BRUSHING FREQUENCY AND ORAL HEALTH

The diversity of advise across the countries was thought to be because of lack of good evidence, but regarding the frequency of brushing there seems to be consensus with majority of sources recommending brushing TWICE a day. 

More brushing makes teeth healthier ???

Excessive brushing causes tooth wear due to the abrasive action of toothpaste, there by inviting dental issues. Between twice a day brushing rinse is the safe alternative, adding sugar free chewing gum also enhances the saliva secretion after meals thus helps in attaining the pH of oral cavity towards neutrality in less span of time.

In bleeding gums brushing and flossing should be avoided??

Simple answer to that is OPPOSITE is true. Rather bleeding is an indicative and protective sign thus appraising that disease has moved to advanced stage where professional help is required. Professional treatment rendered is Scaling (deep cleaning in gums), followed by Polishing (makes tooth surface smooth shiny, by removing stains and scratch line, thus reduces the area for bacterial attachment) and fluoride treatment (makes tooth more resistant to decay and kills the remaining microbes) as and where required.

Care for sensitive teeth 

Sensitive teeth are usually the result of worn out enamel or exposed tooth roots, although tooth decay may also be the reason for the same. Depending on the circumstances your dentist might recommend- Desensitizing toothpaste, fluoride application or fluoridated toothpaste or if there is any other underlying cause, timely diagnosis will help in preventing worsening of  the condition. 

Common myth “Scaling/cleaning of teeth causes negative impact on teeth”…..????

Fact- Your mouth is a jungle-home to myriads of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. It has been established that the environment present in the human mouth allows the growth of characteristic mouth microorganisms. It provides water and nutrients, as well as a moderate temperature which are conducive for microbial growth. Resident microbes of the mouth adhere to the teeth and gums to resist mechanical flushing from the mouth to stomach. Scaling helps in maintaining oral hygiene, by removal of tartar and deposits on the base of teeth, there by health of gums is also restored, scaling also enhances tooth color by removal of extrinsic stains.

Above graph depicts changes in the quantity of microbes in oral cavity within 24 hours followed by brushing, Hence, its clearly evident that scaling/professional cleaning has for more reaching affect on reduction of microbes and attaining the health of not only oral tissues but the general body too.

The problems that are answered by scaling are:

Bleeding gums

Bad breath

Ugly looking deposits on teeth

Thick inflamed gums

Increase in firmness of gums on teeth

Prevention of bone resorption, thereby better support hence prolonging life of healthy teeth
Reduction of oral bacteria thus less germs to the stomach so healthy body too
With the reduction of microbes, the rate of progression dental caries/cavity is also delayed a lot