Good oral hygiene right from an early age is important if you want to maintain a pearly smile and healthy teeth throughout your life. However, if you neglect your oral hygiene, toothache, pain or discomfort and costly dental treatments may be inevitable. Most dental problems start with plaque, which is a sticky layer of germs that grow on teeth daily. If plaque is not removed, it can result in tooth decay or worse, gum disease.
Tooth decay occurs when the bacteria present in plaque turn the sugars found in what we eat and drink into acid. This acid attacks the teeth and forms a hole in the tooth known as tooth decay. Tooth decay affects people of all ages ranging from children to adults. Gum disease occurs when the plaque infects the gums to become puffy, red and bleed easily. If left the infection is left untreated, it can easily spread to the jawbone making teeth to loosen up with time.If plaque is left to stay on the teeth for a long time, it hardens and become calculus or tartar. Regular brushing and flossing cannot remove this; it must be scraped off by a dental professional.
One common question that most people ask themselves is, do floss and fluoride prevent tooth decay and gum disease? Well, today we are going to look much deeper of how effective floss and fluoride are to preventing tooth decay and gum disease.
Dental Flossing
For most people, the importance of daily brushing and flossing was instilled in them right from childhood. Flossing is one of the most widely accepted dental health recommendations. It helps in removing plaque build-up, which can easily lead to tartar. Simple flossing can help remove plaque build-up in areas where your toothbrush could not access. In addition, daily flossing allows you to examine your mouth for any abnormalities regularly. You can take a good look at your tongue, teeth, and gums while flossing.
Flossing is effective when it comes to preventing tooth decay and gum disease. It helps stop bacteria build-up in the mouth. It removes food particles and plaque, keeping your teeth and gums healthy while giving you a healthy and beautiful smile. However, flossing alone cannot be able to prevent tooth decay and gum disease entirely. You need to practice proper dental hygiene and schedule regular dental check-ups.
Fluoride
Fluoride is a mineral that naturally occurs in water and most foods. Every single day, minerals are either added or lost to our tooth enamel through two processes known as remineralisation and demineralisation respectively. Demineralization which is the process where minerals are lost from the tooth enamel occurs when acids formed from plaque corrodes the enamel. Minerals such as fluoride are added to the enamel mostly by the water we consume.
Fluoride helps in preventing tooth decay since it makes the teeth more resistant to attacks from acid. It forms an important component in teeth development, making it quite hard for acids to demineralise the teeth. It also prevents gum disease. It does this by preventing the action of bacteria on the gums.
Conclusion
If you are having problems using dental floss due to bad gag reflex or sensitive teeth, visit us at Carrum Downs Dental Clinic, and we will be able to recommend alternatives for you. Also, if your teeth are vulnerable to getting cavities, we can help apply fluoride directly to your teeth with a foam, rinse or gel. Don’t let tooth decay and gum disease get in the way of your brilliant smile, visit us at Carrum Downs Dental Clinic, we will always have a solution for you.
