Dental aesthetics in Barcelona. 6 tips for a healthy mouth.

Brush your teeth 2 times a day, for 2 minutes, with at least 2 instruments. The ideal is to clean your teeth after every meal, but as this is often complicated, we recommend at least 2 times a day in depth.

The technique and type of brushing is important, preferably with an electric toothbrush, which is more efficient, and complete the cleaning with an instrument that reaches where the toothbrushes cannot reach.

It is also important not to be aggressive as you can damage the gums and do not forget the tongue, which is the “doormat” of the mouth and should be brushed at least once a week.

The toothbrush performs the main cleaning of your mouth, but it does not reach everywhere. The gaps between the teeth or the spaces left by receding gums are places to which it does not have access and it is very important to complete the cleaning with other instruments, since it is in these areas where cleaning is more complicated and where tartar and cavities begin to form.

You can use dental floss, an interproximal brush or a dental irrigator, but it is important that your dentist tells you which one is best suited to the needs and characteristics of your mouth and explains how to use them so that the cleaning is effective and you do not damage your teeth or gums.

Mouthwashes are another good complement to cleaning, but they must be prescribed by a professional based on your characteristics and under supervision so that they do not generate problems, because not everyone should use them even if they think it is appropriate.

Rinses are necessary when you have a gum problem such as gingivitis or periodintitis, or if you have a high risk of caries to add fluoride to the surface of the enamel. And they should always be used under the supervision of the dentist because their continued use can lead to side effects such as taste alteration and staining of the teeth and tongue.

In addition, and very important, if fluoride rinses are used by children it must be done under parental supervision to avoid ingestion. Something much more common than we might think.

Sugar is the intimate enemy of tooth enamel, the first layer of protection of our teeth.

There are many products that contain sugars, not only those related to a bad diet such as soft drinks, industrial pastries or sweets. Mangoes contain a lot of fructose and honey a lot of dextrose, which are healthy for our organism but whose sugars damage tooth enamel.

That is why it is necessary to brush your teeth within 20 minutes after ingesting any sugary product. Because that is the time needed for the bacteria in the mouth to ferment the sugar and create lactic acid, which is responsible for producing the first lesion in the enamel that will become caries.

Tobacco also causes problems at the oral level. In several ways. On the one hand, it reduces the capacity of the mouth to react to infections, for example of the gums. In addition, it reduces the healing capacity of the wounds that, although we do not realize it, many micro wounds are produced throughout the day in the mouth.

It also has a significant xerostomia effect, i.e. it reduces salivation by up to 40%, which increases the risk of caries, since saliva produces a neutralizing effect that protects against caries. Therefore, quitting smoking is also important for the present and future health of your mouth.

There is a popular “law” that says that you should visit the dentist once a year, and the reality is that, in most cases, it is once every several years.

Both situations are wrong. A visit to the dentist should be made at least twice a year and, if you are in the right hands, the visits will be made according to your needs. That can be once a year, twice, three times or four times a year. It depends on many variables and they are different for each person.

The problem of not going for a check-up is that, no matter how careful we think we have been, the accumulated tartar is important because it is also produced inside the gums and it is not visible. Also, there may be bleeding that we do not notice or increased sensitivity to cold, which is progressive and does not sound any alarm bells. Therefore, it is very important to have a complete check-up every 6 months to anticipate problems and avoid major problems in the future.