Whats in a smile? Tips for maintaining oral hygiene

A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia reported that seeing an attractive, smiling face activates your orbitofrontal cortex, the region in your brain that processes sensory rewards. Suggesting that when you view a person smiling, one actually feels rewarded.

Dr Ajak Ajwong notes good oral hygiene is necessary to keep teeth and gums healthy. The mouth is the entry point to your digestive and respiratory tracts and some of the bacteria in the mouth can cause diseases.

“There is a general way to ensure that you clean everything in your mouth and not give room for unhealthy bacteria to flourish. We have to keep in mind that our teeth have many surfaces,  you should brush your teeth using the circular motion instead of the up down method that most people tend to use, this will help bring the plaque down and prevent it from getting trapped under the gum,” the dentist explained on Citizen TV’s Health N’ Lifestyle show. 

According to the dental expert, the body’s natural defense and good oral health such as daily brushing and flossing keep bacteria at bay. 

However, without proper oral hygiene, bacteria can reach a level that might lead to oral infections, such as tooth decay, gum diseases and bad breath. 

“It's important to brush your teeth before breakfast because once you wake up you already have bacteria sitting in and when you eat, you feed them consequently give them enough strength to break down,but  if you brush before eating you are eating with a clean mouth,” she said.

Dr Ajak advises that one should brush their teeth twice a day for about three minutes, and two more minutes for flossing, warning that over brushing is not good for the teeth.  

Some of these bacteria produce substances that irritate the gum, others convert sugar into acids which erode the teeth and also produce stinky substances that cause bad breath. She said that diet also plays a huge role in having a healthy set of teeth.

“It is good to refrain from consuming acidic food, drinking a lot of soda and carbonated drinks and sweet things. You can regain the PH in your mouth in a very simple way, when you eat something, rinse your mouth, this way you reduce the time and help it get back to normal pretty fast. Also use toothpaste containing hydroxyapatite and avoid whitening toothpaste because it causes a lot of abrasion on the teeth,” she said.