Dental Hygienist Tamara Weel explains why flossing is important and what precautions should one take during flossing.
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Maintenance of your teeth is a lifelong process. And if you add some bad habits into this equation, it can make the whole process even more difficult. You should eliminate the following habits from your life if you want to maintain a healthy smile.
Get in touch with a dental hygienist to know more about dental care.
A dental emergency can occur while you eat, play, work out, or take part in any number of normal daily tasks. “Soft tissue laceration” is dental trauma that includes harm to your lips, gums, tongue, or cheeks. The soft tissues in the mouth are delicate, sensitive and easily hurt. They also contain a lot of nerves. When they are hurt, it can be very painful.
In addition to cuts, injuries can occur to the roof of the mouth, the back of the throat, or to a tonsil. These types of wound can happen when someone falls with a pointed object – such as a Popsicle stick or pencil – in their mouth. Kids are most at risk for this type of wound.
Due to all the blood vessels in the head and neck area, even a small puncture in the mouth may lead to alot of blood loss.
Treating Soft Tissue Lacerations
Small mouth injuries may be treated at home. Clean them right away with warm water. As with all soft tissue wounds, the key points to keep in mind are to decrease the flow of blood, reduce pain, promote healing, and prevent infection.
A soft tissue laceration, including injury to the mouth or lips that results in a loose flap of tissue or an open wound, may require stitches. Some patients choose to have a small wound on the lips stitched for cosmetic reasons. A tear in the frenulum (the skin under the tongue between the lips and gums) most often heals on its own and does not need stitches.If a foreign object, such as a bit of tooth or a wire from braces, is stuck in a wound, a doctor may need to remove it.
Preventing Soft Tissue Lacerations
The best way to avoid dental and soft tissue injuries is to wear a mouth guard for all rough play. A mouth guard should be worn at all times for team sports or sports where there is frequent contact with others or with hard objects.
Mouth guards protect the soft tissue in your mouth from your teeth. This is very important if you wear braces on your teeth. A mouth guard may even help to prevent or reduce or severity of concussions. You need to seek emergency dental care if the injury is serious or if the bleeding doesn’t stop after 10 to 15 minutes. The dentist will wash the area, remove any dirt or debris, and see if your teeth are loose or damaged. Stitches might be needed to close the wound.
When it comes to your teeth nothing is more important than proper dental health and dental hygiene. Without proper oral hygiene your teeth can break down and decay causing many problems including tooth loss. Flossing is such an essential part of dental care. There are several health benefits to maintaining proper dental care and flossing. Without proper flossing, your teeth will a buildup with plaque which leads to tartar and several types of gum disease. Not flossing can also cause an increase of cavities in the areas your tooth brush cannot reach. Without flossing your teeth can start to stain which keeps your teeth from looking bright, white and clean.
Dental floss is a tool you should use daily to remove food and bacteria build-up from in-between your teeth. Floss, which is commonly made out of plastic or nylon, is a thin thread that you place between your teeth and pull in order to clean the gaps. As you pull on the thread, you remove food and debris.
Benefits of Flossing:
Remove plaque
Prevent gum disease
Prevent cavities
Better smelling breath
Whiter teeth
This is a dental problem, which you can possibly fix yourself.
If you have a small object caught between your teeth, first try to gently remove the object with dental floss. If flossing doesn’t work, tie a knot in your floss and carefully place the floss between your teeth and pull the knot through gently.
If the above tips don’t work, place a toothpick in between the two teeth where the item is lodged. Push it in slightly so it stays in place and keep it there for a minute or two. This allows your teeth to move slightly. Push on the toothpick once more so the teeth will move a bit further and wait a couple of minutes again. Then remove the toothpick and try flossing again.
Remember, never use anything sharp or pointed objects like a pin around your teeth as it may cut your gums or damage your tooth.
You can also try swishing with warm water and brush again. This may dislodge the food. If you still can’t get it out, then contact a dentist for advice or to schedule an appointment.
Bad breath is a common condition caused by sulphur-producing bacteria that live within the surface of the tongue and in the throat. Its treatment will depend on the underlying cause. Smoking, dry mouth, dental infections and nasal or sinus infections can cause bad breath. Good oral hygiene, including brushing flossing and tongue cleaning, is important. Other treatments may include mouthwashes, nasal spray or antibiotics.
Oral malodor (bad breath) can be divided into two distinctive categories—transitory and chronic. Transitory refers to food-related malodor that can last as long as 72 hours. Virtually everyone suffers from this condition at one time or another. The second category, chronic, is generally related to oral or general medical problems.
There is no one treatment for bad breath. The treatment will depend on what is causing the problem. Avoiding dehydration and good oral hygiene, including brushing and flossing, are important. Some mouthwashes, lozenges and toothpastes can assist in fighting bad breath.
Gentle but effective tongue cleaning may also be required. A variety of tongue brushes and scrapers have been produced in recent years. The tongue should be brushed in a gentle but thorough manner, from the back towards the front of the tongue, keeping in mind that the hardest to reach back portion smells the worst.
Just as important to oral health and fresh breath is oral health care delivered by a qualified professional. Regular oral health care appointments, which include teeth cleaning above and below the gum line is essential to maintaining good oral health and fresh breath, so visit your dental hygienist every six months, or as often as recommended.
For more information about proper oral health care, as well as brushing and flossing instructions, please talk to your dental hygienist.
It is very surprising that majority of people believe that regular brushing is enough to keep their teeth healthy. They don’t realize the importance of flossing. The fact is, brushing alone does not clean your entire mouth. Flossing is such an essential activity to maintain good oral hygiene.
Here are the health benefits of flossing:
Flossing removes the tiny trapped food particles and also the plaque trapped between the teeth which a tooth brush cannot reach.
It also prevents the formation of calculus or tartar which if formed can only be removed by your dental hygienist.
With regular flossing, you reduce the growth of bacteria.
Flossing can help prevent bad breath. If bacteria and food particles are left in between your teeth it can actually cause really bad breath.
Flossing regularly will keep your teeth looking whiter and shiny. With plaque buildup on the teeth, food and drinks stick and staining occur. By flossing you can remove the stubborn spots and food particles providing a cleaner, healthier smile.
Proper dental care begins at home. Make sure you are not only brushing regularly but flossing as well. You need to take the time to floss well at least once a day, and try to floss after meals to remove food particles. Brushing, flossing and the use of mouth wash will help you keep your mouth healthy and clean. It is also important to schedule regular visit to your dentist to give your teeth and gums a good deep cleaning.
Dentists don’t usually recommend DIY dentistry for a variety of reasons, but there are a few dental issues that you can fix yourself without a visit to the dentist!
Sensitive teeth –Some toothpastes are abrasive, especially whitening, tartar-control or baking soda toothpastes, which can make teeth sensitive. Stop using these toothpastes. Don’t brush too hard, which can lead to other dental problems, such as recessed gums. If pain persists, visit your dentist for a prescription fluoride treatment to toughen up your teeth.
Lost tooth due to trauma – Gently rinse it off without rubbing and scrubbing and push it back in right away, then bite down gently on a soft cloth or moistened tea bag to hold it in place. Knocking out a tooth tears the periodontal ligaments, but some might still cling to the tooth. If reconnected early enough, they can reattach to the gums. See your dentist ASAP!
Jaw soreness – If you have an aching pain in your jaw, it could happen due to teeth grinding, which can lead to pain in the jaw, headaches and more. Try exercising your jaw by moving it around gently. If you find yourself in a tense state with jaw locked, loosen up and take a few deep breaths to release that tension. At night, wear a mouth guard to prevent teeth grinding. If you are still having pain, talk to your dentist about other possible solutions.
Gum pain – You can ease the pain by swishing peppermint tea or salt water around your mouth.
If you have questions about common dental issues, contact your dentist.
Tooth loss is not a normal and unavoidable part of aging. Your teeth are intended to last a lifetime and with good oral care and professional dental services they can.
The fallacy that losing your teeth is a natural part of aging originated from an era when routine dental procedures to prevent tooth loss were not generally practiced or as available as they are today. The truth is that bad oral hygiene habits, wrong diet and neglecting to see your dentist for regular dental services has way more to do with tooth loss than growing older does.
Tooth root decay develops more quickly as we grow older, but fortunately frequent fluoride treatments minimize this risk along with tooth cavities. The natural cleansing process of salivary production may slow down later in life causing more plaque build-up – making routine cleanings and dental procedures even more important. Professional dental cleanings also help to prevent periodontal disease or bone loss which is the number one reason why folks lose their teeth.
Dentists are available to give dental tips and to provide dental services that guard against tooth loss.
Your body is a complex machine. The foods you choose and how often you eat them can impact your general as well as your oral health. If you consume too many sugar-filled sodas, sweetened fruit drinks or non-nutritious snacks, you could be at risk for tooth decay. Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease, but the good news is that it is entirely preventable.
Foods that contain sugars of any kind can contribute to tooth decay. To control the amount of sugar you eat, read the nutrition facts and ingredient labels on foods and beverages and choose options that are lowest in sugar. Common sources of sugar in the diet include soft drinks, candy, cookies and pastries. Your physician or a registered dietitian can also provide suggestions for eating a nutritious diet. If your diet lacks certain nutrients, it may be more difficult for tissues in your mouth to resist infection. This may contribute to gum disease. Severe gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Many researchers believe that the disease progresses faster and is potentially more severe in people with poor nutrition.
For good oral hygiene, keep these tips in mind when choosing your meals and snacks:
Drink plenty of water
Eat a variety of foods from each of the five major food groups including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean sources of protein (e.g. lean beef, fish, dry beans, peas), low-fat and fat-free dairy products
Avoiding following types of foods is a way to maintain good oral hygiene:
Carbohydrates – Refined carbohydrate-laden foods (chips, bread, pasta, crackers, etc.) can be as harsh on your teeth as candy.
Chewy, sticky foods such as raisins, jellybeans, caramel, honey etc.
Sugary snacks
Candy and gum
Carbonated soft drinks
Fruit and vegetable juices
Sports drinks
Limit the number of snacks you eat. If you do snack, choose something that is healthy like fruit or vegetables or a piece of cheese. Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm to teeth than eating lots of snacks throughout the day, because more saliva is released during a meal. Saliva helps wash foods from the mouth and lessens the effects of acids, which can harm teeth and cause cavities.
Remember to visit your dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings – typically twice a year.
For good dental health, always remember to brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, floss daily and visit your dentist regularly. With regular dental care, your dentist can help prevent oral problems from occurring in the first place and catch those that do occur in the early stages, while they are easy to treat.
