Dr Mariya Khambati, a dental practitioner in the UK for the last 27 years, addresses dental issues like dry mouth, gum disease, precautions for tooth extraction and also how conditions like diabetes and cancer and even rheumatic conditions have a direct correlation with dental health.
- Good tooth brushing is really important. Good tooth brushing means correct tooth brushing which should also involve cleaning between the teeth which people tend to forget.
- Decay is one of the most important hazards our dental health faces. Best way to stop decay is stop eating sweets or lessen the frequency of consuming sweets. Use a straw for sweet and fizzy drinks to reduce contact with teeth
- Very important to have regular and good dental checkups because checkups not only look at your gums and teeth but also all your soft tissues which is very important for diagnosing cancers which is important as oral cancers are on the rise. If you are someone who has a moderate risk you can do one in 6 months check up, but it should never exceed 18 months.
- There are a lot of implications with oral health. In the Southeast continent, Diabetes is a big factor. Besides that, medicines that one takes, not just oral cancer but any cancer affecting the body, or for heart diseases, even depressants, all medicines are bound to affect one’s oral health. So it is not always the conditions, but chemotherapy or even medicines for osteoporosis can affect oral health, and even invasive treatments.
- Diabetes and Oral Health: People with diabetes are prone to gum disease. A person with poorly controlled blood sugars is likely to have gum disease and bleeding gums, and eventually even tooth loss. Also a person prone to gum disease is more likely to have Diabetes. So regular check ups and oral hygiene is very important.
- Gum issues and symptoms that a person with Diabetes should look out for: One needs to clean teeth well, at least twice a day, at least for 2 minutes each, over all surfaces of the teeth. If one finds the manual brush difficult, then the electronic brush does the job well too, with the right movements. One should brush after breakfast as there will be no eating for a couple of hours and that will allow the tooth paste to work well. And at night, before going to bed, together with interdental cleaning, which will ensure good oral health at night. Lack of good cleaning will cause bleeding and swelling of the gums.
- Tooth implants have a lot of issues and is a big topic by itself. Treatment planning is most important with implants. A well-maintained tooth even with gum disease is better than an implant.
- Cancer treatment and oral issues: With chemotherapy, salivary glands are affected. Reduced salivary flow can affect gum disease and decay in the mouth. Slow immune responses can cause ulcers in the mouth. During chemotherapy, invasive treatments like extraction can also be risky, because when the neutrophil count is low, bleeding is a possibility. It is good to have an extraction during breaks in the chemotherapy. In fact, cancer patients are also given nutritional drinks to improve their general well-being. These drinks are full of sugar content. The best way to consume these drinks would be with a straw so that they do not contact the teeth. So one will have nutritional benefits without damage to the teeth.
- A very essential Tip is one should not rinse the mouth after brushing. One should just spit the excesses out. One can also use interdental brushes in between the teeth. One can dip the brush in the mouthwash a little and go in between the teeth, which will allow the fluoride to stay on the teeth.
- Oral Treatment for the Elderly: It is not always possible to take the elderly to dentists, so when brushing when manual dexterity is not so great, an electric toothbrush might be useful. Mouthwashes with fluoride can help, and if there are gum problems, corsodile mouthwash with a chlorhexidine base can help. Sugar and sweet intake should be cut down. Even asthma inhalers can cause drying of the mouth and can affect oral health. One needs to make sure dentures fit well, as ill fitting dentures can also cause harm and make them susceptible to fungal infections like thrush.
Related Reading: Dental Health and Its Influence on Systemic Diseases
To listen to the entire webinar with Dr. Mariya Khambati, click on the link below
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