Brushing our teeth has become so habitual that we forget its importance. As the number of cavities explodes, here are original tips from dentists to improve your oral health.
The generation without cavities, This is the objective that Health Insurance has set itself. From January 1, 2025, this administration will take charge of a dental check-up per year for 3-25 year olds. “In France, more than half of dental surgeons carry out tooth replacement procedures, while this activity only concerns 25% in Germany,” explains Marguerite Cazeneuve, deputy director of Health Insurance. This is good news for the younger generation. But for those over 25 who do not have access to it? Here are some tips of dentists, published in the British media the Guardian to improve your oral health, and finally say goodbye to cavities.
“Sugar itself does not cause cavities, but it excites the bacteria in the mouth: they consume the sugar and release a lot of acid”
Ces dental infections have not always been part of our daily lives. They are appeared with the excessive introduction of refined sugar in our food. “It is striking that prehistoric skulls show virtually no signs of decay, even though there were no dentists or fillings back then. Sugar itself does not cause cavities, but it excites the bacteria in the mouth : they consume sugar and release a lot of acid,” explains Dr Tristan Roberts, a private dentist in London.
Brushing twice a day for two minutes
The French Union for Oral Health recommends brushing twice a day for two minutes. A rather integrated notion. However, according to several dentists, some bad habits persist and allow cavities to proliferate. Here is a slideshow of eight tips to fix it.
“The saliva we have in our mouths is very helpful,” says Dr. Tristan Roberts. “It contains elements such as calcium and phosphate, which teeth are made of, which allows them to recover. It takes about half an hour after eating for saliva to remineralize the teeth, so don’t worry. Do not brush your teeth before this time, otherwise you risk damaging the surface of your teeth.
It’s not necessary to brush your teeth every time you eat, says this dental health professional. Twice a day is enough according to him. “The ideal is to brush your teeth first thing in the morning to benefit from the effect of the fluoride in the toothpaste, which protects the teeth during the day, and especially in the evening, because when we sleep, our mouth is much drier. We “We don’t have the same amount of saliva as we produce during the day. Bacteria love these conditions and are much more likely to cause problems.”
“Spit out the toothpaste, but don’t rinse it with anything afterwards to ensure you get all the benefits,” Dr Murgatroyd told the British media. Several dental professionals, including the French oral health association, explain that excess toothpaste must be spit out without rinsing your mouth, to allow the remaining fluoride to maintain a protective effect on the teeth. They nevertheless recommend using a toothpaste with ingredients of natural origin and avoiding those containing titanium dioxide, SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), sweeteners, or even DEA (Diethanolamine).
“Stress has a direct impact on the health of your gums by affecting your immune response,” explains Ms. Sharma to British media The Guardian. “You may have already become aware of the impact of stress on your immune health if you have noticed that during times of stress you are more likely to feel unwell. As periodontitis is an interaction between bacteria present in the mouth and the immune response to these bacteria, factors influencing the immune response, such as stress, increase susceptibility to periodontitis.”
See the rest of the slideshow
“It is advisable not to use mouthwash directly after brushing your teeth,” says Ms Roberts, “as the concentration of fluoride is much lower than that of toothpaste. It should therefore be used before brushing your teeth. brush your teeth or at any other time of the day, half an hour after brushing.”
“While not essential for dental health, brushing your tongue daily helps prevent bad breath and reduces the number of potentially harmful microbes in the mouth,” says Roberts. Tongue scrapers are very useful tools. However, some dentists advise avoiding using the toothbrush itself to avoid micro-injuries which could be an entry point for bacteria.
“We don’t recommend wetting the toothbrush at all,” Dr Ajit Tanday, an associate professor and consultant in Birmingham (Tanday and Sharma are married), who specializes in pediatric dentistry, told the British media. “Adding water to your toothbrush dilutes the toothpaste and promotes foaming, causing more toothpaste to be thrown out instead of letting it work on your teeth. This goes for everyone , not just for children.”
Dental floss helps remove plaque from between teeth. “If flossing makes the gums bleed, it’s not from over-brushing, as some people think. They’re bleeding because they’re inflamed. This just shows that you need to clean them more frequently. The bleeding will stop in about a week if you clean between teeth and brush along the gumline regularly,” says Dr. Roberts.
“In this day and age, everyone should have an electric toothbrush. It doesn’t have to be high-end, but it should be rechargeable, as it’s more efficient, and ideally equipped with a power sensor. pressure to ensure that brushing is done gently around each tooth Next, it’s about brushing the teeth well. You need to brush the front, middle, back and sides of all teeth,. especially above the line gingiva, so you’re not just quickly brushing the tops of your teeth,” says Dr. Roberts.
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