How to maintain oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene means the practice of keeping oral cavity (teeth and gums healthy) to prevent various diseases. It is the most essential part of daily routine as all foods are going through mouth only. Hence it is very essential that your oral structures should remain healthy in order to maintain overall health of body

Common Oral condition due to bad oral hygiene
Tooth decay
Gum problems
Bad breath

TOOTH DECAY
Cavities in your teeth is the most common finding which most commonly occurs due to bad oral hygiene. There are many factors for tooth decay. In all of them , the one is poor oral hygiene. It affects all age groups. But it is a major problem in case of children as it lead to lack of concentration in their studies.

Prevention is always better than cure. Practicing a good oral hygiene will keep your teeth healthy and will save you from expensive dental procedures.

In this blog our pediatric dentist has explained some measures that you can follow to maintain good oral hygiene for your children:

Tooth Brushing: Proper tooth brushing is very critical for maintain good oral health. Parents should teach their kids methods of brushing and they should supervise them while brushing. They should discuss their dentist about the need of fluoride

Brushing methods
A. use a soft bristle brush as hard bristles will lead to gum recession.
B. hold your brush at 45 degree angle and brush in a outward motion then use gentle forth and backward motion.
C. Brush your teeth along the gum line also.
D. Use vertical motion in inner aspect of front teeth.
E. Use a gentle scrubbing motion on chewing surface of teeth.

1. Talk to your dentist for fluoride treatment and sealants to prevent further decay of teeth.
2. Encourage your child to eat more fibrous diet and keep them away from sticky food.
3. Check your dentist if your child need a fluoridated tooth paste or not. As fluoride prevent the tooth decay and it is more effective and less expensive to keep your oral cavity healthy.

GUM PROBLEMS
It is commonly known as periodontal diseases. It mainly affects the older age group. It is basically a kind of infection in which mainly gums and bone underlying teeth gets affected. As this problem continues, teeth becomes loose and chewing gets difficult. Ultimately teeth has to extract.

Best way to avoid gum problems is to get a regular cleaning done. Ideally scaling should be done once in 6 months. If you have less deposits you can get it done once a year also.

Use of mouth wash also helps in making your oral flora healthy. If you are using mouth wash daily it should be alcohol free and should be prescribed by your dentist only.

We normally do not recommend flossing as most of the people do not know the proper method of flossing which can result in gum recession. But if still want to use floss take a guidance from your dentist.

Halitosis
Bad breath is also a indication of poor oral hygiene. It can be corrected by brushing twice, using mouth wash and by regular dental check ups.

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