Healthy teeth depend on your habits

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Poor oral hygiene and a habit of consuming surgary treats after every meal or during tea time can expose you to the two most common oral problems -- periodontal disease and dental caries respectively.

These oral problems are common because the bacteria normally exist in the mouth. However, their growth can be uncontrollable due to failure to remove plaque, which harbors more bacteria, and that is aggravated by eating sugary food, making it a favorable living environment.

Both dental caries and periodontal disease can be prevented by finding an effective and personal way to cleanse one's teeth twice a day and making sure to brush after consuming sweets.

A dentist from University of Indonesia, Felix Aryadi Joelimar explained that bacteria often concentrated in the areas between the gums and teeth, as well as in between teeth, and on a tooth's surface. The bacteria will accumulate and become plaque, which is removed by regular brushing at least twice daily.

"When we eat sweet food, the sugary remnants left in the mouth are used by bacteria in the plaque for their energy and it also produces an acidic byproduct that may slowly dissolve the tooth's minerals. This demineralization will in turn lead to a cavity," Felix said.

Felix said that at first the plaque is dominated by coccus shaped bacteria living in an aerobic (oxygen presence) environment, Streptococcus mutans. However when the plaque thickens and cannot be penetrated by oxygen, it becomes an ideal living environment for anaerobic bacteria. The anaerobic bacteria will release toxins that can cause painful gum inflammation, leading to periodontal disease.

This periodontal disease would likely occur if one does not brush often enough or not thoroughly enough.

He explained that dental caries which has also been dubbed "the civilized disease" as experts have learned from excavated Egyptian skulls that those of nobles and high ranking officials had dental caries because they could afford to consume expensive honey and other sugary treats. Periodontal disease, he added, often affects poor people because they fail to maintain oral hygiene since they do not know how to properly do it and many do not use tooth paste or toothbrush when cleaning their teeth.

While dental caries causes a painful sensation, especially when eating, symptoms that accompany periodontal disease include the gums turning red, becoming soft and easily bleed with a pulsating sensation.

To prevent the development of dental caries, Felix told people need to cut their sugary intake to control the bacteria's growth or to make sure to brush their teeth after consuming sweet food.

"The teeth demineralization process can be hampered by eliminating either the plaque or the sweet food," he said.

Periodontal disease, he said, can be prevented by finding an individual way to effectively remove accumulated plaque and ensure oral hygiene.

"This is important because people have different dental structures and they have to find a way to thoroughly remove the plaque, especially in areas difficult to be reached with a toothbrush," Felix said, adding that tests have shown that improving brushing methods can effectively remove plaque as well as improve gum condition.

He also stressed the importance of using dental floss to clean between the teeth, while mouthwash can kill bacteria. It is also advisable to brush the tongue because bacteria also exists on its surface and can cause bad breath.

Using tooth paste with fluoride, he added, will help protect teeth against decay, while using water with fluoride for daily needs, like in most modern developed countries, can ensure growth of strong teeth.

Joelimar also encouraged people to see a dentist at least twice a year to remove tartar, whose porous surface harbors bacteria, as it cannot be removed by regular brushing.