Dental care routine for today’s youth

In the present scenario, the youth due to their busy schedules tend to ignore dental care and given they are busy with their social media, parties, socialising and work, there is a lot of dental abuse going on. Teeth brushing twice a day is an integral part of dental care and the youth of today tend to be very negligent about it since they not only forget to brush twice a day but also do not visit the dentist regularly as advised.

It's only when they have severe pain that they rush in an emergency to the dentist. An ideal oral health routine includes more than just brushing twice a day. Lt Gen Dr Vimal Arora, Chief Clinical Officer at Clove Dental Care, listed the following steps you can follow to keep your mouth healthy and happy:

1. Brushing and flossing - You should brush and floss your teeth daily in the morning when you wake up and before sleeping at night. Some people skip brushing their teeth at night and it gives germs a chance to settle in your mouth. It also makes your mouth smell bad. Research shows that brushing your teeth at night is much more important. Dental health also includes brushing without harming your gums and most important is to visit your dentist twice a year for routine dental check-up. Flossing also contributes a lot to better oral hygiene. It helps to remove the food particles stuck in the corner of your teeth.

2. Rinsing with salt water - We all know that salt water is useful in many ways for sore throat, insect bites, mouth ulcers etc but did you know that it can also be used as an anti-germ mouthwash. Rinsing the mouth with salt water helps in keeping the gums healthy and also soothe the inflammation of gums.

3. Timely dental check-ups - There are some areas in your mouth which can be missed even though you have a routine of brushing and flossing. Hence, it is important to go for dental check-ups and professional cleaning at least twice a year.

4. Avoiding sugar and acidic foods - Sugary or acidic foods stain your teeth hence, you should try to avoid them. Drinks like tea, coffee and wine discolour your teeth with time. You don't have to stop enjoying your favourite foods and drinks but just make sure to fully rinse your mouth after each meal or drink.

Advising that ideally we should visit a dentist every six months to prevent diseases, Dr Shweta Gupta, BDS, MS Implantology and Dental Expert, highlighted, “There is an increasing trend of smoking and pan masala chewing. It is considered cool if you smoke and also due to peer pressure, the youth is inclined towards such activities. These bad habits can lead to dental problems like periodontitis and even oral cancers. Drinking and driving also leads to accidents which cause fractures of face jaws and complicated surgeries have to be done to correct the damage caused. So drinking and driving should be discouraged.”

She pointed out, “Aerated drinks also cause erosion of enamel which makes the teeth weak as there is sensitivity in teeth as well. Youngsters should try to reduce the intake of such drinks. Teeth are very important and we need them not only for eating but also speaking, they support our lips and make us look good. So, dental health is of utmost importance.”

Talking about the erratic eating habits among the youth, Dr Shweta Gupta said, “There is an increasing intake of junk food and sugary food as well, which causes diseases like dental caries and severe painful conditions. So to prevent these problems one should avoid processed and sticky food as much as possible. Also, if one has eaten chocolates etc they should rinse, brush or eat something fibrous so that the mouth is clean immediately.”