STOP Neglecting Your Oral Health

In today’s world everyone is busy in their lives earning money and being least interested in taking care of their health.

Talking of health, the common feeling that comes to mind is taking care of one’s major organs, but anyone thinking of their oral hygiene is a rarity.

It would be hard to believe that a cavity caused by oral bacteria or disease such as Pyorea (periodontitis or infection of gums) can lead to infective endocarditis causing heart attack, although it is a rare occurrence.

Complications such as tooth cavity, bleeding gums, pain in the gums, bad breath, loosening of teeth with age, etc. can be avoided by following some simple procedures.

• Proper brushing of teeth
• Use of mouth washes under the guidance of your dentist
• Getting your teeth cleaned regularly
• Getting you tooth cavities filled if there are any

• Proper brushing or cleaning of teeth should be done at least 2 times a day, at night and in the morning as the bacteria in our oral cavity are most active while we are asleep and there is less saliva and movement which helps bacteria to form a layer of tarter .
• Brushing require a proper technique too be followed which can change or modified with age.
• For infants without teeth, mothers should take proper care of the gums of the baby.
• When milk teeth erupt, a soft bristle brush can be used to clean. It should be done very gently to avoid hurting the gums of the baby.
• For grown up adults, additional care should be given to the technique of brushing. Flossing can be done to clean the area in between the teeth; special inter-dental brushes are available for the same.
• For old people or those with weak gums more care should be given to the gums as they hold the tooth along with the bone. Healthy gums will also keep the underlying bone in a good state therefore a massage should be given to the gums along with brushing.

Oral health is as important as any other part of our body, most of us when asked are you healthy 80% will say yes, but on what basis ?

1.  I have no high blood sugar,

2.  I don’t suffer from hypertension,

But no one will share their oral health, no one will mention bad breath, dental cavities, missing teeth, mal aligned teeth, etc .

Because we think they are not life threatening problems, but one must realise that our oral health is directly related to our medical health and at times even influences some medical conditions. For example people suffering from gum diseases also often suffer from high blood sugar levels, if their gum health is brought under good condition then their sugar levels can also improve . These days we very commonly see patients suffering from sensitive teeth and jaw pain especially young IT professionals , this is commonly due to their work load or tense situation at work which leads to clenching of teeth (grinding of teeth) while they sleep at night. There are treatment options which can help them to keep their jaw muscles relaxed.

In female patients during the pregnancy the hormonal levels are a lot which leads to poor gum health too. Basic dental pain and gradual neglect of it can lead to loss of tooth also which can lead to improper chewing of food which further causes indigestion, loss of facial muscle and early ageing.

So basically everyone should understand that one’s oral health is directly linked to their medical health and one should not neglect it .

(Article by Dr. Ankit Khanna, Dr.Khanna’s Complete Gum And Dental Care. PHONE – 7276009523 , 9860641998)