Mouth Guards - Types and Advantages

Mouth guards are also called mouth protectors. These are flexible devices that cover the teeth and gum to protect the mouth from injury. These are inserted into the mouth to reduce the injury to the teeth, gums and lips.

Ideal characteristics of mouth guard

• It should stay firmly in place during action
• It should provide high degree of comfort
• It should be durable and tear resistant
• It should be odorless and tasteless
• Should be easy to clean

Who can wear mouth guards?

• Candidates who play sports are in the risk of injury to mouth
• Candidates with bruxism - clenching and grinding of teeth

Types of mouth guards

There are four types of mouth guards:

• Stock mouth guard: These are also called ready made mouth guards. These are pre-formed mouth guards available in different sizes and can be ready to wear. These can be bulky and do not fit properly thereby causing difficulty in talking and breathing. These are inexpensive compared to other types of mouth guards.

• Boil and bite mouth guards: Boil and bite mouth guards are made up of thermoplastic material. These are available in all sport shops and medical shops. These should be placed in hot water to soften before applying. Then it is placed in the mouth and shaped around the teeth with fingers to fix it properly. It offers better fit than stock mouth guards.

• Shell liner mouth guards: These mouth guards are coated with acrylic gel or rubber. It can be molded to teeth by shaping with fingers. It is also similar to boil and bite mouth guards.

• Custom-fitted mouth guards: Custom made mouth guards are expensive compared to all other types of mouth guards. Dentist design these mouth guards by taking impressions of your teeth. It provides high degree of comfort, fit and protection. These are designed to cover all the teeth and provide cushion to protect the mouth and chin.

Cleaning and maintenance of mouth guards
Proper cleaning and maintaining of mouth guards helps to prevent infections and gum problems.

• Rinse your mouth guard before and after wearing with tooth brush and tooth paste
• Do not bend your mouth guard
• Before storing soak in mouth wash
• Store your mouth guard in well ventilated plastic box when not in use
• Do not leave in direct sunlight as it may damage your mouth guard

Advantages of mouth guards

• It helps to protect sports person from chipping or fractured teeth
• Acts as safe guard against jaw injuries
• Used to control bruxism
• It also protects from bone damage and tooth loss
• Used as splints to reduce stress on temporomandibular joint
• Used to deliver topical medication in gum diseases

Basics of Oral Hygiene for Kids

Keeping baby’s teeth clean is an important part of maintaining their overall health. Good oral health starts as soon as the baby’s first tooth erupts. As baby’s teeth are the space holders for the permanent teeth, proper care is essential. This article contains some tips for maintaining oral hygiene of kids.

Oral hygiene basics

• Brushing
• How often: Baby’s teeth are more prone to tooth decay as soon as they are visible. Brushing twice a day regularly is the first step towards maintaining oral hygiene. In a hurry, many parents will not brush their child’s teeth or may even skip it. As a parent, you should teach your child not only how to look after their teeth but also importance of brushing.
• 
  Correct technique: Make your child stand on a stool in front of you, face a mirror and brush his/her teeth with your hands over his/her hands. With thus he can learn more easily. Using a gentle back and forth motion, brush the chewing and inner surfaces. In circular motion, brush along the sides. Do not forget to brush the tongue, a breeding ground for bacteria.
• Toothpaste: Before the age of two years, brush your child’s teeth only with water or the toothpaste without fluoride, as young children have tendency for swallowing toothpaste. Excessive consumption of fluoride can lead to fluoride toxicity in children.
• Supervision: Parents should brush their child’s teeth until the age of 6 years, as they do not know how to brush properly. You can then introduce to them the correct technique of brushing and under your supervision until they get used to it.

• 
  Diet: Diet plays a key role in maintaining good oral health. Studies have shown the cause of increased tooth decay in children is due to changed dietary patterns. Developing healthy eating habits early in childhood help ensure healthy and strong teeth lifetime. Too much of sugary and starchy food/drinks can be harmful for the teeth. So limit and make sure that your child brushes his/her teeth after consuming this kind of food/drinks. Encourage your child to make healthy eating and drinking choices.

• Dental visits: Dentist recommends parents to have their child’s first dental visit as soon as their first tooth erupts. The goal is to have your child dental visit before any problem occur. Visiting the dentist every six months help catch problems early, thus avoiding complex treatment later. Practicing good oral hygiene with your child is very important, as it is an investment in excellent oral health for life.

Know the Foods to Improve Your Dental Health

Following are some food items that may help you improve your dental health. The foods that improve your dental health include:

Strawberries: This fruits help you remove subtle superficial stains as it contains a mild bleaching agent.

Milk or Cheese: Glass of milk or piece of cheese can reduce the acid in your mouth also the sugar in milk does not cause to tooth decay.

Onions: Onions have antibacterial properties. Onions wipe out the strains of bacteria that may cause cavities and gum diseases.

Wasabi: This helps you in stop bacteria in sticking to your teeth.

Cashew nuts: These nuts will have the microbe fighting properties that fights against bacteria which leads to tooth decay. This is not only use in cleaning your teeth, but also it will help you in clearing your skin, because this cashew nut shells will help you in fighting bacteria that cause acne.

Celery: This helps you in improve saliva in your mouth. The more saliva you produce, the more bacteria you can kill, because this acts as a natural mouthwash when increased.

Green Tea: This is useful in removing cavity causing oral plaque, because it is a great source for natural catechins.

Water: Water also works as a mouthwash in removing bacteria, when water is swished around your mouth, as they cleanse your teeth.

Sesame Seeds: These seeds are rich in calcium, therefore useful in removing plaque and also in building the tooth enamel. It will work great on keeping your teeth strong as well as healthy.

Shittake Mushrooms: As plaque is the major cause of creating cavities, this mushroom will help you in inhibiting the bacteria from creating the plaque in your teeth.

Kiwi: This fruit contains 100% Vitamin C that helps you prevent tooth breaking down gums.

These foods help you in improving your dental health.

How to Maintain Oral Hygiene for Infants

As a parent you need to take care of your baby's oral hygiene. It is very important for the baby's overall hygiene. At infancy, you should able to ensure that the baby has good and healthy oral habits. This is because healthy teeth and gums grow faster. When the first tooth erupts, you should take care of the baby's oral hygiene. You should be very careful in maintaining the baby's oral hygiene from the first tooth eruption.

Even though the baby teeth may small but it is very important to take care of, because without a healthy set of teeth, they will have trouble in chewing and also in speaking. This may happen due to the reasons like tooth decay, early tooth loss, lip sucking tongue thrusting, and thumb sucking. You should be aware of necessary oral hygiene so that the problems are kept to the arm distance of your baby. Following are the some of the tips that you need to maintain for oral hygiene in infants.

• When the first tooth erupts, start brushing with non-fluoridated toothpaste and choose a small brush with small head and large handle, then brush gently around the baby's tooth i.e.: front and back. Brush until he or she holds the brush properly and rinse and spit without assistance.
• In the stage of teething, they would like to chew things to relieve the pressure, so give some toys or teethers which are made of non-toxic materials and which are specially made for teething babies.
• You should check for signs of baby tooth like tooth decay, pits, white or brown spots on the teeth. You need take him or her for regular dental checkup.
• If you find any one of them, immediately see doctor for a solution.
• You can use wet cotton cloth to wipe the baby's mouth after feeding. If the baby begun teething, use soft bristle toothbrush to clean his or her teeth. This will help to eliminate if any bacteria or excess sugar that may build up on baby's gums or teeth that may forming plaque.
• You should thoroughly clean your baby's milk bottles, with a hot water and sterilize it for some time to remove the germs from entering into the mouth of the baby.

What are the Common Dental Problems in Children?

Kids are more prone to face dental problems ranging from thumb-sucking to tooth decay. However, their daily activities may cause several dental issues. Some of the common dental problems in children are mentioned here.

Irregular and improper brushing may degrade the oral health of kids. This is responsible for tooth decay and the teeth are accumulated by plaque. Plaque formation is resulted by bacteria and the acids they release. When not removed in time, the plaque may even erode the enamel of the tooth. With this, other dental problems like tooth discoloration and sensitivity may arise. Dental plaque which stays for more than 2 or 3 days may become thick and it termed as tartar. Tartar deposition below the gum line enhances bacterial infection rising chances of gum diseases. Inflamed gums, loose teeth, bad breath, loss of bone and tissue, etc. are the common symptoms of gum diseases in kids.

Dental erosion is the other common dental problem seen in kids. Children are habituated to products such as fruit juice and carbonated drinks that are acidic in nature. These acids erode the tooth enamel. The teeth appear rounded and get discolored. Tooth sensitivity is the tooth pain that is initiated by exposure of teeth to hot or cold sensations, and sweet foods or drinks. Kids, at their young age, are often habituated to thumb-sucking and lip-sucking which may cause unclear speech and disrupt normal growth of permanent teeth. Misalignment of teeth, which results in poor bite is the other common problem in kids. Children suffering from this malocclusion generally have crooked teeth.

These dental problems can be treated, however, it is recommended to educate the kids about healthy oral practices to avoid these issues.

Know Certain Dental Tips for Kids

Kids are more prone to dental problems with many unhygienic activities. However, certain dental tips for them ensure avoiding these issues. Go through to know some of them.

Know About the Common Dental Problems in Kids

Maintenance of oral health in kids is very important and critical. Essential daily dental health routine including proper brushing, brushing after meals, taking healthy foods, and regular dental visits are mandatory to ensure their perfect oral health. However, some common dental problems are seen in kids. Some of them are given here.

Tips to Maintain Your Child's Dental Health

It's your responsibility as a parent to focus on the child's dental health too. Oral health is important in the young age. An improper dental health may cause many dental issues in the matured age. So, be careful to make sure that your child does not get into such problems. Here are some tips that help you to maintain your child's dental health.

Foods Aiding in Teeth Staining in Kids

Teeth staining is one of the common dental problems seen in children. The staining can be extrinsic pertaining to the surface of the teeth. Whereas intrinsic staining includes stains which impart