ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — You’ve probably been brushing your teeth for as long as you can remember. But your dental routine might need a makeover! Ivanhoe explains.
Back and forth … up and down … and all around! A good brushing routine keeps your mouth and gums healthy! But are you doing it right?
“Patients would constantly come in with poor oral hygiene,” stated orthodontist Lawrence Hier, DDS, MS.
About 78 percent of all Americans will have at least one cavity by the time they’re 17. And about 80 percent of the U.S. population has some form of gum disease. To avoid these issues, the American Dental Association recommends brushing twice a day for two minutes each time. Most adults should use a toothpaste with fluoride and a soft-bristle brush.
“We always advise people to use soft toothbrushes, and that’s mainly because of gum tissue. We don’t want people to brush too hard and cause a recession of gum tissue,” continued Hier.
For a better clean, start with a mouth rinse and floss before you brush. This ensures that the toothpaste will get between your teeth. Tilt your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gum and brush in a circular motion into the gum. Don’t forget to brush the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces of your mouth, including your tongue. Replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or if it looks overused. And if you’re in a hurry and have to pick one, it’s more important to floss than to brush!
The Academy of General Dentistry reports that the average person only brushes for 45 seconds to 70 seconds a day, when you should brush your teeth for a full two minutes. And the ADHA says that 75 percent of Americans use their toothbrushes longer than they should. Also, for those who use an electric toothbrush, studies say an electric toothbrush can remove 21 percent more plaque than a manual toothbrush.
Contributors to this news report include: Julie Marks, Producer; and Roque Correa, Editor.
DENTAL CARE 101
REPORT #2898
BACKGROUND: The mouth can tell a lot about the health of a body by showing signs of nutritional deficiencies or general infection. Systemic diseases, or those that affect the entire body, may become apparent because of mouth lesions or other oral problems. Dental health is important, yet cavities remain the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood. Around 100 million Americans fail to see a dentist each year, even though regular dental examinations and good oral hygiene can prevent most dental disease. Good oral hygiene can be practiced by brushing teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between teeth once a day with floss or another interdental cleaner, replacing a toothbrush every three or four months, and eating a balanced diet while limiting in between meal snacks.
(Source: https://www.sharecare.com/health/dental-oral-health-teeth/what-is-dental-health)
TIPS TO GOOD ORAL HEALTH: Teeth can last a lifetime by maintaining a healthy mouth. Some ways to do this are by drinking fluoridated water and brushing with fluoride toothpaste, brushing teeth thoroughly twice a day, flossing daily to remove dental plaque, and visiting the dentist at least once a year. It is recommended to not use any tobacco products, quit smoking, and limit alcoholic drinks. If you have diabetes, work to maintain control of the disease which will decrease risk for other complications, including gum disease. Treating gum disease may help lower blood sugar. If dry mouth cannot be avoided, drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum, and avoid tobacco products and alcohol. It is important to see the doctor or dentist if you have sudden changes in taste and smell. When acting as a caregiver, it’s important to help older individuals brush and floss their teeth if they are not able to perform these activities independently.
(Source: https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/adult-oral-health/tips.html)
BREAKTHROUGH IN DENTISTRY: New knowledge on the cellular makeup and growth of teeth can advance developments in regenerative dentistry, a biological therapy for damaged teeth, as well as the treatment of tooth sensitivity. Using a single-cell RNA sequencing method and genetic tracing, researchers at Karolinska Institutet, the Medical University of Vienna in Austria and Harvard University have identified and characterized all cell populations in mouse teeth and in the young growing and adult human teeth. “From stem cells to the completely differentiated adult cells we were able to decipher the differentiation pathways of odontoblasts, which give rise to dentine, the hard tissue closest to the pulp, and ameloblasts, which give rise to the enamel,” said Igor Adameyko at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, and Kaj Fried at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. Some of the finds can also explain certain complicated aspects of the immune system in teeth, and others shed new light on the formation of tooth enamel, the hardest tissue in our bodies.
(Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200923090414.htm)
* For More Information, Contact:
Gisele Galoustian, Public Relations
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