Health Tips

DENTAL CARE : Because your smile is worth it!

Dental care or oral health has a profound impact on your entire body and yet is often taken for granted. Oral hygiene is the act of maintaining one’s mouth healthy and free from disease and other problems by regular toothbrushing and teeth purging. It is important that oral hygiene is performed regularly to prevent dental illness and bad breath. Dental or oral health is about your teeth, your gums and your mouth. The purpose is to prevent defects like tooth decay (cavities) and gum disease and to maintain your mouth’s overall health. Disease and other conditions can affect your dental health and dental problems can affect other parts of your body. Failing to properly care for your oral health may lead to other health problems. A healthy mouth, free of infections, injuries and other problems with teeth and gums, is important in maintaining your overall health. I usually get asked, ” Dr. Kapil, What are the basic rules of dental hygiene?” This article is for all those individuals.

How important is Dental Care?

Dental health starts soon after birth and continues for the rest of your life. Constant and consistent oral health habits come from habits and patterns established as children under a parent’s guidance. One thing to be noted is that injuries to the mouth and teeth can cause problems, especially for young people playing sports. Make sure young (and not so young) athletes use a properly fitted mouth guard, especially when playing contact sports or engaging in activities where falls and blows to the mouth are possible.

If you begin good oral health practices at an early age and stick with them through adulthood, the odds are good that you will have a healthy mouth, pleasant breath, strong teeth and a bright smile. Regular visits to a dentist can lead to early disease detection frequent visits to your dentist are a crucial component of proper oral hygiene.

Do you go about it every six months? You ought to!

Your dentist can detect a whole lot more from looking in your mouth than cavities. Dentists can discover problems and diseases with a thorough examination, some of which includes: Vitamin deficiencies, Acid reflux, Tooth grinding, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Heart problems, Dementia, Mental health issues, Oral cancers.

Infections that begin in your mouth can cause even worse health problems. Gingivitis, for an example, is a common swelling of the gums. It can further develop into an infection that is much more serious and can cause tooth loss. Infections that begin in your mouth were even linked to complications and diseases such as: Asthma, Arthritis, Premature births, Low birth babies, Respiratory problems, Coronary artery disease, Stroke etc.

Untreated tooth and gum disease can even lead to death!

So how do you ensure you do everything you can to maintain good dental hygiene?

Good Dental Hygiene is a must!

You can keep your teeth for your lifetime. Here are some things you can do to maintain a healthy mouth and strong teeth.

Follow a few basic rules of dental hygiene:

Protect your teeth with a mouth guard during sports.
Have your dentist apply sealant to your children’s teeth.
Completely avoid any tobacco items. On the off chance if you smoke, quit.
Limit alcoholic drinks.
In the event that you have diabetes, work to keep up control of the sickness. This will diminish hazard for different inconveniences, including gum ailment. Rewarding gum sickness may help bring down your glucose level.
On the off chance that your drug causes dry mouth, approach your primary care physician for an alternate medicine that may not cause this condition. On the off chance that dry mouth can’t be stayed away from, drink a lot of water, bite sugarless gum, and maintain a strategic distance from tobacco items and liquor.
See your dental specialist in the event that you have unexpected changes in taste and smell.
When going about as a guardian/caregiver, help older people brush and floss their teeth in the event that they can’t perform these activities freely.

Importance of Dental Care for a Positive Lifestyle & Wellness

It is vital to maintain good dental hygiene to lead a positive and healthy life. Although genetics play a large role in whether you get cavities, regular brushing and preventive dental care help keep your teeth and gums healthy. Brushing removes the plaque that causes tooth decay and stimulates your gums to help prevent gum disease. It can be very empowering to take charge of your health, and it helps give you peace of mind. Preventive care can save you time, money and stress as is the case with all medical treatments. Increase Confidence: Over time a lack of dental care can become easily visible. Tooth decay and gum disease may result in teeth yellowing, teeth loss, bad breath and damage to the dents. These types of cosmetic issues can affect your confidence and make you doubtful of your appearance. Regular dental care can prevent much of this damage and usually can repair existing damage.

Preserving Your Teeth: Preventive dental care requires only minor steps to avoid serious tooth and gum problems. Regular brushing and flossing will greatly benefit your oral health, but seeing a dentist regularly is the only sure way to identify and treat problems, this goes especially more to people in old-age, where dental care is more crucial.

Prevent Serious Health Complications: The complications resulting from a lack of dental care may extend well beyond gingivitis. There is a proven connection between gum disease and heart disease, and gum disease in pregnant women may also indicate a risk of premature birth.

Additionally, there is an oral component to almost all systemic diseases. This includes oral cancer, kidney disease and diabetes.

Avoid Costly Procedures: It may seem like an unnecessary expense to get regular check-ups and cleanups but skipping them can lead to costly procedures. For example, a simple, affordable cavity left unchecked can grow, requiring an expensive root canal or cap.

Decrease Pain: Most dental illnesses manifest with oral pain in some form. A toothache usually signals an infection or a problem. Intense oral pain can lead to severe headaches and inability to concentrate. If an infection is the source of the pain, it will only get worse and the infection can lead to serious complications.

The Checkup: Your dental hygienist will check for cavities at a dental check-up, and X-rays could be taken to determine if there are any cavities. The examination also includes a plaque check and a tartar buildup. Plaque is a clear layer of bacteria which can harden and turn into tartar. You can’t use brushing to remove tartar, which is why it’s crucial to see your dentist to avoid issues like this. The dentist can also examine the soft tissue to look for swelling , redness and any cancer signs.

Your dentists can cater your doubts such as the type of screenings and dental care you or your family needs and update you with the precautions needed. So, I suggest my patients a regular dental check up is important because that helps keep your teeth and gums stay healthy. You should have a regular dental visit at least every 6 months or as recommended by your dental professional. Because your smile is worth it!

Dr. Kapil Jain