Why it's more important to brush your teeth in the night than in the morning

Most people wake up every morning and stumble to wash their teeth first thing. Do you believe that brushing your teeth in the morning is sufficient to keep your mouth healthy?

While it is important to brush your teeth in the morning for good oral hygiene, what goes on in your mouth all night is even more important. Brushing your teeth once a day is barely enough to maintain perfect oral hygiene. By brushing twice a day you can make the difference.

Do you know why it can be important to brush at night since you are only about to sleep?

Here are a few things that brushing before bed does.

1. Reduces acid build up

Everyone has acid being constantly produced in their mouths. The saliva secreted contains calcium which neutralizes the acid being built up. At night the saliva secretion slows down which allows the acids to get accumulated. The acids keep corroding the teeth all night. When you brush your teeth, the fluoride present in the toothpaste stimulates saliva secretion. So by brushing before bed you ensure that the saliva secretion does not fall drastically. In the process you prevent your teeth from getting corroded.

2. Reduce bacterial multiplication

The saliva in our mouth not only neutralizes the acid it reduces bacteria from multiplying as well. During the reduced saliva production, as you sleep, the bacteria in your mouth multiply manifold and attack your teeth and gums. This is why keeping your saliva secretion regular by brushing before bed is of utmost importance.

3. Reduce the decay of food particles

After you have your dinner just rinsing your mouth is not enough. Tiny food particles that get stuck in your teeth rot overnight. It is best to go to bed with a clean mouth rather than a mouth with tiny decaying food particles.

No matter how much of a task it might seem like, brushing at night is as important, if not more important, than brushing in the morning.

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Is it More Important to Brush Your Teeth in the Night Than in the Morning?

Root canal treatment is a procedure to save or repair a decayed tooth. Without proper treatment, the decayed tooth might get infected and adversely affect the health of the gums as well as rest of the teeth. Abscessed tooth (pus formation in a tooth owing to an infection) may also pose as another major complication if this condition is not treated at the right time. In this procedure, the pulp and the nerve of the decayed tooth are removed; this absence of a nerve in your tooth should not affect your daily routine and also not inflict any pain.

When is root canal treatment needed?
Root canal treatment is only required when dental X-rays show that the pulp has been damaged by a bacterial infection. The pulp will begin to die if it's infected by bacteria, allowing the bacteria to then multiply and spread.

The symptoms of a pulp infection include:

pain when eating or drinking hot or cold food and drink
pain when biting or chewing
a loose tooth
As the infection progresses, these symptoms often disappear as the pulp dies. Your tooth then appears to have healed, but the infection has in fact spread through the root canal system.

Further symptoms eventually occur, such as:

pain when biting or chewing returning
swelling of the gum near the affected tooth
pus oozing from the affected tooth
facial swelling
the tooth becoming a darker colour
It's important to see your dentist if you develop toothache. If your tooth is infected, the pulp can't heal by itself.

Leaving the infected tooth in your mouth may make it worse. There may also be less chance of the root canal treatment working if the infection within your tooth becomes established.

Antibiotics   medication to treat bacterial infections   aren't effective in treating root canal infections.

What happens during a root canal procedure?
A root canal can be performed by an endodontist (root canalling specialist) or a dentist. To treat the infection in the root canal, the bacteria need to be removed. This can be done by either:

removing the bacteria from the root canal system (root canal treatment)
removing the tooth (extraction)
At the very onset, an X-ray will be performed to see the size of the infection and the condition of the surrounding gums. The dentist will then apply anesthesia on that spot. It is important to keep the spot as dry as possible. Next, the dentist will put a rubber sheet around your teeth, after which a hole will be drilled to remove the decayed tissues. After the process, you wash your teeth, either with sodium hypochlorite or normal water.

Before having root canal treatment, you'll usually be given a local anaesthetic. This means the procedure shouldn't be painful and should be no more unpleasant than having a filling.

Root canal treatment is usually successful. In about 9 out of 10 cases, a tooth can survive for up to 10 years after root canal treatment.

Root Canal Procedure For Infected Tooth Nerve!

4 Foods That Strengthen Your Child’s Teeth

Kids have a mind of their own when it comes to food. The unhealthier it is, the more they tend to like it. Most taste driven or sweet foods are harmful for your child’s oral hygiene. However not all foods that your children like to eat are as bad for their oral health, some even help strengthen their teeth.

Here are 4 foods that your children can have for healthy teeth and gums.

1) Sugarless Gum - It helps loosen plaque and increase the number of natural antibodies in the mouth. It also keeps the gums hydrated. While too much of anything is not good, these gums are good once in a while.

2)  Crispy Vegetables  - These might not be popular with children but can be made yummy with interesting dips to go with them. Raw carrots, celery, cauliflower, and green beans are chewing foods which clean the child's teeth and gums.

3) Natural Sugar - Sugar from milk, yoghurt and cheese are rich in vitamin D, phosphate and calcium. When consumed, they raise the pH level of the mouth which lowers the level of acids, hence reducing risk of tooth decay.

4) Vitamin C Rich Foods - Fruits like oranges, kiwis, strawberries, papayas and limes help kill bacteria that can cause gingivitis. They also aid a good supply of collagen in the child's gums. However, parents need to remember that one can eat citrus foods only after thirty minutes from brushing their teeth. This is because the citric acid in these foods can weaken the tooth enamel temporarily.


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4 Foods That Strengthen Your Child’s Teeth

A missing tooth can be responsible for causing different health issues. Along with these, a person loses his ability of chewing with missing teeth, develop problems related to speaking and his overall facial appearance also gets affected.

In case of a missing tooth or several missing teeth, it is best advised to get dentures fitted. Dentures are false teeth, which are fitted in the oral cavity in place of lost natural teeth.

Here are several reasons why it is important to fill up a missing tooth:
1. Shifting of tooth: when a tooth is lost, the surrounding teeth start drifting or moving in the open gap where the lost tooth used to be. The surrounding teeth are shifted out of the alignment. This affects the appearance of your face, and your teeth seem crooked and misplaced. It is necessary to replace a missing tooth with dentures in order to restrict the shifting before it is too late.
2. Tmj syndrome: after a tooth is lost and the surrounding teeth start shifting, the alignment is changed. This gives rise to problems with biting and creates issues with the jaws. The upper jaw and the lower jaw fail to meet correctly, and this causes strain and damage to the jaw joint. This phenomenon is called tmj syndrome.
3. Decay of tooth and gum diseases: after the shifting of surrounding teeth when a tooth is lost, the teeth alignment changes. This makes it difficult for a person to reach several areas in the gum with a toothbrush or floss. This makes plaque and bacteria accumulate in that area and they cannot be reached or cleaned. Tooth decay and gum diseases or periodontal diseases that are likely to affect those spots. These diseases and disorders cause further tooth loss.
4. Alteration in facial appearance: a missing tooth should be replaced properly and a dentist must make sure that the root of the missing tooth is removed. In case the root is not removed totally, bone deterioration is likely to occur. Bone loss occurs in the jaw area, and this may result in a change or alteration in your facial appearance. A timely replacement of a missing tooth will prohibit bone loss from the jaw area, and you will be saved from any kind of alteration in your facial appearance, which might affect your looks and self-esteem greatly.

A missing tooth should never be ignored and in case you lose a tooth, you should see a dentist as soon as possible. By filling up a missing tooth, you will be able to save yourself from several issues related to the mouth and gums.

Why to Fill Up a Missing Tooth?

Mouthwash has become an essential ingredient of one's oral hygiene kit. Though not a substitute for flossing or brushing, it offers additional oral protection. Due to a host of ingredients, such as alcohol,
Chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride, menthol, methyl salicylate, fluoride, antibacterial enzymes, hydrogen peroxide, essential oils, zinc chloride and other herbs and "natural" ingredients mouthwash has a number of benefits.

Alcohol is the basic ingredient in all of them. While fluoride protects against decay, chlorhexidine protects against gum diseases. Hydrogen peroxide produces a mild bleaching effect. Herbs and essential oils produce a freshening effect.

Benefits of using a mouthwash

1. Reduces formation of tartar and plaque.
2. Protects from oral problems like gingivitis and periodontal disease, especially if it contains cetylpyridinium or essential oils. Chlorhexidine is also effective in protecting plaque formation and gingivitis.
3. Kills bacteria in the mouth and prevents cavities or decay, especially if it contains fluoride.
4. Mouthwash, to some extent, covers up bad breath due to oral hygiene or oral disease and produces a fresher breath.
5. Certain mouthwashes containing cetylpyridinium chloride and zinc chloride produce a better breath freshening effect.
6. Helps manage dry mouth, especially if containing biotene.

Types of Mouthwash

1. Cosmetic
2. Therapeutic

The cosmetic one is usually for freshening up the breath and is not regulated by the FDA. The therapeutic ones contain active ingredients aimed at addressing one of the issues like plaque formation, bad breath, dry mouth, or decay. They kill bacteria, reduce plaque, fight gingivitis, and control decay. They are not a substitute for brushing or flossing but supplement these two very well. These are approved by FDA and are proven in terms of safety and efficacy. Rinses with zinc chloride are effective against bad breath, those with fluoride are useful in people who are cavity-prone, and chlorhexidine helps prevent gum disease.

Choosing a mouthwash: This depends on the oral health condition, and it is always advisable that the dentist prescribes the right rinse for you.

When and how to use mouthwash: When you are done with your brushing and flossing, rinse your mouth with a capful of the mouthwash liquid. Swish it around your mouth for about 30 seconds and spit it out. Avoid brushing, drinking water, or rinsing your mouth after using a mouthwash for about 15 to 20 minutes. This will give sufficient time for the active ingredients in the mouthwash (especially if it is a therapeutic one) to act in the mouth. Brushing after mouthwash removes all the effect of the rinse.

Mouthwash: All You Need to Know About it

2 Biggest dental mistakes that Indians make!

Your dental health chiefly depends on the way you care for your teeth and gums. Most Indians consider maintaining oral health a very simple thing, and end up committing quite a few dental blunders as a result. As a result, a whopping 95% of the population in India suffers from gum disease! (Source: National Oral Health Programme)

Read on to find which of these dental mistakes you are making and how to avoid them.

1. Not flossing your teeth
Flossing plays a significant role in getting rid of sticky bacteria or plaque from your teeth. The acid generated by dental plaque is the chief cause behind oral cavities, gum irritation and various other gum diseases. Flossing is essential for cleaning the space between your teeth and in turn eliminating most of the bacteria present in your mouth. This is the very reason it should not be ignored.However in India, well over 70% of the population does not floss.

2. Not regularly visiting the dentist
Most Indians have the habit of not visiting the dentist at regular intervals due to laziness, a forgetful nature or fear. Quite a few hold the common belief that if they aren’t experiencing a toothache, they don’t need to visit the dentist at all. Only 2% of Indians visit the dentist.  This often puts you in greater risks of developing a gum disease, which may require painful and costly treatment in the future. So, make it a priority to visit the dentist at least once every year to ensure better dental health.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

2 Biggest Dental Mistakes that Indians Make!

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