Taking care for Adults Teeth.

How Do I Best Care for My Teeth as an Adult ?

The key to keeping a bright, healthy smile throughout adulthood is to practice proper oral hygiene. Even adults can get cavities, as well as gum disease, that can lead to serious problems. Throughout your adult life, it's important to continue to:

• Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque-the sticky film on your teeth that's the main cause of tooth decay.
• Floss daily to remove plaque from between your teeth and under your gumline, before it can harden into tartar. Once tartar has formed, it can only be removed by a professional cleaning.
• Limit sugary or starchy foods, especially sticky snacks. The more often you snack between meals, the more chances you give the acids in plaque to attack your tooth enamel.
• Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and checkups.

What Special Dental Issues Should I Be Aware Of as an Adult ?

Even if you brush and floss regularly, you may face certain oral health issues as an adult. Luckily, your dentist can help you meet most of these challenges quite successfully.

• Gum disease begins as gingivitis, which in this early stage is still reversible. Symptoms of gingivitis include red, swollen or tender gums that tend to bleed when you brush them. If you notice any of these symptoms, see your dentist-before serious problems develop. Advanced stages of gum disease may lead to tooth loss.

What is Bad Breath or Halitosis ?

What Is Halitosis?

Halitosis simply means bad breath, a problem that many people experience at one time or another.

Many things can cause bad breath, including:

• Poor oral hygiene (not brushing and flossing properly)
• Gum disease
• Eating certain foods like onions or garlic
• Tobacco and alcohol products
• Dry mouth (caused by certain medications, medical disorders and by decreased saliva flow during sleep hence the term "morning breath")
• Systemic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, liver and kidney disorders.

How Do I Know if I Have Halitosis?

One way to test if you have bad breath is to cover your mouth and nose with your hand, exhale, and smell your breath. Another way is to ask someone you trust whether or not your breath smells bad. Keep in mind that many people experience "morning breath," which is the result of reduced saliva

How to Floss? or What is Flossing?

What is a dental floss?

Dental floss is either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic (Teflon or polyethylene) ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the gums. Dental floss may be flavored or unflavored, and waxed or unwaxed. An alternative tool to achieve the same effect is the interdental brush.

History of Dental Floss.

Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss. He recommended that people should clean their teeth with silk floss in 1815.


Dental Flossing Box containing Floss

Dental floss was still unavailable to the consumer until the Codman and Shurtleft company started producing human-usable unwaxed silk floss in 1882. In 1898, the Johnson & Johnson Corporation received the first patent for dental floss. Other early brands included Red Cross, Salter Sill Co. and Brunswick.

Use of Dental Floss:

Dental floss is commonly supplied in plastic dispensers that contain 10 to 50 meters of floss. After pulling out the desired amount, the floss is pulled against a small protected blade in the dispenser to sever it.

How to brush your teeth? (Brushing Technique)

What Is the Right Way to Brush?

Proper brushing takes at least two minutes — that's right, 120 seconds! Most adults do not come close to brushing that long. To get a feel for the time involved, try using a stopwatch. To properly brush your teeth, use short, gentle strokes, paying extra attention to the gumline, hard-to-reach back teeth and areas around fillings, crowns or other restoration. Concentrate on thoroughly cleaning each section as follows:

• Clean the outer surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth
• Clean the inner surfaces of your upper teeth, then your lower teeth
• Clean the chewing surfaces
• For fresher breath, be sure to brush your tongue, too

Tilt the brush at a 45° angle against the gumline and sweep or roll the brush away from the gumline.

What is Dentine Hypersensitivity ?

Dentine hypersensitivity is sensation felt when the nerves inside the dentin of the teeth are exposed to the environment. The sensation can range from irritation all the way to intense, shooting pain. This sensitivity can be caused by several factors, including wear, decaying teeth or exposed tooth roots.


Click the image to enlarge..


Dentine contains many thousands of microscopic tubular structures that radiate outwards from the pulp; these dentinal tubules are typically 0.5-2 microns in diameter. Changes in the flow of the plasma-like biological fluid present in the dentinal tubules can trigger mechanoreceptors present on nerves located at the pulpal aspect thereby eliciting a pain response. This hydrodynamic flow can be increased by cold, air pressure, drying, sugar, sour (dehydrating chemicals), or forces acting onto the tooth. Hot or cold food or drinks, and physical pressure are typical triggers in those individuals with teeth sensitivity.

Treatment can consist of amorphous calcium and phosphate, NovaMin, potassium nitrate, strontium chloride, gluma, fluoride therapy, or calcium sodium phosphosilicate.

Potassium nitrate is commonly used in toothpastes such as Sensodyne or Crest Sensitive as a remedy and is approved as a monographed drug by the FDA. Nonetheless, there remains some dispute about its effectiveness. Strontium chloride and strontium acetate are used in Sensodyne Original and Sensodyne Mint toothpastes. The mode of action is linked to their ability to form mineralised deposits within the tubule lumen and on the surface of the exposed dentine that help prevent transmission of the applied stimulus.