Your Dental Care Guide

It is not enough just to have a toothbrush and toothpaste at hand to maintain our teeth�s health and condition. There are quite a number of products, both old and new, ready in the market which we have access to that complement the pair. For example, floss, unlike a toothpick, can reach and remove morsels of food that are stuck in between teeth every time that we eat. That is why it pays to have a small pack on stand by in our pockets aside from the bathroom cabinet to get to those hard to reach places that not even your pinky can accomplish.

Dental diseases are something universal that does not choose race, age, economic standing or any demographics. Any person can be afflicted with various types of dental diseases if there is no proper dental care. These diseases can lead to pain or teeth loss which can be very uncomfortable and at times need costly dental treatments in order to resolve or correct.

Some of the most common dental diseases that can be addressed or avoided by proper dental care coupled with correct nutrition include:

• Bad Breath
• Bleeding Gums
• Swollen Gums
• Dental Abscess
• Tooth Discoloration
• Receding Gums
• Tooth Mobility
• Oral Cancer

It’s not uncommon for any of us to feel the need to snack on something – when we’re working, or are just chilling out to good music or an engaging film. There are, of course, foods which are bad for the teeth, like sweets and candies in general. But there are also delicious snacks out there that aren’t so taxing on our pearly whites.

Rice and other wheat snacks are generally okay, like breads and oats. Fruits and vegetables are also generally considered pro-teeth, and are good for your general health too. Nuts are also good for your teeth – just watch out for small children, as some develop allergies to nuts or may accidentally choke on them. Cheese is also good for the teeth. As for drinks, milk and water are the best, with sodas and other sugary and artificial drinks a big no-no.

If you go to the grocery to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste, I bet that it will overwhelm you to see that there is just so many to choose from that you do not even know where to begin. A toothbrush can come in all shapes and sizes, even colors and characters, while toothpaste has a range of tastes and flavors that the tongue knows, some of which even mimics candy. Before you go mad with what to grab, consider a couple of plain and simple factors: the brand and the price. The brand should be a name in the household while the price should not touch the ceiling.

As with many other programs, those that have to do with dental health will prove useless if those involved with implementing these programs make no effort to disseminate information properly. For example, dentists may choose to uphold a program that caters to the needs of the less fortunate. Nonetheless, the efficiency of such a program will prove to have a life span that rivals the attention span of a fruit fly if certain measures are not taken. To further elaborate, these programs should make sure that they will take the necessary steps in explaining the dental problems they encounter to those who face these problems themselves. This would probably entail that the dentists simplify specific concepts by breaking down scientific terms and such in order to inform the public of certain dental health threats; however, it must be realized that this will prove significant in the long. As always, curing something is not more preferable than empowering oneself—or someone else—to prevent any health hazards from occurring. In this way, dental missions will not only be battling against present dental problems, they will also be helping people to impede future dental problems before they can lay their troublesome fangs on the people’s oral health.

Picture from Belfast Dentists. 5 May 2008 http://www.belfastdentists.co.uk/

It is always a possibility that people will dismiss the blood on their toothbrush as mere occurrences that do not need further inspection. Still, such an incident (particularly if it occurs more than once) should serve as a visual alarm clock that wakes one up from the dream which fools one into thinking that worrying would be futile. Brushing too hard may feel like the right thing to do at first—it would be easy to think that by brushing as hard as one can, one can get rid of a world of cavities and bacteria—but in the long run damaged gums do not look enticing in the least.

Picture from
Britannica Online Encyclopedia. 5 May 2008 http://student.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=73292&articleTypeId=31

In discussing children and their dental needs, it is easy for adults to realize that a child may not take to liking brushing his or her teeth right away. However, what happens when, even as adults, individuals feel a decline towards their relationship with their toothbrush? Regarding this, adults should take to mind that their very age—and the implications of such—requires them to be more diligent in brushing. This is especially so if the individual holds a job that requires them to eat more than one meal with their clients in one day. Furthermore, adult individuals are more exposed to teeth-damaging activities such as smoking or drinking alcohol in late night parties that encourage the average party-lovers to forego brushing their teeth and instead just hop into bed. Indeed, taking a good look at one’s own lifestyle and then checking one’s teeth-cleaning habits are two much related activities that all adults should participate in.

Picture from
Living Green in LA. 5 May 2008 http://lagreenliving.com/blog/2006/03/10/dental-dilemma/

It is said that “The family that prays together, stays together.” On the other hand, whether brushing teeth together as a family helps keep the most basic unit of society together, is still quite unknown. However, when making an ideal adventure out of the concept of brushing one’s teeth fails and parents are faced with stubborn faces and tantrums, it is suggested that they encourage their children to brush their teeth by offering to do it together with them. By doing so, a parent or guardian may be assuring the child that he or she is not being made to suffer some unjust punishment, and that adults need to brush their teeth as well. There are setbacks to this method, of course. For instance, there is no telling how long a child would require an adult to brush his or her teeth along with him or her. Also, it must be kept in mind that children have a tendency to become too enthusiastic with activities once they have been induced into conducting them and may even insist on brushing their teeth out of the blue, even when it is unnecessary. This of course, would prove difficult to the child’s parents or guardian since this may intrude with their daily duties. It seems then, that the way to go about this method would be to tell the child early on that he or she will not always be brushing his or her teeth with someone else simultaneously doing the same activity. After all, it is only a matter of time until the act of brushing one’s teeth starts to appeal to a child’s desire to proudly show his or her parents that he or she can do things on her own as well, with that innocent self-pride children eventually develop.

Picture from
BBC Newsround5 May 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7300000/newsid_7307100/7307129.stm

It would be tempting to think that one can visit a dentist only when one has a toothache and that more importantly, such visits need only concentrate on that one particular toothache. Unfortunately, dental visits should not only be regular, they should also be recognized as opportunities for individuals to learn more about the state of their dental health. To further elaborate, a visit to the dentist need not be a one-way conversation that drones on and on; individuals should be assertive and should ask questions. These questions may take the form of, “Which latest dental innovation would prove helpful to my teeth given my dental history?” or, “What kinds of food or drink should I stay away from to prevent having dental problems?” Only perhaps after making an effort to befriend one’s dentist and to gain a personal understanding of one’s dental conditions can an individual actually look forward to dentist appointments. After all, since not many will admit that they love sitting in a chair while a dentist examines their teeth, then perhaps the best way to turn seemingly boring dentist appointments would be to stop seeing the situation from such a linear perspective.

Picture from
Daily Mail. 5 May 2008 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=512813&in_page_id=1774.

Sometimes our oral health care practices are influenced by the various marketing strategies taken by company’s and often do not really address the actual dental care needs of our children. We must remember that our children need toothbrushes that are small enough to comfortably fit into their mouth and must have soft bristles. Toothpaste amount should also be regulated to only a pea size so that it will not create too much foam to interfere with their brushing.

Stand behind your child to guide them at first. Concentrate the first two minutes on brushing the upper and lower back teeth which are usually the starting point of cavities. Use only short circular strokes taking ample time to clean chewing surfaces. Proper rinsing through allowing water to circle within the mouth and spitting is also very important.