Importance of Dental Care

Why is dental care important?Gums are the protective layers or soft tissues that cover the bone which holds the teeth in its position. Gums are also known as gingival. The gingival or the soft tissue encircles the teeth and wraps up the jaw bone. For "breaking down or masticating the food", "enable proper pronunciation of words", and for "shaping the face", teeth are very important.

The first step towards good digestion is good dental health. Digestion begins in the mouth where the food is churned with the help of teeth (chewing and grinding) and saliva in the mouth. Saliva has some enzymes which breaks down the food and initiates the process of digestion.

Taking proper care of your mouth is important as it affects your overall health. Bad dental health can show early signs and symptoms of other diseases such as oral cancer, diabetes, heart disease, leukemia, pancreatic cancer and kidney diseases. Bad dental health can often result in tooth decay or cavities, rotten teeth in kids and adults, facial pain, tooth pain, sensitivity, bad taste, gum disorders or periodontal diseases, bacterial infections, and several other diseases, etc.

Improper or crooked or diseased teeth or a misshapen jaw creates a defect that causes problem in many activities such as while speaking. It also creates hindrance in chewing and problems in digestion.

Read about baby teeth chart.

How to prevent dental problems?Dental problems can be avoided by maintaining proper dental hygiene and by regular dental checkups.

Maintaining dental hygiene

The first and foremost step towards maintaining good dental health is brushing the teeth. Brushing twice daily is recommended by doctors. Fluoride toothpaste is best suggested.

Flossing is required to clean the tightly packed spaces between the teeth as food particles that stick to the anterior sides of teeth cannot be removed with brushing and washing with mouthwash. Flossing should be done before brushing to kill the germs at least once in a day.

Rinse your mouth with a fluoride containing antimicrobial mouth rinse.

Consumption of coffee, acidic drinks like soda, citrus juice, alcohol, etc should be avoided.

Smoking and consumption of tobacco should be restricted.

Intake of calcium and vitamins is preferred.

Sugar content in diet should be limited. Bacteria turn food into acids due to the presence of excessive sugar that may cause tooth decay symptoms.

Tongue cleaning is also an important aspect in maintaining dental hygiene.

Regular Dental CheckupsA person should not avoid even mild toothache as it can lead to severe problems. One should visit a doctor (Dentist, Dental Hygienist, etc) if the gums swell or become tender, if sensitivity (to hot and cold) increases, if loss of permanent teeth occurs, or if bad breathe or bad taste persists, if plaque occurs, etc

Dental check-ups are also conducted to detect the possible signs of cancers such as cancer in neck, tongue, tonsils, mouth, salivary glands, sometimes in head, etc.

Dental check up for children is important as they are more prone to cavities. It is extremely important to maintain "baby teeth" or primary teeth healthy till they fall naturally. Healthy primary teeth in children help in better speech development, retaining nutrients and better grinding of food.

Mohd Salman, Mbbs, is a medical science professional and is associated with DiseaseFix as a researcher. Find the most relevant and updated information about the disease in DiseaseFix.