Our oral cavity has bacterias and plaque is a thin sticky layer of bacteria that covers our teeth. If it is not removed efficiently twice a day, it calcifies and becomes tartar or calculus, which cannot be removed with brushing and flossing. It must be removed professionally. Build-up of tartar can cause gum diseases. Unfortunately gum diseases are painless and patients doesn’t notice that unless it’s too late.

Professional cleanings can help reduce the risk of gum disease by removing the calculus built up. Routine cleanings also help in preventing dental cavities from developing and can be detected at early stages. This reduces the risk of severe conditions and expensive treatments later on.

Whatever we put into our mouth, can have an enormous effect on our oral health.

Good food keeps our mouth healthier by increasing saliva flow, killing bad bacteria. E.g. vegetables and fruits have lots of fibers.
Milk, cheese and unsweetened dairy products.
Tea: green & black.

Bad foods include carbonated drinks which cause wearing away of the protective enamel layer of your teeth. If they are sweetened, the sugar adds up in plaque growth.

Citrus fruits have high acid content so too much of these fruits can damage tooth enamel. Just be careful not to have them in large quantities and rinse your mouth with water after eating them.

Coffee and alcohol – They dry up the saliva and cause bacteria to multiply. They also have sugar that can cause more plaque build up.

Sticky and stretchy foods – chocolates, pizzas, burgers and chips can be very comforting foods, but they damage our teeth by getting stuck up in between the teeth or hard to reach areas, where they can very easily promote decay. If you eat them be sure to brush and floss after eating.

Fluoride has been called “natures cavity fighters”. Fluoride helps in remineralizing the teeth. Researchers from the last 100 years have shown that children who grew up drinking optimum fluoridated water have less cases of dental decay. Since then, fluoride is added to community drinking water and people are given adequate fluoride treatment to control the dental decay.

It is recommended to have fluoride treatments after professional cleaning. It benefits kids as well as adults. It remineralizes the teeth, prevents tooth decay. In adult patients with multiple dental fillings or crowns, exposed root surfaces, which are at higher risk of decay, receiving fluoride treatment at regular 3-6 months interval plays a major part in preventive care.

Fluoride varnish is sticky in consistency and is applied to the teeth’s surface. Patients are recommended to avoid rinsing, eating or drinking for the next 30-60 minutes for proper absorption of fluoride.

Brushing your teeth is not a complicated thing, but sometimes wrong methods of brushing over years can cause damage to teeth as well. A good toothbrush should be soft and small enough to reach all parts of your mouth. Average life span of a toothbrush is 3-6 months. Average brushing time should be about 2 minutes and you should brush all the surfaces of the teeth- front, back, chewing & biting surfaces. Always remember to brush your tongue as well since it harbours bacteria that can cause bad breath. Brushing should be done at least twice a day and flossing should be an integral part of it. Never brush too hard or in horizontal scrubbing motion, it should always be gentle and in up & down strokes.

Sometimes wisdom teeth need to be removed. The most common signs can be pain in the mouth. There can be a swelling near the molars. Most common indicator of removal of wisdom tooth is the growth of pericoronitis, that is the infection and tenderness in the gum tissue next to the erupting tooth. There can be additional signs of bad taste, earaches, sinus infections which necessitates removal of wisdom teeth.