Dental Care: Dentist Tips

1. Are toothpastes different from each other or is it just advertising?

Toothpastes are really different. To choose the one you need, carefully study the composition. There are three types of pastes:

1. Hygienic – only clean the teeth

2. Treatment-and-prophylactic – prevent the occurrence of diseases

3. Medicinal, as you might guess, heals.

To reduce the risk of tooth decay, strengthen teeth and create a protective layer, fluoride and potassium are needed. Look for them in the composition of the therapeutic and prophylactic paste. For periodontal diseases, drugs with triclosan, metronidazole, zinc compounds are needed.

If your teeth react to hot, cold, sweet foods, then choose healing pastes with hydroxyapatite, dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, biologically active calcium chloride or potassium nitrate. They reduce sensitivity.

2. If wisdom teeth grow painfully, crookedly, is it possible to pull them out immediately and not suffer?

If your wisdom teeth are crooked, damaged, or sore, it is best to remove them. Sometimes they don’t grow at all. But for other teeth you have to fight and, before removing, stubbornly try to preserve them.

By the way, about wisdom! Doctors noticed that the more teeth a person has, the better the chewing muscles work, the blood flow to the carotid artery and through it to the brain is activated. More teeth – better thinking!

3. Is it possible to whiten teeth?

Pharmacy whitening pastes will not change the color of your teeth very much. You can whiten your teeth with a doctor using professional tools, for example, hydrogen peroxide gels. Whiteness will last from six months to a year. But this procedure harms the teeth: it violates the protective film of the enamel. Keep in mind: Your teeth will get lighter if you quit smoking.

Beneficial prevention

• See your dentist every six months. The consultation is usually free.
• Don’t skimp when choosing a toothbrush. Cheap (up to 30 rubles) are most often made from materials unsuitable for cleaning teeth. Buy brushes only at the pharmacy and change in two to two and a half months. Otherwise, germs accumulate and the brush becomes a source of infection.
• Clean the space between the teeth with floss floss.
• Thoroughly brush your teeth for at least 5 minutes 2-3 times a day, and preferably after each meal. If this does not work, rinse your mouth with water.
• Plaque and calculus should be removed regularly at the dental clinic. Do not refuse to cover your teeth with a protective fluoride film every six months or a year. The film increases the durability of the enamel, does not allow calcium to be washed out.

4. If a tooth is ill, and the doctor is far away, how to help yourself?

Drink any pain reliever. Rinse your mouth with water at a comfortable temperature with baking soda. One more thing: try to relieve pain with acupuncture. In oriental medicine, it is believed that points connected to the mouth are located on the nail plate of the thumbs.

So, the hole is the projection of the upper jaw, the end of the nail and finger is the lower jaw. For example, if you have a sore bottom tooth on the left side, use your thumbnail of one hand to press down firmly on the nail at the end of the thumb of the other hand. Press until the pain subsides.

5. What foods and drinks are good for teeth?

Any tea is useful – it contains a lot of fluorine, and fish contains “deposits” of calcium and phosphorus.

6. When is the best time to go to the dentist?

Some doctors claim that our body’s sensitivity to pain changes throughout the day. The pain is most easily tolerated at 4 pm. Afraid – go to the appointment at this time. In many ways, fear depends on your attitude and on the doctor.

Tell yourself, if need be, I’ll get an anesthetic injection. Sitting in a chair, take a few shallow breaths and try to relax. A good doctor is always a little psychotherapist, he will help you feel comfortable.

7. How good is the electric brush?

It is good for those who are very lazy. But this device makes the same type of movement, which in some cases can contribute to the erasure of the enamel. This brush is not suitable for people with tooth sensitivity. By the way, you need to change the brush heads as often as ordinary brushes, only it will take a lot more money.

How to save?

• Often, when choosing a toothpaste, its composition is more important than the manufacturer. For example, sodium fluoride and triclosan are the main components of an expensive imported paste (from 65 to 80 rubles) and a domestically produced paste, which is more affordable (from 30 to 45 rubles). If you do not overpay “for the brand”, you can save 50%.
• Experts say that medicinal substances in toothpastes are present in such microscopic doses that the effect of them is minimal, and the main thing is not how to brush your teeth, but how. Therefore, mechanical cleansing is much more important.
• It is always much more profitable to buy pasta in a large package than in a small one. And since the shelf life of toothpaste is on average 1,5–2 years, it is easier, teaming up with friends, to buy a batch in a hypermarket or at a small wholesale outlet. This will save up to 30% (25 rubles per tube for a wholesale purchase versus 35 rubles on average).
• All family members can use a paste of the same type, if one of them does not have special indications.
• Instead of an expensive imported mouthwash (from 150 rubles), you can buy chamomile or sage herb at the pharmacy (about 40 rubles). Their infusions have a bactericidal effect, relieve gum inflammation, get rid of unpleasant odors and help in the work of blood vessels.