General oral care

The importance of good oral hygiene

Developing a habit of good oral hygiene is important for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Increasing brushing time with fluoride toothpaste from the average 45 seconds to 2 minutes, as recommended by dental experts, can significantly strengthen your tooth enamel, helping to protect your teeth from decay.

Impact of poor oral hygiene

Dental caries, a common problem for people of all ages is an infectious disease resulting in a progressive destruction of tooth tissue.

• Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2-5 and half of those aged 12-15.
• Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most common chronic disease of childhood.
• In the United States, 53 million children and adults have untreated tooth decay in their permanent teeth. Much of this problem could have been prevented by greater use of fluoride.

Tooth decay is the result of an interaction between bacteria from dental plaque, fermentable carbohydrates, and tooth tissue over time and can only occur when all of these factors are present. The rate of progression of caries is dependent upon the resistance of the tooth to carious attack and the cariogenicity of the environment of the tooth. Tooth decay is highly treatable.

Management

Dental professionals can guide their patients in proper plaque prevention at home, and help reduce the chance of both gingivitis and dental caries.

Advice for patients to combat cavities should include:

1. Cut down on sugary and starchy foods.
2. Brush teeth with a fluoride dentifrice twice a day for 2 minutes.
3. Attend the dental office for regular six monthly checks.

Just like a primary care physician instructs a patient on what to do, so too should you instruct your patients on the proper way to develop and maintain a habit of good oral hygiene.