Oral hygiene is a preventive care. This means you can stop oral health problems before they start up by taking good care of your oral cavity. Oral health is also linked to your overall general body well being.
First and foremost, regular visits to your dentist is a must. Timely visit, every 6-8 months will help in early diagnosing and early treatment of the disease if any. Scaling ( cleaning and polishing of teeth professionally ) is important in every 6 months. Patients with a family history of caries or who are at high risk should visit the dentist more often and get their teeth protected. As far as the kids are concern, first dental visit should be made as soon as the first tooth erupts in the oral cavity i.e, approx 6 months of age.
TOOTHPASTE AND TOOTHBRUSH
Brushing twice daily is a must with fluoridated non abrasive toothpaste. You should use a soft bristle nylon brush. Before going to bed whether an adult or a child the last thing that should be done is brushing your teeth.
USE OF MOUTHWASH
Medicated mouthwashes like Chlorhexidine (CHX), Betadine rinse should be used after brushing your teeth as they improve oral hygiene to alot of extent. Avoid eating and drinking till 1/2 hr after the use of mouthwash.
USE OF INTERDENTAL AIDS
They must be used along with the conventional day to day brushing. Flossing and interdental brushes clean the proximal areas on the tooth surface and help prevent the food lodgment in between the teeth.
CLEAN YOUR TONGUE
Daily cleaning of tongue should be done with a tongue cleaner as our tongue acts as a sponge which holds bacteria and if not cleaned can lead to halitosis (bad breadth).
AVOID TOBACCO
One should avoid the use of tobacco products in order to maintain his oral hygiene. Tobacco causes brown-black discoloration of teeth and halitosis. It being an abrasive product also causes abrasion of teeth. Prolonged use can lead to development of oral cancer.
RESTRICTED USE OF CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES
Beverages like tea, coffee have a high content of caffeine in them which causes teeth discoloration and after use bad odour.
AVOID SUGARY FOOD
Food and drinks containing a lot of sugar and sticky substances should be avoided as their prolonged contact with the tooth surfaces causes the bacteria to act on them and release acid leading to demineralisation of the tooth structure.
DIABETIC PATIENTS
People suffering from diabetes should be more careful about their oral health as they are at a higher risk of oral diseases. Periodontitis ( inflammation of periodontium) is the sixth complication of diabetes and should be really taken care of. Before any invasive dental procedure one must always tell his dentist about his current diabetic status so that appropriate measures are taken by the dentist while the treatment is done.
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