OUR TEETH "... SOME are crooked, some are straight, some are white, and some are yellow. No matter what, though, they are the little "blocks" in our mouth that we use to chew our food into manageable portions.

Most of us usually don't think about them until it's time to floss and brush, or until it's time for the twice-a-year dental checkup.

Not paying proper attention to these invaluable structures can lead to problems such as cavities, periodontal disease, receding gums and much more. I have been the oh-so-lucky recipient of cavities and subsequent fillings within the past three years.

Not fun for me personally, or my finances, but a result of lackluster dental hygiene. In order to prevent others from suffering my dental fate, I interviewed my dentist, Dr. Daniel Burk, and asked him some questions about oral hygiene and the field of dentistry.

Dr. Burk has been in practice since 1980 and chose dentistry because of his desire to work with his hands, and to work around people. A one-time summer job as a janitor working alone brought him to his revelation that he "needed to interact with others on a daily basis." Thus, dentistry fulfilled both his needs.

Causes of decay

Because Dr. Burk had just filled some of my cavities a couple days earlier, I asked him the most pertinent question for a dentist: What are the major causes of dental decay?

"Sugar is a huge problem," he said. "It's hard to find food without sugar nowadays, so it has been a major problem."

He goes on to note that things such as soda and sport drinks are exceptionally destructive to teeth because the sugar from both clings to teeth throughout the day, which in turn continuously eats away at the enamel.

He even said that medical items, such as cough drops and chewable vitamins, are destructive to teeth. He stressed that as consumers we need to "get into the habit of reading labels to look for sugar in the food," and be more conscious of our sugar intake.

But there are promising sugar substitutes (such as xylitol and its antibacterial quality) being put into chewing gum in order to cut down on dental decay.

Eliminate smoking

Another ailment that Dr. Burk noted? Smoking.

"There's so many bad things about smoking "... it can lead to periodontal disease, gum disease, stained teeth and the worst, mouth cancer," he said.

He also notes how contradictory it is that some people are so worried about bad breath, yet they will continue to smoke.

I was under the impression that young adults in college would have the worst dental hygiene, but to my surprise Dr. Burk said there is not a lot of variation among age groups, though dentists do keep a close eye on preteens.

"We try to warn them about the dangers of sugar and teach them the dental benefits of a healthy diet," he said.

As people progress into middle age, they tend to start losing teeth, one at a time.

Implants for teeth

"Dental implants are a big area we started doing more recently, and they are the best way to replace a missing tooth "... this is the new direction in dental care," he said.

Another surprise to me was that people in their 80s and 90s are getting more work done to save their teeth and avoid the hassle of dentures; "The ultimate goal is to have all your original teeth when you die," he said. "It's a big payoff to take care of your teeth so you can maintain good tooth health."

I'm a really big advocate that prevention is preferable (yes, even though I do have cavities), so it's time to look into some of the measures one can take to prevent any form of dental decay.

"There's an old saying that you don't have to floss all of your teeth, just the ones that you want to keep," says Dr. Burk, "and you can go for years without problems, but it does catch up with gum disease and whatnot because there are certain areas a toothbrush can't reach. Some people don't understand that dental decay is caused by bacteria and germs."

He also explains that dentistry is constantly developing new ways of flossing, be it floss aids or antimicrobial chemicals and solutions to help clean between the teeth.

Brush twice a day

In terms of brushing, Dr. Burk stresses that it really takes "two to three minutes to hit the surface of each tooth," he said. "The national average is only about 27 seconds, which is not enough to get each tooth. I recommend brushing well in the morning and after dinner each night."

Another preventive measure Dr. Burk mentions is fluoride. "We have fluoride varnishes for the teeth after the dental office cleaning, which works to strengthen the enamel and slow down tooth decay." I recently started using a fluoride rinse from the drugstore after my last fillings.

Given the recent economic hardships, it may be difficult for some to get their dental needs taken care of, and Dr. Burk says he is seeing fewer patients because of this.

But he also says that "dental and oral hygiene are not the places to skim. A lot preventive measures can be taken, and if you don't come in, the problem gets worse and costs more."

Insure yourself

Dr. Burk has started telling patients who lose their dental care benefits to do "self-insurance." This means "setting personal money aside to cover the procedure costs," he said.

"Dental insurance is getting really bad, and people don't understand that they are out there to make money by creating high premiums and giving lower payouts. Just set some money aside so you can have the procedures that you want done."

Money may not be the only thing keeping people out of dental offices.

"We do have ways of treating fearful patients," Dr. Burk said. "We have 'oral conscious sedation' where the patients take a pill as well as nitrous oxide gas to help them relax."

Dr. Burk explains that it's usually fear of the unknown and not trusting people that can lead to this phobia.

"We like the patients to get to know the dentist and their staff," he said. "When treating patients, I always think, 'If this was my family member, what would I do?' and this guides the treatment. I'm proud a lot of people refer their families to us because it lets us know that people truly trust us."

Like father, like son

And speaking of family, Dr. Burk is proud to say that his son is now studying dentistry at Harvard with an eye toward orthodontics or dental surgery.

It is important to have dental exams in order to maintain good dental health and prevent future problems. Also make a conscious effort to be more aware of what foods you eat and drink, and look out for sugar.

And be sure to keep some space between the upper and lower teeth so that they don't grind against one another during the day. Most important, floss and brush well daily. On a final note, Dr. Burk states that "this is the only set of teeth you are going to get, so don't wear them out before you're ready to go."

Kainani Tolero is a Deer Valley High School graduate and a UC Davis student. Write to her at bnews@bayareanewsgroup.com.