Take care of your teeth for life
Teeth are very important part of our body and are equally important to be taken care of for life as these are the means of proper chewing and mixing of food that we eat and they prepare the same for onward digestion propelling to alimentary canal or gut.
The day the first tooth erupts the duty to clean the same and keep eating fit starts for the individual. Overall it is seen that set of milk teeth or temporary teeth or deciduous teeth or baby teeth are most neglected in the life as the idea that these will fall to get replaced by permanent teeth prevails in everyone's mind!
In fact the baby teeth are contributing to very important aspects for permanent teeth and those are, they not only reserve the place for erupting following teeth but also guard and help proper formation and development of the same. Even if the crowns of the baby teeth are decayed an attempt must be made to preserve the roots of the same as the successor teeth enamel is well formed and developed if the roots are intact and standing well in healthy condition.
The teeth must be brushed with the help of the soft variety bristled brush and a tooth paste preferably a gel type with Fluoride salt as an ingredient ranging from 900 ppm to 1000 ppm. The first tooth when erupted must be brushed without a tooth paste but the brush soaked in lukewarm water the later removed by a jerk, and thus the initiation of habit brushing is being cultivated in child's mind. In baby teeth the toothpaste with Fluoride salt must be used with caution or should never be used, I feel, as it will damage more than benefit the child. Best is to start the same when child knows how to rinse/gargle thoroughly and wash the paste by spitting in the spittoon or wash basin.
Fluoride, as an active ingredient of the tooth paste, combines with the superficial layer of the enamel forming a Calcium salt that is harder and stronger then normal enamel, for the decay to penetrate through and thus shields the tooth from getting decayed fast. This Fluoride salt of the toothpaste when accidentally regularly taken in or not spat out or ingested or swallowed gets deposited into the forming bones of the child rendering them not only harder but brittle as well thus rendering them more prone to fracture when child falls down while playing or even on pressure. As a result the child must be taught to spit out properly at proper place with thorough rinses later if Fluoride containing toothpastes are to be used.
Bristles must be soaked in lukewarm water to render them softer to cause less injury or laceration to tender mucosa and skin of lips,cheek and this will help also the child to accept the brushing procedure.
Water jerked off the brush will make saliva dribbling less and make child comfortable and accepting to brushing technique or procedure.
The baby teeth must be brushed by a back and forth movements with only total two to three strokes per tooth and never more as that may cause injury and the child will then never allow brushing! Since the height of the baby teeth is less, the advanced method is not advocated for brushing.
Daily, twice brushing is must in order to keep teeth healthy, first when woke up in the morning and secondly when before just going to bed. Morning brushing if missed can be understood, however, should never be habitual, whereas, the brushing before going to bed must never be missed, as that allows the food particles left behind after supper, get fermented and an acid thus formed acts on the surface walls, more in the area between the two teeth or crevices,thus demineralizing, rendering more prone to get decayed and cracked. Child sleeps longer at night and thus the food never gets changed from the place rendering the same to get fermented, whereas, during the day time, the child keeps on eating different types of food and that does not get time or give time for the food stuck up, to get fast fermented, again drinking water, rinses,saliva swallowing, tongue and ckeek movements reduce the chances of the food to get fermented fast and cause any or much damaging effect.And the scene of agony and continuous pain is more so evident when the tooth is already decayed and the acid formed for not brushing at night, causes severe irritation.
Brushing habit, thus cultivated at childhood, renders the person when grown up more acceptable, healthy and health conscious and caring for the next generation or others.
When all the permanent teeth erupted the teeth must be taken care of a special way and more like a responsible citizen should be looked after.
Emphasis must be given to clean the area between the two teeth or crevices of the teeth and between the teeth that is line angles and point angles formed by the teeth.
Again the softer variety bristled brushes are advocated with multi tufts,and the teeth must be brushed with the gel type toothpastes to cause less wear and active ingredient like fluoride is must with 900-1000ppm.
Brushing, must be done at least twice a day, as earlier said, once when up from the bed and next before going to bed. Just remember---BBAB! Before bed the most important of the two,however, later-After bed is also important to be acceptable to the society, freshening up and for further day to day activities.
The optimum pressure is advocated while brushing, such that the bristles of the brush not only glide against the tooth surface but also move over and along the gums thus cleansing the same. The brush must be held in with palm grip and the cheek surface of the teeth is to be brushed with moving of the brush in 180' by wrist movements up and down, thus, not only the surface of the teeth is cleaned but the bristles of the brush actually pass along and through the crevices of the teeth - the area between the two teeth and the gum margin. The chewing surface may be cleaned or brushed with, back and forth movements of brush strokes.The inner surfaces of the teeth and the crevices may be cleaned by the combination of the two methods described earlier with taking care not to be brushing heavily and thus injuring the gums.
Wisdom teeth require a special innovated method to keep clean and healthy. Upper wisdom teeth must be cleaned or brushed by 180' wrist movements of up and down strokes after keeping the front teeth meeting edge to edge and then passing the brush from the sides till the last portion of the jaw arch. Since the last molars or wisdom teeth are placed more towards the cheek side the brushing them this way gives proper and good results. Also while jaws are open the Ramus of the mandible or the upper projection of the mandible bone actually covers the third molars or upper wisdom teeth and normal position of the jaws open will never give access to the brush to the last portion of the upper jaws.
The lower wisdom teeth are to be seen actually in the mirror, mouth fully wide open and then brushed, confirming the actual movements of bristles of the brushes and the bristles must be moved such that they clean the top surface,side surface, the area behind the tooth- the back surface and the gum that may be overlaying or behind the tooth.
Brushing is never said completed or it is never complete when tongue is not cleaned or say cleansed to be more specific. Tongue must be cleansed by a strong metal strip like plate that has a grip both sides and a metal strip thick enough to cleanse over the surface of the tongue so that the white coating of the tongue mainly comprising of food particles,thick saliva bacteria etc. is got rid of thus rendering the tongue more sensitive to taste and freshness. Following this the mouth is cleaned with frequent rinses and gargles by fresh cool water.
Dr Pramathesh Panchal
Dental Surgeon
Mumbai India.
