5 Food Habits to Prevent Cavities

Dental caries is a very common problem of teeth, that affects a vast majority of the population. Sometimes even after brushing twice one can end up developing dental cavities and that can be really very annoying. However, a combination of good oral hygiene along with proper food habits can almost ensure total protection against cavities. Follow theses 5 simple food habits to effectively protect yourself from dental cavities.

1. AVOID/REDUCE INTAKE OF THE FOLLOWING

STICKY FOODS: Food that is left stuck to the surface of tooth becomes food for the bacteria in the oral cavity, which in turn produces acid, that erodes the tooth and causes cavities. In simple terms if there is no food left sticking to tooth, then literally cavities will not form. Hence it is advisable to avoid or at least reduce the consumption of sticky foods like cookies, candies, chips, gummies, breads etc.

SWEETS AND SUGARY DRINKS: Although any food can cause cavities, the sugary ones are the most notorious. Carbonated drinks contain a lot of added sugars and are equally bad. They are easily acted upon by the bacteria thus producing acid quickly, which ends up damaging the enamel of teeth.

MILK: Milk is considered both good and bad for teeth and hence should be regulated. Milk contains calcium and minerals that help to strengthen teeth, at the same time milk is rich in sugars like lactose. Frequent intake, especially consuming milk at night can result in rapid onset of cavities.

2. EAT FIBRE RICH FOOD ON A DAILY BASIS

A diet high in fibre supports good health and lowers the risk of several diseases. Food high in fibre often requires more chewing than other foods. All of this chewing stimulates the production of saliva in the mouth, thereby also increasing its cleansing action and protects the teeth from cavities.

3. CHEW YOUR FOOD PROPERLY

Chewing is the best exercise for teeth, gums and the jaw bones. Ideally every morsel of rice should be chewed 32 times, and in all practicality, this is not possible. At least it is advisable to chew a few times before we swallow the food, and this will ensure that saliva mixes with the food, and this definitely helps in preventing cavities apart from aiding in proper digestion.

4. AVOID SNACKS IN BETWEEN MEAL

Every time we consume something, especially snacks, there will be a bout of acid formation, that can potentially attack the teeth. Hence increasing the frequency of food/snack consumption means you are letting your teeth to be attacked by acids more frequently and for a longer duration, which can result in more cavity formation.

5. AVOID EATING LATE IN THE EVENING

As a thumb rule try to avoid all cariogenic (cavity causing) foods late in the evening, and there is a strong reason to it. Saliva is our natural defence against cavity formation. In general, salivary flow tends to reduce late in the evening and at night it is almost NIL. Due to this reduced natural defence, it is strongly advisable to cut down or avoid sticky foods, sweets and other cavity causing substances late in the evening and at night.

We the team of dentists at DT Smile Care in Chennai, strongly recommend that one follows the above simple food habits along with proper hygiene measures to effectively avoid/prevent dental cavity formation.

6 common causes of yellowing/staining of teeth

Its no wonder that everyone prefers to have pearly white teeth and a bright smile. However, in reality most of us realize that our teeth do have a yellowish tinge, the degree of which again varies from individual to individual. We the team of best dentists in Chennai consider it our duty to enlighten everyone about the reasons why teeth develop staining. Please continue reading to find out the 6 most common causes of yellowing / staining of teeth and the ways to prevent them.

AGEING

Our teeth are covered by an outer layer called Enamel which is colourless and is of varying thickness. Just underneath the enamel is a softer layer called Dentin, which is yellowish in colour. As a normal ageing process enamel tends to slowly wear out thereby thinning down becoming more translucent and revealing the yellow colour of the underlying Dentin. Hence it is not uncommon for one to realise that their teeth tend to become more yellow with ageing. Ageing is inevitable; however, we can prevent the wearing out of enamel that occurs by other means like forceful brushing, excessive grinding of teeth etc.

FOOD

Foods that contain artificial colouring agents do tend to stain the teeth. We have seen coloured candies and popsicles stain our tongue very obviously, hence these can also cause staining of teeth. Best is to try and avoid all food that contain artificial colours. Foods like dark curries and sauces too can stain teeth. Sometimes even healthy foods like beetroot and berries can even stain the teeth. It is not necessary to completely avoid such healthy food, but we can probably limit the intake to reduce their staining effect.

DRINKS

Drinks like black coffee/tea and dark chocolate contain substance like tannins which are known to stain teeth. Limiting intake of these beverages to 1-2 cups a day is a safe practise to reduce their colouring effect. Red wine and acidic drinks like colas also have a colouring effect especially because of the presence of acids in them. It is best to avoid such drinks

SMOKING

Smoking is a known hazardous habit that mainly affects the lungs. Nicotine and tar seen in cigarettes are known culprits to cause obvious staining of teeth. It is in the best overall interest of an individual to completely abstain from smoking

TOBACCO CHEWING

Tobacco chewing in any form causes extensive staining of teeth apart from being a known carcinogenic (cancer causing) habit. Apart from the effect of direct staining, constant chewing also wears out the enamel thereby indirectly also causing darkening of teeth. There are more reasons than these why one should completely quit tobacco.

MEDICATIONS

Certain drugs are known to stain the teeth internally. Most common amongst them is tetracyclines which especially when consumed by a pregnant mother tends to stain the teeth of the child. So, it is better to avoid drugs like tetracycline during pregnancy and also during the early formative years of the child

While few of the above mentioned reasons are inevitable, a majority of these can be self controlled/prevented, and combined with good oral hygiene practice, one can ensure they maintain their “Bright Healthy Smile”

Early Signs of Gum Disease

“Prevention is better than cure” is a saying more fitting to health, particularly to oral health than anything else. We the team of best dentists at DT Smile Care are completely aware of this and so take all measures to educate our patients on the importance of preventing and detecting problems at the early stages.

Gums play an important role in the oral cavity and without proper care, progressive gum disease can result in loss of jaw bones as well as teeth. It’s possible that in case of gum disease, they progress unnoticed until they are in the last stages. Please continue reading to identify these early warning signs of gum disease.

RED SWOLLEN GUMS

Healthy gums are pink in colour and firm in texture. If you find your gums red, puffy or swollen, it is definitely an early indicator of gum disease. Although not everyone’s gums are of the same colour, if you find your gums to be redder than what they have been in the past, then you need to consult your dentist.

BLEEDING GUMS

Gums can bleed while brushing or even otherwise. If gums bleed when you are brushing, either it is an indicator of early Gingivitis (gum disease) or you are brushing hard. The best is to change to a soft brush and brush gently. If still your gum bleeds then you need to see your dentist.

BAD BREADTH

Prolonged bad breadth is another indicator of early gum disease. The presence of plaque, and the bacteria present in the unhealthy gums can affect the whole mouth and can give rise to a very unpleasant odour.

RECEDING GUMS

Unhealthy gums tend to lose their attachment and may start receding away from the tooth. Mild recession of gums can be reversed but if it recedes more then it becomes an irreversible damage. Hence recession of gums should be caught early and appropriately treated.

GUM POCKETS

Gum pockets are small spaces that develop between the teeth and the gums which can be diagnosed by your dentist with the help of a special probe. These pockets can become potential areas where food can get lodged and bacteria grow and colonise, resulting in severe gum disease and bone loss. Like gum recession early small gum pockets can be reversed, but if left unattended and if it progresses it becomes irreversible.

Gums together with the bone form the sound and stable foundation for the teeth. Hence it is extremely important to take care of the health of the gums in order to ensure that our teeth last long and function well. Please don’t hesitate to call our team of best dentist in Chennai, if you notice any of these early warning signs of gum disease.

Say “NO” to cavities – follow these simple rules.

Dental decay is the most common of the dental problems affecting a greater percentage of the population. An increase in the prevalence of dental decay is noted amongst all age groups. “Prevention is better than cure” is a phrase best suited for dental decay. Following are the 5 simple facts / rules one should follow to prevent dental decay.

1. Brush twice a day: Brush your teeth twice a day, first thing after bed and last thing before bed. This is by far the best personal hygiene practice everyone should follow. Proper brushing helps to remove plaque (soft film of bacteria that forms on the surface of teeth) and thereby helps prevent formation of cavities.
2. Floss daily: However effectively we brush, it is not possible to clean the in between areas of two adjacent teeth because of tight contact between them. Dental Floss is a waxed thread that can slide between two teeth and can clean the sides of teeth. Nowadays very handy disposable floss sticks are available that would make flossing more easy and convenient.
3. Chew your food: Chew your food properly before you swallow them. This has multiple health benefits. Chewing stimulates increased salivary flow and saliva is the natural neutralising agent against the acids produced by oral bacteria that causes dental decay.
4. Avoid cariogenic food: Please avoid food that is very sweet and that which sticks to your teeth. This will ensure bacteria present in the mouth do not have enough food left to produce acids that cause decay.
5. Visit your dentist: Kindly visit your dentist every 6 months and get a professional cleaning (scaling) done to remove tartar and plaque. This is a very effective procedure to reduce the amount of harmful bacteria present in the mouth thereby preventing cavity formation.

We the team of best dentists in Chennai, at DT Smile Care, will ensure a pain free and comfortable dental scaling procedure and help in you in maintaining a very good oral hygiene.

Best oral hygiene practices for kids

1.Teach them to brush 

The best way children learn a habit is by observing their parents or family members. Hence the best way to teach them proper brushing is to brush in front of them, commonly described as the “tell, show do technique”. These few minutes parents spend in the morning and at night goes a long way in shaping the brushing habits of their kids.

2.Develop proper food habits

It is extremely mandatory to develop proper eating habits for kids right from their early childhood. Kindly avoid too much of sugary stuff, anything that contains refined sugars and processed food. This would reduce the availability of sugar in the mouth, which the bacteria uses to produce acids, thus causing cavities.

3.Regular dental visits

Dental consultation for a child should start early, and ideally before the occurrence of any problems or symptoms. Regular visits would ensure that any dental disease can be detected early and the child does not suffer from pain, which can affect their food intake and overall health.

4.Be their role model

It is very essential that the parents do and follow all that they preach to their children, only then would children understand the importance of what we tell them. Parents should themselves adhere to good eating habits, proper brushing and pay regular visit to the dentists, so that children would emulate them without any hassles….