Take Care Of Your Teeth And Have A Beautiful Smile

 

Take Care Of Your Teeth And Have A Beautiful Smile

Dental health contributes a great deal of an individual’s overall health status. In fact, medical experts have revealed that poor dental health has a direct relationship with kidney disease, heart attack, Alzheimer’s disease, poor brain function, diabetes, obesity and weakness of muscles. Besides, poor dental care leads to bad breath and will make your teeth less attractive. Inefficient tooth care or neglect results in gum disease and eventual tooth loss, making it hard to chew food and paving way for opportunistic infections.

 Poor dental health is attributed to other health effects such as accumulation of belly fat, reduced fertility, sexual function and gastrointestinal function among others. As such it is of great importance to maintain oral care by brushing after every meal or at least twice a day.

Although most individuals brush routinely, they do not understand the core objective of brushing, giving little or no attention to the toothbrush in their hands. One tooth has got 5 sides namely; the top surface, the inner surface, the outer surface and the surfaces in between two adjacent teeth. When brushing (using a toothbrush), one can only clean the exposed surfaces i.e. the top surface, the outer surface and the inner surfaces of each individual tooth. These should be cleaned with diligence, giving much care to remove the plaque lodged at and beneath the gum.

 This is achieved by aligning the toothbrush in such a way as to access the space between the cavity and the gum on both the inner and outer surface of the tooth. Note that brushing too hard may hurt the gum and eventually cause it to recede. On the other hand, brushing too softly will not achieve its goal in removing the plaque. Thus, brushing should be meticulous enough to strike a balance between the two extremes. Cleaning the surfaces between adjacent teeth is done by flossing using a special instrument and this should be done at least once daily.

Plaque is a thin colourless layer of slime that coats the enamel, the hard outer coating of a tooth. It consists of thousands of bacteria and forms on the enamel every day. These bacteria act on any food residues and they flourish most when you consume sugary products. The action of these bacteria leads to production of acids, which in turn attack the tooth enamel – the tooth’s sole protection – causing a cavity. The cavity (hole in the enamel) can be managed by thorough care to prevent tooth decay but with advancement in medical health, there are better solutions accessible via the dentist’s desk.

 Plaque can also lead to gingivitis, a gum disease that develops due to accumulation of plaque under and along the gum line. In this condition, the gums become soft and have a higher likelihood of bleeding. Gingivitis can be managed by daily flossing and brushing of teeth at least twice in a day. Plaque can also lead to periodontal disease (periodontitis), a more severe kind of gum infection that affects the bones as well as other tissue supporting the tooth. Eventually, the condition necessitates the removal of the affected tooth.

Due to lack of sufficient information on proper dental care, we often neglect or forget to clean some parts of the mouth, parts that the bacteria could use as hibernation zones, only to spread to the cleaned areas after brushing. While the front teeth are given much attention during brushing, the tongue and the upper palate of the mouth are usually neglected. They thus infest the cleaned teeth with bacteria as soon as the cleaning process is complete. However, this should not happen. 

Make sure that the brushing process includes the three tooth surfaces earlier discussed, the tongue and its underside as well as the roof of the mouth. A fluoride mouth wash is also recommended after brushing to strengthen the enamel. The use of a mouth wash should be in accordance to the instructions on the label.  Doing this, together with careful flossing to remove plaque will maintain your teeth healthy and reduce your susceptibility to dental diseases.

Besides regular and professional dental care, it is advisable to be prudent when choosing the kind of food to snack away on between meals. For instance, sugary foods are excellent for mouth bacteria and these may be substituted by vegetables. Similarly, fruit juices contain acids and sugars and water serves as a perfect substitute for them.

 The frequency of snacking is also a factor in promoting the buildup of plaque in the mouth. Reducing the frequency of snacking can therefore reduce your risk of getting cavities and will maintain your beautiful smile. Finally, it is advisable to visit your dentist every time you have a problem with your teeth and also routinely after a few months. He or she should be able to answer any questions regarding dental health.