There is a lot of information available online on oral hygiene. Some true and some not so true. It is always better to get advice from professionals in their respective fields before believing anything you read online. It is time to get the facts straight and clear some of those misconceptions.

• SWEETS AND CANDYS CAUSE DECAY

It is not sugar that causes decay but the action of bacteria on the food that gets stuck on the teeth, be it sugar, sticky food, starch, carbohydrates. Bacteria break down the food that is stuck into acid and this acid eats away your teeth causing decay. Rinse your mouth vigorously and brush your teeth after meals to keep your teeth clean.

• BRUSHING HARDER IS BETTER

On the contrary brushing harder only leads to more problems. It takes away a part of your teeth and this leads to sensitivity. What you need to do is brush with a toothbrush having soft bristles, brush gently and with light strokes.

• CHEWING GUM INSTEAD OF BRUSHING

Chewing gum is only an extra additive to your daily routine of brushing. Because it is sticky, it does have the ability to let food particles stick to it while you are chewing hence acting as an aid to clean the teeth after a meal. It cannot be replaced with your brushing habits. It is only an adjunct to brushing.

• BABIES DONT NEED TO BRUSH UNTIL ALL THE TEETH COME

It does not matter how many teeth are present, the day you notice teeth erupting, your child needs to start brushing and keeping the teeth clean to avoid damage to the teeth. Food build-up happens because we eat and drink. Keeping the surface of the teeth clean is mandatory to avoid decay.

• ORAL HEALTH IS ONLY CONFINED TO YOUR MOUTH

Dry mouth is a sign that indicates you could have diabetes, bleeding gums and inflamed gums are common in pregnant women, inflammation and bruising of gums is common with diabetes and hypertension. Don’t ignore your mouth, it is a great indicator of your underlying disease.

• NO PROBLEM SO NO DENTAL CHECK UPS

The best way to avoid an extensive and expensive treatment is to do a regular dental check-up, the longer you stay with an undetected problem, the harder it becomes to treat the problem. A simple check-up and clean-up every 6 months is the right way to go about this.

 It is time to consider oral health as your top priority. Be more proactive and live a healthy lifestyle. Call us at Alux Dental, Hyderabad, and get a comprehensive check-up done, a little time invested will save you countless hours of trouble.