Oral Health - Important for Children
Oral Health – Important for Adults
Prevention Is Key
Four Steps for Prevention
Brush With Fluoride Toothpaste Daily
Sweets With Meals Only
Yearly Dental Visit
Floss Daily

Head Start programs spend a great deal of time and energy on children's oral health. All children in a Head Start program receive a dental examination and any necessary follow-up treatment. They are taught about the dentist, oral health, and oral hygiene. In Head Start programs, they also brush their teeth every day and are not allowed to eat sugar between meals. Why do the programs go to all this trouble? Because healthy teeth are important to children’s overall health!

But what about your teeth? They are important, too!

Fortunately, many of the things that Head Start does for the children's teeth can also help yours.

The key to good oral health is prevention. Most dental problems can be prevented with just a little bit of work each day. Unfortunately, many people wait until they have a problem and then try to do something about it. Once a problem has occurred, however, it can often be difficult and expensive to fix.

When I talk to Head Start parents about their children's teeth, I tell them there are three things they can do to insure that their child will have a healthy mouth—

1. Help the child brush each day with a fluoride toothpaste.
2. Make sure the child does not eat a lot of sweets between meals or go to bed with a bottle containing sugar.
3. Take the child to the dentist at least once a year so that little problems do not become big problems.

These same rules apply to adult teeth. However, there is one additional rule for adults—

4. Floss the teeth every day to insure that the gums and the bone that supports the teeth remain healthy.

Let's take these rules and apply them to adults.

Brush your teeth each day with a fluoride toothpaste.

The most common problem with teeth is decay. Decay begins when a film of bacteria and fibers builds up on the teeth. This is called plaque. The bacteria in the plaque take sugar from the foods that people eat and produce acid. The acid eating away at the tooth is called decay; the hole is called a cavity.

While decay is more commonly found in children, it does occur in adults. Toothbrushing alone will not prevent all decay, but it will help. Dentists usually recommend that teeth be thoroughly brushed several times a day, using a soft brush in a circular motion. This will remove most of the plaque, especially that which builds up near the gums and on the smooth, outer surfaces of the teeth.

Using a fluoride toothpaste is important for two reasons. The toothpaste itself is a mild abrasive, so it makes it easier for the brush to remove the plaque. Also, the fluoride in the toothpaste is deposited on the surfaces of the teeth and makes them more resistant to the acid created by the plaque. If there is fluoride in the water supply you drink, this will also help prevent decay. Used properly, fluoride is one of the best ways of preventing tooth decay.

Eat sweets with meals, not between meals.

The bacteria in the plaque take the sugar from the food and turn it into acid. If the bacteria do not have the sugar, they cannot produce the acid. Unfortunately, people in this country eat a lot of sugar—more than a hundred pounds per person each year. That is a lot of sugar! The good news is that people do not have to stop eating sugar entirely to reduce the amount of decay they get.

Most people eat three meals a day. When they do, the bacteria feed on the sugar in the food, and the acid level in the mouth goes up. Normally, this process stops soon after the meal is finished and the acid level goes back down. But if the person begins drinking a soft drink or snacking on a candy bar between the meals, the process starts all over again. When this happens, the teeth are constantly exposed to the acid. These eating habits can destroy a person’s teeth in a short period of time. The most important thing to remember here is to eat sweets with meals, not between meals.

Visit the dentist at least once a year so that little problems do not become big problems.

A simple fact of life is that decayed teeth do not get better. They either stay the same or, more likely, get worse. As more and more acid is produced, the cavity gets bigger and bigger. It also gets deeper. The center of each tooth is a hollow cavity known as the pulp chamber. It contains the blood and nerve supply to the tooth. When the decay reaches the pulp cavity, the tooth dies. If this happens, the only thing that can save the tooth is a root canal and a crown. If nothing is done, it is highly likely that an infection will begin in the pulp chamber and spread to the bone surrounding the tooth. This is called an abscess and it can be very painful. It usually requires treatment with antibiotics.

Little problems are much easier and less expensive to fix than big ones. The longer a person waits, the more difficult the problem is to fix and the more it costs. If a person waits too long, it may not be possible to fix the problem at all. When this happens, the tooth is lost and the situation becomes even more serious. All of this can be avoided if the dentist finds the problem early and fixes it.

Floss teeth every day to insure that the gums and the bone that support the teeth remain healthy.

I once worked in a dental office that had a sign on the wall that read, "You don’t have to floss all of your teeth, just the ones you want to keep." It’s true! Adults who don't brush and floss their teeth regularly are likely to lose them because of gum disease. Most people are taught to brush their teeth to prevent tooth decay. That is fine, but as one gets older, decay becomes less of a problem and gum disease becomes more of one. The bacteria found in the plaque, in addition to causing decay, also cause gum disease.

The plaque first builds up next to the gum tissue, both on the outer surfaces and between the teeth. If left there, it begins to irritate the gums. As the gums become more irritated and inflamed, they appear red and bleed easily. A person whose gums bleed easily when they brush and floss has at least some gum disease. There usually is no need to panic, since there should still be time to do something about it. If nothing is done, the inflamed gum tissue will begin to affect the underlying bone that supports the teeth. Over a long period of time, the bone will erode, and the teeth will become loose in their sockets. This is what many people call Pyorrhea. Dentists call it Periodontal Disease. Unless treated, it eventually leads to tooth loss.

Fortunately, the brushing that is done to prevent tooth decay also helps to prevent gum disease. It does not do the whole job. To prevent gum disease, the teeth also need to be flossed every day. Brushing only removes the plaque on the outer surfaces of the teeth. The plaque between the teeth must be removed with dental floss. If it is not, gum disease will occur in this area.

So what does this tell us? The key to good oral health in adults is the same as that in children: prevention! The more people do for themselves, and the earlier they do it, the better off they will be. If adults follow a few simple rules, they can have a lifetime of healthy smiles. If they do not, they will probably pay the price.

Harry W. Bickel, Jr., D.M.D, Western Kentucky University.

See also:
     Head Start Bulletin #75