Top Dental Health Tips
Diet has a significant role to play in dental health. Dietary factors and disease-causing bacteria are primarily responsible for dental diseases.
During the development of teeth, a protein base is formed, which subsequently gets deposited with minerals. During this process, a variety of nutrients, including vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus, must be present in required quantities to ensure proper calcification.
Enamel is to teeth what skin is to the body and serves as a protective barrier. Undernutrition during early life can affect the development of teeth, and particularly the enamel. There can be pitting, furrowing, or even the absence of enamel, depending on the severity of malnutrition. Since enamel has no mechanism to repair itself, malnutrition during tooth development produces a permanent defect in the enamel. This also reduces the resistance of teeth to infections.
The foundations of the first teeth or laid down before birth. If a pregnant woman's diet lacks adequate protein, vitamins, and minerals, the baby's teeth erupt late and lack the desired hardness. Several vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamins A, D, and C, have led to dental abnormalities. Besides affecting the eyes, Vitamin A deficiency also leads to inadequate bone growth resulting in a defective alignment and formation of teeth. Vitamin A is also needed to keep the enamel healthy. Vitamin C is required to fit Gomez, and it is deficiency results in swollen and bleeding gums. Such weak and unhealthy gums cannot firmly hold the teeth.
Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium. The deficiency of either vitamin D or calcium can result in the pitting of teeth. To get these vitamins and minerals, a liberal intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, red and yellow vegetables and fruits, citrus fruits, milk add milk products should be encouraged.
Among dental diseases, dental caries or tooth decay is a significant problem mainly afflicting children since newly erupted teeth are more susceptible to decay and young children do not brush their teeth properly. They also eat and drink more frequently than adults. Carbohydrate is specially refined, and simple sugars that promote bacteria's growth are mainly responsible for caries. It also results from frequent consumption of sticky or adhesive forms of sugar-containing foods such as chocolates and toffees, particularly between meals. These sticky foods remain tiny particles in the mouth and produce certain acids, damaging the teeth.
Anything hard and fibrous is beneficial to dental health since it exercises the teeth and keeps them clean. Hence, children should be encouraged to eat sugar cane, guava, or carrot, which have the above properties and provide good nutrients. Eating sticky sweets, jams, jellies, or soft starchy foods between meals should be discouraged. Keeping the gums and teeth clean by gargling and rinsing the mouth properly with water after eating anything and brushing the teeth properly in the morning and after dinner is necessary to maintain dental health. A regular dental check-up is always beneficial.
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