• Brush your teeth regularly
• Using a proper toothbrushing technique
• Determine the oral health needs
• Flossing the teeth regularly
• Fluoride-rich toothpaste or Fluoride rinse
• Taking care of the gums
• Balanced Diet – No untimely food intake
• Avoid any form of Tobacco
• Avoid Alcohol
• Self examination of mouth
• Regular Dental check-up
• Avoid believing in myths

Regular Teeth Brushing

Toothbrushing is the least and basic requirement for oral hygiene. You need to brush your teeth at least twice a day, but many hygiene-conscious people brush for 3 times a day. Brushing the teeth in the morning is always controversial as when exactly to brush – Before or after the breakfast. I still suggest to brush the teeth before breakfast as that’s the best option to remove off the plaque as soon as you wake up, and because the bacterial count is high after hours of not brushing, the food you eat in the breakfast gets reacted and this harms the teeth. Apart from toothbrushing, keep a habit of rinsing the mouth with water after every meal. This by some extent would clean off the food debris after you eat, reducing the risk of plaque accumulation and tooth decay.

Proper Toothbrushing Technique

Toothbrushing has to be done in a correct way, as an improper way of brushing the teeth not just would leave the plaque, but also may abrade the tooth surface leading to other dental problems. One of the areas which need to be cleaned well to prevent tooth decay is the interdental areas, where the Bass toothbrushing technique comes to the correct use. Just brushing for the sake of it doesn’t help, you need to follow a correct way of toothbrushing, which helps in 2 ways – Removing the dental plaque, maintaining the health of the gums.
Most of the people in rural areas follow a horizontal brushing technique, which abrades the tooth surface near the gum line and this is called Cervical abrasion. You should not brush the teeth horizontally, as it not just affects the teeth but also damages the gums lying adjacent to the tooth.

Determine the Oral Health Needs

Determining the oral health needs is one of the most important things to do. There are certain conditions when you need to take some extra precautionary measures to maintain the perfect oral health. If you are diabetic, the accumulation of food and formation of bacterial colonies may attack the gums and the gum disease susceptibility is increased.
With aging, the immune response decreases and the strength of tissues around the teeth also gets lessened, leading to any dental condition occurring more easily. The same is the case with smoking and tobacco chewing, where some extra dental care is needed, or the risk of getting diseased is more.

Pregnancy and puberty are two stages, where the hormonal changes lead to gum disease. The pregnant women, especially need to take proper care of the teeth and gums, as during this period, the treatment procedures for any conditions occurring too is pretty challenging. Preventing is the best cure during this stage.
Orthodontic conditions is other situation where a different way of oral health care is needed. The crooked teeth and the teeth when placed in an improper position, would require individual care of every tooth as all the teeth can’t be brushed together in the normal way and the food debris may be accumulated in the gaps between the adjacent teeth.

Flossing Your Teeth

Flossing is one of the most followed oral care practice, after toothbrushing. Flossing includes the cleaning of tooth surface, the interdental areas which cannot be reached by the normal toothbrush. The dental floss is either a thread of nylon or silk, which is to be used with a proper technique to clean all the surfaces between the teeth. The flossing technique not just helps in cleaning the teeth surfaces, but also keeps the gum lines clean thereby preventing the gum and periodontal diseases.

There is no limitation on how many times one has to floss their teeth, but it’s usually advised to floss after brushing the teeth so that a proper count and hygiene is maintained. Vigorous flossing might sometimes damage the gums, so a proper technique of flossing should be maintained.

Fluoride rich Toothpastes and Rinses

Fluorides are one of the most important factors in strengthening the structure of the teeth, as they harden the enamel and tooth parts by reacting with them and forming compounds that are stable and harder. These are one of the reasons why enamel is considered the hardest part in the body. The fluorides are generally available in the toothpaste, but due to improper brushing technique, the fluorides are not well spread on the teeth surfaces. So there are fluoride rinses available, which equally spread the fluorides. The effects of these is two-fold, one is the prevention of tooth decay by making the surface harder, and second by reducing the dentinal hypersensitivity.

Taking Care of the Gums

Gums are equally important as teeth, when it comes to oral health. But there is no special technique required to take care of them. A normal brushing technique would do the job of removing the dental plaque and the tartar, which once ignored would have led to problems like gum disease etc.
So, while you are brushing your teeth, do keep in mind that you are trying to keep your gums healthy too, along with the teeth.

Maintaining a Balanced Diet with timely intake

There needs to be a balanced diet in your life, having a control on both the quality of food, quantity of food, and even the feeding times. Having too much of husky food, starchy food, or just plain food, would effect the teeth in some or the other way. Timing of the food intake is another important factor to keep in mind. Untimely food intake affects the proper chewing because, the body in a biological clock always has the salivary secretion timed at certain times and if the food intake is at odd times, the chewing of food won’t produce the same food bolus which can be formed while food is taken during normal hours.

Preventing any form of tobacco

Tobacco is one of those products which affects the health of the gums, and make them weak ultimately the entire periodontal health is destroyed, leading to loosening of the teeth. Apart from that, tobacco chewing can even lead to Oral cancer. The various conditions that can occur when you chew or smoke tobacco, are – Gingivitis, Periodontitis, Oral Cancer, Tooth Decay. Another common problem that people get worried about the looks of the teeth while they chew tobacco, is the tooth staining and the bad breath that occurs due to the tobacco leaves. Preventing tobacco can solve most of the problems you have been suffering from, in the gums or teeth.

Oral Cancer caused due to Tobacco Chewing

Avoiding Alcohol Consumption

Just like tobacco, alcohol too is a product that has many effects on the health of the gums and teeth. Alcohol consumption has a few long-term effects, one being poor healing of the tissues after any dental surgery. Irritation of the gums, and more vulnerability of periodontal disease is seen when alcohol is consumed.

Self-examination of the mouth

Self examining of the mouth can prevent several problems, and doing this would help you avoid visiting the dentist very frequently. Just stand in front of the mirror and you would see a few things like the tooth surfaces and check for the black spots or irregularity or food buildup near the gums, check the gums for any reddishness or bleeding while you are brushing the teeth, or any outgrowth of tissue anywhere near the gums or tongue. Pain in the tooth cannot be checked or diagnosed by yourself, but the normal regular check-up while brushing your teeth can help you assess and prevent any problem that just initiated and was going to be a bigger one soon. If you are a tobacco chewer, you need to keep checking the mouth regularly as the tissues are more prone to cancer and other conditions.

Regular Dental Check-up

Regular Dental Check-up is necessary when you aren’t sure what you actually need to take care of, to have a perfect dental health. Plan a regular visit to the dentist, at least once in 3 months where you can get the oral health checked, and prevent any tooth decay that might later be a cause for the whole tooth damage, or get the prophylaxis done so that the health of the gums is maintained. The dentist won’t always advise for any big treatments because the regular visits would keep the problems away and that along with proper brushing of the teeth, would be good enough for the maintenance of proper dental health.

Avoiding believing in the Myths

Myths are in abundance in the dental world, where people believe in old sayings about the dentists and the dental treatments. For example, the Root canal treatment is said to be one of the most painful procedures, which actually is a myth and the treatment is done under the local anesthesia, due to which any kind of pain is prevented and the root canal treatment is not painful then. Several others myths are believed in people, and if one still keeps believing in the myths of dentistry, they would never be satisfied with the oral health or with the dental clinic visits. Just thinking that the Dentist would complicate the stuff, and preventing to give a proper medical history would cause more problems later.

The main concerns for people would be the toothache, discoloration of the teeth, the swelling and reddish coloring of gums, any sores and lesions on the gums, cheek and tongue. If any of these are the problems you are suffering from, visiting the dentist is a perfect option rather than delaying it by taking some medication. The medication does relieve a few of the problems for a few days, but you would notice something more severe after that time lag.

Though there are plenty of chewing gums from different brands are available in the market some of these serve great use to the health of our mouth when considered on whole. Almost all chewing gums can help the muscles in our mouth to have great exercise but some of these also help to maintain the oral health as well.

When we think of the question as which are the best Gums for your Teeth, the solution is found to be all the chewing gums which contains xylitol are good for health and most of the dentist also recommend the same.

The chewing gums with xylitol content in it can clean the tiny remains of bacteria’s in our teeth. These bacteria’s cannot be seen through our naked eye and sometimes some of these remain even after brushing our teeth. As these remains can also cause problems to the health of our teeth chewing gums with xylitol in it can easily remove these bacteria’s as well. Chewing gum has great advantages like it can help in cleaning our teeth and remove the bad breath from our mouth.

The true reason for the bad breath and bad health of your teeth are the carbohydrates and sugar content in general.  The sugar and carbohydrates can feed the bacteria’s which help them grow and destroy out teeth causing different problems. Hence chewing gums with xylitol in it can destroy the remains of sugar or carbohydrates and also the bacteria’s inside the oral cavity.

Some of the chewing gums with xylitol in it are zylicious, trident gum and many more. When you purchase any chewing gum you can check for xylitol content in it and have it. There are plenty of reviews by the users who have been using these chewing gums and have found the effectiveness from it. The zylicious chewing gums are with xylitol and can easily eradicate the problem causing bacteria’s in your mouth.

These chewing gums will not erode enamel as they are sugar free. These chewing gums do not help you to obtain white teeth though but can provide you germ free oral health and freshen your breath. Most of the people enjoy chewing these gums. Some of them have stopped smoking and have started chewing gums as any alternative for their habit. The chewing gums like trident gums can help you preserve your teeth for a long time. They are also recommended by dental professionals as well.

Benefits of chewing gum:

• Consuming chewing gums after meals helps in producing saliva and increases its flow in the mouth. The saliva produced neutralizes the acids and thus helps in preventing bad breath and dental decay. Saliva contains minerals like phosphate, calcium and fluoride that help in strengthening the tooth enamel. Teeth are the most vulnerable part which gets affected after every snack and meal. So chewing gum is the suitable medicine to remove the acids.
• It helps in relieving pressure in ears by improving jaw movement.
• According to the 90 percent dentists’ chewing sugarless gum is good for health after meals. Even though it is difficult to find out sugarless gum but it is not impossible. Wrigley’s orbit gum is found to be the first sugar free gum which is approved by British Dental Association.
• Chewing gums also contain sweeteners that help in preventing cavity formation in the mouth. Xylitol is the natural sweetener that can be found in vegetables and fruits. It is like a sugar but does not have any side effects. Xylitol is the natural enemy of plaque that effectively protects the teeth from further decaying from the bacterial activity.
• Chewing gum also helps in reducing the body that makes you look smarter. It helps in exercising the facial muscles and gives more chiseled look. Chewing gum is the one that helps in developing the jaw muscles.
• Make you eat less food: It reduces the hunger pangs and thus make you eat less than before.
• Sugar free chewing gums make you less craving for sweet items. Normally a sugar free gum contains less sugar and thus burns more calories.
• Helps to focus and concentrate: you might have seen some people eating chewing gum while doing some important. This is mainly because it increases the work concentration and makes you feel less bored. It makes you focus on the work and completes the work as soon as possible.
• It is reported that if you chew a gum for one hour it will burn 11 calories.
• Good for mouth: If you are looking to increase the oral health then you are recommended to eat sugar free chewing gum. It keeps you teeth and tongue clean and gives natural look. It cleans the mouth with the help of saliva generated. Mint chewing gums are generally recommended to keep mouth fresh all the time.
• Helps in reducing the stress: When you are under stress have a chewing gum and change the hormonal activities in your body. It reduces the overall nervous tension. So start chewing gum and reduce the tension.

By reducing the pressure on your teeth’s while brushing you can reduce some pain. To avoid heavy pain from these activities you can go for the help of natural home remedies that effectively cures sensitive teeth. Home remedies are in increasing demand nowadays. Since it is less expensive and treats all types of teeth issues very effectively more and more people are moving towards home remedies. These home remedies doest not contain any therapies which are normally practiced by doctors. They are safe to use without any side effects.

Some of the best home remedies for sensitive teeth are as follows:

Make use of the desensitizing toothpaste: Tooth becomes sensitive due to gum disease or gum recession. This is the kind of disease that can not be treated with the help of dental fillings. In such cases try using the desensitizing toothpaste that covers the affected part. It is a special kind of toothpaste that contains elements that deal with sensitivity. Using this toothpaste you can fill channels or tubules in your teeth.

• Attach the toothpaste on cotton swab and use it on the affected parts every day before going to bed. Repeat the process for couple of weeks without a miss. Don’t rinse but spit toothpaste properly. After couple of days you will feel less sensitive.
• Rinse with fluorides: Fluoride rinse available in most of the grocery stores. You can use this medication if you are facing decay problems. It is recommended to use at least once in a day. If you are feeling heavy pains then try with large doses fluoride rinse.
• One simple solution to avoid sensitive tooth is to keep teeth clean and healthy all the time. If you eat gummy substances it produces acid on teeth and increases the sensitiveness so to avoid acid content at least brush twice in a day. It is preferred to brush after eating and before going to bed.
• Always use soft toothbrush: if you apply too much pressure on teeth then there are chances of affecting teeth especially at tooth enamel. Some times teeth also vulnerable to toothbrush abrasion. Apply little pressure and move slowly and it will become effective than pressing too hard. Also, you need to know how to brush your teeth.
• Don’t eat too much of snuffs like tobacco since it is responsible for damaging the lower portion of the teeth. Tobacco is commonly used by many teenagers nowadays. So please avoid using them and protect yourself from severe dental disease.

But toothbrushing being one of the important parts in maintaining the oral hygiene, selecting a proper toothbrush is an important part. Here is what all you need to check while selecting a toothbrush -

Table of Contents:

• Type of Bristles
• Size of Brush Head
• Type of Handle
• Manual vs Powered toothbrush
• When to replace a toothbrush

Type of bristles
Although there are hard bristle variety toothbrushes available, it is usually recommended to use a soft bristle toothbrush, because of a couple reasons. Firstly, many people don’t follow a proper toothbrushing technique, and so the hard toothbrush bristles tend to remove the surface enamel layer of the tooth, abrading the surface, and secondly the hard bristles damage the gingiva and pull it down towards to root, which leads to sensitivity of the teeth while drinking cold liquids, even water.
On the contrary, the soft bristles are easy on the teeth, and they can reach the deeper areas pretty easily. The nylon bristled brushes are commonly used, but everything still depends on how you brush your teeth.
The design of the bristles usually recommended is the zig-zag one with the curvy arrangement, which makes the longer bristle enter the areas between the teeth, and clean out the food debris from those areas.

Type of Brush Head
The size of the toothbrush head should not be very large, and not too small. It should be good enough to reach all the areas in the mouth, and cover 1-2 teeth at a time. According to the specifications given by American Dental Association, the recommended toothbrush head size is 1-inch in length, and 1/2-inch in width.

Type of Handle
The type of toothbrush handle should not be firm, as the flexible handles can compensate for the forces exerted by the hand during brushing, and excessive pressure on the tooth surface is avoided. The handle should provide a good grip to the hand.

Which is better? Manual or Powered toothbrush!
The comparison and choice between the manual and powered toothbrushes has always been controversial, and many people in the U.S. prefer using the powered toothbrushes, although there is no such evidence that it is more effective than the manual toothbrushing. Most of the dentists still would recommend the manual toothbrush with the proper toothbrushing technique, with the specifications as explained above.
The powered toothbrushes are recommended for usage in adult patients, in people with conditions like arthritis, people wearing braces, and having misaligned teeth.

When to replace a toothbrush?
Using the same toothbrush for a long time doesn’t prove to be effective as it was in the beginning, so it is recommended to replace a toothbrush every 3 months, when used twice everyday, or the replacing can be done when the person feels that the bristles are frayed. The worn out bristles not only are less effective, but also may damage the gums.
The toothbrush needs to be replaced with a new one even when there is an infection detected in the mouth or patients with cold, flu etc., as the toothbrush contacting the toothpaste tube, can lead to spread of the bacteria involved in the infection.

Above being the standard recommendations, there are a few other factors to be considered while choosing the right toothbrush -

• If the toothbrush bristles get worn within a few weeks of usage, there might be a problem with the toothbrushing technique (recommended toothbrushing technique), and you need to modify that or visit your dentist for the advice.
• A small head toothbrush should be chosen for children, while the milk teeth are still present.
• Depending on your location, you need to check for the approval of the respective dental association, before buying the toothbrush. i.e. if you are in U.S., the toothbrush has to be approved by the ADA to trust about the specifications.

If you are still unsure of which toothbrush to use, ask your dentist for an advice, because sometimes the oral hygiene instructions vary depending on the condition of the teeth and gums of the patient. Check when to brush your teeth in the morning,

Dental Treatments

Most of the dental treatments that include extractions, fillings, root canal treatments or placement of crowns etc. are to be carried out during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy (i.e. the 4th-6th month), and only if they can’t be avoided. If the 3rd trimester is entered, then its best to delay any treatment procedure till the birth of the child, and get it done later. Sitting on your back for long time is not possible during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, so any treatment procedure has to be canceled. Also, the stress sometimes due to bigger treatment procedures can affect pregnancy a lot.
Maximum try is to reduce the exposure of the child to any treatment motions, and any medication that may cross the placental barrier. One of the examples is tetracycline drugs. If these drugs are taken during the pregnancy period, it affects the child’s teeth by forming tetracycline stains.

Taking X-Rays

Taking X-rays during pregnancy, should be avoided as much as possible. The radiations are not only dangerous for the mother, but also the developing child in the 1st trimester. Although sometimes X-rays are needed compulsorily, to come to a proper diagnosis of the problem, care should be taken to reduce the exposure of the developing child to the radiations.

Effect of Pregnancy in mouths

During pregnancy, the blood flow increases by about 30-50% and the hormonal production is also high. The condition of Pregnancy Gingivitis is common and half of the total pregnant women experience it. In this, the gums appear glowing pink/red because of the higher circulation of blood, which can provide good nutrition and house for bacterial growth, and although good oral hygiene is tried to maintain, bleeding while brushing the teeth is common. Its also because of higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, that leads to sensitivity of gums.

The gingivitis that occurs in the gums, sometimes develop into mass or lump in the gum called as pyogenic granulomas, or “pregnancy tumors”, although its not any cancer/tumor. This also occurs sometimes, but regresses as child birth occurs.

Oral hygiene measures to be taken

Although your gums might bleed, although you might not be finding less time to take care of your teeth, you should be trying to brush twice daily and floss the teeth. Use a soft toothbrush, to avoid pressure on the gums, and don’t worry if your gums are bleeding. Give a scheduled visit to the dentist during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy to get your teeth cleaned professionally, by scaling procedures. Use a good ADA-approved toothpaste to brush your teeth, which contains fluorides so that adequate amount of fluorides are supplied to the child.
Flossing would help in keeping the gums healthy, and the areas between the teeth where plaque accumulation can lead to tooth decay.

While at the dental office

When you visit a dentist during your pregnancy phase, you should let them know what drugs you have been using since the start of your pregnancy period, so that the appropriate medication is given, if required, after any simple dental treatment procedure.
You feeling comfortable would reduce the stress on the developing baby. And when the anesthesia is given for any treatment, the lesser would be better to keep you comfortable. Higher amounts of anesthesia should be given only if required.

Antibiotic drugs like Penicillin, amoxicillin, and clindamycin are safer drugs to be taken during pregnancy, if any infections occur. Avoid taking tetracycline, as already said they would cause stains to child’s baby teeth as well as the permanent teeth.
Avoiding a dental visit only because you are pregnant is not a good choice. Just oral problems can lead to many complications.

Women get pregnant usually at an age of around 20-24 and this is when the wisdom tooth eruption occurs, in a normal or abnormal position. So if there is a problem, then delaying the removal of the wisdom tooth should be best postponed to after the child birth.

If you are wondering about the causes of periodontal diseases then you need to know about the presence of bacteria in our mouth. Different kinds of bacteria are present in our mouth. When such bacteria teams up with mucus, they develop plaque on the teeth. Plaque refers to a kind of yellow white colored sticky material. When we brush our teeth then it gets removed. However, if teeth are not brushed and flossed properly, plaque may change in to tartar, which cannot be cleaned even by brushing. It enters the base of the teeth and causes gum diseases.

Here are a few symptoms which help people and dentists to find out a periodontal disease. Swelling in the gums or bleeding in them may be an indicator of gum disease. Bad breath also indicates gum disease. If teeth feel very sensitive to heat or cold then it may be due to periodontal disease. Loosened teeth and feeling of pain while eating food are two other symptoms of gum disease.

The main purpose of dentists while treating a periodontal disease is to remove the infection from the mouth. Different procedures are used for the removal of infection from the mouth. Deep cleaning is done by dentists for curing such infection. Root planning and scaling are a part of deep cleaning. In sever type of gum diseases, flap surgery or tissue and bone drafts surgery may also be required. It is also very important to maintain oral hygiene once treatment is done by the dentist.

It is also important to get an idea about the cost of partial dentures before opting for them. Partial dentures are also known by the name of flippers. Dental implants are more costly than partial dentures. Therefore, a lot of people are going for them at present. The type of partial dentures which are bought by the people largely affects their price. The cost of partial dentures may also depend upon the dentist chosen by you for this procedure.

There may be a lot of people who might be facing different types of problems related to partial dentures. Though partial dentures are fitted in the mouth for solving different problems of the people, they may cause some problems in case they get loose. Different people may face different kinds of problems with dentures. With an increase in age, the mouths of people begin to shrink. This makes the dentures loose. Such people face different problems in chewing their food or general discomfort. When the food is not chewed in the mouth properly then it affects the digestion process in a negative manner.

In order to make sure that the dentures stay in good position and no such problems occur, one should visit a dentist on a regular basis. Dentists will be able to make a few adjustments in your dentures for making them more comfortable. You should tell about the problems you face due to your dentures to the dentist. Only then he will be able to help you.

Orthodontic devices which are used for the proper alignment of teeth are both fixed and functional. Those devices which are fitted in to the mouth and use the forces created by various actions like chewing, talking and gulping down the food; for the movement and alignment of the jaw. There are a few functional devices which can be removed according to the convenience of the people while some of them remain fitted with teeth. Those orthodontic devices which are fixed to the teeth in the form of wires and brackets are known as fixed devices. These fittings are known as braces. You may have heard about them.

After a period of approximately 2 years, the fixed devices get adjusted automatically and they start exerting enough force for bone remodeling. Once the braces are removed from the teeth, retainers are used for holding the teeth. They can be removed. In case the teeth begin to get back to their earlier position after the braces are removed, the orthodontist may choose to wind up a wire at the back of a few teeth. It helps in holding the teeth in their right position. One may opt for the orthodontic treatment in any age. Now days, new technology and devices have come up. Earlier, braces could be spotted easily. Now, braces which are less visible are used by the dentists.

Oral piercing may cause different types of complication in the people. It puts a risk to the dental health of the people. Once oral piercing is done, the chances of infection also increase in the area which is pierced. Different kinds of bacteria always remain present in the mouth. When blood vessels present in the tongue are damaged due to piercing, they may bleed in excessive amounts. This may cause excessive loss of blood. Swelling usually occurs after oral piercing is done. It becomes difficult to heal the effects of piercing because tongue is used a lot for different functions. In some cases, swelling may cause hindrance to the breathing process. The risk of different blood borne disease like hepatitis C, B, D, G and tetanus also increases after oral piercing.

When people have barbells fitted in to their tongue they tend to tap it again and again on teeth and gums. This may lead to broken teeth and gum diseases. A large number of people who have oral piercing usually come up with some kind of infection in their gums. The infection which may be caused to the blood vessels which are connected to brain and other crucial parts of body, may even take one’s life. If you search the internet you can get to know about such cases. In case unsterile instruments are used for piercing the tongue, cheek or lips, it may cause HIV or AIDS. If you have to get oral piercing done then visiting a reputable clinic will be the best option.