Oral hygiene gets a big chunk and it’s an integral part of your overall personal hygiene. Oral hygiene should not be neglected because that’s where our food gets chewed and processed first before entering to our digestive system.
If our teeth are damaged due to bad personal hygiene then that will brings us tons of problem. Not only can we eat with difficulty but toothaches and bleeding gums will give us nightmares beyond compare. The worst thing that could happen would be a severe infection that may require dental surgery. Halitosis or bad breath too can spell a disaster to your social life and nobody wants to talk to a person with bad breath or at least talk that long.
Our teeth may be the hardest part of our body yet with sugar-loving bacteria that produce acids plus the sugars it feeds than our teeth no matter how hard it may be will start to decay. Eventually, crater holes or cavities will develop and this alone can cause mild to severe toothaches which can become a problem and a headache too.
There are a lot of problems that will arise if you fail to maintain good oral hygiene such as gingivitis or bleeding of the gums, the damaging periodontal disease, and the cursed stinking breath or halitosis. If you have problems like these, or bleeding when you brush your teeth see a periodontist as soon as possible.
It has been scientifically proven that bleeding gums can also lead to cardiovascular disease because of the bacteria that will enter through the exposed tooth pulp that are full tiny capillaries due to cavities. When the bacteria enter the capillaries then it goes to the bloodstream which can cause some arteries to clot prematurely later on. . So let us dissect just a little where and why these acid producing bacteria can damage our teeth and the consequences it brings.
Acids on the attack
Our teeth consist of three major parts which is the enamel, dentin and pulp. The enamel is the hardest part of the tooth but even the enamel cannot stop the onslaught of the acid that comes from these bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli.
These bacteria emit lactic acid that weakens and demineralized the enamel part of the teeth, slowly eating through until it reaches the pulps where all the tooth capillaries and tiny nerve endings are found. That is why when cavities develop; your tooth becomes too sensitive with cold, hot and even with food or drinks that are especially sweet or sour.
To counter such demineralization, toothpaste products today contain fluoride that helps remineralize our teeth and help prevent the development of cavities and tooth decay, but even toothpaste is not enough. There should be a combination of toothbrushing, the use of dental floss, gargling with mouthwash (preferably without alcohol), a regular visit to your dentist and lessening sugary food in your diet. Sweets are the main staple food for these acid producing bacteria.
You should start taking care of your precious pearly whites and you should not take oral or dental problems lightly because, in the long run, this will help lengthen your life and avoid the hassle and costly dental surgery.
