My tooth hurts. Err there, probably nothing urgent. That’s why I put off as much as I can, after all, sitting in an armchair is not pleasant. After all, it bothers me so much that I come to the office urgently, and the dentist tells me that it is too late. The tooth must be treated with a root canal. How is this possible? After all, there was no hole in it! How is that? Teeth can break from the inside?
How do you know this? Nothing unusual. All available reports say that the condition of Poles’ teeth is very bad. Unfortunately, we also include children in this negative statistic. Compared to Europe, we are among the countries whose society is characterized by a high percentage of tooth loss due to carious destruction of their crowns and roots. Consequently, edentulousness occurs with high frequency at an early age.
In our consciousness, putting prevention first was never a habit. And caries disease, like any other, is best treated in the early stages. Ba! It can even regress if detected early enough. Surprised?
Where does tooth decay come from and how to prevent it?
Few people know that tooth decay is an infectious disease. It is caused by bacteria that a newborn baby does not have at all. Therefore, it is extremely important to introduce the rules of preventing this disease as early as possible. How can this be done?
- Be careful with sugar
For example, by the principle of using the child’s own cutlery, not licking the common lollipop … And this is also due to the presence of refined sugar in it. We should remember that bacterial strains responsible for the development and progression of caries eagerly feed on sugar obtained and added artificially to many products. Refined sugar is especially cariogenic, and not the one contained naturally in, for example, fruit. If there are food residues on the teeth, which together with bacteria form part of the so-called plaque – the caries development mechanism is triggered very quickly. - Don’t forget to floss
Statistics, including my own, show that patients rarely find time to floss the interdental spaces. Often they are not even aware of the correct technique for this procedure.
And yet it is in the interdental spaces that deceptive cariogenic bacteria most often arrange a cozy apartment with free food!
They can unnoticed deal with our enamel and dentin, leading to the breakdown of these tissues and the rapid progression of the disease. And an electric toothbrush, or any other, will not endanger them in any way.
- Learn how to properly brush your teeth
Therefore, it is important that everyone is aware of how to effectively remove bacterial plaque with a thread and a brush. And maybe I will surprise you – you do not need “heavy equipment” for heavy money. The key is the proper technique of using a manual toothbrush and the right amount of time spent on brushing.
Therefore, feel free to ask our dentist how to clean your teeth in the most effective way. It turns out that adult Poles know the methods of brushing, which should be used mainly by children, because they do not require higher manual dexterity – many of my patients, after the hygiene instruction, regret that “no one has explained to them how to brush well … “
But it’s no shame – believe me, it’s better to get this skill even late, because what we can gain cannot be overestimated. Some sources also say that we are more protected by cleaning our teeth thoroughly once a day (preferably after consuming the last meal) than even repeated, but ineffective “waving” the brush …
- Take a picture of your teeth
An extremely important element in the prevention of caries is also correct diagnosis. It is worth enriching the visual examination at the dentist with radiological diagnostics. Periodic taking of pictures with an extremely low dose of radiation that is insignificant for our health (in the appropriate projection) selected by the doctor, allows to detect carious lesions even in the initial stage, invisible from the outside and helps to avoid the effect of teeth “deteriorating from the inside” or “from below” .
