Tooth care should be observed and carried out both during the day and at night.
While during the day, eating and chewing harder foods such as fruit and vegetables increases saliva production and solid particles remove plaque, overnight things change little. Thus, during the night the amount of saliva decreases because the salivary glands are no longer stimulated by the food to secrete their product into the oral cavity.
In the absence of saliva, which is known to protect against cavities, bacteria can grow and colonize tooth surfaces. It is also not possible to hygienize during the night, so it is a good idea for every patient to ensure that they perform a rigorous hygiene before going to sleep to reduce the risk of bacterial colonization. The evening care ritual should contain the following three steps:
Brushing – is particularly important, as it is the main means of removing food and plaque from tooth surfaces as well as gums and tongue. Brushing should be carried out properly, from the gum towards the tooth, with vertical rather than horizontal movements (horizontal movements increase the risk of gum recession). It is advisable that brushing lasts for at least 2 minutes, during which time as much of the tooth surface as possible should be sanitized.
There are also special toothbrushes for the tongue that remove tongue deposits.
Dental floss – is the second stage in the hygiene ritual and is the most important auxiliary means of caring for tooth surfaces. Interdental spaces have been found to account for 30% of dental surfaces.
These cannot be effectively sanitized with a toothbrush because it is not designed to penetrate those small spaces.
This is why it is quite common for caries to develop interdental caries and be masked by the tooth surfaces in the early stages of development. Approximately 20 cm of dental floss should be wrapped around the middle fingers.
The remaining unwound floss is stabilized between the index fingers and used to clean interdental surfaces.
Mouthwash – is the third means used to sanitize dental surfaces and is intended to prevent bacterial colonization.
While the first two means ensure the removal of microorganisms, rinsing with mouthwash has a prophylactic, protective role on oral surfaces. Rinsing with mouthwash throughout the day helps, in addition to the above, to maintain a good smelling breath.
Sometimes, out of haste or tiredness, patients tend to neglect this hygiene ritual before bedtime. However, these three elements play a very important role in maintaining oral health and should not be neglected. Any deviation or failure to use any one of them will lead to an imbalance that will allow micro-organisms to thrive and colonize dental surfaces and oral mucosa.
