Dr. Shriniwas Kulkarni

How to keep your mouth clean and maintain good oral health?

Hello friends I am doctor Sahil Singh. I am a general dentist practicing in DLF Phase 4, Super Mart 1 Gurgaon. Today I will tell you how to keep your mouth clean or how to keep a good oral health. Well everything starts with a healthy lifestyle.
1. We can start with a healthy diet. A diet should contain each and every part which is necessary, be it carbohydrate, be it fat, be it protein and yes most important part is roughage or the fiber. Roughage includes your salads your fruits, roughage helps you clean your teeth and your intestine both. So it has a dual effect, your teeth will be clean your intestine will be clean and overall health will improve.

2. Cleaning of your teeth. Cleaning your teeth refers to brushing, rinsing, using a mouthwash, flossing. We will start with brushing; brushing maximum two times a day which you can do. But the whole day you are eating, drinking something, snacking or whatever. At that time what you can do? At that time it is very important to clean your mouth by rinsing vigorously. You can also use a clean finger to rub against your teeth and the gums, which will massage the gums also, improve the blood circulation of the gums and yes it will remove the plaque or the food debris also. Secondly use of mouthwash, mouthwash should be used after breakfast or after your first meal. It should not be used after just brushing.

Brushing has already cleaned your teeth, so why mouthwash again? But yes the function of mouthwash starts after your first meal or after your breakfast. After having your breakfast you clean your mouth with clean water vigorously then use a mouthwash. Swish it around in the mouth for a minute then spit it out. After spitting the mouthwash do not rinse with water again, or do not eat anything for at least half an hour to 45 minutes.

3. Flossing. Flossing seems to be a difficult part and there are so many myths about it that it hurts your gums or it can damage your gums, but if it is done properly or a dentist can tell you how to do it, it is of great help. Because brushing cannot easily or completely remove whatever is stuck between the teeth and with age the use of flossing is very much necessary. Flossing helps you clean the interdental or the space between the two teeth, the food debris which is stuck between the two teeth can be easily removed with the help of flossing. So it keeps your mouth healthy, improves your gums health. Secondly nowadays apart from the thread or the nylon floss we have water flosses. Water flosses are for those people who don’t want to put more stress with their hands so they can use a water floss, it has a very strong jet of water which comes through a flosser and it will clean your mouth properly.

4. Professional Cleaner. This is something a dentist can only do. You should visit your dentist so that even if there is a problem we can detect it early or even if cleaning is required, at times because of the crowding or maligning teeth there are deposits which are initially food deposits then it becomes calculus which is hard deposit and only a dentist can clean . So cleaning is a very important aspect for maintaining a good oral hygiene. If not cleaning and if there is food debris in mouth it will start with so many diseases. Firstly the gum disease, you can have weak gums, you can have bleeding gums. Secondly you can have cavities; Thirdly you can have a bad odour or a bad breath which we call as halitosis.

So the start of any problem is the food debris which is present in the mouth which you have not cleaned or which you didn't get cleaned with a dentist. Friends if you need any other help consultation or treatment you can reach me at Lybrate.com.