Good oral hygiene habits determine the future of your teeth and even your body.
1, warm water (36 ℃ or so) after meals rinse mouth (after eating mouth easy to produce acid, will soften the outer layer of hard tissue of the teeth, academic called demineralization, so advocate after eating and drinking acidic beverages, do not immediately brush teeth, it is best to wait an hour after the demineralized dental tissue remineralized and then brush. If it is really inconvenient, you can chew gum containing xylitol. It will not produce the acid that causes cavities – worm teeth – and can reduce plaque and tartar) and use dental floss (if there is food embedded in the gap between teeth, you should floss – toothpicks are hard and easy to cause damage to periodontium – and pick it out, otherwise it will stimulate periodontium for a long time, and it is easy to grow worm teeth), brush your teeth in the morning and evening, and brush before going to bed is more important. After brushing your teeth, do not eat again. If you have periodontitis and the roots of your teeth are exposed, you need to use a gap brush. For babies just born ~ 6 months old, the mother should wrap the index finger in clean gauze after each feeding, or use a cotton swab dipped in warm boiled water to gently wipe the food residue on the tongue and gums; for children 6 months ~ 1.5 years old, the milk teeth begin to erupt, and the tooth surface should be wiped of dirt after each feeding. Children who are older can be brushed by their parents first (you can use children’s toothpaste when they are over 2 years old and can rinse their mouths), using the fact that children like to imitate and gradually master the correct method of brushing.
The correct way to brush teeth
Place the toothbrush bristles (tough, soft and fine bristles, appropriate brush head size, generally covering 2-3 tooth surfaces) at the junction of teeth and gums, with the bristles at a 45 degree angle to the tooth surface, and brush vertically along the tooth gap. Avoid excessive force when brushing to avoid excessive wear and irritation of the teeth and periodontium (leading to gum recession). Gum recession exposes thin and easily worn dental bone, which can lead to a faster and more extensive exposure of its inner dentin layer. When brushing upper teeth, brush from top to bottom; when brushing lower teeth, brush from bottom to top; when brushing chewing surfaces, brush back and forth. Brush inside and out, five or six times in each place, and brush for no less than three minutes each time. The electric toothbrush can shorten the brushing time as long as the toothbrush is correctly placed on the tooth surface.
2.Take anti-caries measures
Fluorine can prevent insect tooth. However, too much fluorine should be prevented in childhood, otherwise it will not only hinder the development of teeth, but even cause systemic fluorosis. The fluorine content in tea is relatively high, adults can often drink tea and also brush teeth with fluoride toothpaste (young children should not use it by themselves to avoid swallowing too much fluorine).
3.Pay attention to adjust the diet structure
In order to prevent caries, we must control the amount of sugar, and at the same time, we should pay attention to the coarse and fine match of diet, and eat more vegetables and fruits rich in fiber appropriately.
For children, we should pay attention to reasonable nutrition, especially we should eat more food containing phosphorus, calcium and vitamin, such as bean products, meat and bone soup, seaweed, milk, fresh vegetables and fruits. These foods are very beneficial to the development and calcification of teeth.
Children should also break the habit of eating sweets between meals, especially candy before bedtime, and do not let young children sleep with a pacifier or candy in their mouths. Eat less sticky sweets, such as milkshakes and cakes. Reduce the intake of acidic foods and drinks.
4. Smoke less or even not smoke. Smoking can irritate the gums and is also one of the main factors causing oral mucosal disease.
5.Avoid excessive pressure on teeth, try not to use teeth to bite too hard food.
6, regular oral examination
Normally, we should pay attention to regular self-examination of the oral cavity and ask the dentist to check the specific time limit standard, generally children aged 0-5 years old should be checked once every 2-3 months, children aged 6 years old or above and adults should be checked once every 0.5-1 years (for diabetic patients, once every 3-4 months) for early detection of oral diseases such as dental caries. As the caries of children’s milk teeth develops quickly, parents should check their children’s teeth frequently to find out the situation and seek medical attention in time.
Get your own dentist to clean your teeth 1-2 times a year. We have a part of the gap that cannot be brushed by brushing teeth, bacteria and tiny residues of food accumulate on the tooth surface day by day and gradually mineralize layer by layer (experiments prove that plaque can calcify in 24 hours, which is the theoretical basis of brushing teeth at least twice a day), and finally form tartar. Plaque and tartar first lead to gingivitis, and then the lesion extends to the whole periodontal tissue, causing destruction of alveolar bone, gum recession and root exposure, leading to periodontal disease. Scaling not only removes some dirt from the tooth surface without damaging the teeth, but also has the benefits of preventing tooth decay, removing bad breath and other oral disease prevention.
Self-examination or mutual examination
The method of self-examination is to check the biting surface of the teeth under good light conditions, facing a mirror and opening the mouth. The normal tooth surface is white or yellowish and shiny. Where the tooth surface is chalky white without luster is the early manifestation of caries. In addition, we should pay attention to the invisible and qualitative changes of the teeth.
It is better for two people to examine each other. If one person uses chopsticks to expose the buccal and lingual side of the other person’s teeth, it is possible to see whether there is caries on most of the tooth surfaces.
If there is food embedment or teeth are sensitive to cold or hot stimulation, it should be alert to the possibility of cavity, and should be examined in time at this time.
7.Bad habits of children and malocclusion
Children’s bad oral habits may cause many kinds of dental malformation. These bad habits include: ① Finger-sucking habit. Because of finger sucking, thumb on the erupting upper and lower front teeth, will prevent the normal eruption of the front teeth, resulting in a round gap between the upper and lower front teeth when the mouth is closed – open teeth together; in addition, it will make the dental arch narrow, the upper front teeth protrude, open lips and teeth. ② tongue stretching habit, the tip of the tongue constantly licking teeth, if often put the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower front teeth, will lead to open teeth; tongue forward against the lower front teeth can make the lower jaw forward displacement, the formation of the lower jaw protrusion deformity, commonly known as “ground bag days”; tongue against the upper and lower front teeth at the same time can make the upper and lower teeth are forward displacement, resulting in double dental arch or double jaw protrusion. ③ Bite the lip habit. Biting the upper lip causes the lower jaw to protrude, the upper teeth to crowd and tilt toward the tongue; biting the lower lip can cause the lower jaw to retract, the lower teeth to crowd, and the upper teeth to protrude in a “bird’s mouth” shape. ④ Lateral chewing, resulting in asymmetrical face shape. ⑤ Biting habits can lead to abnormal jaw development and facial asymmetry.