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Doctors stress need to protect a healthy and beautiful smile

DUBAI — A beautiful smile is an asset to one's personality. And advances in the field of dentistry have now made it possible to design and improve on your smile.

"If you are not blessed with a good smile, the best policy is to go and buy one!" says dentist Dr George Jacob from the Emirates Diagnostic Clinic.

Explains Dr Jacob, "The smile may be beautiful, but is it healthy? For the smile to be healthy, the periodontium has to be healthy. Most of the gum diseases are caused by specific harmful bacteria found in dental plaque," he says.

"Dental plaque is the soft colourless bacterial deposit adhering to the tooth surfaces in the oral cavity. It is the main cause of dental caries (decay)."

According to Dr Jacob, "Increased plaque accumulation due to improper oral hygiene or due to the presence of local factors such as calculus (tartar), faulty restorations or crowded and malaligned teeth results in gum diseases."

"The periodontium is the foundation of the teeth. What is the use of a beautiful building if the foundation is not strong? Similarly a beautiful smile with weak gums seldom lasts long. Space developing between teeth, receding gums, swollen or bleeding gums, halitosis (bad breath) and mobility of teeth are some of the signs and symptoms of gum disease."

"The good news is that all of these gum diseases can be prevented and cured to a certain degree, " adds Dr Jacob.

He then goes on to say that an individual's ability to resist gum diseases is influenced by his or her genetic makeup (hereditary) and environmental influences including the type of diet, hormonal activities, habits, etc.

"Individuals who have diabetes or smoke are more prone to gum diseases. Studies indicates that gum diseases may have significant impact on the occurrence of heart diseases, stroke, or preterm, low-birth-weight infants," he explains.

Talking about how the disease could spread, Dr Jacob says the normal sequel of gum disease starts as an infection of the margin of the gums (gingivitis).

"Due to the infection and inflammation, the gum separates from the tooth surface and a pocket develops between the gums and the tooth root surface. The pocket provides an environment for harmful bacteria to multiply and calculus to develop below the gum level," he adds.

"This area is not accessible to routine brushing and flossing. With time the pocket deepens around the tooth destroying also the bone supporting the tooth," says Dr Jacob, adding that unlike dental caries, gum diseases are usually painless.

"Hard, fibrous foods provide surface cleansing action and stimulation which results in less plaque," he says.

The technique of brushing is more important than the number of times or duration a person brushes daily. "Soft to medium bristles are enough to remove plaque. Replace brushes when the bristles become frayed or worn down (three to four months and brush your teeth twice daily," he says.

Dr Tanweer, Specialist Dentist at the Welcare Ambulatory Care Centre, advises special dental care for children. "The time the first tooth appears in the oral cavity, the child should be introduced to a toothbrush with a pea-sized amount of children’s toothpaste on it. I recommend that they must then brush twice a day," he says.

He also says that under normal conditions, the child should be taken to visit the dentist every six months.

He adds that fibrous foods like apples, pears, carrots, etc help to prevent plaque formation, but once plaque is already formed on the teeth, they are not effective in removal of the plaque.

Dr Tanweer says children must follow the dietary guidelines listed by the US Department of Health.

"Other than a balanced diet, in-between meal snacks are very important. The best choices are cheese, chicken, nuts and milk while moderate choices include apples and pears and worst choices are candy, cookies, cakes, muffins, potato chips, French fries and raisins."