32 golden rules for healthy teeth

Many factors such as changes in lifestyle, eating habits, products used with developing technology affect oral and dental health. So, what do we pay attention to to protect our oral and dental health?

What to do for healthy teeth?

1. Teeth should be brushed twice a day, one before going to bed

2. For proper cleaning, an interface brush or dental floss should be used.

3. Dentist control should be every 6 months

4. While brushing the teeth, the tongue should also be brushed.

5. For more effective brushing, the chosen toothbrush should be soft

6. Tooth brushing time should not be less than 2 minutes

7. The dental calculus should be cleaned at regular intervals

8. A mouthwash should be used to increase the effectiveness of tooth brushing.

9. The toothbrush should be changed every 2-3 months

10. Tooth whiteners should be used under the supervision of a doctor

11. Objects such as pencils and buckles should not be inserted into the mouth as they may damage the tooth structure.

12. Conditions such as teeth grinding and squeezing should be taken under control as they will damage the tooth enamel

13. Smoking should be avoided in order to protect oral and dental health and to prevent oral cancers

14. Sugar chewing gums and viscous candies that stick to the teeth are harmful because they cannot be cleaned with saliva.

15. Fruits that increase saliva secretion in the mouth such as orange, tangerine, kiwi, lemon, grapefruit should be consumed

16. After eating dessert, a piece of cheese should be consumed if possible

17. You should definitely drink water or rinse your mouth after every meal

18. Consumption of carbonated drinks should be limited as they can erode tooth enamel

19. Hard nuts like hazelnuts should never be broken with teeth

20. Hard vegetables and fruits such as apples and carrots can be eaten by biting, as they will have a mechanical cleaning effect on the teeth.

21. Milk, yogurt, cheese should be consumed to prevent tooth decay

22. Alcohol or cologne should not be applied to the aching tooth, and the dentist should be visited as soon as possible.

23. A hazelnut-sized paste should be used for brushing teeth

24. Starchy foods such as cookies and pastries increase oral bacterial acidity and should be consumed as little as possible.

25. The friendly green tea of ​​teeth and gums should be consumed 1 glass a day

26. If blood is seen on the brush while brushing the teeth, this may be a sign of gum diseases.

27. Personalized applications should be preferred in dental aesthetics

28. A solution should be sought first with orthodontic braces for tooth deformities of all ages

29. The first dental examination of children should begin with the eruption of their first teeth.

30. Not every 20-year-old tooth can be extracted, if it can be cleaned with a brush, it may not be extracted

31. If your gums are visible when you smile, get a natural smile with laser gum aesthetics

32. Don’t forget to smile a lot with your healthy teeth

Tooth decay is the destruction of the enamel, which is the hard tissue of the tooth, the dentin under it, and sometimes the hard tissue covering the root surface. Generally, carbohydrate foods (sugar, starch, etc.), cola and similar sugary carbonated drinks, cake, chocolate, etc. It occurs especially when sticky foods stay on the tooth surface for a long time. Bacteria in the mouth are fed with these food residues and acid is produced with the help of these microorganisms. After a while, this acidic environment causes destruction in the hard tissues of the tooth and creates dental caries.

Bacterial plaque consisting of bacteria in the mouth can form acid from the residues of sugary and floury foods in the mouth. These acids dissolve the mineral tissue of the teeth, causing the enamel of the tooth to deteriorate, resulting in the onset of dental caries and cavities that dentists call cavities.

Who Gets More Caries?

Since cavities occur as a result of the meeting of bacteria with sugary and floury foods, there is a danger for everyone. However, those who have high carbohydrate and sugary foods in their diets and those who have a very low fluoride content in their water are at a much higher risk of caries. Although saliva creates a natural defense mechanism against the acid created by the bacterial plaque, it cannot prevent caries on its own. Diseases or drugs that reduce the flow and amount of saliva also accelerate the formation of caries.

Can Tooth Decay Be Prevented?

Yes.

Brushing your teeth after breakfast and before going to bed in the evening and using dental floss regularly every day is the most effective way. Appropriate toothbrush should be chosen, as food residues are mostly accumulated in the recesses of the chewing surfaces of the teeth and the interfaces where the teeth touch each other.
Trying to consume sugary foods at main meals and trying not to eat anything between meals is another precaution.
Regular dental check-ups are the best way to catch caries at an early stage.

Importance of Milk Teeth:

The teeth in the mouth are divided into two groups as primary and permanent teeth. There are 20 milk teeth in total and 32 permanent teeth. There is a misconception in society that milk teeth are sometimes unnecessary. The main reason for the formation of this false belief is that the primary teeth will fall out and will be replaced by permanent teeth. However, milk teeth undertake many tasks during their time in the mouth. The period when milk teeth are in the mouth coincides with the most active period of growth and development in childhood. Milk teeth, which form the first step of the digestive system with their cutting and grinding functions, affect nutrition and accordingly growth and development. Milk teeth protect the permanent teeth from below in the dental arch. In other words, they have natural placeholder functions.

Deciduous Tooth Traumas: Deciduous tooth traumas are often seen in the preschool period, especially because young children have difficulty in maintaining their balance. Studies show that the incidence varies between 11% and 30%. It has been reported that the large differences in these rates are due to the low rate of consulting a physician. Its incidence increases in direct proportion to the increase in physical activity at 1-3 years of age. Boys are more affected. It has been determined that the incidence of trauma in permanent teeth is 22% and it is seen frequently between the ages of 8 and 11 years.

Primary Tooth Trauma Treatments:  The time of occurrence of the event affects the amount of tooth affected and the treatment plan. The location of the event is important for tetanus prophylaxis. Regardless of the type and size of the trauma, in order to prevent possible harm from dental trauma, if loss of consciousness, bleeding, loss of balance, headache, vomiting, nausea, speech difficulties, etc. If you do not have a general health problem, such as

What Should Be Done to Protect From Deciduous Tooth Trauma:  The first duty of families and people who take care of children is to be prepared for dental traumas. This preparation includes knowing what to do in emergency situations and determining the physician to be reached. In addition, children should be provided with mouth protection apparatus and helmet while doing sports, belts and seats in the car, and environments where they will not fall at home. The time elapsed between the trauma and the visit to the dentist is the first factor affecting the success of the treatment. If the tooth is broken and the broken piece can be found, it is necessary to apply to the dentist as soon as possible (within the first 1 hour) by putting the broken piece in a milk immediately.

Tooth abrasions:

Our teeth are exposed to many chemical and physical factors throughout life. As a result, tooth decay, trauma and wear may occur. Tooth abrasions are abrasion, attrition, abfraction and erosion.

Attrition is the physiological wear that occurs in functional or non-functional movements, without any substance, in the areas where the teeth are in contact.

is defined.

Abrasion is tooth wear that occurs as a result of the contact of foreign bodies with the teeth in the mouth.

Abfractions are wedge-shaped lesions caused by tensile forces created by non-centric occlusal forces in the neck region.

Erosion is defined as the loss of tooth tissue caused by acids entering the mouth without physical or microbial effects.

Gum Diseases (Periodontal Diseases):

Periodontal diseases are inflammatory diseases that affect the gums and other tissues that support the teeth. Periodontal diseases are responsible for 70% of tooth loss in adults. These diseases can be treated easily and successfully when diagnosed at an early stage.

Periodontal diseases begin with gingivitis. In other words, gingivitis is the early period of periodontal disease. During this period, the gums are bleeding, red and enlarged in volume. It may not cause much discomfort in the early period. If left untreated, the disease may progress to periodontitis and cause irreversible damage to the gingiva and jawbone that supports the teeth.

Periodontitis is a more advanced stage of periodontal diseases. Damage occurs in the jawbone along with other tissues that support the teeth. As the disease progresses, the teeth begin to shake and may even go into extraction.

Oral and dental health is directly related to nutrition. For this reason, to review the diet; It prevents tooth and gum diseases. At the beginning of the foods that can be harmful for dental health; Factors such as sugary foods, acidic foods, foods that stick to the teeth, and cigarette consumption negatively affect dental and gingival health.

What is the recommended diet for maintaining dental health?

Sugary, sticky, acidic foods such as cola should not be consumed. In cases where teeth cannot be brushed, foods such as apples and carrots that will massage the gums should be consumed. In cases where it is not possible to brush the teeth, the mouth should be rinsed with clean water. After consuming sugary foods, it is necessary to consume caries-preventing foods such as cheese.

Has the incidence of dental caries increased due to diet?

In developing countries, the risk of encountering dental caries has increased more. The reason for this is the change in eating habits. Fast food habits, increased coffee and cigarette consumption, irregular diet and stress factors lead to an increase in dental caries. However, with the increase in the ready-made food industry, the consumption of softer and less nutritious foods also leads to an increase in caries in the teeth. Frequent consumption of biscuits, chocolate, cola or other junk foods allows bacteria to multiply more quickly in the mouth. Decreased consumption of calcium-containing milk and dairy products with the fast food industry; causes the increase of gum diseases.