For most people, the thought of visiting the dentist causes a lot of discomfort and nervous trembling, therefore, in order to reduce visits to the dentist to a minimum, it is necessary to take a number of preventive measures to prevent caries. Today we will tell you how to protect your teeth from this disease.
About why teeth hurt , and what stages of caries are, read the corresponding article on our website.
Preventive work helps to protect the patient from the development of the disease in 95 cases out of 100. Many will wonder why not 100%? It turns out that despite recent advances in the field of dentistry, even the most highly qualified specialists are unable to influence the genetic predisposition to caries. In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of caries among the population, which can be explained by the following reasons:
- a radical change in the culture and diet, in which the leading place began to be occupied by foods and drinks with a high sugar content;
- there was a complete rejection of fluoridation of water used for drinking.
All methods for the prevention of caries can be divided into two groups:
- Household - include methods of prevention that have passed the control of time and are transmitted from the older generation to the younger.
- Professional - involve various hygiene procedures and timely visits to the dental office for the treatment of caries.
Among the variety of preventive procedures aimed at the preservation of teeth, the following can be distinguished:
Maintaining good oral hygiene
This procedure includes:
- brushing your teeth immediately after eating, because it is in the first minutes that food residues and microorganisms have a detrimental effect on tooth enamel. Not the last place in this procedure is the correct choice of a toothbrush, which should not have a damaging effect on the enamel of the teeth, as well as be round in shape and small in size. Many people believe that using electric toothbrushes helps to better clean the teeth of food debris and plaque. Yes, indeed, such brushes are much more effective than conventional ones, but their main disadvantage is that they have a damaging effect on tooth enamel. When choosing a toothpaste, it is necessary to pay attention to the presence of fluoride in its composition, which helps to strengthen tooth enamel. The content of chlorhexidine, triclosan and other disinfectants has a detrimental effect on the bacteria that live in the oral cavity.
- flossing, which involves removing food debris from the teeth immediately before brushing the toothbrush. You can learn about the features of the choice of such threads, as well as the technique of its use, from your dentist. Its main task is to remove food debris from hard-to-reach places between the teeth, because it is in these places that caries begins to develop.
When visiting public places with relatives or friends, do not neglect the hygiene measures for cleaning your teeth. In this case, you can use any convenient method: flossing, chewing gum, or regular brushing with a brush and paste.
Complete cleaning of the entire oral cavity
Bacteria that have a destructive effect on tooth enamel feel comfortable not only on the teeth and gums, but also on the palate, cheeks and tonsils. The greatest danger is the surface of the tongue, where the greatest number of bacteria is concentrated.
It is recommended to clean not only the teeth, but the entire oral cavity. A toothbrush is not a very good choice for this purpose; it is best to give preference to special brushes or an ordinary teaspoon. A good cleansing effect is obtained by rinsing with various elixirs, which not only destroy bacteria, but also help to freshen the breath. The latest invention in the field of dentistry is the irrigator, which has an irrigating effect on the oral cavity with the help of precisely directed jets of high-power water.
Eating the Right Foods
A significant role in the preservation of healthy teeth is played by products that have to be consumed daily. Recently, the number of foods high in sugar, which has a detrimental effect on teeth, has increased. In order to become a rare guest in the dentist's office, you need to take care of the organization of proper nutrition . It involves not only a complete rejection of the use of chocolate and cakes, but also from carbonated drinks and concentrated juices.
Care should be taken not to have too acidic foods on your table, as they have a destructive effect on the acidity of saliva. A place of honor in the daily diet should belong to solid foods, and especially raw carrots, the use of which can clean the teeth of food debris better than a toothbrush.
Regulate teeth pressure
The main purpose of the teeth is to chew food, but some manage to use them for other purposes. You can often see people opening beer bottles or cracking nuts with their teeth. It is safe to say that in a few years the fate of the Nutcracker awaits such people, and one will only have to dream of having front teeth.
Any mechanical impact has a destructive effect on the teeth, and it does not have to be of high strength. For some, simply biting thin threads and simply clenching your teeth turns out to be fatal, and the favorite habit of grinding your teeth leads to abrasion and destruction of the enamel.
Dentist visit
Despite the outwardly healthy appearance of the teeth, it will not be superfluous to visit the dentist for a preventive examination of the oral cavity. Of course, for many, one memory of a dentist causes unpleasant sensations from childhood with the noise of a drill standing in their ears. However, those days are long gone and today dental services are provided at a high level: comfortable chairs, modern technology and pain relief at the request of the patient.
It is recommended to visit the dentist once every six months, since it is during this time that problems with the teeth begin to appear.
One of the most common caries prevention procedures is professional dental treatment, which is performed by a dentist using high concentration preparations. The most common form of release of such drugs is the varnish used to cover the teeth.
This procedure is the application of a transparent varnish with a brush, the constituent component of which is fluoride, on a cleaned, dried surface. Within a few hours, fluoride penetrates into the tooth enamel and the resulting film dissolves. The combination of fluorine with calcium helps to strengthen the enamel, and also increases resistance to acids.
Of all the above methods for the prevention of dental diseases, the simplest and most affordable is to maintain hygiene of the teeth and oral cavity. The implementation of these simple recommendations will help you forget about dental troubles, and you will have to visit the doctor's office only for preventive examinations. In the case of an unpleasant diagnosis of caries, you should pay attention to the state of the whole organism as a whole, and not just the teeth, which may indicate the onset of a serious disease.
