Everyone experiences a dental problem at some point in their lives. We also ask ourselves a lot of dental questions that we need answers to. Certainly, there are too many questions in our heads to ask our dental professionals.
But some dental questions are very common and certain subjects receive thousand of online inquiries every day. Among these frequently asked dental questions, oral care routines like what we should do at home and when to seek help are the most common. So we are going to examine some of those frequently asked dental questions in various segments.
Most Frequent Dental Questions About At-Home Oral Care
1. What should I do to practise good oral hygiene at home?
To start with the very first of dental questions, the very first thing that comes up to mind is obviously brushing. How to brush your teeth properly? This is indeed an important dental question. But even if you do it right, only brushing will not help you too much on your way to achieve good oral hygiene.
Flossing is a very important step as well. But also in addition to brushing and flossing, there are also other key elements for at-home oral care. Using fluoride-contained products are of them. Also, we should care about what our diet contains. Fewer snacks that are high in sugar and more healthy ingredients; including vegetables and fruits. And of course, avoiding tobacco as much as you can.
2. What type of toothbrush and toothpaste should I use?
The very first thing we should think about is soft bristles when we are buying toothbrushes. Hard and medium bristles can harm your teeth and also your gums.
A lot of people asked on dental questions portals about if they should get a powered toothbrush. In fact, powered and manual toothbrushes both clean your teeth. They generally perform the same tasks. But if you are having trouble using your hands, then it might be a good idea to get a powered toothbrush. You should also consider that you need to replace your toothbrush every 3 or 4 months. Because when bristles are bent, they do not clean as much as new ones. You can also think that these bent bristles are the sign of how much you give pressure to your teeth and gum.
When it comes to toothpaste, the most important material it should contain is fluoride. Because it strengthens your teeth and also acts as protective material. For people who do not want to use fluoride or have a fluoride allergy, they can get natural ingredient based products as well.
3. Are mouthwash products effective?
There are a lot of available mouthwash products in the market. Cosmetic mouthwashes can be effective to freshen your breath, keep your teeth healthy and also help to fight cavities thanks to the fluoride material.
There are also more advanced options, but you will need a prescription from your dental professional. Mouthwashes that contain chlorhexidine gluconate are very effective to kill bacteria. These types of bacterias can cause bleeding, plaque, and inflammation.
More Dental Questions: What Worries Us the Most About General Oral Health?
4. How often should I get a dental check-up?
The answer to these dental questions obviously depends on the person. Because every person has their own dental problems and their dental appointment schedule will be dependent on these problems and their treatments. But generally for adults, one or two visits per year to your dental professionals is advised, if you do not have peculiar and specific dental problems. Also during your visits, you can get your teeth cleaned. So, in return, you will get better dental hygiene!
5. What are the general causes of tooth decay?
Tooth decay is a type of damage from the dental plaque. These dental plaques turn sugars into acid then the acid erodes your tooth surface. Our months are actually filled with bacterias. These bacterias form dental plaques over your teeth. They change the sugars that you consume as food and drink to acid. The acid breaks down the surface and that leads cavities.
These cavities at first happen at the enamel, then it leads to the dentine. Dentine is much softer so the process accelerates. Even then the bacteria is going to stop. They enter the pulp and even to your nerves. At this stage, the patients feel pain thanks to bacteria and nerve interaction.
Getting Specific: Dental Questions When You Have Certain Issues
6. What can we do to improve the whiteness of our teeth?
When it comes to our looks, parts of our confidence depends on our smiles. So our oral hygiene and health are very much related to how we feel in general. That is why it is no wonder why a lot of people ask how to improve their teeth’s whiteness and what they should do.
We should not confuse a natural teeth color that is different than sparkling white, with a shade of white that requires some sort of intervention, though. What is an acceptable natural teeth color shade? We recommend you check our post first.
Back to the question: During the course of their lives, our teeth lose their original color. This can result from internal or surface stains. Coffee, tobacco, wine, and pigmented foods are the general causes of this discoloration in our teeth. You should treat these stains with products that you can use at home. Also, you can go to your dentist to have professional teeth whitening. Teeth whitening indeed has many advantages other than merely color correction – check out our post about teeth whitening advantages.
7. What is tooth sensitivity and why I am having this problem?
If you feel pain when you consume hot, cold, sweet, or acidic foods or drinks, then there is a good chance that you are suffering from tooth sensitivity. This happens when your tooth enamel’s protection ability to pulp and dentin decreases against exposure to acidity and extreme temperatures.
Not only enamel’s protection decrease, but also receding gums, tooth grinding, orthodontics and fillings can also be the reasons why you are having this problem.
8. When should I get dental implants?
Dental implants are great ways to replace your missing and decayed teeth. They are permanent solutions for your problems and they can endure very long. In terms of durability, it is much better than dentures if you have healthy gum and jawbone. So if you are a healthy patient with gum and jawbone in good condition, then you are a good candidate to have a dental implant procedure. You can have a look at our blog post about dental implants on https://smileteamturkey.com/blog/dental-implant-in-just-4-steps/ to have a better idea about the dental implant procedure!
Last but not the Least: Dental Questions for Infants
9. When does my baby start to lose teeth?
At the age of between 6 and 8, most of the children start to lose their baby teeth. There is also an order in this falling out series. They fall out according to the same order they grew. But since kids are different from each other, this process also varies according to the children. The situation of this process also depends on your kid’s dental appointment frequency and sensitivity.
10. When should I take my child to their first dentist visit?
Dental professionals suggest that your children’s first dental appointment should be before their first birthday. Because the cavities start to occur when they reach two. Therefore, going to dentists before this age might help your dental professional to spot the potential dental problems of your child.
Right out of our dental clinic in Turkey, we wanted to share our professional team’s opinion on dental questions that have been most frequently searched for online! For more specific dental questions you have in mind, feel free to contact us.
You can read our previous post on https://smileteamturkey.com/blog/routines-for-healthy-teeth-and-gums/
