Oral health plays a vital role in the health and well-being of all people and, subsequently, the quality of life. Till recently it was felt that aging had to do with debilitating changes in oral functioning like loss of teeth, less salivary flow, mucosal atrophy and loss of taste. Recent research, however, withdraws many such misconceptions. Oral health myths and their debunking include:

Myth 1: Cavities are for children.
Reality: Wrong. If you have one or more of your natural teeth, you can still develop cavities. Cavities are more common as you grow older as your gums tend to pull away from the base of the teeth, leaving the roots exposed.

Myth 2: Those who have false teeth do not have to see a dentist anymore.
Reality: Wrong again, even if you have one or more false teeth or dentures, you must still clean them and visit your dentist on a regular basis.

Myth 3: Teeth are only for appearances sakes.
Reality: Wrong once more. Definitive studies have revealed the link between poor oral health and diseases like diabetes in people of all ages. In seniors, poor oral health is connected to respiratory diseases. Research has also revealed a possible link between oral health and heart disease.

Myth 4: Overall health does not depend on our oral health.
Reality: Not altogether true. If your gums are unhygienic, dental bacterial byproducts could get into your blood stream and this might result in heart diseases, strokes or under-weight child birth.

Myth 5: When brushing, bleeding is normal.
Reality: Not so. bleeding gums are just a sign of gum disease.

Myth 6: Brushing is done to remove food particles.
Reality: This is only partly right. By brushing and flossing daily it helps keep formation of plaque to the minimum, thus preventing oral diseases.

Myth 7: Bad breath is the result of lack of oral hygiene.
Reality: This again is only partly correct. There are some bacteria on the tongue and throat that produce volatile sulfur compounds. Excessive sulfur compounds result in the bad breath.

Myth 8: Pregnant women do not require dental checkups.
Reality: Unfortunately, no. Dental health has an impact on the health of baby to be born. Dental diseased during pregnancy could raise the chances of having a premature, under-weight baby.

Myth 9: Tooth loss is inevitable the older you grow.
Reality: Sadly it is not so. Around 15 years ago, over 50% Americans above 65 were totally toothless. By the year 1985, the figure had fallen to around 41% overall, ranging from 32% in ages 65-69 and 49% in the over 80 age group.

Herbal Natural Therapies for Oral Hygiene

A number of herbs have antibacterial properties that aid in oral hygiene routine. They also make the breath smell a little sweeter. For instance, as therapies for oral hygiene, essential oils of peppermint, spearmint, and almond can all be rubbed around the base of the gums.

As a therapy for oral hygiene tea tree oil has a lot more bacterial-fighting agents than the above mentioned essential oils. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your toothbrush during brushing and it will leave your gums feeling clean and invigorated.

For centuries, another of the best natural therapies for oral hygiene is green tea. For long have the Chinese used green tea as an oral rinse for regular mouth care, since it contains powerful antioxidants that besides other things help boost the immune system.

Home Remedies for toothaches

The good old clove is one of the best known home remedies for toothache relief. Clove helps abate the pain with its antiseptic properties. In fact, clove oil, applied on the painful tooth, helps ease toothaches pain fairly quickly. Alternatively, try grinding a clove and applying the powder on the affected area.

Wheat grass juice is widely available nowadays as a fantastic home remedy to help prevent toothaches. Sometimes it can even cure. You may chew on wheat grass for pain relief; it will prevent bacteria from procreating and even draw bacteria out of the painful area.

A piece of raw onion chewed for 3 minutes helps ease toothache pain, or kill oral bacteria. This not only helps relieve the pain, it also helps cure toothaches. If you cannot chew, a small piece of raw onion applied directly to the infected spot will ease the pain almost immediately.

A lukewarm saltwater mouthwash also mildly disinfects the mouth and helps rinse the teeth and gums, thus providing gentle toothache pain relief. This is, perhaps, the easiest toothache home pain remedy, as everyone has some salt in their kitchens.

Finally, for successful toothache relief, a clove of garlic possibly mashed up with some salt and placed on the tooth helps relieve the pain. It even acts as an anesthetic, sometimes even curing mild toothaches. This home remedy could be one of the more successful ones of regularly applied.

Kevin Pederson
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/myths-about-oral-health-127941.html

Dreaming of getting a million dollar smile? Wont be possible without a good and stunning set of teeth. But how to achieve that? Not a task. All you need is just a little more concern and time for your invaluable possession: your teeth.

Your teeth are made up of three distinct layers, namely enamel, dentine and pulp. Some food particles get accumulated every time you munch on your favorite food. And if you do not clean them regularly, the food that is stuck is converted into lactic acid by the bacterial action. This acid dissolves enamel and dentine and produces a cavity. So to avoid dental problems, it is advisable for you to brush your teeth, twice a day.

To properly remove plaque from your teeth, after brushing, gently massage your gums with your fingers. This activity increases the supply of blood in your gums. Also use a tongue cleaner; for a good and effective tongue cleaning.

Choosing the right kind of toothbrush is very crucial for the over all health of your teeth. A brush with M-shaped bristles is an ideal one. Always go in for soft bristles. Your teeth are constituted of two major elements. They are calcium and phosphorus. These elements help in hardening your teeth and also in the formation of teeth in children. Therefore your diet should be planned in such a manner that you get quite a good amount of both these elements.

Your diet plan also plays a very important role in preventing tooth decay. You should eat considerable amounts of raw foods as they are important for producing friction in your gums. The activity of friction helps in keeping the gums firm and also in removing the plaque.

These raw foods are termed as Detergent Foods. Apart from them millets and sesame seeds are good as they contain considerable amounts of calcium.

Sunflower seeds are also storehouse of various elements. They contain vitamin A, fluoride, phosphorus and calcium. Sunflower seeds also prevent bleeding of gums. Foods like parsley, turnip, beet and radishes, to name a few, contain a green pigment chlorophyll, that help you keep proper health of your teeth.

The old age tree product, Neem sticks are of great help as they are highly rich in chlorophyll. Beside this, Rose water, spirit and peppermint mixed with water makes a refreshing mouthwash.

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/dental-health-easy-home-remedies-for-healthy-teeth-103872.html

There are many different things that will help you keep a beautiful smile. Your dental health is directly affected by the steps you take to prevent problems. Between visits to your dentist, you should inspect your mouth also. You deal with your mouth much more than anyone else, so you should check it out regularly. You should look for several things in your mouth. Check for chipped teeth, as this can lead to a much bigger problem in the long run. Look for sores or cuts on the gums or tongue. Your teeth could be discolored or you could be experiencing pain in some area of your mouth. If any of these signs show up, you should consult your dentist to see what they recommend.

Eat a healthy diet to ensure healthy teeth and gums. When you eat, there’s a chance that food particles will be stuck on or in between your teeth. Common sense tells you that the less frequently you eat sweets and sugar, the less likely it will be stuck on your teeth. This will prevent the enamel on your teeth from extensive damage. Besides sweets another very harmful substance for your teeth is tobacco. Tobacco in any form is terrible for your teeth. Everyone has witnessed firsthand the nasty yellow teeth of a chronic smoker. Even though you see that, you still may use tobacco.

Keep in mind, like causes create like effects. If you smoke or chew tobacco, it will hurt your teeth. There’s no getting around it. Quit immediately! It will add years onto your life and whiteness onto your teeth.

Besides these tips, brushing and flossing frequently is obviously still required. Brushing three times per day is ideal, but two times is ok. You should also floss everyday, and twice per day is ideal also. If you do it once per day, you’ll be doing pretty well. Another good activity to engage in is using fluoride. This is great for your teeth and can be found in toothpastes and mouthwash. After brushing and flossing, use mouthwash to finish it off. With these steps, you, too, can have great dental health.

Adrian Adams
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/dental-health-important-steps-to-keep-your-beautiful-smile-part-2-106947.html

Dental health is very important to us all. Unless you want to have a full mouth of dentures by the time you’re 40, it’s essential for you. Unfortunately, there is no exact set of rules that everyone can follow to get the same results. Everyone’s mouth is very different. Depending on what food you eat, what medicine you take, and your oral hygiene, your mouth is very different from someone else’s. This is why it is very difficult for some to take care of their mouth, while it may be very easy for you.

Think about this for a second. All of us know someone who brushes three times a day, flosses and they still have cavities when they go to the dentist. You may be lucky enough that you only brush once a day and you always have a good checkup. While a uniform code of conduct is just not possible, you can come up with a plan for you. In fact, you must do this. Developing a routine that works for you is very important to your dental health.

In order to do this, you must visit the dentist regularly. By regularly I don’t mean once a week, but maybe a few times per year. Consult with your dentist while there about a proper routine. Your dentist should be able to tell you what is best for your mouth. After all, they do see every angle of it during a checkup. If you’re on medication, there’s a chance that you experience dry-mouth. This condition affects your dental health greatly.

Your diet also has a great deal to do with how healthy your teeth are. Obviously, if you eat sweets frequently, you’ll need to take better care of your teeth than someone who doesn’t. If you sleep with your mouth open, you’re more likely to develop gingivitis. Many people have sleep conditions that only allow them to breathe through their mouth. All of these factors must be taken into consideration when formulating a routine for your mouth. Your dentist can help you sort through all of these things and find a plan that works for you.

Adrian Adams
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/dental-health-important-steps-to-keep-your-beautiful-smile-part-1-106946.html

There is a belief in some areas that good oral hygiene can offset the destructive effects of spit tobacco. That belief could not be farther from the truth. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a government agency dealing with oral health, “there is no evidence that brushing and flossing will undo the harm that dip and chew are doing to your teeth and gums.”

Spit tobacco can be many different forms. It may be in powder form such as snuff. It could be “chew” tobacco in a leaf form, loose or twisted, dry or moist. But whatever the name, it is still tobacco.

The tobacco industry prefers to call it smokeless tobacco. The name gives lulls you into the feeling that this type of tobacco consumption is not as bad as cigarettes or other types of tobacco smoking materials. Do not be fooled. This type of tobacco can be devastating to not only your dental hygiene, but also your health in general.

Consider some of the things that spit tobacco can cause.

Cancer of the mouth tops the list as the most dangerous of the effects. It is no respecter of age. This self-induced disease attacks the young as well as the old.

The U.S. Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, M.D., in 1986 declared that “smokeless tobacco represents a significant health risk. It is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes. It can cause cancer…”

Since those that chew or dip leave the tobacco in their mouth for extended periods of time, usually in the same place, this can cause the gums to pull away from the tooth in that area. When the gums pull away from the tooth, sensitive tooth roots are exposed providing an access to the root for any number of problems; sensitivity, decay and infection just to name a few.

Another of those problems is the side effect of the sugar contained in spit tobacco. The longer sugar remains in the mouth the more damage it will do. The extended periods that spit tobacco remains in the mouth provide a perfect opportunity for the sugars to work on the tooth root, causing massive tooth decay.

Many sports figures, as positive influences to youth, are speaking out against spit tobacco. Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins American League winner of the Gold Glove award, six years in a row has come out strong against spit tobacco. Olympic gold medal winners, Picabo Street (alpine skiing) and Dominique Dawes (gymnastics) have lent the weight of their names to the campaign against spit tobacco along with the mega-star Jackie Chan.

Spit tobacco does cause harm, sometimes deadly, to whoever may use it. No matter how much we brush or floss; the effects cannot be overcome unless the habit is stopped.

If you are currently using spit tobacco and want to quit, there are some excellent guidelines given by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Check out their website for a step-by-step guide: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/HealthInformation/DiseasesAndConditions/SpitTobacco/QuittingGuide

Follow the guidelines, quit or help someone quit and let me know so that I can celebrate with you. This is a dental problem that we have the power to end.

Don Robertson
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/effects-of-smokeless-tobacco-on-your-dental-health-138579.html

Creating a beautiful smile, beaming almost from ear to ear, has become an accepted rite of passage for teenagers these days, as common as SATs and their first date.

In fact dental braces are now so common that kids rarely get teased about wearing them and it’s seem as something that ‘just is’, during the teenage years.

To make sure that you get the outcomes that you want with your dental braces, you have ongoing maintenance and care of them to understand carefully.

Are Invisible Braces The Answer?

Although the new style of Invisalign braces are much less intrusive type of dental brace, it would not be true to say that they are the answer to all problems.

They are less annoying in their almost invisibility, yet they still need to be taken care of when used, with cleaning, care with food and other issues a problem.

The ADA (American Dental Association) do not believe that this design of dental brace is suitable for all problems. Indeed they do not recommend they are used for children and when they are used, the best use is for minor work, typically where normal dental braces would not necessarily be used.

A good invention, Invisalign braces fill a niche in the dental braces market, but only a small one, especially where the adult wearer already has a good bite pattern and the issues are minor.

So, traditional dental braces are still the product of choice for most children and adults, whether they have a short or long term problem with their teeth and mouth.

Dental Braces and Intimate Relationships

If you are sexually active and wear dental braces, care must be taken especially when French kissing or other relations that involve the mouth.

The metal in the braces could seriously get in the way and where tender parts of the anatomy or condoms are involved, this might make the experience memorable for the wrong reasons.

No-one would like for dental braces to have a lasting impression such as injury, a sexually transmitted disease or even worse an unwanted pregnancy to be the result.

It’s also possible that even a minor injury could lead to oral or other infections that whilst not described as an STD, would still make a mark on your sexual partner.

Ironically, that is pretty much a kiss of death on any relationship and probably best to be avoided where possible.

Dental braces are a part of growing up. They are quite an important part of dental health and many people have passed this way before.

With a few simple precautions they fulfil an important role in managing the appearance of millions of people today, so they are worth the effort.

Despite the discomfort, many years experience has proven that the effort is worth it and a million-dollar smile is within touch for many more people these days than ever before.

Martin Haworth
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/easy-dental-health-care-dental-braces-what-are-the-issues-187228.html