If you are someone who is refraining from visiting a dental center or the dental offices around you are being shut down or you have been looking for ways to keep your teeth and gums healthy while being stationed at your comfortable abodes, you have landed at the right platform.
Dr. Sachdeva’s Dental Center at Ashok Vihar, Delhi, can help you achieve optimal oral care right at your fingertips until we can meet in person!
Everything that enters your body has to pass through your mouth first. If your mouth will inhabit germs, those organisms will enter into your body, weakening your immune system and making you susceptible to infections. Caring for your teeth and gums immediately gives your immune system the required boost to improve overall body health.
Know The Culprit:
Do you know that the root cause of most of your oral problems is plaque?
Dental Plaque is a sticky, colorless or pale yellow film that is constantly being formed on your teeth. If plaque is not removed regularly from the tooth surfaces, it accumulates minerals from saliva and becomes a hardened, yellow-brown substance called Tartar or Dental Calculus, that tightly adheres to the gaps between teeth and gum line and cannot be usually removed without professional help.
Plaque is mostly made up of a bacteria that produce acids whenever you consume any food, especially sugars and refined carbohydrates. These acids attack the tooth enamel, thereby weakening the tooth and resulting in cavities. These notorious bacteria also contribute to the problem of bad breath. Dental plaque begins forming on teeth 4 -12 hours after brushing, which is why, it is imperative to prevent the mineralization of plaque into calculus.
Prioritize Your Dental Hygiene:
For regular plaque removal, make sure to brush twice daily thoroughly and not aggressively, for at least two minutes. Don’t just brush and rush!
It is advisable to choose a small-to-medium sized brush head that can reach into all parts of the mouth, especially the back of the mouth and having soft-to-medium, multi-tufted, round-ended nylon bristles.
For patients suffering with arthritis or any other condition that limits hand motion, you may find it hard to hold and use a toothbrush. It is advised that you use an electric toothbrush or toothbrush with a larger handle. Attach the toothbrush handle to your hand with a wide elastic band.
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends replacing your toothbrush every three to four months or even sooner if the bristles are frayed. Also, ADA recommends using a fluoridated toothpaste.
Are You Following the Proper Toothbrushing Technique?
If not, follow this simple tooth brushing technique to achieve maximum effectiveness :
- Place the bristles along the gumline at a 45° angle. Bristles should maintain contact with both the tooth surface and gumline.
- Gently brush the outer tooth surfaces of 2-3 teeth using a vibrating, back, forth and rolling motion. Then move the brush to the next group of 2-3 teeth and repeat.
- Move the brush to the inner surfaces of the teeth and maintain a 45° angle with the bristles contacting the tooth surface and gumline. Gently brush using a back, forth and rolling motion.
- Tilt the tooth brush vertically behind the front teeth. Make several up and down strokes using the front half of the brush.
- Place the brush against the biting surface of the teeth and use a gentle back and forth scrubbing motion. Brush the tongue from back to front to remove odor-producing bacteria.
Amplify Your Dental Hygiene
Are You An Intermittent Flosser?
Tooth brushing, alone, only cleans 60% of the total surfaces of the tooth. Cleaning in between your teeth once daily helps to remove plaque and food lodged between your teeth and under your gumline – these are the areas where toothbrushes cannot reach. Interdental brushes and floss help to dislodge the plaque and bacteria, which may still be present in interdental spaces after thorough tooth brushing.
Floss The Right Way:
- Break off about 45 centimetres (18 inches) of floss and wind some around one finger of each hand.
- Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers with about an inch of floss between them, leaving no slack. Use a gentle rocking motion to guide the floss between your teeth. Do not jerk the floss into the gums.
- When the floss reaches your gumline, curve it into a C-shape against one tooth until you feel resistance.
- Hold the floss against the tooth. Gently scrape the side of the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum. Repeat on the other side of the gap, along the side of the next tooth.
- Don’t forget the back of your last tooth.
When flossing, stick to a regular pattern. Start at the top and work from left to right, then move to the bottom and again work from the left to right. This way you’re less likely to miss any teeth.
Do You Often Skip Rinsing With A Mouthwash?
Mouthwashes take your oral hygiene regimen to the next level. Rinsing your mouth with a nonalcohol based mouthwash helps to remove any lingering, loosened debris.
Not only mouthwashes make your pearly whites shine brighter, but also kill most of the bacteria in your mouth that cause bad breath. While a mouthwash will give you a feeling of freshness, it should not be mistaken as a replacement to tooth brushing and flossing.
Fluoride mouthwashes can help prevent tooth decay. While Chlorhexidine mouthwash can reduce plaque build up on your teeth, it may cause staining of the teeth, increase tartar build up and may even cause a persistent metallic taste in the mouth.
Fed Up With The Quarantine Snacking Already? Follow A Healthy Diet Routine:
We know you love potato chips, pasta, cookies but oral bacteria love them too. Bacteria use these sugary, sticky, starchy food particles in your mouth as substrates to produce acids that damage the tooth enamel and result in cavities. If you indulge in having sugary foods and frizzy beverages, make sure to brush afterwards.
Try to reach out for whole grains, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables and dairy products whenever possible. Drink plenty of water to flush away the oral bacteria regularly. It is recommended that you drink fluoridated water as it helps to prevent tooth decay.
Toothaches Taking A Toll On You?
Toothaches, especially the ones that interfere with your sleep can be managed well until you can see us at Dr. Sachdeva’s Dental Clinic, Delhi to provide you with effective pain-relieving treatments. Keeping your head elevated with the help of pillows, using an ice pack compression and salt water rinses can help you have a good night’s sleep. There are plenty of home remedies that can be followed such as applying clove oil, cool peppermint tea bags, garlic paste, vanilla extract directly at the affected area for numbing the pain. However, these are temporary measures that lack much evidence. Some over-the-counter drugs for pain relief include ibuprofen and naproxen.
Worried About Bleeding Gums?
Many people, especially after starting with a new oral care regimen, complain with bleeding gums. However, it is only indicative of the underlying gum disease which will probably get better once your gums become healthier. If your symptoms persist for more than a week or two, it can be a sign of gingivitis which can further progress into loss of bone surrounding the teeth (Periodontitis). To prevent that from happening, you can visit us at Dr. Sachdeva’s Dental Center at Ashok Vihar, Delhi for timely management.
Have You Been Grinding Your Teeth Lately?
Teeth grinding especially sleep grinding or bruxism has become a more prevalent during these stressful times. It can further result in jaw joint problems and gum diseases due to interference with thorough tooth brushing practices. It is, therefore, necessary to break this habit as and when it is first recognized. You can visit our dental center, Dr. Sachdeva’s Dental Clinic situated in Ashok Vihar, Delhi.
Oral health begins at home but optimal oral care begins with a personal choice. Caring for your teeth and gums is necessary to maintain a good oral and overall hygiene especially during these times when immunity boosting is hyped to protect yourself from contracting the COVID-19 infection. Use this time at home wisely to self-educate and set a good example for your family to follow proper oral hygiene measures to keep the tooth cavities and gum diseases at a bay!