Just like every part of our body, our mouth contains bacteria. These bacteria feed on the foods stuck in our teeth. When we eat a lot of sugar and starch, the bacteria ferment them the same way we ferment rice. One of the byproducts is lactic acid. That's why the sour taste. Acids are corrosive in nature and will damage our enamel, the outer covering of the teeth. When the enamel is damaged, bacteria bore through our teeth, causing tooth cavities. Untreated tooth cavity damages the layers below the enamel, the dentin, and the pulp. The dentin is yellow in color. That's why we see older people with yellow teeth as their enamel has worn off. When the pulp becomes infected, dentists have to do a root canal. So, we must always brush our teeth after putting anything in our mouths. We should also reduce eating acidic foods for better dental health. At least during the day, the calcium and phosphate in saliva neutralize acids. But at night, we don't salivate as much. The absence of saliva makes our teeth more vulnerable. This is why brushing and flossing before bed is a must. Flossing helps to get rid of food that gets stuck in between two teeth. We must not let any food particle stay in our mouths overnight.
When we don't brush our teeth after eating, the bacteria and the food form a sticky film and cover our teeth. It is called dental plaque. When we brush and floss our teeth later in the day, the plaque should be removed. When the plaque is not removed within 24 to 72 hours, calcium in our saliva covers it and turns it into a hard white substance called tartar.
When we do not brush and floss regularly or do a poor job at them, we get tartar. So, it's a must to have good brushing and flossing techniques as there are many hard-to-reach places in our mouths. Tartar can only be removed by a dentist. If tartar persists, the bacteria cannot be dislodged. The bacteria keep producing sulfur, which is the cause of the bad odor until it is scraped off by a dentist. Tartar typically forms at the intersection of the gum and teeth, called gumline, as it's hard to brush thoroughly over there. The gum line is called gingiva. Tartar causes inflammation of the gingiva resulting in gingivitis. Bleeding of the gums is a symptom of gingivitis. If gingivitis is left untreated, the gum becomes infected and the bone that supports our teeth is destroyed. It is called periodontitis. Ultimately, we will end up losing our teeth.
Dental care becomes more critical when we are diabetic. Sugar is not high only in our blood but also in our saliva. So, we keep feeding the bacteria throughout the day even when we are not eating. As a result, we will end up with more dental plaque. Hence the need for better oral care aka regular and thorough brushing and flossing. Diabetes may also cause dry mouth by reducing the amount of saliva. Less saliva means less calcium to stop acids corroding our teeth. High blood sugar can weaken our White Blood Cells needed to fight infection. So, gingivitis and periodontitis may take longer to heal.
If you hadn't noticed, I did not mention toothpaste so far. Just brushing and flossing regularly and properly are more than enough to keep our teeth clean. But since we are all not perfect, we take the aid of toothpaste. The fluoride in toothpaste teams up with calcium and phosphate in neutralizing the acids, thereby protecting our enamel. Fluoride in a higher amount is bad just like anything else. So, don't copy the toothpaste advertisement and put toothpaste on the entire brush head. A pea-sized toothpaste will do for anyone over 6 years old.
Just like body deodorant, flavors like mint mask bad odor. But hopefully, you know that we must not rely on toothpaste completely to mask the bad odor but have the tartar removed by a dentist, to avoid bad odor. Toothpaste contains a foaming agent, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), to create bubbles in our mouth so that we see and feel that our teeth are getting cleaned. It's more psychological than anything else and can damage your teeth and gums. So, look for SLS-free toothpaste. One of the many functions of saliva is to keep our mouth from becoming too acidic. Since we don't chew our food as much as we used to, we produce less saliva and need sodium phosphate in toothpaste.
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