Hi, dentistry student here! I’m not studying in the US, so please do note that the information I will present and my general knowledge of the healthcare system is informed by this fact. While we do have public healthcare where I’m from, it does not give dental coverage to most patients, since dentistry is primarily seen as a “cosmetic” field, when that’s absolutely not always the case. Actually, it’s more often not!
Your oral health is SO important, especially as an indication of your overall health! Oral health assessments can often give dentists the first indications of factors or diseases that:
cause caries (infectious dental decay that CAUSE cavities to form in teeth), which can progress to gingivitis, then periodontitis, ultimately causing agonizing pain and for teeth to fall out;
first present in the mouth and may have the ability to spread to the rest of the body - i.e. an improperly healed hole where a tooth has fallen out becoming a gateway for oral microbes getting into the blood stream, causing diseases such as septicemia and endocarditis to potentially develop.
diseases that originate in other parts of the body but may be first indicated in the mouth - i.e. conditions such as diabetes can cause xerostomia, or dry mouth, so further medical assessments can be done to see what is causing the dry mouth in the first place.
Therefore, good oral hygiene is seen as a preventative method to reduce the risk of developing oral diseases and conditions that can progress to more serious, extraoral conditions.
So here, I’m going to provide some resources for people who may not be familiar with the many ways you can keep your teeth clean and healthy, or who just want to avoid an otherwise avoidable dental appointment, since I feel like this knowledge in of itself is a luxury. These are just some simple tips and techniques that I’ve incorporated into my own oral health routine, based on the knowledge I currently have as a student. While it is recommended to try and combine all of these, it’s often not easy/practical, so being mindful of at least SOME of them will help reduce potential risk factors for dental caries.
1. Get the right brush and toothpaste for you!
Soft-bristled brushes are often recommended! Fancy motor brushes are also recommended, but honestly you could go with whatever you think is practical for you. Brushing too hard or too often can actually CAUSE more damage to your teeth, so try looking for brushes that are soft. These should be available in your local chemists for cheap.
For toothpaste, fluoridated toothpaste is highly suggested. There are adult variants with around 1,000 - 1,500 ppm of fluoride in them, which is the recommended intake for people aged 6 or older.
If you’re unfamiliar with what fluoride actually does, it basically helps rebuild lost tooth structure! Everything in your body is made of chemicals, and your teeth are no exception. When exposed to things like acid from bacteria or drinks, or to excessive brushing, you can lose a bit of the structure of your teeth. However, fluoride can actually bind to other molecules to form a unit (known as fluorapatite) that mimics the basic chemical compound that makes up your teeth (hydroxyapatite), and it’s actually a lot less soluble and more acid-resistant! So essentially, fluoride helps in keeping your teeth strong as well.
2. Brush up on your brushing technique
Brushing technique??? Yeah, I absolutely did not know about this before I started studying dentistry HJSKDHKJHGKJ. There are actually whole WAYS to brushing your teeth that can make a difference in how effectively you’re removing the plaque and left-over food from your teeth.
I like to use this technique. It’s usually recommended for children or people with poor dexterity since it’s easy, but it IS easy, so if it helps, go at it!
Tip: Brushing is recommended twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening, 2 minutes each. It can be pretty impractical, but getting at least ONE good, 2-minute brushing session in your day is very important.
Proximal cavities - or essentially cavities on the surfaces where two teeth are touching each other - are a bitch. You don’t want them if you can help it, and brushing ain’t gonna cut it. We’re getting the big guns out for this one.
Flossing is hard, I know. I feel like I don’t even know what I’m doing myself, but here are some helpful, visual guides to flossing that you can use!
But if you’re really struggling with flossing, there are other things you can use! There are mobility aids for flossing that are basically pieces of plastic with strings of floss on them, and they’re super helpful for people who struggle with flossing for any kind of reason. (They’re also called dental floss holders, I think? They’re these fellas right here)
People who are lacking in dexterity or fine motor movement can also use interdental brushes, which can come in various sizes. If you’ve got them where you’re from, they might be helpful too!
4. “They’re putting chemicals in the water and it’s turning the fREAKING FROGS GAY!” The chemical is fluoride. Fluoride is turning the frogs gay.
I already explained why fluoride is so helpful for keeping teeth healthy, but by GOD is fluoride important! Water fluoridation is like, literally a reason why our teeth have been getting increasingly healthier in the last century. Forgot to brush your teeth this morning? Well, no worries, at least you’ve got a whole other supply of fluoride getting into your mouth!
I do, however, acknowledge that not everyone has access to fluoridated water. And that not everyone can safely drink tap water. However, if you do have access to safe drinking water that is fluoridated, it can be a helpful way of keeping your teeth healthy without putting much thought into it!
You should not pass up on drinking water at all, though! Water is so important to balancing the environment of the oral cavity, especially for your saliva!
Saliva is, again, SO IMPORTANT! Saliva contains antimicrobial proteins and acts as a buffering system, neutralizing the acids in your mouth, and it mechanically cleans your teeth, and it just does a lot of stuff??? Drinking water will help reduce the risk of dry mouth, and maintain the equilibrium of your saliva. So, stay hydrated!!!
5. Snacks are food, not friends!
Okay so like, I have a snacking problem HSKDJHDJKGH MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE I’M A UNI STUDENT, OR BECAUSE IT’S COMFORTING? WHO KNOWS, but snacking Sucks when it comes to keeping your teeth healthy.
There’s a very important mechanism in the oral cavity known as “The Remineralization/Demineralization Cycle” and it explains the process for how tooth structure erodes. Basically, demineralization is when there are more factors in the mouth that is causing your teeth to lose ions, such as bacteria converting left-over carbohydrates from your food into acid, or when you drink an acidic drink. Remineralization is when there are more factors in the mouth promoting tooth regeneration, like excess ions reforming hydroxyapatite and rebuilding tooth structure, or fluoride being present in the saliva, forming fluorapatite. This is a normal process - your teeth are constantly regenerating and losing structure, but it’s when the balance is tipped that it can become a factor for tooth decay.
Snacking means that you’re introducing sugars into the mouth much more frequently, so your oral bacteria actually produce acids more frequently too, meaning the scale is tipped to the demineralization side. This is the basic mechanism for how cavities are made, but this CAN be reversed!
This definitely sounds like diet advice and technically, dentists aren’t really allowed to give diet advice, but it’s at least important to understand how food plays into this mechanism.
There are obvious things that do make it hard for people to reduce snacking, or to eat healthily, and I completely understand that. Snacks are often cheaper to buy, and eating disorders can make things ESPECIALLY difficult.
So if you can do it, good for you! If not, the tips above will still help! It’s all about trying to minimize the factors that can damage your teeth.
SO, IN CONCLUSION………………..
I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THIS STUFF BEFORE I WAS A STUDENT??? And I have been to MANY dental appointments, and a lot of people don’t even GET that opportunity. So, as my obligatory “screw capitalism” deed of the day, please enjoy these small but effective tips!!! I’ve tried to include sources, but to anyone who may be more experienced with oral health, please feel free to add to and/or amend this!
