Oral Care Tips

Reduce frequency of food and drink intake
Many people have a misconception that if they can thoroughly brush their teeth clean, they can avoid having tooth decay. In fact, besides brushing teeth thoroughly, a good dietary habit also plays an important role in tooth decay prevention.
What kind of food will lead to tooth decay?
All food that contains sugar can be metabolised by the bacteria in the plaque located on the tooth surfaces to produce acid. The acid will then lead to loss of minerals from the tooth surfaces, causing tooth decay.
Most of the food and drinks available in the market contain sugar which will increase the risk of getting tooth decay.
Snacking frequency and tooth decay
If having snacks frequently, there will be continuous production of acid and insufficient time for the saliva to neutralize the acid. This will result in persistent acidic environment in the mouth, which favours the development of tooth decay.
Therefore, even a small piece of biscuit or a sip of beverage is considered one snack, which will bring one more chance of getting tooth decay.
Consequences of frequent snacking
If having snacks frequently, there will be continuous production of acid and insufficient time for the saliva to neutralize the acid. This will result in persistent acidic environment in the mouth, which favours the development of tooth decay.
Therefore, even a small piece of biscuit or a sip of beverage is considered one snack, which will bring one more chance of getting tooth decay.
Avoid taking acidic food or drinks
Frequent intake of acidic food or drinks may cause the tooth enamel to be eroded by the acid, leading to the exposure of dentine. Then, the tooth will become sensitive to hot, cold, sweet and sour food or drinks. Besides, you may feel pain during toothbrushing or flossing.
Avoid chewing hard food
Avoid chewing hard food, such as bones, shells, etc., to prevent tooth fracture. For people wearing false teeth (bridge or denture), chewing hard food may also increase the chance of fracturing of false teeth.
Avoid eating sticky food
If you are wearing orthodontic appliances or a denture, you have to avoid sticky food such as chewing gums, bubble gums, etc. This can prevent the orthodontic appliances or denture from being difficult to clean or dislodging.
Tips for establishing a good dietary habit
In order to reduce the snacking frequency, we should eat a sufficient amount of food during breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular intervals.
If you feel hungry in between meals, you can snack once.
If you want to take snacks or beverages, you can eat or drink them altogether right after meal.
– When you feel thirsty, just drink plain water to quench thirst.
– To avoid sensitive teeth caused by acid erosion, you should take less acidic food or beverages such as pickles, dry plums, lemons, sports drink, soft drink, alcoholic drink, etc.
– To avoid tooth fracture, one should avoid biting on hard food such as bones, shells, etc.
– People who wear denture should avoid chewing on hard or sticky food to prevent the denture from dislodging or becoming difficult to clean.
– Parents can use stationeries, stickers, or praisings instead of snacks to reward their children.