How to Care for Gums and Teeth

Our gums and teeth play an important role in our daily lives.

Without them, we will not be able to enjoy varieties of food or look good, thus it is very important to take care /maintain good oral hygiene.

There are some important elements that we should follow in order to have good oral health:

1.     Remove dental plaque by brushing and flossing effectively.

Dental plaque is a bio film that can be found on tooth surface and can give rise to dental caries and gum disease. Click here to read more on dental plaque.

http://www.intelligentdental.com/2011/09/10/how-does-plaque-affect-the-teeth/

You should also brush your teeth using a correct method, for example by using Modified bass tooth brushing method.( Hold your toothbrush 45 degree to your gums and teeth and brush from gums to the edge of your teeth. )

Incorrect tooth brushing method can cause abrasion and damage to our teeth and gums. You can also identify areas which are missed out during tooth brushing by using plaque disclosing agents/ solutions.

Interdental region (in between our teeth) is the most common site for plaque stagnation and it is difficult to clean by tooth brushing alone. Dental aids such as dental floss, interdental brush, and oral irrigators allow effective interdental cleaning.

How to use floss?

Pinch floss by using both thumbs and index fingers and slide floss up and down between teeth.

You should also use toothpaste along while brushing as it contains a lot of ingredients which enhance efficiency of toothbrush in removing dental plaque.  Toothpaste also contains antibacterial agents to distrupt plaque buildup and fluoride to promote remineralisation.

2。Use Mouthwash

You can use mouthwash as an adjunct to tooth brushing. They contain anti bacterial agent which reduce bacteria that cause dental caries and periodontal diseases.

 

 3。Use Recaldent products (casein phosphopeptide – amorphous calcium phosphate)

You can apply recaldent product which is derived from milk to strengthen and remineralise our tooth structure by delivering calcium and phosphate in solution.  GC tooth mousse is an example of recaldent products.

 4。Visit your dentist regularly.

By visiting your dentist regularly (it is recommended that you should get checkups every 6 months) Professional cleaning , scaling and polishing can be done to remove accumulated dental calculus . It is definitely better to manage any dental problems in an earlier stage.

 5。Change your Diet

There is a reason why your dentist discourages you from eating sugary food. This is because bacteria which are found on dental plaque use sugar as a form of energy can convert them into acids. Acidic plaque will demineralise our teeth and dental caries starts when rate of demineralization occurs faster than remineralisation (by saliva/fluoride).  Click here to read more on foods and drinks that can strengthen our tooth enamel. http://www.intelligentdental.com/2010/07/08/top-10-foods-or-drinks-that-strengthen-tooth-enamel-naturally/

 

6。Stop smoking

Smoking will not only deteriorates your health, but also worsen your oral health conditions.  The most obvious that smoking can bring is leaving tobacco stains on your teeth which are hard to remove by tooth brushing. .  Read here for more information on smoking and periodontal disease http://www.intelligentdental.com/2011/07/18/dental-health-and-smoking/ Furthermore, the risk of oral cancer is higher in smokers.

 7。Be motivated.

All measures will fail if you are not motivated enough to maintain good oral health.  Be positive and spend some time in brushing and flossing will definitely improve your oral health.