ABC OF HEALTHY TEETH

SAVEETHA DENTAL COLLEGE & HOSPITALS

CONTENTS
A to Z of healthy teeth is been included in this slide show These points give a valuable idea how to obtain and maintain healthy teeth

A - ALIGNMENT
Proper alignment of teeth helps in maintaining proper oral hygiene. Properly arranged teeth prevents accumulation of food debris. If teeth are not arranged regularly, chances of accumulation of debris hence decay of teeth occurs.

Individual with properly aligned teeth & healthy gingiva

B - BRUSHING
Brushing everyday helps to keep the teeth in a healthy state. Brushing removes dirt, bad breath and gives freshness to mouth. Brushing removes superficial stains and helps maintain to natural color.

Brushing has to be done twice daily

C CARIES FREE
Caries free mouth keeps you away from further infection and pain Caries is nothing but decay.. It involves layer by layer of the tooth structure When it involves the inner layer called pulp it causes pain and other complications

Caries should be properly treated at the earliest

D -DENTIST
Regular visit to dentist helps you to maintain healthy teeth If any problems arises due dental origin it can be solved by the dentist

E - ESTHETICS
Esthetics is the beautiness It can be achieved by having good teeth.. If teeth are improperly arranged it can be corrected orthodontically If decay is present it can be filled

F - FLOSSING
Flossing helps to prevent the accumulation of debris in between two teeth. Floss removes food trapped between the teeth and removes the film of bacteria that forms there before it has a chance to harden into plaque Toothbrush bristles alone cannot clean effectively between these tight spaces.

G - GARGLING
Gargling helps in removal of food debris and destroys micro organism Gargling prevents bad breath Gargling avoids bacterial, viral and fungal infections

Gargling freshens the oral cavity

H - HABITS
Various abnormal habits are thumb sucking, nail biting and tongue thrusting. All these habits cause adverse effects on alignment of teeth and can lead to further decay. Hence abnormal habits should be avoided to maintain healthy teeth

This can lead to ugly appearance of teeth

I INTERMEAL SNACKS
Eating of snacks in between meals should be avoided as this could cause sticking of snacks in between the teeth Hence leading to decay of the tooth and further complications.

 Mainly sticky snacks should be avoided as this would stick to the tooth and cause decay

J JASMINE LIKE COLOUR

Proper brushing should be followed to clean the teeth Substance which causes staining of teeth like tobacco, pan should be avoided in order to sustain the natural color of the teeth

K KEEP OUT OF SWEETS

Sweets should be avoided as this is the main cause for dental decay Sweets can easily stick on to the tooth structure hence avoiding this can prevent tooth decay

L LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIET

High carbohydrate is the main source for the formation of decay Hence high carbohydrate diet like sweets and chocolates should be avoided Fiber rich food should be taken to avoid decay

M MOUTH WASH
Mouth wash helps to avoid bad breath and removes bacterial film from the tooth. It also eliminates decay causing organism and also helps in maintaining the integrity of tooth bearing structure.

N NUTRITIOUS FOOD
Nutritious food always provide human body to resist infection Thus it also helps to maintain good oral hygiene and prevents the tooth and the tooth bearing structures from infections.

O - OCCLUSION
Occlusion is the biting of upper and lower teeth If any disharmony of occlusion exist it should be corrected orthodontically Proper occlusion provides itself a good hygienic area

P PREVENTIVE MIND SET

Prevention is better than cure, hence regular check up with the dentist can help to avoid any disease due to dental origin This mind set not only helps to keep a good oral hygiene but also the general health of the individual

Q QUIZZING THE DENTIST

If you have any doubts regarding oral cavity it should be clarified with dentist All misconceptions should also be rectified

R RETAINTED MILK TEETH SHOULD BE EXTRACTED If any milk teeth is present after around fourteen or fifteen years it should be extracted This retention may hinder the eruption of permanent teeth This can even lead to mal-occlusion

Hence milk tooth must be extracted if present above the prescribed age

S STAIN FREE TEETH

Habits like smoking, pan chewing, eating excess amount foods that stain the tooth should be avoided Teeth without stains gives good appearance to the individual
This also increase the confidence of the individual

Teeth should be present like those found on the right and not on the left

T TECHNIQUE FOR BRUSHING

Proper brushing technique should be followed to maintain healthy teeth There are several brushing techniques, it is necessary for every individual to have a knowledge about it

U UNWANTED MYTH
People should come out of the myth There are several myths
- extraction of teeth will lead to deterioration of vision - harder brushing will give brighter teeth - professional scaling will loosen the teeth - tooth loss due to age

All these myths have no evidence which should be taken out of mind

V - VACCINATION
Now a days vaccination are available to prevent dental decay Every individual must ask their dentist about this and must take necessary action to prevent the dental complications

W WISDOM TOOTH
Wisdom teeth is the last teeth in the mouth and is last to erupt If any discomfort arises due to that teeth it should be extracted Usually there will be pain when this tooth erupts

X X RAY FOR DIAGNOSIS

X rays play major role in the diagnosis of the disease and the extent of it Individual teeth x rays is called as intra oral peri-apical radiograph Full mouth x- rays is called as orthopantamograph

Y YELLOW TEETH
The colour of the teeth is gods gift For darker individuals the teeth appears more brighter For fairer individuals the teeth appears more yellowish Hence naturally yellow teeth is not a defect

Z ZEAL FOR HEALTHY TEETH

The individual should be enthusiastic enough to maintain a healthy teeth Hence the zeal for having good teeth should be present in every individual to have a good oral hygiene

What happens if these are not followed ?

Accumulation of plaque & calculus

Gingivitis

Periodontitis

Periodontal abscess

Bone loss

Dental caries

Dentoalveolar abscess

CONCLUSION Having good and healthy teeth not only provides good oral hygiene it also gives self confidence