by Teo Wei Han
Edited by Priyanka V
Published 10 Nov 2006
Web Exclusive
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Answers: 1-T, 2-F, 3-T, 4-T, 4-T, 5-F, 6-F, 7-T
How many of you out there brush your teeth first thing in the morning before breakfast? Which is better, brushing before you eat or after you eat? What’s the logic of brushing before you eat? I have heard people saying their mouths are not clean when they wake up hence they do not want to swallow food with an “unclean” mouth. Honestly, aren’t they swallowing saliva from the same “unclean” mouth? Unless they brush again after they eat, their teeth would be more susceptible to bacteria attacks. It seems that many of us lack correct oral hygiene knowledge.
It is advisable to brush your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and another before going to sleep. Why brush our teeth in the first place?
It is to remove plaque, the soft yellowish film, the waste produced when bacteria in our mouth reacts with food and saliva. Even in the absence of food, plaque will still form. That means even if you don’t put anything in your mouth, plaque will still form, so no point starving yourself to keep your mouth clean!
Failure to remove plaque by regular brushing means that a thick layer is allowed to build up. Those microorganisms nearest to the tooth surface convert to anaerobic respiration, during which state they start to produce acids which leads to demineralization of the tooth surfaces. Saliva is unable to penetrate the build up of plaque and thus cannot act to neutralize the acid produced by the bacteria and remineralize the tooth surface. Teeth decay or are knocked out easily when demineralized. Fluorine found in toothpaste and our water helps to restore the minerals in our teeth, making it stronger.
Plaque formed hardens to become tartar, aka calculus, which causes swelling, bleeding and weakening of gums, and can lead to gum recession. Calculus can even extend into pockets created between the tooth and gums.
Improper dental care will lead to various problems, such as gingivitis, gum recession and dental cavities resulting in tooth decays. Not only is proper dental care detrimental to health, it causes smelly breath and also decreases the watts of your smile!
The best way to prevent the build up of such deposits is through consistent brushing, flossing and cleaning visits based on a schedule recommended by your dentist.
5 Comments
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Dear beng, i concur that my looks are nothing to brag about. And i am pleased that you are impressed with my vocabulary. Most good writers do use a thesaurus and a dictionary so as to ensure a high standard of English. However good writers or at least brave ones, use their real names instead of hiding their barbed comments behind pseudonyms.
By the way Wei Han, i find your article interesting and informative. Your words have inspired me to start brushing my teeth again. Haha..kiddin.
In response to the previous comment: You’ve mentioned that “this site is damn loser”, I would like to clarify on what factual basis did you derive your conclusion? What is it that you disagree with? Is it the style, or the fact or is it something else? If you could kindly support us with more constructive comments we might just skip selecting a new team (which is a very tedious task) and work on improving our current flaws. You’ve also added, “huh. brush my teeth? siao lah” As the writer of that article, I would like to know what does this statement means, as you did not specify what you are really mentioning . I believe your two-cents worth will help me improve on my writings.
wheeeeeeeeeee!!!
Brush teeth good!