World Oral Health Day: Five hygiene rituals you must follow every day to keep your teeth healthy

Maintaining good oral health can do more than keep your smile gorgeous. This means good oral health and dental hygiene is not only imperative to yoBur appearance but is also essential to your overall health. Good oral health can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease, helping you to keep your teeth as you get older. In fact, a healthy mouth can also help you ward off medical conditions. Studies reveal that an unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labour.

Of course, an individual’s oral health can speak volumes about the rest of their body. Oral health ensures confidence in all spheres of life, be it at work or while socializing or spending time with their family. But sometimes easily identifiable oral care problems can get in the way of your everyday life and can make you self-conscious. To raise awareness of good oral hygiene practices among adults and children alike, World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is celebrated globally every year on 20 March. WOHD demonstrates the importance of optimal oral health in maintaining general health and well-being. 
On this World Oral Health Day, Dr Ekta Chadha, aesthetic dental surgeon, shares with us some of the most commonly faced oral problems and simple hygiene rituals to keep them at bay:

Bad breath

Bad breath is among the most common oral problems. Having bad breath can be extremely upsetting as it can lower self-esteem and make conversations awkward. If you don't brush your teeth properly on a daily basis, food particles can remain in your mouth, promoting bacterial growth between teeth, gums and on the tongue causing bad breath.

Solution

Using fresh breath toothpaste and mouthwash is advisable for bad breath. Although they are designed to mask bad breath, they do not eliminate the underlying problem. Undertaking professional dental care and following a dentist’s advice can help combat it. Read: Cure your toothache with these 10 home remedies

Tooth sensitivity

People with sensitive teeth not only have agonizing experiences with hot and cold food and beverages, they feel socially embarrassed as well. Such obvious discomfort, in turn, lowers their confidence and makes it difficult for them to be involved in everyday social situations. Tooth sensitivity is typically the result of worn tooth enamel or exposed tooth roots. It is a condition that won’t go away on its own and will worsen over time.

Solution

Tooth sensitivity can be treated and there's an easy solution to get rid of it. Switch to a specially formulated desensitizing toothpaste. If the problem persists, it is recommended to visit a dentist. Read - Healthy gums key to health: Avoid these five foods to get a brighter smile and whiter teeth

Plaque on teeth

Plaque is a soft, sticky film that builds up on your teeth and contains millions of bacteria. The bacteria in plaque cause tooth decay and gum disease if they are not removed regularly through brushing and flossing. This sticky plaque damages teeth in two ways. Firstly, food particles, especially sugars, stick to it. The plaque uses these food particles to grow more bacteria and to produce acid. Secondly, the plaque holds the acid against the tooth surface. If not removed, the acid will eventually work on the tooth enamel, causing a cavity.

Solution

The best way to remove plaque is to brush and floss your teeth every day. When you use toothpaste that attacks plaque, it, in fact, fights the germs that cause cavities. 

Cavities

Tooth decay can happen at any age, as long as you have natural teeth. Dental plaque is a sticky film of bacteria. It produces acids that, sooner or later, create cavities. Even teeth that already have fillings are at risk. Plaque can build up underneath a chipped filling and cause new decay.

Solution

Visit your dentist regularly who can, during an examination, will talk to you about your symptoms. He or she will look at your teeth to find out the cavities and find the best way of treating it.

Sensitive gums/ bleeding of gums

When people fail to practice proper dental hygiene, bacteria in the mouth can form plaque on the teeth. These bacteria may cause your gums to become inflamed, which results in red, swollen, or bleeding gums.

Solution

For many people, bleeding of gums occurs during and after toothbrushing. You may feel that brushing harder will remove more leftover food and the bacteria, but a gentle brushing is all that is needed. Hence, it is necessary to follow a regular oral care routine and choose the right toothbrush. When you brush too hard, it can wear down the teeth enamel and also damage the gums. What's more, aggressive toothbrushing is a leading contributor of sensitive teeth. Cleaning of teeth should be done using a soft toothbrush.