Hey There, I’m Tommi the Toothbrush! I’m here to let you in on a little secret, the tooth fairy is very greedy and she wants to take all of your teeth so you can’t eat. Who wants me to teach them how to take care of their teeth so you can keep the tooth fairy’s greed hands off them? Alright here we go.
Plaque
So there is a soft sticky substance that doesn’t have color and forms in your mouth all the time. That stuff is called plaque! It’s not just on your teeth, it sticks to your tongue too! So plaque starts out when the saliva sticks to the teeth called acquired pellicle and two types of tiny bugs called bacteria, Lactobacillus and Streptococus stick to it. We’ll call them LB and SC, and they like to live in big groups called colonies inside the plaque which has the food that you eat, which they like eating too! Mixed with your saliva, the food you eat breaks down into sugars, and they eat it and produce waste that sits inside the plaque. Eww, right? But its easy to clean the plaque off if you brush and floss properly! But if you don’t it will harden, and become Calculus also called tartar, and that stuff is yellow, sometimes brown or black. It looks really gross. So make sure to brush your teeth and floss so it won’t get hard and nasty.
Plaque’s Role in Decay
When you eat, plaque forms as the bacteria, saliva and food debris all mix together stick to your teeth. The bacteria start eating the sugar that breaks down from the food, and they produce acid, starting an Acid Attack! During the acid attack, the pH in the mouth drops which makes the tooth’s protective cover, Enamel, weaker and some of it’s minerals dissolve or melt from the acid. This is called demineralization, because it’s losing minerals such as calcium and phospha...
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... a cosmetic agent, to freshen breath, but there are some mouth rinses that now provide therapeutic and even preventative benefits: such as introduction of fluoride and minerals to strengthen and remineralize teeth. Mouth rinses can cover hard to reach spots of the teeth and provide a vehicle for particles to be taken out. A third oral hygiene tool is the Floss Threader, a dental device that has a loop at one end and a stiffer and pointed end to be able to thread floss underneath orthodontic or restorative devices that do not allow for floss to freely pass between the contacts of teeth.
Nutrition
In addition to proper cleaning techniques, proper eat habits can contribute to a healthier dentition. As stated in the plaque formation section, plaque is forming all the time, and is bolstered in the presence of food debris. With more food debris for the bacteria to feed on
Jones, D. J., Munro, C. L., & Grap, M. J. (2011). Natural history of dental plaque accumulation
For those that have bad habits with cigarettes, Tobacco Cessation Counseling is available. Cigarettes cause tooth loss, rotting, and surface stains; hygienist make sure to pass this information to the patient and help them to understand that quitting is the best option if they want to keep their teeth. As said before, a hygienist informs the patient on what foods to avoid. Nutritional Counseling is provided if a hygienist believes there is danger with a patients teeth such as diseases. (Dental Hygiene Clinic) Any foods with high acidity is something a dental hygienist would recommend avoiding. For example, apples, hard candies, popcorn, diet sodas, and salad dressing. Enamel is the hardest structure in the human body. It’s even harder than bones. When the enamel is exposed to acid, it wears down and erodes. This is how tooth erosion and decay happens. They will educate the patient with what foods to replace the bad ones with. Although, a dentist is who performs the restorations, a hygienist can still inform what will happen. Because of the fact that hygienists usually see patients before the dentist, they will give feedback to the dentist and recommend restorations in the mouth. They specialize in providing clinical and educational services (Sealy Dental Center) so they are very useful to dentists. When a patient has missing, chipped, or sharpened teeth, a restoration is done to replace the originals. Some examples
We all grew up hoping that we were the princesses who met the dreamy prince and lived ‘happily ever after’ like in a fairytale.People debate over whether or not Disney fairytales are beneficial for children. Like Melissa Taylor the author of the piece ‘10 reasons why kids need to read non disney fairy tales’, I am against disneyfied fairy tales. In this essay I will argue on why kids should not only watch disney fairytales but also the real versions.
Children are often sweet and adorable, but many times they may be eating too many sweets. According to the Channel Four News, it has been shown that the number one disease in children is the reoccurrence of caries, also known as cavities. Could it be too many sweets or could it be the lack of flossing and brushing teeth? For instance, many children go to bed or wake up without brushing their teeth and go throughout the day eating all sorts of food and candy. The result of eating and not brushing could lead to plaque build up and decaying of teeth. This leaves a child extremely unhappy and in excruciating pain. So who is going to fix this pain? Who is going to help prevent decay in millions of people’s mouths? Today, the world is lucky to have a well-studied field of dentistry.. Dentistry has much history, various specialties, advancements, and an irresistible salary.
Imagine having to spend half your fortune on correcting your teeth.”Tooth decay was a perennial national problem that meant a mouthful of silver for patients, and for dentists a pocketful of gold.” (Wallis, 17) If patients don’t take care of their teeth, many issues can start to appear later in their life. Some patients are not knowledgeable of the correct procedures toward keeping a healthy smile. In order to keep a healthy smile patients must be better informed about the knowledge to achieve that success and also maintain.
Over time as individuals age and are faced with access to care issues they may begin to neglect their oral health. As time passes between dental hygiene cleanings or dentist visits the presence of oral disease may begin to increase.
Since I was a child my mom used to tell me “you needed to brush your teeth at least twice a day because if you don’t do so, you are going loose them forever, and guess what, once you lose them they won’t grow back again”. I am pretty sure that for some of you this words sound very familiar, right? As I grew up I started to wonder why my mom always tell me brushing and flossing is so important? And that is the main reason why I decided to become a dental hygienist, in order to be able to teach my patients its importance.
Dr. Levi Spear Parmly (1790-1859), an influential American figure in the field of dental prevention, introduced flossing as the most efficient way to prevent dental disease (Sanoudos). Flossing wasn’t a big hit back then. Until, after World War II. That was when flossing became more advertised and Doctor Charles Bass made flossing an essential part of daily oral hygiene care. Dental floss has the ability to reach deep in the crevassees of your teeth and become more effective than
A Guide To Flossing Your Teeth A practice of good dental hygiene includes regular flossing. This is just as important as brushing your teeth. Flossing is used in removing accumulated plaque on your teeth. This practice is important because flossing gets in hard to reach places between your teeth.
Flossing is a technique of removing food particles and other debris in-between your teeth and under the gums where your normal toothbrush cannot reach. If these particles and debris are not taken out, it can lead to the build-up of bacteria which will result to bad breath, cavities and periodontal diseases.
Humans only get one set of adult teeth after losing all of their primary teeth therefore, it is important to take care of them. “Dental caries: Strategies to control this preventable disease” is an article written by Rugg-Gunn, Andrew presents several reasons why dental decay is a widespread disease. Rugg-Gunn cites that the main cause of dental decay is lack of fluoride, poor diet, bacteria from plaque, and sugars. Based on this evidence, Rugg-Gunn concludes that “dental caries can be prevented” (Rugg-Gunn128), but there is no evidence of stopping the disease from happening. While Rugg-Gunn raises a revolving problem around the world with human oral decay he however, does not have a good approach on what decay really is.
a soft, adherent, predominantly microbial mass, which accumulates on the tooth surface in the absence of oral hygiene measures (Berkovitz, et al., 2011). Dental plaque cannot be easily washed away by vigorous rinsing or water sprays and it also resists disruption by antimicrobial agents. Therefore, dental plaque is removed by individual mechanical intervention, for example, toothbrushing (Bathla, 2011).
The gum tissue begins pulling away from the teeth. This creates pockets that allow bacteria to build up, which leads to an infection. As your body fights the harmful bacteria, the bone and tissue holding the teeth in place begin breaking down. The pockets deepen and begin filling with pus. Once you reach this stage, you may need to have surgery to save your teeth. If not treated, the infection begins destroying the bone around the teeth. If the bones, tissue and gums supporting your teeth are destroyed, the teeth may begin to shift, loosen and/or fall out.
Before the development of the first actual toothpaste in 1780 which was made from burnt bread formula, people were already in the practice of oral hygiene such as drinking a goat’s milk, using ashes from wolf heads, burnt mouse heads, and wolf heels, and using wine and preserved urine as mouthwash. The earliest records date back to the infamous religious figure Buddha, who supposedly used a “tooth stick” from the God Sakka as part of his own hygiene procedure.
There are basic procedures to follow in order to uphold proper oral hygiene including brushing and flossing. The first step in maintaining a healthy mouth is performing proper brushing every day. Brushing properly helps lower the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, which are the major causes of tooth loss (Oral-B). It is recommended by the American Dental Association to brush teeth after every meal or at least twice a day (Edwards). It is important to choose the right toothbrush and toothpaste in order to get the best cleaning. A toothpaste containing fluoride will strengthen teeth and prevent cavities...