What really protects teeth from tooth decay

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Dentists recommend brushing your teeth after each meal, coming for a routine check-up every six months and doing professional cleaning. However, even at the age of 30, someone does not even have a hint of caries, while another puts a new filling every six months. Understanding how dental health depends on care.

Will dental floss save you from tooth decay?

The New York Times recently ran an article by Catherine Saint Louis. …, which questioned the benefits of dental floss.

2011 study Sambunjak D., Nickerson J. W., Poklepovic T., Johnson T. M., Imai P., Tugwell P., Worthington H. V. has shown that using dental floss in addition to a toothbrush reduces the risk of gum disease. And even then not too much, since most people do not floss their teeth thoroughly enough.

But in the fight against the destruction of enamel, the thread is not at all an assistant. So far, there is no evidence that regular flossing reduces the risk of tooth decay.

Do i need to scan my teeth?

American dentists recommend dental x-rays every year. Austin Frakt, a health economist, analyzed Austin Frakt. … medical research and came to the conclusion that such reinsurance is unreasonable. Cavities in the tooth are formed more slowly - in 2–3 years.

In Russia, prophylactic x-rays are not so popular. But computed tomography is offered to be done regularly. It is also not worth agreeing to this expensive service more than once every couple of years.

Which toothpaste is more effective

The good news: brushing your teeth is good news. But to prevent the development of caries, the paste must be fluoride. Study of the results of dental examination of children aged 5 to 16 years Marinho V. C. C., Higgins J. P. T., Logan S., Sheiham A.. confirmed the effectiveness of the use of this mineral for the prevention of caries and tooth loss. Moreover, it is better to brush your teeth with fluoride paste twice, and not once: the positive effect will be more noticeable.

True, fluoride paste does not help against gingivitis and plaque on the teeth. But it really protects from destruction of enamel.

Which toothbrush is better

Electric toothbrushes are many times more expensive than conventional ones. But it seems to be warranted in the fight against plaque and gingivitis.

The researchers compared Munirah Yaacob, Helen V. Worthington, Scott A. Deacon, Chris Deery, Damien Walmsley, Peter G. Robinson, Anne-Marie Glenny. … teeth of adults and children who used electric and ordinary toothbrushes. A month later, it turned out that among the representatives of the first group, the formation of plaque decreased by 11%, and after three months - by 21%. After a month of using electric toothbrushes, the incidence of gingivitis decreased by 6%, and after 3 months - by 11%.

Models with a rotating head are best at dealing with plaque.

How many times a day should you brush your teeth

Another fact that you will like. It has never been confirmed that brushing your teeth after every meal is really beneficial. It is believed that this may even be harmful. No unequivocal evidence of this or that has been found.

Do you need professional teeth cleaning?

Polishing and grinding teeth, or professional cleaning, some dentists recommend doing twice a year. However, this procedure has a number of contraindications: allergic reactions to the medications used, enamel sensitivity, gum bleeding.

In 2005, eight studies were conducted by Jim Bader. … the impact of professional cleaning on dental health. None of them even confirmed the safety of this procedure, let alone the need to do it regularly.

Which seals to put: expensive or cheap

Dentists always offer a more expensive filling. Here is a study by Yengopal V., Harnekar S. Y., Patel N., Siegfried N. which showed that there is no difference between new and old fillings.

Why do you need interdental brushes

In 2015, a review was published by Shalini Gugnani, Neeraj Gugnani. … seven studies in which 354 patients brushed their teeth in three ways:

• only with a brush;
• brush and floss;
• brush and brushes.

Only once have scientists noted that additional brushing has advantages over brushing. But the evidence cannot be considered rigorous, as it is a superficial study: in the long term, the effect has not been analyzed. The same goes for the comparison of dental brushes and dental floss.

There is not enough data to draw conclusions about the benefits of interdental brushes.

How often do you need to visit the dentist

In 2013, scientists analyzed Bisakha Sen, Justin Blackburn, Michael A. Morrisey, Meredith L. Kilgore, David J. Becker, Cathy Caldwell, Nir Menachemi. … data from medical examinations of 36,000 children. With regular preventive examinations, the likelihood of subsequent treatment requests was indeed lower. But preventive examinations are economically justified not more often than once a year.

Further research showed Bisakha Sen, Justin Blackburn, Meredith L. Kilgore, Michael A. Morrisey, David J. Becker, Cathy Caldwell, Nir Menachemi. … that the positive effect was not preventive examinations as such, but the use of dental sealants. Dental sealants are coatings that are applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth to protect them. This procedure is most effective for children when the teeth are not yet damaged.

But when applied correctly, sealants last from three to five years. Therefore, in this case, you can get by with more rare visits to the dentist.

What else can help preserve teeth

The addition of fluoride substances to tap water to prevent dental diseases in areas where natural fluoride in the water is below normal has always caused a lot of controversy. But health organizations around the world claim that fluoride is essential to prevent tooth decay.

What conclusions can be drawn

It definitely makes sense to brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride paste. Child's teeth can be covered with sealant or fluoride varnish. But the benefits of other dental services are questionable.

Lack of evidence of benefit is certainly not evidence of harm. More research is needed. In the meantime, we just have to weigh the pros and cons.

It may be worth continuing to use dental floss: it is simple and inexpensive. But preventive examinations and not always safe professional teeth cleaning are hardly worth what they ask for.

We have to admit that we cannot always control the health of our teeth. Genetic predisposition, the composition of saliva, which is influenced by the general condition of the body, and the characteristics of the bite play a role.

This does not mean that you need to stop caring for your oral cavity. But it is worth focusing on those measures that are guaranteed to have a positive effect.