Debunking some common Myths about your oral health

Fact: You might be aware of the saying “prevention is better than cure.” What is relatively less heard of is that diagnosing and curing a tooth problem at an earlier stage is much easier and cost-effective than if it were to be addressed later. Even if you aren’t experiencing dental pain, we recommend seeing a dentist twice a year for regular cleanings and exams. Some dental issues are asymptomatic but can still cause infection and need treatment. If you were to wait too long, the treatment needed may be more expensive than if the disease were caught before it worsened. Also, the tooth has a lesser chance of being saved at a later point in time.

Fact: Cleaning or dental scaling does not require any anaesthesia and is done with the help of an ultrasonic scaler. Ultrasonic scaling involves mechanical vibration of the scaling tips, which are blunt, along with continuous irrigation with water. It is used to remove hard calculus from the surface of the tooth and does not affect the enamel or any oral tissue.

Myth: "Cleaning teeth involves the removal of enamel (the upper layer of teeth)"

Myth: "Removing a tooth from the upper jaw can hamper your eyesight"

Fact: No, removing a tooth from the upper jaw does not affect the eyes at all. The nerves associated with eyes are the optic nerve, the oculomotor nerve, the abducent nerve and the trochlear nerve whereas nerves related to the upper jaw are the posterior superior alveolar nerve, the greater palatine nerve, the nasopalatine nerve and the infraorbital nerve. The nerves of the upper jaw are totally unrelated to the nerves of the eye.

Myth: “White Teeth Are Healthy Teeth.”

Fact: It is a common misconception that teeth that are pearly white are healthy. People don’t have the same natural color for their teeth, so having white teeth isn’t the standard for good oral health. Natural tooth color varies in lightness and is especially dependent on our age. It doesn’t mean that a person has better oral hygiene if they have whiter teeth than another. Primary indications of good oral health are zero cavity and fresh breath.

Myth: "Dental cleaning can lead to tooth mobility"

Fact: Unless a person is suffering from periodontitis (a serious gum disease that damages the gum and bone supporting the tooth), scaling does not lead to mobility of the tooth. Regular dental checkups and scaling every six months can help in preventing periodontitis.

Myth: “Only Sugar Causes Cavities.”

Fact: Sugar itself doesn’t cause cavities, although it can contribute to it. As the sugar breaks down, it feeds the bacteria that creates plaque in your mouth and it makes the acid that wears away the enamel of your teeth worse. Even if you don’t consume sugar, you will still be risking cavities if you don’t brush and floss properly. Sugar produces more acid and increases the chances of cavities if it stays longer in your mouth, so you should brush your teeth and rinse your mouth after eating sugary food. Also, sugar isn’t the only cause for tooth cavities. Sugar-free carbonated drinks, alcohol, citrus fruits, and starchy foods can also be blamed for damaging your teeth. In order to prioritize your oral health, you should replace these foods with vegetables and fruits that have a lot of fiber in them. These types of food will restore the mineral in your teeth by generating the flow of saliva

Myth: “My teeth are unhealthy because I’m aging.”

Fact: Aging is not an automatic factor in deteriorating oral health. Those who take care of their teeth during their childhood and adult years will still have healthy teeth in their senior years. Similarly, just because you are young doesn’t mean your teeth will be healthy. I have seen plenty of cases where patients in their 20s and 30s have such severe dental decay that they have to rely on dentures and bridges. In general, oral hygiene is important no matter your age, so be sure to brush and floss throughout your entire life to keep your mouth healthy.

Myth: “Diet sodas are okay to drink because they don’t have sugar in them.”

Fact: Though diet sodas don’t have cavity-causing sugars in them, they still are highly acidic. Our mouth has acid-loving bacteria that contribute to cavities. Diet sodas have a pH level of about 2-3, while water is neutral at a pH level of 7 (for reference battery acid is very acidic at a pH level of 0). The acid in diet soda eats away at enamel (the outer protective layer of our tooth surface) causing tooth sensitivity. Some people tend to slowly sip their sodas throughout the day, which is actually more hazardous. Every time you take a sip, the bacteria in your mouth begins to work with the acid and attack your enamel. It takes about 20 minutes for your mouth to neutralize that acid again and each time you sip that 20-minute attack starts over. Besides soda, other acidic beverages like orange juices, citrus juices, etc. can also cause similar damage. The healthiest alternatives to keep your body hydrated are water, vegetable juice, and milk.

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Myth: “You only need to go to the dentist if your teeth hurt.”