|
|
Beauty
tips||Skin
care - Hair care- Lips
care- Eye
care- Hands care- Feet
care- Nails care-Beautiful
eyelashes-Wrinkles
and Aging||Teeth and mouth care||Hair
Split Ends
The
Ideal Toothbrush:There are a multitude of different shapes
and sizes of toothbrushes available.It is however, best to use a
simply designed or slightly angulated tooth brush.A brush with a
head approx 2.5com in length is ideal for use in an average adult.Nylon
bristles are superior to natural bristles because they are more
hygienic and are easier to maintain.Medium textured brushes are
the best because they cause very little injury to the gums.
How Often Should You Replace Your Brush?
Generally, the bristles of the medium toothbrush splay in about4-6
weeks.This is when the brush needs to be replaced.
How Frequently Should You Brush Your Teeth?
Ideally teeth should be brushed immediately after each meal.The
brushing before going to bed is important because during sleep the
flow of saliva is reduced and any food that is retained in the mouth
during the night causes the most damage.
2.The Toothpaste:Toothpastes are supplementary
to the brush-they aid in the cleaning and polishing of accessible
surfaces of the teeth.The main constituents of toothpastes are mild
abrasives, soaps, detergents, colouring agents and flavouring agents.Additional
substances such as ammonium salts, chlorophyll, flourides, and clove
have been used with varying degrees of success.The value of flouridated
toothpastes in preventing caries is now definite.If a commercial
paste is not available, salt and bicarb of soda are very cheap and
effective substitutes.It is, however a bad practice to rub lime
juice on the teeth as it can damage the teeth.
3.Dental Floss:The toothbrush cannot
adequately clean in between the teeth.Dental floss is the most efficient
method to clean this area.Waxed and unwaxed floss is available.The
floss is wrapped around two fingers and gently pulled backwards
and forwards between the teeth, taking care to avoid damage to the
gums.It is best to learn this technique from your dentist.
4.Dentist And Oral Hygiene:For good
teeth regular visit to the dentist is necessary.His role is to ensure
the complete elimination of decay and stagnation.This is done by
scaling, polishing and filling the teeth, and carrying out corrective
techniques as and when necessary.This ensures that there is no region
in the mouth where food can lodge and cause problems.Further he
would advise you on the techniques of oral hygiene.A visit once
in 6 months is usually adequate.
Diet And Teeth:
1.Flourides:
Adequate intake of calcium, phosphorus, flouride and vitamins A,
C, and D are essential.Most of these are present in adequate amounts
in the normal balanced diet.Only Flourides tends to be deficient
and needs to be suplemented.Teeth containing flouride are definitely
more resistent to decay
2.Carbohydrates:
There is a definite relationship between caries(tooth decay) and
the intake of refined carbohydrates like flour, sugar, and other
carbohydrates which have been treated in order to make them whiter,
less fibrous and tastier.Refined carbohydrates become sticky quickly
and cling to the teeth for long periods.They are easily broken down
to acids by the bacteria in the mouth, these acids are primarily
responsible for tooth decay.The best would therefore be to stick
to natural unprocessed foods-fats, cereals, meat, fish, eggs, vegetables,
fruits and cheese.The sugar substitutes like saccharin also do not
cause caries.
3.Other Foodstuffs:
Frequent consumption of acidic foodstuffs(like habitual drinking
of carbonated drinks and excessive consumption of some fruit juices)
is associated with erosions of the teeth.It is also suggested that
one should end meals with fibrous foods such as carrots and other
salads as fobrous foods might have a mild cleansing reaction as
they remove food debris from the teeth.
Common Dental Problems:
1.Dental Caries(Tooth Decay):
Tooth decay is the disease of the hard parts of the teeth, leading
to disintegration.The only successful way to stop tooth decay is
to cut down on the frequency of eating sugar.Adequate brushing alone
will also not eliminate decay, but it does stop the plaque film
from building up to a great thickness.
2.Plaque:The film of bacteria known
as plaque forms very quickly on the tooth surfaces.Bacterial plaque
is only one of the factors in the causation of dental caries.The
areas of the teeth such as the pits and fissures in between the
teeth where the brush cannot reach, are the places where plaque
remains undisturbed despite frequent brushing.Flourides definitely
helps to prevent tooth decay.Thus people who live in an area which
has an optimal level of flouride in the water suffer much less from
tooth decay.80%-90% of the toothpastes in the market today contain
flouride.
3.Gum Inflammation:Gum Inflammation
or Pyorrhoea is one of the commonest diseases in the world.The patient
may sometimes notice bleeding of gums especially while brushing
the teeth.Bad breath is most commonly caused by chronic inflammation
of the gums.In this disease oral hygiene and interdental cleaning
is the most important preventive measure.Smokers in general have
a poorer oral hygiene as compared to nonsmokers.
|