Do you care for your teeth?
Your teeth are amazing! With it, you bite into the freshest cheese, chew on the juiciest apples, flash that mesmerizing smile, and properly speak the depths of your mind.
Did you know your facial structure depends on your teeth to look firm?
Your teeth are yours only. No one shares the same teeth arrangement and structure with you.
How well do you take care of this tool?
Oral health isn’t a myth. It’s been on for as long as the dawn of time. Some early records of human history pointed out that the idea of toothpaste has been since before the year 500 BC. At that time, the typical toothbrush was any chewed stick with loose fibers.
In present times, dental health has been linked to general health, which means that bad dental health significantly compromises overall health.
Taking care of your teeth means working with the intent to keep your mouth free from infections and diseases. Bacteria are the primary cause of most oral diseases, and one way to beat these harmful bacteria is to maintain good oral hygiene.
Interestingly, proper oral hygiene isn’t always enough to keep you safe from oral diseases. You might need to do a little more than flossing and brushing your teeth twice daily.
About half the world’s population is living with different kinds of dental problems. Surprisingly, quite a number of them brush and floss twice daily. Many don’t.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that you can have seemingly perfect teeth and still lose them. Why?
Gum diseases.
Periodontal, the first stage of gum disease, is the most prominent cause of tooth loss. It’s so common that nine out of every ten adults in their jubilee years are affected.
About seven out of every ten adults between the ages 35 and 50 are affected by periodontal disease.
Unfortunately, most affected individuals are not aware of their condition until it gets severe.
How do you recognize periodontal disease?
Periodontal, being a less advanced stage of gum disease, can be very subtle. So subtle that we often ignore it.
Its first signs are usually inflamed gums, sudden redness of the gums, bleeding when pressure is applied to the gums.
You might notice the bleeding when you brush your teeth, and sometimes it could happen when you chew, but many are in the oblivion of this since no one looks in the mirror when eating.
Chronic gum disease is known as Periodontitis.
At this stage, the symptoms are usually fierce and painful. It affects both the jawbones and the gums.
Pus might flow when pressure is applied to the gums. Severe bad breath and receding gums might follow.
In some cases, spaces begin to develop between the teeth.
Tooth loss is often the painful end of gum disease. However, dental infections can also affect other organs of the body, especially the heart.
How do you avoid the disease in the first place?
Excellent oral hygiene is highly recommended, but as stated earlier, that might not be enough. You might need to make certain adjustments in your lifestyle, diets, and oral hygiene.
Let’s start from the bottom.
Oral hygiene.
Oral hygiene is focused on the cleaning of the teeth, gum, and tongue. You can clean your mouth using a toothbrush, floss, and mouthwash. These methods can be very effective when you do them right.
For example, brushing your teeth is an intricate process. If you go too hard, you could tear your gums, making them more vulnerable to infections, or you could brush away your enamel over time.
Brushing away your enamel, a process known as enamel erosion, is just as devastating as injuring your gums. The enamel is the hardest tissue in the human body and serves as a protective shell for the soft bulk of the teeth called dentin.
A severe case of enamel erosion might appear as a yellow stain on the tooth, except it’s not a stain, it’s exposed dentin, and at this point, the teeth become very susceptible to breakage.
So what brushing technique can help you avoid these harms?
First, always use a soft-bristled toothbrush, use a toothpaste that’s high in fluoride, and avoid scrubbing your gum and teeth aggressively. The circular brushing method is highly recommended.
Keep in mind that your toothbrush only cleans about 65% of your teeth’ surface. Good flossing might get the remaining 35%. Also, consider using mouthwash.
It’s good to brush twice daily and at least floss once a day. But you’re not restricted to those numbers. If you feel comfortable cleaning your mouth after every meal, go for it. But do well to brush your teeth after your last meal of the day.
Your diet.
A balanced diet can do wonders for your health, but a more conditioned diet can help you beat several lifestyle diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.
A plant-based diet is great for your oral health as it promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in your mouth, but even better is a diet with the least sugar.
Sugar is terrible for the teeth. It’s one of the leading causes of tooth decay and gum diseases.
Harmful bacteria are always present in the mouth, and they thrive when you eat sugar. These bacteria form plaques using the acid they produce after feeding on sugar molecules.
Plaques are notoriously efficient. They eat away your enamels, create cavities and infect the gums.
Your lifestyle.
You might have heard that smoking is terrible for your health. Well, it’s also awful for your teeth. So you’ll be doing your teeth a lot of good if you avoid smoking.
Nevertheless, the best thing you can do for your teeth and overall health is to visit a dentist regularly.
You might be able to clean your mouth, but you do need a dentist to examine your oral health, recommend the proper dental care, detect a problem before it becomes extreme, and help you remove tartars you’re bound to miss.
In the end, visiting your dentist might save you from the oral ordeal half the world’s population is dealing with right now.
