A-Z about your teeth.

Scared or tired of going to your dentist?

Injections are a big no no? 

Well you got a big cavity even after an intense session of brushing and cleaning your teeth everyday? 

Fret not ! I'll demystify everything I learnt in my dentistry career in basic terminologies so you get to reap the benefits of knowledge. 

Let's get started with the basics.

So your each tooth is made up of 2 protective layers, protecting the essence of the tooth- pulp, which is at the core.

Any irritation or infection to the pulp (core), and almost most of the time your tooth is up for a toss.

So the two barriers to this pulp, from outside to inside are 

1.Enamel - imagine a marble

2.Dentine - imagine exactly the straw with its lumen.

That's it, this is what I've learnt for five years in this course.

Now I'll answer all the questions that just popped in your head.

Q1. If the enamel is strong as a marble, why do I still get cavities?Answer: Though your teeth may seem indestructible, it can still be a victim of your food and stomach. 

The coca-cola that you consumed, the lemon juice that you sipped on, are all acids and though these acids are not strong enough to harm immediately, over a period of time they slowly and minutely dissolve the enamel up, ultimately exposing the inner protective layer dentine.

It takes almost two years for the cavity to disintegrate the enamel and greet the dentine.

Beyond that it's only a matter of time.

Oh yea, obviously the bacterias are involved too.
 

Prevention: 

A) Rinsing your mouth with water after every time you munch onto something.

B) Giving a minimum of 6 hour gap after every munching session so your saliva neutralizes the acid.

C) Avoid brushing immediately after eating or drinking beverage/ drinks, as the acid will soften the enamel, so whilst you brush, you brush away even the enamel. 

Q2. Is scaling/ cleaning teeth important/necessary? 

Answer: We all have to understand that no matter how perfectly and technique ridden you brush and maintain oral hygiene, there will obviously be few nooks and crannies, where you failed to notice.

We are humans afterall.

So what happens is every day, because of our saliva bathing our teeth, a layer of minerals is deposited on the surface- plaque. Some argue it's a good thing.

Whatever they may say, in the long run, if we don't brush regularly and remove these plaque, it accumulates and becomes a thick structure, just like our enamel, and starts growing.

Sounds fun? Wondering that it might be good because it acts as a protective layer from acids and bacteria?.

Well you may be right but the bigger downside is as it grows, it creeps into the empty space between the gum tissue and your teeth, and starts growing inside.
 

Once it grows to a significant size, it irritates that area, in turn irritating the bone underneath, causing erosion of the bone, which in turn causes gum recession. 

And trust me, it's a serious issue.

Assessment: scratch the surface of your teeth with your nail, you'll see white stuff, that's called plaque, might check your brushing method if it's still showing up immediately after brushing.
 

Prevention/Treatment: Doesn't matter whether you brush or not, though brushing is advised.

Getting your teeth cleaned/ scaled is absolute mandatory every 6 months.

Brush if you believe if you can't maintain oral etiquettes mentioned in question 1.

Question 3: It's just a small black dot, not a big deal.

Answer: it's easier for the bacteria to dig deeper and wider as the inside part of enamel is soft and also the dentine below that is easy peasy to break through so almost everytime, it'll look like a triangle with the apex point pointing being visible to our eye and the broad base being inside the teeth.

Assessment: Look in front of a mirror and identify whether the blackened surface is food or dye, and try to remove it gently not violently. If it still persists, visit the dentist for a restoration.
 

Treatment: Get the black colored cavity drilled out, and a restoration to fill the void left by the missing enamel. As non enamel surface melts like butter for the bacteria.

Question 4: Teeth hurts due to temperature change?

Answer:  you might have a missing enamel to protect the inner layer, therefore your pulp might react to various temperature changes.

Also FYI, the teeth surface below the gum, which is usually not visible to us, unless you have gum recession is devoid of enamel, so that might be the reason too.

Assessment: Take cold water or cold metal spoon and touch your surface and remove it. If it caused pain while you touched it and the pain vanished while you removed it, fear not, that means your tooth is Alive (pulp)

If the pain still lingers even after removing the spoon or cold stimulant, it most probably would go for root canal or extraction.

Treatment: Fix your cavities by a dentist, to fill the missing enamel areas in your teeth.

If gum recession, definitely scaling and antibiotics. Based on the severity. 
 

Question 5: Why do I have sensitivity? 

Answer: It is because the dentine (straw layer) might be exposed, though enamel might seem to be intact.

When it is exposed, temperature change, liquid, air, etc might cause the liquid in the straw to move violently shifting it's mechanics, causing a strange unpleasant sensation in the tooth

This is a curious topic that is still being researched.

And as per some research, almost 80% of the people have sensitivity in the lower front areas, the reason is still not clear.

Treatment: Use toothpastes intended for sensitivity treatment. It will have few minerals or contents that block the open end of the straw, thereby preventing the fluid agitations in it.

Question 6: Why does my tooth hurt?

Answer: Your pulp might be involved.

It could be various reasons - a crack, a cavity, congenital issues, etc.

Assessment and treatment: Tap your teeth from above, if it hurts, it's definitely going for a root canal treatment or extraction.

If it doesn't hurt while tapping but it hurts some other time, that means your pulp can still be saved and removing the cavity or repairing the crack might solve your problem.

Question 7: So what is root canal treatment 

Answer: It's basically removing your pulp which has blood vessels and nerves that give you the sensation of pain and touch.

We basically remove all that and fill it with a body compatible material and fill it up.

And since now there are no nerves, you wouldn't have pain.

Yes, it's done when the pulp cannot be saved.

Question 8: Which bristle brush should I use?

Answer: Soft and soft and soft.

Always use soft.

Medium and hard are for advertisements not for your teeth.

Also just because you bought soft doesn't mean you have to use all your force to brush and destroy your enamel.

Question 9: Can I use mouthwash instead of brushing? 

Answer: Absolutely not

Why?

Your mouthwash will kill the bacteria only, also that too without any discrimination between good and bad bacteria. 

It doesn't remove the plaque that causes calculus that causes bone loss.

Also using it for more than the recommended days causes the bacteria to become resistant to it in the future.

Question 10: is chewing bubblegum harmful to teeth? 

Answer: It's infact beneficial to the teeth.

How?

It causes high saliva stimulation which in turn causes cleansing of the tooth from varying bacterias and also reducing the acidity in the mouth by buffering the acid.

Yes, chew bubblegums everyday lol

Hey, first time writer here, if you have any more doubts, please feel free to write down in the comments below and also give a review.