Proper dental hygiene is very important to help fight against tooth decay and gum ailments. The basics of maintaining healthy teeth and gums include brushing, flossing and regularly visiting the dentist. Each and every day a thin coating of plaque accumulates over the teeth. Plaque is caused by naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth. One cannot avoid plaque formation but it can be daily removed through proper brushing and flossing. That is why doctors recommend that it is advisable to brush twice, morning and night and floss every night. If the plaque is not removed daily it gets transformed into tarter after calcifying and hardening. It is simpler to remove the plaque but it is almost impossible to get rid of tarter at home. Tarter can only be removed by a professional.
Plaque formation also irritates the gums, as they become tender and bleed more easily. After prolonged exposure to plaque, gums pull away from the teeth and gives rise to gap formation. These gaps are susceptible to bacteria attack and pus formation. Untimely treatment of gums may damage the teeth forever. The teeth tend to become loose and might have to be removed. In fact, gum disease is a main cause of tooth loss in grownups.
Tooth decay is another dental problem that troubles almost everyone at some point in their lives. Whatever one eats causes the bacteria in the mouth to produce acids. Sugar and starch content in your food is the major cause of acid formation. If you snack too often, you could be subjecting your teeth to acid attacks all day long. After many acid attacks, your teeth may decay. Decay can also form beneath fillings or other refurbishments, such as crowns. Sometimes food particles enter into a gap in the tooth if the filling has not been properly placed. Similar accident can happen if the filling breaks away from the tooth leaving an untended gap. The leftover food particle encourages bacteria attack thus resulting in decay.
What you eat also affects your oral health. An excellent way to prevent tooth decay is to eat a balance diet and avoid unhealthy snacks in between. If need be then healthy snacking should be encouraged, like munching on salads. Smoking or tobacco abuse increases your risk of oral cancer, gingivitis, periodontitis and tooth decay. Using tobacco also contributes to bad breath and stains on your teeth. Dentists advice using a fluoride based tooth paste or mouthwashes. Fluoride strengthens developing teeth in children and helps prevent decay in adults and children.
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