Good dental hygiene for a more confident you

Have you ever shied away from friends as a result of bad breath or stained teeth? Dental hygiene is essential in order to maintain good and healthy teeth. There are a few simple ways that need to be adhered to in order to flash those pearly whites and help them remain so for long periods of time.

The mouth has long been considered to be the mirror to the entire body, with certain dental conditions reflecting larger health concerns in the body. For example, recent studies have found an association between dental caries and heart ailments. There are many more such studies that have established an association between insufficient dental hygiene and health conditions like osteoporosis, birth weight of babies, complications in Diabetes and bacterial pneumonia.

Dental hygiene should be practiced regularly and diligently, following the simple requirements that are necessary to maintain good oral health.

Table 1: Dental hygiene review

S.No	Part	Technique used	Helps clean	Prevents
1	Teeth	Tooth brushing/ Teeth cleaning	Plaque and tartar	Cavities, gum disease, gingivitis
2	Tongue	Tongue cleaning	Excess food particles, white/yellow bacteria present on the surface	Tooth decay,Gum infections
3	Gum	Flossing	Excess food lodged between the teeth and on the gums, also removes excess plaque	Cavities, gum disease and receding gums

Tooth brushing

Brushing one's teeth are essential to maintaining one's oral hygiene

• Teeth must be brushed after every meal or at least twice a day.
• Always stand in front of the mirror while brushing your teeth. This will help you clean every tooth well.
• Do not brush for longer than 3 minutes.
• Change your tooth brush once every six months.
• Use a good quality tooth paste

Tongue cleaning

Tongue cleaning is often disregarded and not given the importance that it is due. Tongue cleaning is a dental hygiene prerequisite. Food particles and bacteria on the tongue are one of the leading causes of bad breath and hence care should be taken while cleaning the tongue.

• Tongue cleaning may be performed using the tooth brush to gently remove the excess food and bacteria on the tongue.
• A small amount of tooth paste may be added to the tooth brush.
• Certain brushes have tongue cleaning sides that may be used to clean one's tongue.
• Tongue scrappers are the best way to clean one's tongue and remove considerable amount of bacteria and food. It consists of a plastic or steel scrapper present in a loop which can be held at either ends. The loop should be placed on the tongue and gently eased down to remove bacteria.

Flossing

Flossing helps in removing food particles lodged in between teeth and on the gums.

• A good dental floss should be used.
• If one's teeth are closely set then certain floss may break in the middle of flossing. A dental floss that meets this requirement should be chosen.
• Certain dental floss do not require both hands to be used at the same time and may be opted by those who do not like to use both their hands.
• Flossing should be carried out at least once a day.

Gum care

• Gentle massage of the gums with the bristles of the tooth brush
• Flossing
• Oral irrigation- pressurized water reached 3-4 mm in to the gums, thereby greatly enhancing hygiene

Dental hygiene for children should be carefully monitored and should begin when the baby gets its first tooth.

• Small tooth brushes that can be inserted into the mother's finger are available for brushing an infants teeth
• A mild children's toothpaste should be used after the baby turns 18 months.
• Since children have a tendency to swallow the toothpaste, the toothpaste should not contain Fluoride.
• The bristles of the toothbrush should not be hard
• If the child has gaps between the teeth then flossing is not essential, but if the teeth are tightly packed together, then flossing is essential.

A dental hygienist plays an integral role at a dental clinic. The responsibilities include

• Collecting oral history of the patients.
• Explaining oral hygiene to the patients.
• Cleaning the teeth off plaque and tartar
• Taking dental imprints of the patient's teeth and making a mould.
• Certain other responsibilities are also included in select universities
  • Delivering the right amount of anaesthetic in to the patient.
  • Laboratory tests performed on the patients that would aid the dentists.
  • Filling cavities and performing periodontal dressings.

Dental hygiene education to become a dental hygienist is available in a large number of Dental hygiene Universities. The dental hygiene program may also be availed through dental hygiene community colleges.

Dental hygiene career would permit dental hygienists to work in a dental clinic, public health centres, hospitals and dental hygiene awareness programs.

Dental hygiene associations are available that provide prospective patients to complete information on dental hygiene and also have access to dental hygienists. These associations provide data on the latest developments. Dental hygiene forums help discuss oral health issues and promote knowledge transfer. A large number of dental hygiene books are also available that help in maintaining good oral health. These books may be purchased online or may be brought directly from the store.

The dental hygiene review would not be complete without information about the numerous dental hygiene equipment that are available at the disposal of the dental hygienist. These equipment which include double sided mirrors and hand held water jets, greatly aid the hygienist clean the teeth and to maintain the patient's dental health.

Thus, dental hygiene is an important prerequisite to maintaining good health and needs to be carried out everyday. The job of a dental hygienist is an important one and there are many career opportunities for those who choose to become one.