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Healthy teeth and gums are doors for infection and Inflammation to enter the body. If oral health is unimpeachable it acts as a closed door for infection to enter and affect other organs of the body.
We have billions of bacteria living in our mouths, and without proper dental hygiene, they build up as plaques and cause cavities (tooth decay) and gingivitis.
These resulting conditions over time lead to periodontal or gum disease. Always brush after meals, floss, and use an antimicrobial mouthwash to keep away disease-causing bacteria from staying and reproducing in your mouth.
We cannot overemphasize the need for a healthy diet and minimal sugar intake. They help keep the harmful bacteria under check.
What is the cause of tooth decay?
Due to the nature of digestion, your mouth hosts many bacteria. They feed on sugar, grow, and cause tooth decay leaving behind the waste as a biofilm which we call plaques.
These plaques create room for the bacteria and help them stick around longer until they produce acids that cause cavities and wear down the enamel of your tooth.
The plaques that form near the gum produce toxic compounds into the gums that cause gingivitis. When gingivitis stays untreated, it will develop into periodontitis, a more severe disease. It leads to the loss of tissues and bones around the teeth.
Foods that cause tooth decay
The foods we eat feed the bacteria in our mouths and cause them to produce acids. The primary source of plaques is sugary foods. Crackers, bread, cereals, and other starchy foods influence the production of acid in the mouth.
Dental plaques from bacteria produce substances that irritate the gums and make them red and more likely to bleed. This usually leads to gum disease that causes the gum tissues to pull away from the teeth and fill the pockets with bacteria and pus. When left untreated, the teeth will loosen up or require extraction.
Is tooth decay preventable?
The surest way to remove plaques and prevent tooth decay is by brushing the teeth twice daily. Brushing the teeth with a soft-bristle brush twice a day removes plaques from the surfaces of the teeth.
For a perfect result, the toothbrush size should fit your mouth and easily reach every area. Floss the teeth daily or use interdental cleaners to remove plaques from the tight corners. Flossing the teeth is vital for the prevention of gum disease.
Tooth decay is infectious!
There are billions of bacteria in the mouth, and they are classified into about 300 different species. Many of them that cause tooth disease are communicable like any other infectious disease. According to a study, a ten-second kiss is enough to transmit 80 million bacteria between people.
ROLE OF ORAL HYGIENE ON GENERAL HEALTH ON WHOLE BODYÂ
ROLE OF ORAL HYGIENE ON GENERAL HEALTH ON WHOLE BODY (Systematic Health )
GOOD ORAL HYGIENE IS A PREREQUISITE FOR A HEALTHY BODY. Healthy teeth and gums are doors for infection and Inflammation to enter the body.
If oral health is unimpeachable it acts as a closed door for infection to enter and affect other organs of the body. Many systematic diseases can occur due to poor oral hygiene and can affect the body organs and hence good overall health.
Heart and stroke
The most important and life-threatening condition that can affect the human body is a heath attack or stroke. Poor oral hygiene increases the chances of strokes many folds has been proved in many journals of the American heart association.
Poor ROAL HYGIENE increases the thickening of blood vessels as these vessels imbibe more LDL (Low-density lipids) in monocytes. This causes a decrease in the size of blood vessels and hence less blood flow and more chances of heath attack.
These deposits in blood vessels decrease the diameter of blood vessels and hence the blood flow. This leads to strokes or heart attacks.
Also, in patients with a cardiac history, it is very important to take care of oral hygiene to prevent the chances of recurrence.
Pregnancy
Good oral health is very important for a pregnant lady for a normal and healthy baby. Pregnant women and their babies are very prone to many diseases due to poor oral hygiene. Poor oral health increases the chances of low birth weight babies.
This means the weight of the baby while birth is less than 2500 gms. This occurs due to the inflammation injunction that joins the baby and mother (Placenta).
This causes decreased nutrition to the baby and hence low birth weight. Also chances of premature parturition increase in such women.
Very Important is to get the teeth cleaned before pregnancy and proper oral health care should be taken.
Then else it can lead to bleeding gums, pregnancy tumors, swelling in gums, and hence can lead to other diseases in the body that can affect the baby.
Diabetes
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Diabetes is a very dangerous disease and is called a slow killer as it affects all organs of the body if not controlled. It leads to pyorrhoea (Periodontitis) and it is very common in diabetic patients.
Gums start bleeding, the tooth becomes mobile, food lodgement between teeth and gams increase in between teeth. Hence it is very important to maintain proper oral hygiene in diabetic patients.
Lung Diseases
Chances of Lung infection increase in poor hygiene patients. As ORAL cavity is a pool for all respiratory pathogens. In debilitated and Old patients colonization and establishment by pulmonary pathogens in Dental plaque (in the oral cavity) is very frequent.
Teeth decay, caries, swollen gums, and infection in gums can all upsurge the chances of Lung infection.
Smoking
Smoking is the gravest habit that affects oral health and causes life-threatening diseases. It can cause oral cancer and lung cancer, High blood pressure, and COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Poor oral hygiene and smoking add to the condition as it even decreases body immunity and endangers the body from multiple life intimidating diseases. SMOKING KILLS!!
Bacterial endocarditis:Â Also known as Infective endocarditis
Bacterial endocarditis (BE), is an infection caused by bacteria that via the blood vessels move to the heart and affect heart valves, blood vessels, and healthy muscles and lining.
People with poor oral hygiene are at high risk of bacterial endocarditis because it has been found that the same bacteria found in the oral cavity affect the heart and cause bacterial endocarditis.
Bacteria via the bloodstream travel to the heart and cause damaged teeth you have to take full mouth dental implants.
The most common bacteria that cause bacterial endocarditis is Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococci viridian and coagulase-negative Staphylococci These bacteria are frequently found in the oral cavity and they travel via the bloodstream and cause infective endocarditis.
It is very important to take proper care of teeth and gums. Do proper brushing and get your teeth cleaned by your dentist once a year.
There are many myths about teeth cleaning that cleaning removes the enamel layer of the tooth and weakens it.
Cleaning s done by the cavitation movements of water at the tip of the Ultrasonic scaler. It does not weaken the tooth or harm it in any form.
GOOD ORAL HEALTH AND BODY HEALTH will make you live without any disease and happily forever. STAY HEALTHY AND HAPPY!!
25 Best tips to strengthen your teeth and gums naturally
Experts advise the following techniques for brushing and flossing: Brushing
- Let your toothbrush be at a 45-degree angle against your gums
- Brush with tooth-wide strokes, gently moving your brush back and forth
- Spend quality time brushing the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces of your teeth
- With the tip of the brush, make gently up-down strokes to clean the inner surface of your front teeth
- Brush your tongue or scrape it to remove bacteria and get rid of foul breath.
Flossing
- Wind up 18 inches of your floss on the third fingers of each hand. Use your thumb and forefingers to hold the floss.
- Gently glide down the floss in between your teeth and use a gentle rubbing motion to clean the space
- At the gum line, make a C-shaped curve against a tooth. Gently lead the floss into the space between the tooth and gum.
- Take back the floss to the point where the two teeth meet, and move it to each side or up and down. Do this until the floss cleans the entire space.
- Gently rub the floss by the side of each tooth, and use an up and down motion to move the floss from the gum.
- Do this to the rest of your teeth.
Protect your mouth further with a mouth rinse
Using a mouth rinse along with routine brushing and flossing will improve your mouth’s cleanliness. With an antimicrobial mouth rinse, you can reduce the activities of plaque and bacteria and lower your risk of gingivitis and gum disease.
Fluoride mouth rinses are very potent at reducing tooth decay; however, they are not for everyone. Children younger than age six should use fluoride mouth rinses since they may swallow them.
Ensure you contact a dentist before using any new product, and check the manufacturer’s label for the age recommendations and precautions. Also, talk to your dentist about fluoride mouth rinses before using them.
These extra tips will help you maintain healthy teeth and gums
- Curtail the number of sweet drinks you take
- After meals or intake of sugary or acidic beverages, drink plenty of fluoridated water. It will help reduce the acid
- Use a straw when you can to reduce the contact between the sugary beverage and your teeth
- Instead of sugary drinks, go for water, milk, or yogurt.
Read Also, Dental Hygienist London
Natural remedies for gum disease and loose teeth
Your teeth are very sensitive and one needs to take proper oral care to ensure that your visits to the dentists are limited. There are a lot of teeth issues that one can encounter and can lead to sitting on the orthodontist’s chair which most people despise.
There are a lot of reasons that can take you to the dentist and you need to avoid all such reasons.
Eating unhealthy food, not brushing your teeth daily, and not removing cavities from your teeth can all turn out to be a nuisance for people who want to have healthy teeth.
There are ways in which you can solve half of your teeth problems at home without needing to go to a dentist. But for that one needs to follow a proper plan to ensure that the teeth remain healthy.
There are home remedies that can help you fight off your toothache when a bacteria has entered your tooth.
There can be a real pain when such things happen and taking home remedies to relieve the pain can turn out to be the exact thing that you are looking for.
We will now take you through some of the home remedies that you can use to keep your teeth healthy.
Salt Water Rinse
There are different causes of orthodontic problems which include bleeding of gums and tooth abscesses. These problems are often cured when you go and visit a dentist but few people know that these problems can be cured at home as well.
Rinsing your teeth with salt water is one easy and efficient way to provide you relief from tooth abscesses and gum bleeding. Salt has antiseptic properties that help in reducing swelling and infections. To use this remedy you need to mix a half cup of water with a half teaspoon of salt.
Once done rinse your mouth with the saltwater and try to swish around that water in your mouth for a minimum of two minutes. Once done spit out the water and repeat this activity three to four times a day.
Baking Soda
Keeping your teeth healthy with the things that you have got in your home is a very good option. Baking soda is one such thing that is readily available in everyone’s kitchen almost every day.
Baking soda can be used to fight off your toothache and remove any plaque that is stored in your teeth.
The antibacterial properties of baking soda also help in fighting off gums from bleeding. To use this home remedy,
- you need to mix half a cup of water in half a tablespoon of baking soda.
- Add a pinch of salt to the mixture and start swishing it around in your mouth for about five minutes.
- Once done you can spit the water out and start the process again.
- The whole thing can be done 3-4 times a day depending on the pain of your teeth.
Fenugreek Tea
Fenugreek tea is made when the seeds of the fenugreek plant are brewed in water. There are a lot of advantages of fenugreek tea to the health of the human body and keeping the teeth healthy is one of them.
The antibacterial properties of the tea are very important to fight off tooth bacteria along with stopping gum bleeding.
Fenugreek tea can heal wounds and also reduce inflammation.
- To use the remedy at home,
- you need to take 1 cup of hot water and stir 1 teaspoon of fenugreek tea in it.
- After the mixing is completed, allow the mixture to cool down
- and then apply it to the affected tooth area with the help of cotton.
This process can be done 3-4 times a day to get better results.
Clove Oil
Clove oil is considered to be a helpful ingredient when it comes to keeping your teeth healthy. This particular oil may not be very common in all households but can be found in the majority of them.
Clove Oil is used by people to provide relief from their toothache and gum bleeding. The remedy of clove oil can be used by directly applying the oil to the affected area with the help of cotton.
Clove oil can also be used with water as you place a few drops of the oil in water and then use it as your mouthwash. Clove oil can be used three times a day only and not more than that.
Oregano Oil
Oregano oil is easily available in households as compared to clove oil. This all-natural oil has great antibacterial and antioxidant capabilities. The use of oregano oil can reduce the swelling and pain in your teeth in no time.
- Apply oregano oil on cotton and hold it on the affected area for 2-3 minutes.
- The cotton can be removed but the oregano oil needs to be present in the affected area for 10 minutes before it is rinsed.
- This entire process can be repeated 3 times a day.
Taking care of your teeth
To avoid the treatment that always comes with some uncertainties, it is always better to maintain good oral hygiene and health to ensure that there is no tooth decay or cavities.
Moreover, gum care and good teeth contribute to better overall health and well-being. Inability to maintain good oral health can lead to many chronic diseases that can even lead to disability.
Toothcare is not at all expensive but needs a disciplined approach to ensure that you brush your teeth regularly and refrain from eating harmful foods that cause tooth cavities and decay.
Moreover, it does not take too much time to keep your teeth healthy. Good habits can prevent plaque formation on a tooth that starts the process of decay.
Here are some simple ways to take proper care of your teeth.
Have food with less sugar
Protecting your teeth from a variety of harmful foods can help to maintain healthy teeth. There is ample evidence that sugars can do considerable harm to teeth and is the cause of dental diseases.
This does not mean that you must abhor sugars altogether because the frequency of sugar intake and quantity determines the extent of the decay. Limiting sugar intake is the way to ensure that it does not harm teeth because the bacteria in the mouth thrive on sugar and starts decaying teeth.
With every sugar exposure, the process of demineralization sets in and it can take almost an hour for the mouth to regain non-acidic pH conditions. Consumption of fresh fruit and starchy staple foods are linked to lower occurrences of dental caries.
The ideal diet for healthy gums and teeth comprises nutrient-rich foods that have low sugar and starch content.
Be careful with beverages
For producing saliva in the mouth that protects teeth, start taking fruits and vegetables like apples, celery, peas, and carrots between meals. The chewing of fruits and vegetables results in saliva secretion.
While you must drink enough water, be careful with beverages and soft drinks as most carbonated beverages contain phosphoric acid that inhibits calcium absorption in the body. Fruit juices contain a good amount of sugar and damages teeth.
Ensure proper brushing
Brushing is not enough unless you do it correctly at least for 2 minutes each time. For reducing plaque, dentists recommend the use of fluoridated toothpaste. For cleaning teeth and gums properly, you must use a soft-bristled toothbrush that protects the enamel.
Place the toothbrush against the teeth at an angle of 45o to the gumline and use short and gentle strokes, back and forth, and in circular motions. This would ensure that the bristles gently clean the teeth’ surfaces without scrubbing or sawing.
Lightly brush the tongue with the toothbrush and wait for 30 minutes after brushing before taking food. Periodical replacement of toothbrushes every three months is mandatory.
Practice flossing
Although brushing cleans teeth, the cleanliness does not last long because of interim food intake between brushing sessions. Food particles can make their way into the crevices and fine gaps between teeth. For in-between cleaning of teeth, you should take up flossing and make it a habit.Â
Flossing is essential because the toothbrush does not reach every nook and corner of teeth that the floss can easily access. The tight spaces between teeth and the area just below the gum line are susceptible to food particle deposition that builds up plaque and turns into tartar if allowed to stay in place. Plaques and tartar are early signs of dental decay, and you must act fast to prevent it.
Brush properly
Brushing properly and thoroughly is key to keeping your teeth free from any risk of stains or discolorations. The dentists always recommend a gentle brushing so that the effects reach all parts of the mouth.
Brushing twice a day is also essential to keeping the risk of plaque buildup away. It’s good to brush once in the morning and then before hitting the bed to not allow bacteria to harm your teeth in any way.
Flossing regularly
Like brushing, you also need to floss your teeth regularly. Daily flossing is a must to get foods stuck between your teeth out of the mouth.
Brushing alone can’t help remove food particles as bristles are often not able to enter between teeth. This is where flossing helps as it lets you reach between the teeth and wash away what brushing can’t. For that reason, you should floss once a day at least.
Clean your tongue
The surface of your tongue is the site where bacteria thrive. If not cleaned regularly, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause a variety of health problems.
You can either use the brush itself for cleaning your tongue or use a scraper for the same purpose. By making tongue cleaning a regular part of your oral care routine, you can maintain your dental health perfectly.
Don’t eat sugary items
Any food or drinks high in sugar or starch is bad for your teeth. Soda, coffee, tea, colas, soft drinks, wine, fruit juices, and sports juices are very harmful to your dental health.
For your dental health, you should stop consuming these items altogether and if you can’t, then try to cut back on the amount and frequency to lessen the risks. Rather, try to eat and drink healthy foods and drinks that have no harm to your teeth and gums.
Avoid tobacco in any form
Consumption of tobacco and superior dental health can’t co-exist together. If you smoke or use tobacco in any form, there will be harm to your teeth and gums. Stains, discolorations, and oral cancer risks are always there when you use tobacco.
Your teeth can lose their whitening luster while gums may start bleeding when you use tobacco in any form.
Use mouthwash and fluoride-based toothpaste
Fluoride is essential for keeping your teeth healthy. If your toothpaste has fluoride content in it, your teeth will be strengthened and cavity risk will be minimized.
Similarly, you can use mouthwash and fight off bacteria-causing plaque buildup in your mouth. Don’t use water for washing your mouth as it can dilute the impact fluoride may have. Rather, use a mouthwash and keep your teeth healthy.
Don’t ignore any dental problem
Many of us don’t take a toothache seriously. We think that it will go away without getting any medical attention. And it often does. However, it’d be wrong to avoid any dental issue even of minor nature as it may indicate something wrong with the body or your general health.
Any bleeding from the gums is also not meant to be ignored as it may indicate signs of periodontal disease.
Visit the dentist regularly
It’s a good habit to visit the dentist regularly at least every 6 months and get your completely checked. The dentist will do a thorough examination and cleaning of your teeth. X-rays can be used to spot any dental problem not visible to the naked eyes.
The dentist in Nassau County will suggest the right diet and advise you good oral care routine. This is how you can maintain your oral health without much effort for sure.
All these home remedies for healthy teeth are easy as all things are available at home. The use of these remedies can reduce your visits to your dentists and keep your teeth healthy at the same time.
Root canal treatment
To save badly infected and damaged teeth dentists perform root canal treatment. It consists of removing the damaged area or pulp first and then filling and sealing it after proper cleaning and disinfecting the area.
While a deep cavity would call for root canal treatment, the treatment is also effective for a cracked tooth that also damages the pulp. Repeated dental treatment on the same tooth can also weaken the pulp which can be set right with root canal treatment.
The dentists will first ascertain the extent of damage by taking X-rays of the tooth, and if it calls for root canal treatment, the dentist will perform it under general anesthesia.
It is almost a pain-free procedure with patients experiencing slight to moderate pain for one or two days.
Although root canal treatment enjoys a fair amount of success, like any other interventional surgical procedure, few patients might encounter some complications after root canal treatment that you can learn about by logging on to Root canal complications In such cases, the experience of patients is far from pleasing.
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