuppression. The use of immunosuppressive drugs may sometimes inhibit the natural protection of the body itself in the development of malignant tumors.

Oncogenic viruses. Several viruses such as human papilloma virus, the herpes simplex virus, etc. have been implicated in the creation of cancer of the oral cavity.

The lack of iron (Fe). It is associated with an increased risk of cancer of the mouth, esophagus and throat.

Deficiency of vitamin A. The presence of it plays a protective role in the appearance of cancer, and it facilitates the creation of disease.

Papilloma virus and Herpes Simplex virus. They are both implicated in the creation of cancer of the oral cavity.

Trismus or bruxismus or TMJ syndrome is the situation described by the unstoppable grit and teeth clenching, unintentional and undetermined hours. The patients usually ignore acquiring this habit and do not know that there is treatment up until they show damage to the mouth and teeth or the dentist discovers their problem in a routine visit. For Bruxism intense stress, anxiety and competitive personality are implicated. The bruxism can also occur in children. The damages caused by bruxism often include the following symptoms:

Worn teeth
Pain in the face
Hypersensitive teeth
Tension in the face and muscles of the jaw
Headaches
Deviation of the jaw
Destruction of the enamel of the teeth, with disclosure of the interior of the tooth (dentine)
Clack in the temporomandibular joint
Injury to the inside of the cheek