• Priscilla Peck
• On August 18, 2015

Most of us would probably recall having our yearly checkups and visits to our dental school bus and how our teachers drummed into our heads the importance of a beautiful healthy set of pearly white. It is  naturally puzzling for our Medhatter team to learn that nearly half of the Singapore population suffers from tooth sensitivity with at least 1/3 claimed to have dental cavities. 

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Remember your Primary School days where we will be called out twos by twos to visit the dental nurse for dental check up. For me and many others, it was equivalent to receiving our death sentence because it was just so terrifying.

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The most common oral health issues are:

• Tooth Sensitivity
• Dental Cavity
• Gum Diseases

Place  your left hand over your heart and speak the truth: We all suffered tooth sensitivity at more than one point of our lives.

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Dental cavities is the most common chronic hygiene related disease in the world, but it is also the most preventable disease and it is a widely neglected epidemic in many countries including Singapore. It is so significant yet it isn’t, strange isn’t it?

Gum disease are also caused by dental plaques. The bacteria present in plaques causes the gums to inflame and bleed easily. If it is left untreated, it causes receding gums and loss of supporting bone. The teeth will become loose and fall out eventually.

So, what’s the number one root cause of dental cavities? Here’s a clue:

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Yes, it’s none other than what we all sweet-tooth peeps love, SUGAR. While we all know that consuming too much sugar would damage our teeth, most of us are still do so.

“We have to view dental caries as a lifestyle disease. As long as unhealthy habits remain unchanged, the caries epidemic will be sustained” – Peter Torrington, General Manger of Colgate-Palmolive Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.

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ORAL HEALTH CARE STEPS

Now, how should we all care for our teeth? We have nothing to lose but everything to gain from oral hygiene, so why not start taking care of them before they start causing problems and is too late?

1. Decrease Sugar Intake

Nothing is more obvious than this, isn’t it? Cut down on those soft drinks and save money on the next dental visit.

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2. Brushing and Flossing Teeth

We should all brush our teeth at least twice a day, morning and night, to prevent bacteria attacking those teeth. Flossing helps with those unreachable areas when brushing. Therefore flossing once a day, mostly at night, would help ensure your teeth stays clean and completely fresh.

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3. Visit The Dentist

How often do we visit the dentist for a regular check up and cleaning? Many of us only do it when our teeth starts hurting, which is already a bad sign. Visit the dentist at least once a year, if not 2. Prevention is always better than cure isn’t it?

It isn’t hard to care for your own teeth, why not make it habit? Stay tuned to this page as we will have a “Ask the Expert” on oral health care bits!