Good dental care for children goes beyond brushing and flossing. It also demands a balanced diet that is rich in nutritional value, which helps in keeping the teeth healthy and maintaining a healthy smile. Proper oral hygiene begins right from an early age. That is why it is important for you to encourage your kids to eat healthy snacks to keep their teeth healthy and strong.
A toothache is one of the most common dental complaints many of us have. Majority of people think that the pain might be due to tooth decay, but the truth is that are various underlying reasons one may suffer from a toothache. There can be different causes of a toothache, such as gum disease, jaw clenching, tooth sensitivity, cavity etc.
If you have your regular dental appointments, then wisdom teeth are first noticed in x-rays conducted during your dental checkup. Often dentists will notice them as they begin to erupt through the gums. But why does it become necessary to remove wisdom teeth?
A root canal is a dental procedure to repair and save an injured or infected tooth and prevent future infection. The treatment includes removing the infected part of the tooth (the pulp), cleaning and shaping it and thereafter filling and sealing it. The cause of pulp damage maybe tooth injury, a root cavity, recurring dental procedures, decay, or a broken tooth.
Your teeth are supposed to fit in your mouth, be straight, with no spacing or crowding problems so that they function as they should. There are various reasons teeth can be misaligned, crooked, or twisted. It can be because your mouth is small for your teeth which crowds the teeth and causes them to shift.
Gum disease is also known as periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is an infection of the gum tissues. Gum disease ranges in its severity, from inflammation of the gums that is gingivitis to more serious infections and complications, which is called periodontitis. Gum disease affects your mouth and teeth, but it affects your general health as well. Your general health gets affected because the infection in your mouth as a result of gum disease can travel to the other parts of your body through your bloodstream. Gum disease also poses a risk of heart disease as well as plays a role in sugar-levels.
Wisdom teeth are the last of the teeth to erupt and are the last molars on the upper and lower teeth. Because wisdom teeth erupt last, at times there isn’t enough room in our mouth to accommodate them. Your wisdom teeth can get partially or fully impacted due to the lack of space in the mouth and impacted wisdom teeth can be a cause of problems.
Oral hygiene is as important as physical hygiene and should be started right from an early age. Overlooking oral health can lead to multiple dental issues requiring several dental treatments.
Some people visit their dentist only when they experience a dental problem, but it is recommended that you visit your dentist at least twice a year for oral checkups. Moreover, the in-house dental care is also an integral part of your oral hygiene, so make sure to complement dental check-ups with your own personal care regimen.
Practice proper oral hygiene regularly
For a healthy mouth, you need to dedicate all the attention it requires to stay healthy. Brushing twice a day isn’t the only way to keep your mouth germ-free. Do it correctly, do it regularly. Daily preventative care can help you avoid serious dental conditions such as gum disease, tooth decay, tooth loss, etc. There are some steps that we can take to reduce the risk of oral disease such as –
Brushing twice a day: Use the right technique to brush and floss your teeth as suggested by the American Dental Association (ADA) – Tilt your brush at a 45 degree to your gums and stroke the brush back and forth across the sides and top of your dental arch. Then, use short back and forth strokes to gently clean the inside, outside and chewing surface of your teeth. Brushing correctly can help minimize plaque and tartar buildup in between teeth and gums.
Flossing daily: Supplement brushing with flossing. Although brushing helps you clean your teeth, but there are certain areas that the bristles of your brush can’t reach. Dental floss provides in-depth teeth cleaning as it cleans the areas beyond the reach of your brush, which is it removes food particles stuck between teeth and gums. Consult your dentist to know the proper use of dental floss.
Avoid junk food and eat healthy: A healthy diet means a healthy mouth. The most common reason behind tooth decay is consumption of sugary food items such as sweetened drinks, sugar-filled sodas, unhealthy snacks, etc. Diet on healthy, nutritious food to maintain the wellness of your mouth. Even your dentist will recommend you to snack less on unhealthy stuff as junk food not only affects your physical health but also deteriorates oral condition.
Use mouthwash: For additional hygiene, consider adding mouthwash to your daily care regimen. Mouthwash can help keep your mouth clean and smell fresh and nice. But before that, consult your dentist and do what he/she suggests you to.
Change your brush often: Brush bristles start to fall apart over time and this may not be doing the job anymore. It is recommended to change your brush every three months and use the one suggested by your dentist.
Maintaining good oral hygiene prevents periodontal disease and keeps your mouth healthy. Make sure to visit your dentist frequently and he/she can better guide you to follow good oral habits for a long-lasting, healthy mouth.
Dental fillings are a dental procedure that is used to restore the structure and the function of your tooth that has been lost, decayed, or damaged. You might not be aware that dental fillings are one of the oldest dental techniques which have been around since the early 1500s. Dental fillings play an important role in restoring cavities and dental problems, which if not treated, can cause more serious dental issues over the course of time.
Dental fillings typically are made from the materials such as amalgam, which is a hybrid form of alloys like silver, mercury, and tin or they are made of composite materials such as resin and glass. Fillings can also be made of porcelain, ceramic and even out of gold. The important question is how do you know that you require dental fillings?
A normal person has four different kinds of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars and molars. All of them have their own relevance and are used for different purposes. Molar teeth are basically used for grinding and chewing food. Wisdom teeth are the molars occurring at the posterior end of the dentition. When wisdom teeth erupt they may affect other teeth because of lack of space to grow. Tooth extraction is sometimes required to prevent tooth damage and infection.
When do wisdom teeth erupt?
