Healthy Smiles inside and out
What is a healthy smile?
Natural whiteness without noticeable discoloration and other discrepancies in the form and positioning of the teeth. This is the norm for healthy teeth. The lack of stains frequently denotes proper oral hygiene, though natural shades can vary. The modern trend is that most people prefer and even yearn for white teeth. In short, a healthy smile can be said to be achieved when the teeth are present in the mouth, without obvious discolouration, with appropriate height to width ratio and without discrepancies in positioning.
How do you achieve a healthy smile
A confident smile is a desirable feature of a good life. Those without the right kind of dentition (described above) ay find it difficult to smile boldly especially in public. Lack of a healthy smile is a major problem in modern society.and can lead to depression and other Psychosocial problems
A healthy smile begins with your attitude towards your health in general and oral health in particular. you cannot be non-challant about your health and expect your smile to remain shining - you have to do something. the following points will help you achieve or maintain a healthy smile.
- Visit your dentist regularly for routine dental checkup. 6 monthly dental visit is advised for majority of the population. Those that are able to maintain adequate oral hygiene like brushing 2 times daily and flossing everyday may extend their vist to 12 to 24 months.
- Visit the dentist early when you notice any problem and get it resolved quickly. early diagnosis and treatment of dental conditions is often cheaper and leads to better outcomes
- Do not postpone recommended treatments or clinical interventions indefinitely. Untreated, relatively innocuous conditions often degenerate to something big and gamaging
- Make sure you take into consideration the pros and cons of any treatment procedure your are thinking of doing, whether recommended by the dentist or friends and family. Don't fall into the trap of something trendy and start regretting later. Often you cannot undo what has been done.
Healthy smile is good for your overall health.
It is well documented that your outward look has a direct correlation with your self esteem. A good smile has a big role to play in your outward appearance. Therefore it follows that you must take your dental health very seriously. Many Psychological disorders stem from feeling of low self worth and feeling that one is not looking good enough. You can avoid many of these problems a move on with a healthy, confident life if you have taken care of your oral health and restored your smile.
1. Floss daily
Flossing is the practice of removing plaque, pellicle, food debris, or any other material from the interdental space (the space between two teeth) using a strand of material called dental floss. Dental floss can come as a spool or the strands can be attached to an F - shaped or Y-shaped piece of plastic holder, with the strand attached to both arms of the F or Y. Other configurations are possible but these are the popular types. The benefits of dental flossing are numerous and the practice of dental flossing should be daily rather than occasional. It is flossing that helps remove debris from the spaces that cannot be reached by the bristles of your traditional toothbrush.
The benefits include:
- Healthy gums
- Freshness of breadth
- Prevention of tooth decay (dental caries)
- Prevents pain
- prevents early tooth loss
- Saves money
Make it a habit to floss at least once daily and brush 2 times daily. Please remember it is only the 'rope' you should insert between your teeth, not the pointed part of the holder.
2. Eat healthy
Healthy eating is important for your health. The practice of healthy eating is strongly related to oral health. The mouth is the gateway to the alimentary canal and digestion begins in the mouth. It is very important that you learn the proper habit of crushing your food before swallowing for proper digestion and absorption. The nutritional value of food cannot be fully maximized if the food is not crushed properly so as to increase the surface area for interaction with the digestive enzymes, some of which are present in saliva.
The teeth are needed for mastication which is essential for the process described above. Caring for your teeth so they remain in perfect health is a matter of dare importance for everyone. Do not tell the dentist to remove your tooth just because it hurts. let him exhaust all the option to save the tooth before reaching the conclusion of extraction.
3. Regular checkups
It has been emphasized that routine dental check up visit is important for maintaining oral health. Many, unfortunately do not adhere to this advice. They visit the dentist only when they are in excruciating pain and have tried all manners of remedies and pain killers and still, the pain remains persistent. Some come to the clinic and inform their dentist the reason they did not come sooner is because they were afraid they might lose their tooth since all their lives the 've heard you only visit the dentist to remove teeth. At this point the only possible option they have is root canal treatment or tooth extraction - which they dreaded from the beginning and prevented them from coming earlier. What an irony! Neither of these options is pleasant for them.
WHO advises that dental visits should be done every 12 to 24 months - for people that can maintain good oral hygiene (brush 2 times daily, floss at least once daily etc). This exclude those that cannot maintain adequate oral hygiene, high caries risk patients, and those that are at risk of periodontal disease. This is why it is generally advised that everyone should visit the dentist every six months. The interval is even shorter for chain smokers, those with severe form of periodontal disease, and those with certain systemic medical conditions that negatively impact oral health or the ability to maintain oral hygiene..
At Total Dental Care Clinic, we have a robust appointment management and scheduling platform that helps keep track of your dental appointments so you can focus on your life and not worry about when you should visit. We send you reminders through emails, sms and whatsApp. Visit your dentist today!
Amanda
Dr. Ken, thank you for sharing your professional opinion on fluoride toothpaste. This post helped me a lot.
Daniel
The article was insightful. Thank you
Dr. Ken
That’s great Amanda. Just remember that flossing is even more important!
Samantha
Very good article. From now on I’ll be using a soft toothbrush.