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Be More Educated On Oral Hygiene Maintaining good oral hygiene is one of the most important things everyone can do for his or her teeth and gums. Healthy teeth not only enable you to look and feel good, they make it possible to eat and speak properly. Good oral hygiene results in a mouth that looks and smells healthy. By the way, this can become a crucial factor in ones everyday communication. Moreover, good oral health is extremely important to peoples overall well-being because its poor state does result in serious diseases.
Oral hygiene can be briefly defined as the practice of keeping the mouth clean and healthy by brushing and flossing in order to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. In other words, it is such a state of ones oral cavity when his or her teeth are clean and free from debris; gums are pink and do not hurt or bleed when brushing or flossing; and bad breath is not a constant problem. Proper care for ones mouth must be maintained to prevent the increase and spread of several negative health factors. The warm moist environment provided by ones oral cavity provides perfect breading grounds for disease and bacteria.
This condition can lead to anything as severe as bad breath or even to ultimate disease and death. Proper care of the mouth and ones oral cavity is often something that is ignored by populations and can therefore become a source of a problem. Unfortunately, rural individuals very often lack the proper education and facilities to provide the correct oral hygiene needed. Oral hygiene must constantly be addressed by individuals of all populations.
Dental professionals have long promoted the idea that prevention of the problem is the best medicine. Individuals must be trained to accept maintenance of the mouth as part of the overall oral health program. Education is the key to getting widespread acceptance of using preventative medicine when it comes to caring for ones mouth. This education must begin in the school systems by teaching young children how to care for their teeth. Young children could even be rewarded at a young age for correctly brushing their teeth. This education must not stop with the children, but must then be carried on to the adults and implemented in everyday lifestyles.
All populations must understand that care for ones oral cavity is crucial to over positive health of an individual. Once individuals have been educated on how to care for their teeth it is the responsibility of the individual to make appointments to regularly have checkups with their dentist. It is then the responsibility of a dentist to carry on the process of education by continuing to support proper oral hygiene. Often times poor oral hygiene begins when individuals feel that they are unable to visit their dentist.
Financial matters may prevent families from making regular checkups to their dentist. In rural areas it may not be convenient enough for families to travel long distances to reach the nearest dentist. As an individual gets older, it may be merely apathy or fear of the dentist that prevents them for making their needed checkups. Whatever the excuse may be, regular visits to the dentist must become a regular part of ones life. Medical professionals link the concept of oral health to overall health.
The warm moist environment of the mouth breads the growth of bacteria with if not properly cared for can lead to gingivitis and the most common cause of bad breath, halitosis (Online, 2001). Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gums, seen as painless bleeding during brushing and flossing. Gingivitis is curable. However, if not disposed of early enough, it can lead to incurable periodontal disease, which can cause even more serious health problems. The mouth is a major area where bacteria and germs can enter the body. These hostilities can then harbor themselves within crevices of the mouth in which they bread and eventually then move on into the body and internal organs.
The US Public Health Service has established a powerful association between the existence of periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. Other studies have found correlation between poor oral hygiene and blood clots leading to heart attacks, emphysema, lung disease, kidney and liver problems, and premature birth (Marble, 1995). Gum disease technically known as gingivitis is an infection of the gums. It affects almost everyone to some extent, including those who provide proper daily care for their gums.
Lots of food that we eat, together with saliva, forms a sticky layer on our teeth called plaque. Plaque is a thin, sticky and colorless film of bacteria that forms on teeth. The bacteria in our mouths live in plaque, causing an irritation of the gums. This leads to a mild inflammation which is usually painless, but may bleed during toothbrush ing. The gums may look red and puffy (Online, 2001). Mild accumulations of plaque can then lead to further accumulation and buildup resulting in bacterial growth and gum irritation.
Long-term gingivitis, or chronic gingivitis, is said to lead to periodontitis. Periodontitis is an inflammation and infection of the tissues surrounding the teeth. As a result, there is destruction of the bone that hold the teeth up and the tooth becomes loose. Eventually, the tooth may die and fall out (Online, 2001). If not detected and cared for early enough gingivitis can lead the ultimate permanent loss of dentition. Even though one individual may take better care of his teeth than another, he may be more susceptible to forming gingivitis.
Environmental and genetic factors play a major role in the accumulation of the formation of plaque causing gingivitis. Certain diseases and health conditions promote the development of gingivitis (Scheinberg, 1998): 1. Puberty: Hormonal changes as well as environmental trends cause individuals to be more susceptible to gingivitis during this transition in ones life. 2. Diabetes: The poor regulation of ones blood sugar level causes weakened immune responses therefore making diabetics more susceptible to developing gum disease. 3. Pregnancy: Hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy can make the gums puffy and irritated. This inflammation combined with poor oral care can easily lead to the growth of bacteria and ultimate gingivitis.
Rural individuals in certain environment can also become more susceptible to developing gingivitis due to lack of care. When considering the oral health of individuals in rural areas compared to urban areas the difference in material food intake becomes a factor to contemplate particularly, the differences in drinking water. While most urbanized regions are confined to drinking highly regulated city water, rural individuals drink a wide variety of sources. These rural water sources may be private wells, or water that is not as highly regulated. Rural water tends to contain more minerals and nitrates that fail to be filtered.
While urban water is usually fluoridated, most rural supplies remain un fluoridated. With the high amount of water that is consumed by individuals on a daily basis, this difference directly affects the oral health of the population. It is also very important to say some words about halitosis. It is commonly known as bad breath and affects many people.
The majority of people suffering from halitosis practice poor dental hygiene. Bacteria that live on teeth and gums cause halitosis. These bacteria feast on food particles left on teeth, creating volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). These sulfur compounds give breath its foul odor. The most crucial elements for attacking halitosis are brushing and flossing.
Many people believe that gargling with mouthwash that kills bacteria will ward off bad breath, but that is false indeed. Using mouthwash will kill bacteria on the surface of teeth, which temporarily stops bad breath. What people need to do to completely get rid of halitosis is practice proper dental hygiene. Maintaining oral hygiene should be an everyday and lifelong habit. Between regular visits to a dentist, one should take some actions in order to decrease the risk of developing tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems. Eating a carefully balanced diet and limiting numerous snacks between meals helps a lot.
An infant's gums and, later, teeth should be kept clean by wiping them with a moist cloth or a soft toothbrush. However, only a very small amount of toothpaste, of the size of a pea, containing fluoride should be used since too much fluoride may be toxic to infants. By the way, using dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste, is important for people of all ages. Moreover, taking care of own children, one should make sure that those under 12 drink fluoridated water or take a fluoride supplement if they live in a non-fluoridated area. An adult who has partial or full dentures should also maintain good oral hygiene. Bridges and dentures must be kept clean to prevent gum disease.
Dentures should be adjusted by a dentist as necessary to maintain proper fit so the gums do not become irritated and disposed to infection. Brushing and flossing should be performed thoroughly but not too vigorously because rough mechanical action may irritate or damage sensitive oral tissues. Sore or bleeding gums may be experienced for the first few days after flossing is begun. However, bleeding continuing beyond one week should be brought to the attention of a dentist. As a general rule, any sore or abnormal condition that does not disappear after 10 days should be examined by a specialist. Oral health plays an important role in the well-being of individuals and their ultimate quality of life.
If one experiences pain and difficulty with eating they may be less likely to eat healthy resulting in poor levels of nutrition. Individuals may often not feel comfortable in social situations due to poor oral appearance or bad breath with can lead to social isolation. Oral disease can ultimately lead to further and more harmful disease including peptic ulcers, respiratory, and cardiovascular illness (Scheinberg, 1998). That is why to be more educated on oral hygiene is very important for any individual who cares about his own health as well as about the health of those around one. Bibliography: Marble, Michelle. May Tots suffer from moms poor oral hygiene.
Womens Health Weekly 11 May 1995: A 3. Moslehzadeh, Karen. WHO Oral Health Country/Area Profile Programme. WHO Collaborating Centre. 1999. Scheinberg, Nancy E. ; Gilbert, Gregg H. (1998, Feb-May) Dietary implications of oral health decrements among African-American and White older adults. Ethnicity & Health, 59.
Buglass, Edgar A. Oral Hygiene. British Journal of Nursing. 4 (1995): 516 - 519. Bothwell, David J. An update of mechanical oral hygiene practices: evidence-based recommendations for disease prevention. Journal of Canadian Dental Association. 64 (1998): 295 - 306.
Unknown. Oral Health Linked to Overall Health. Health & Healing News. Nov. 2001. Unknown. Gingivitis.
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