TOOTH PROBLEMS, DENTAL HYGIENE, VISIT TO THE DENTIST - THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW AND DO

When you visit a dentist whether its for scaling, tooth filling, gum disease, root canal or tooth extraction, it's important to ask questions, especially if it's your first time. Whatever might be your age, whether you have a problem or not with your teeth, its good to visit the dentist to ensure your teeth are in perfect condition. 

Dental hygiene is of absolute importance. If you have swollen or bleeding gums, toothache, tooth decay or plaque, don't ignore it. If your oral hygiene is not good, this can affect your health. The toxins from your untreated tooth problems can affect the rest of your health, your organs, your brain, your heart, believe it or not. If you have gum disease due to plaque, a periodontist will treat you. No matter how well you brush your teeth, it's worth going for scaling of your teeth twice a year or as your dentist advises you.

At the dentist, request for your entire teeth to be been x-rayed. Once the dentist goes through the x-rays and scrutinizes for problems, you will be told what dental services you will require. Now what I want to highlight is asking your dentist questions. If he tells you, you need tooth filling or a root canal, ask him the reasons why you require it, because it's important to know what caused your tooth problem in the first place, so you can take care of the rest of your teeth and keep them healthy. If your dentist tells you that you have tooth decay and your tooth or teeth has to be extracted, ask him if he can 'save' the tooth, by removing the decayed area and inserting filling material or replace it with a crown, or perhaps he can save the tooth by doing a root canal. Extraction should be the last resort only in extreme cases. 

When you go for any of the dental services, almost all the time, you have to keep your mouth wide opened for them to perform their task. It would take time in certain cases to complete the procedures. Unless you have a natural wide mouth, it can be quite uncomfortable. Before starting the procedures, ask the doctor to explain the procedures step by step and how long it's going to take to complete it. This would you help you know, how long you have to keep your mouth opened. I know it sounds funny or weird to ask, I'll tell you why because I am getting at it. Ask the dentist to apply the gel on your mouth /lips so you don't have to suffer discomfort while you stretch your mouth wide open. Remember, the skin on the outer corners of your mouth can turn dry and could crack when stretched too much or hurt later on. That's why the application of the greasy gel is important.  If any of the procedures on your teeth are deemed as painful, ask for options like injection for numbing the pain or local anesthesia. 

It was the first time in my life, I went for tooth filling recently and I 'thought' I was fine during the procedure which took 45 minutes. When I came home I realized, the skin around my mouth was hurting as I had to stretch wide open for a long time, because the gel to avoid such a discomfort was not applied to my lips or around my mouth. I didnt even know about it.  Two days has passed and my skin around my mouth is dry and it hurts.  To continue the story, after the permanent tooth filling procedure, the dentist would ask you to bite and grit on something several times,  to ensure the filling is not sticking out and rubbing against the tooth below or above and is ensured to stay in a manner that's comfortable for you. So bite well and hard so the filling material does not stick out even slightly causing any inconvenience, otherwise it will be very uncomfortable while chewing food later on.

Tooth decay, or dental caries is caused by bacterial destruction of tooth enamel when the mouth is not properly cleansed after eating. Residues of food particles build up on the tongue, gums as well as between the teeth, providing a medium for bacteria to grow. Bacteria loves the sugar that directly from the food you eat or when the saliva breakst down the carbohydrates into sugars.  The bacteria acts upon the sugars, producing acids that attack the dental enamel. Through time, these acids break down the dental enamel that results in tooth decay.

Bacteria acting upon food residues turn into plaque, which later hardens and become difficult to remove. Dentists usually do scaling to remove this. Plaque when untreated, causes gum disease and even loss of teeth. The toxins from plaque and tooth decay travel into your stomach and cause health problems that affect vital organs and the brain eventually. Gum disease and tooth decay are leading causes of bad breath and no amount of brushing can cure that unless you get these issues treated. 

Most of us brush our teeth in the morning and at night and that's not enough. It's important to rinse your mouth after each time you've eaten something. Brush three times a day after your breakfast, lunch and dinner, and floss at night. Clean your tongue with your toothbrush after brushing. And its good to use a mouth wash as well.