Healthy Mouths, Beautiful Smiles
Introduction
Everybody likes to have a good looking smile. It is considered by many as one of the most important things when you are trying to make a good first impression. So, It is not a generalization, it is quite a reality. Nowadays, even with all the advances in preventive and corrective dentistry, many people struggle to achieve a good looking and healthy smile. Different factors, including poor oral hygiene, a diet high on sugars, lack of motivation and others play detrimental roles in the oral cavity. So, there is no straight forward, single answer to this problem. No magical tooth brush or mouth rinse. Not even a perfectly crafted set of new veneers. My intention with this article is to give some advice on some of the most important areas when it comes to obtaining and maintaining a good oral hygiene.
Keep Up With Your Recall Appointments
This is a very important one. Some of the signs of an oral disease are easy to spot by just looking at your mouth. If your gums are bleeding; if you notice holes on your teeth; or if you have a bad taste; you know there are some problems needing to be addressed. Unfortunately, not all oral diseases can be detected that easily. Periodontal disease, or gum disease, can and does go undetected often. Smoking, some medications and some tooth pastes can inhibit the gum bleeding associated with periodontitis. That is why it is important to come to your recall appointments. In addition to that, if there are some deficiencies on your oral hygiene regime, your dentist and hygienist can detect them and help you to correct them.
Home Oral Care
A good oral home care is vital. Remember, you only have two "cleaning" appointments yearly. That means that 362 days the responsibility of cleaning your teeth properly is on you! A proper tooth bushing technique is essential. However, if you only brush once a day, that is simply not enough. Especially if you are having many meals and snacks throughout the day. So, contact time between the food and the teeth is only one factor. Frequency is another one. The more your teeth come into contact with food; and the longer food debris stays on your teeth, the higher the chance to develop cavities and gum disease. So, the best way to prevent those is by brushing three times a day and flossing at least once daily (ideally once after every meal). Remember, the brush can only clean the tooth surfaces your eyes can see. The rest, is the floss responsibility (40% of the job). In other words, if you brush and do not floss, you are 40% more prone to decay and gum disease. So, do not forget to floss those pearls! Finally, remember to use mouthwash. They have anti-microbial ingredients that help to kill cariogenic (cavity producing) bacteria.
A Healthy and Balanced Diet
For many years, cavities have been attributed to eating candy. That is true, however, there are a lot of good foods and drinks that can cause them. For example, milk is a good source of calcium, some juices are rich on Vitamin C. The list goes on and on. We want to have the benefit of this valuable nutrients. In other words, I would not recommend not drinking them. The right thing to do would be to brush and rinse your mouth immediately after their intake, helping to dilute and minimize the amount of fructose and lactose available for bacteria to breakdown (producing acids and cavities). This is not always possible in every working environment. If a brush is not available, thoroughly rinsing your mouth with water two or there times will help until you get home. The same practice is advised with fruits, high in fructose and some citric acids. Additionally, restricting from highly sugary drinks and soft drinks is recommended.
Conclusion
A healthy and beautiful smile is something that does not happen by itself. It has to be worked by you; with help of your dentist and dental hygienist as a supportive team. Brushing, flossing and mouthwash use are vital in achieving a healthy mouth. Being more careful with what we eat and drink, avoiding sugary and highly acidic drinks, when possible, is a step in the right direction. Finally, once your teeth and gums are healthy, if you do not like shape, form or alignment of your teeth, ask your dentist for an Orthodontist and or Prosthodontist referral. They can help you to change those little details that will help you have the smile you deserve.
By Bolivar Luperon, D.M.D.
Everybody likes to have a good looking smile. It is considered by many as one of the most important things when you are trying to make a good first impression. So, It is not a generalization, it is quite a reality. Nowadays, even with all the advances in preventive and corrective dentistry, many people struggle to achieve a good looking and healthy smile. Different factors, including poor oral hygiene, a diet high on sugars, lack of motivation and others play detrimental roles in the oral cavity. So, there is no straight forward, single answer to this problem. No magical tooth brush or mouth rinse. Not even a perfectly crafted set of new veneers. My intention with this article is to give some advice on some of the most important areas when it comes to obtaining and maintaining a good oral hygiene.
Keep Up With Your Recall Appointments
This is a very important one. Some of the signs of an oral disease are easy to spot by just looking at your mouth. If your gums are bleeding; if you notice holes on your teeth; or if you have a bad taste; you know there are some problems needing to be addressed. Unfortunately, not all oral diseases can be detected that easily. Periodontal disease, or gum disease, can and does go undetected often. Smoking, some medications and some tooth pastes can inhibit the gum bleeding associated with periodontitis. That is why it is important to come to your recall appointments. In addition to that, if there are some deficiencies on your oral hygiene regime, your dentist and hygienist can detect them and help you to correct them.
Home Oral Care
A good oral home care is vital. Remember, you only have two "cleaning" appointments yearly. That means that 362 days the responsibility of cleaning your teeth properly is on you! A proper tooth bushing technique is essential. However, if you only brush once a day, that is simply not enough. Especially if you are having many meals and snacks throughout the day. So, contact time between the food and the teeth is only one factor. Frequency is another one. The more your teeth come into contact with food; and the longer food debris stays on your teeth, the higher the chance to develop cavities and gum disease. So, the best way to prevent those is by brushing three times a day and flossing at least once daily (ideally once after every meal). Remember, the brush can only clean the tooth surfaces your eyes can see. The rest, is the floss responsibility (40% of the job). In other words, if you brush and do not floss, you are 40% more prone to decay and gum disease. So, do not forget to floss those pearls! Finally, remember to use mouthwash. They have anti-microbial ingredients that help to kill cariogenic (cavity producing) bacteria.
A Healthy and Balanced Diet
For many years, cavities have been attributed to eating candy. That is true, however, there are a lot of good foods and drinks that can cause them. For example, milk is a good source of calcium, some juices are rich on Vitamin C. The list goes on and on. We want to have the benefit of this valuable nutrients. In other words, I would not recommend not drinking them. The right thing to do would be to brush and rinse your mouth immediately after their intake, helping to dilute and minimize the amount of fructose and lactose available for bacteria to breakdown (producing acids and cavities). This is not always possible in every working environment. If a brush is not available, thoroughly rinsing your mouth with water two or there times will help until you get home. The same practice is advised with fruits, high in fructose and some citric acids. Additionally, restricting from highly sugary drinks and soft drinks is recommended.
Conclusion
A healthy and beautiful smile is something that does not happen by itself. It has to be worked by you; with help of your dentist and dental hygienist as a supportive team. Brushing, flossing and mouthwash use are vital in achieving a healthy mouth. Being more careful with what we eat and drink, avoiding sugary and highly acidic drinks, when possible, is a step in the right direction. Finally, once your teeth and gums are healthy, if you do not like shape, form or alignment of your teeth, ask your dentist for an Orthodontist and or Prosthodontist referral. They can help you to change those little details that will help you have the smile you deserve.
By Bolivar Luperon, D.M.D.
Source...