Tips for oral hygiene
When we think about our children, we always look for the best nutrition so that they can develop as healthy as possible and we are very focused on valuing the nutrients of each meal. And if so, we are doing well. However, there are certain foods that do not generate an ideal oral health so it is important to know them and cook with the ingredients that cause less harm to oral health.
In this brief article you will find tips and a small guide to be able to know and master the relationship of nutrition with oral health. Dr. Luisa Diaz, an expert in oral surgery and a member of the California Dental Association (CDA) explains that each food has a degree of acidity known as the pH index or the presence of hydrogen. This index goes from 0 which means an extreme level of acid to 14 which means an extreme level of alkalinity, the neutral point is in the value 7, which is possessed by water for example. In conclusion, the lower the Ph value of a food, the higher its acidity level. The reason why acidity is important for assessing how it affects oral health is that the oral enamel, which is the surface of the teeth, is degraded in the presence of an acid, and the greater the acidity, the easier it can be degrade this surface and generate damage to the teeth.
Knowing all foods and their different PH is almost impossible, but from now on it is important to look at the nutritional table, to learn what is the Ph of what we consume and try to supplant a harmful diet by an alkaline diet.
- The bacteria that form the caries feed on the sugar, so it is so important to reduce or control your intake.
- Carbohydrates are transformed into sugars and therefore create a highly cariogenic diet. Carbohydrates are: potatoes, bread, flour, cereals, sugars, among others.
- The following foods will help keep the enamel intact by its high level of alkalinity:
– Milk and its derivatives
– Whole wheat bread and rye (despite being carbohydrates, the Ph is high)
– Vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, courgettes, celery, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, corn, among others.
– Fruits such as coconut or melon, among others. - Carbonated or gaseous drinks have a very low pH and therefore generate a lot of erosion on the dental surface.
- Very acidic foods like lemon, orange, or even the spicy, are harmful to our oral health.
It is important to highlight that everything summarized in this list above causes real harm if done consistently, as a dietary habit. The key is to always complement the diet with a good oral hygiene and follow certain guidelines, such as:
- It is recommended to wait about 30 minutes before brushing your teeth after every meal. The goal is to raise again the salivary Ph that went down and became slightly more acidic to start the process of digestion with the manipulation and crushing of the food in the mouth. If we do not wait, it is possible that the abrasion of the toothpaste intensifies and we will wear out the oral surface.
- Use toothpaste corresponding to each age of children. In this way, we guarantee that they have the amount of fluoride they need. The use of toothpaste begins at age 3, before we can use natural pastes for babies.
- We should brush our children’s teeth at least 3 times a day, after every big meal. It would be ideal to do it even after the snacks and always using a medium or soft toothbrush.
- You have to go to the dental office for annual checkups and placement of topical fluoride. This helps protect the tooth from all these erosive agents.
- Caries is multifactorial so it is important to control all its causes so you can avoid it 100%. It is a mixture of cariogenic bacteria and at this point we can hardly do anything since we can not modify the bacterial flora. It also influences the dental anatomy, teeth more dense, more porous, with more grooves, etc. This we can control with our constant consultations with the dentist, topical application of fluoride, professional oral hygiene and patient guidelines at home. Another point to control is the cariogenic diet of which we speak at the beginning of the article, if we follow certain guidelines and without depriving ourselves of anything, we have control, hygiene and constancy and this point will also be controlled.
If you have any doubts, always ask your trusted specialist to guide you without problems so that you and your whole family have excellent oral healthControls and correct hygiene are the key to your health, so you can always show a beautiful and healthy smile.
Clinica Dental Unit
Dr. Jímenez
