Why is Oral Care Important?

Keep your oral hygiene clean and healthy with these advice from City Dental Clinic

Our smile, together with our look, are our way of presenting ourselves to the world and depending on them may depend on the reaction of people when socializing with us. Since these points can be very expressive and through them we can let other people see our intentions, our feelings, how we feel and other things. They are fundamental for non-verbal communication, since when we talk to someone or introduce ourselves it is the first thing we look at and from there we can determine many things. Therefore, the importance of taking care of them so that they look presentable is extremely important.

It is essential to consider oral health as something of the day to day and that we must keep in mind constantly. And this is not only limited to keeping the teeth beautiful for an aesthetic condition, but also through the mouth we fulfill vital functions, since through there we ingest food and other types of things.

If we look only at the aesthetic function of our oral cavity, we will realize that the state of our teeth can greatly influence our self-esteem, also on how others will see us and therefore play an important role when socializing.

And if we look at the only functional point of view that our oral cavity has, we will notice that it allows us to develop a language correctly (some words are not possible to pronounce without the use of our teeth, which give a better sense of phonetics), and that they are essential to meet the nutritional requirements, since we do not live on a liquid diet and we use our teeth to chew, and our tongue to swallow.

If you think that we exaggerate the function of our mouth, imagine those grandparents who no longer have their teeth and have not taken the time to receive medical attention for the creation of a prosthetic piece. Have you noticed that they have difficulty eating and that they are also affected when it comes to socializing, making what they say almost incomprehensible? Now you can see it in a more personal way and understand.

Adding that, if our oral cavity is not healthy we can develop problems that hinder our day to day life, and even socialization, such as halitosis/bad breath. Since we know that nobody wants to be near someone with a bad smell coming out of his mouth, that will also influence our self-esteem.

Finally, we already know that it is very important to maintain good oral health. If we take care of other parts of our body, such as our skin, we should also know that it is important to keep this part of the body in perfect condition, since it has as an ally an organ that we should not get sick: the stomach. Therefore, worry a little more about your health and constantly go to the dentist, and always keep a constant brushing and other hygiene measures!

What is the importance of the dentist?

Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is in charge of studying and caring for the dental pieces, as well as taking care, for example, of the problems of the maxillary bone, which is the support of the teeth. If we put it in a more technical way, we would say that the dentist is in charge of all the stomatognathic organs, which are those that make up your oral cavity, and can also cover other areas such as the neck. They are not only limited to orthodontics! In other words, a dentist is responsible for the dental health of every patient who enters their office, trying to remedy any oral problems or providing preventive care to avoid disease. The simplest things that are presented on a daily basis are: cavities, gingivitis, periodontitis, tooth loss and malocclusions. Some of these can be avoided with good dental health, but the development of these diseases also depends on the person’s genetics or other reasons. Even if it is for whatever reason, you should go to a dentist to solve it if you see symptoms or problems of any kind in your oral cavity. Prevention is the best weapon, do not wait for it to get worse to attend consultation. Our intention is to affirm that dentistry is fundamental to have good dental and oral health, because without them we could not solve problems as easily as learning how to brush our teeth correctly or how to know if we have hypersensitivity or not. In addition to helping to avoid much greater diseases, such as oral cancer.

What diseases does dentistry treat?

We could not make a whole list of the number of diseases that dentistry treats, but we can focus on those that are most seen in the day to day of our office and explain how they develop, so pay attention here we go!

Oral cancer.

This is one of the most common even though it is not visualized as much as other types of cancer. The people most prone to develop this disease are men and people who have an addiction such as alcohol or tobacco, although with the simple fact of smoking any substance you are directly affecting your mouth and exposing it to constant infections. Therefore, no one is exempt from this disease that destroys any oral cavity in its entirety!

Dental caries.

Almost every day there is a new case of tooth decay. It is defined as a hole in any area of our teeth that affects the tooth enamel and gradually eats away the rest of the tooth. It is accompanied by dental discomfort and a lot of pain when touching the area, especially when eating. And if it is not treated in time it can develop to the point of touching the dental pulp, which will lead to the removal of the tooth. In order to treat dental caries it is essential to diagnose it early, since the less the tooth has been affected the better the chances of recovering it and thus avoiding a dental extraction.

Gingivitis and Periodontitis.

Both are well known periodontal diseases that occur in stages, by this we mean that they go from worse to worse: Gingivitis is the first stage, where the gums become inflamed and begin to bleed slightly. If it is not treated in time it can turn into periodontitis, which can totally infect the mouth leading it to a necrotic state where the teeth will start to fall out and the pain will be impossible to bear. Therefore, it is important to go in the first phase to the dentist to be able to take a treatment and avoid the worst.

Cleft Lip.

Although it is not very common, since it happens only once every 700 newborns, it is something that is not yet known to be treated by a dentist. This condition is based on when the palate or one of the lips is not fully developed before birth, which creates difficulties for the child.

Dental falls.

This is also quite common and we see it mostly in the elderly over 65 years old who are beginning to see changes in their teeth. We can also consider that at this age oral diseases are more frequent due to a lowering of the immune system.

Blows and traumas.

This is very common in children between 5 to 8 years old since this is the stage where they explore and are more prone to suffer from trauma because their bones are still sensitive and fragile.

Why are dental diseases so frequent?

The fundamentals of dental health are so striking, that by neglecting the necessary care of these, we are simply exposed to thousands of types of dental diseases that can easily damage our daily lives. In addition to this, we add a poor diet and constant vices such as smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages. As you may have already noticed, we have tried to explain that diseases are not a joke, as they can lead to cancer, and even other organs, since our whole body is connected. Most of these diseases can be avoided or treated with a dentist. The important thing is to get a quality one that assures you quality and effectiveness in their treatments, our only task is to keep our teeth healthy and go to the dentist to make preventive treatments.

What are the treatments that a dentist can do?

We can’t list them all, but we can give you an idea of some of the treatments that are done in the office on a daily basis:

Dental cleanings:

As it will help us to remove tartar more effectively and will complement our dental health, it is necessary to do it at least once or twice a year.

Tooth decay removal:

For this, the tissues that were affected by the infection of the cavity are removed and then sealed with a filling so that no food remains in the remaining hole and the cavity can develop again.

Dental extraction:

This may be due to multiple reasons, among them may be problems due to periodontitis or perhaps a caries in a very advanced stage, and even teeth with malformations.

Dental orthodontics:

These are necessary in case of malocclusion or when the teeth are born on top of others, so there are bite problems as well as aesthetic problems.
Currently, this branch of medicine has had a great evolution in recent years, so much so that it has been possible to create new techniques both aesthetic and preventive, as for example in orthodontics there is Invisalign, which is completely invisible on the teeth.

How to maintain good oral health?

As you have already seen in the previous paragraphs of our article, oral health is something you should maintain at all times, but sometimes you may not know or understand how it works fully and what you can do to not neglect it. We will give you 10 tips: The first, is that you attend the dentist to guide you depending on your needs, and the others we will give you in a detailed list so you don’t miss anything:

Maintain a constant brushing.

It is important to brush your teeth regularly so that bacteria are not stored for a long time in the oral cavity, ideally three times a day using dental floss.

Look for another toothbrush on a regular basis.

Our toothbrush has a unique duration of five months, it should not exceed that or we will be doing wrong to our teeth.

Brush your teeth well.

It’s not just about constant brushing, it’s also about doing it right. Keep short and constant movements, in order to remove food debris effectively.

Maintain constant use of dental floss.

To use this device you will need to take a little bit out of its box and pass it exactly along the dental lines making up and down movements to remove the remaining food. You can do this once a day and always before going to bed.

Consider using mouthwash.

This is another very useful tool to keep your mouth odor free and fresh! Just swish a little in your mouth, rinse, and spit it out in the sink, it’s not too complicated.

Don't eat so many sugary foods.

This is the faithful friend of cavities, so if you want to avoid them it is best to keep your consumption of sugary drinks and other foods that are composed of these components low.

You don't need as many teeth whitening treatments.

Although we would all like to have a totally white smile, this is not healthy for our teeth. And if we do it constantly, we can damage our tooth enamel permanently.

Visit your dentist.

Not only should you go when you have a dental problem, it is essential that you go for a dental check-up every four months to make sure everything is okay.