Busting the myth: Brushing twice daily is not enough

If brushing twice daily were enough, all kids would have had great teeth

Cavities….Even after brushing twice? Oh God!! Why my child? I take all the care required for my child’s good Oral Health….This is quite a common comment which comes from every second parent who comes to dental clinics for treatment of their kids.

The truth is, in addition to brushing twice a day, children need regular dental care from the age of 12 months. Dentists can remove plaque and food particles that cannot be removed with brushing alone, and they can also identify emerging problems that, if corrected early, can prevent the need for more invasive or expensive treatment later on.

The most common problem which we come across in practice are cavities which spread in milk teeth much faster than the permanent ones. Early detection can prevent problems such as pain, swelling and/or infection resulting in tooth extraction. New research has proven that early dental decay in children leads to the incidence of more missed school days and lower academic performance. What you need is a well-established oral health care routine for your child with regular visits to the dentist.

The need of the hour is to introduce and establish ‘preventive programs’ & a healthy oral hygiene regimen at home. These include scaling, application of fluorides and sealants and identifying deleterious habits. Sealants are placed in the deep grooves of teeth on chewing surfaces, which are most vulnerable to decay. Fluoride application works by strengthening tooth structure thus, helping them resist acid attacks caused by bacteria. Another important facet of a robust preventive programs is the role played by specialists who can identify and correct harmful habits that cause teeth and jaws to grow differently. With a network of over 60 dental clinics and 160 dentists; we are in a unique position to prevent and treat habits like thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, lip/nail biting and mouth breathing etc, as they affect the looks and speech of the child, thus affecting a child’s self-esteem, however parents’ seldom give them due importance.

Brush twice daily but also introduce a healthy oral hygiene regimen at home, by following these simple steps:

 Limit your child’s exposure to candies, ice-creams and other sugary edibles

 Refrain from kissing your child on the lips, which leads to transferring oral bacteria & infections to the child’s month

 Check your child’s mouth on a regular basis to identify any cavities or other developments

 Floss at least once a day.

 Take your child to the dentist regularly from the age of 12 months

Take corrective action from today and protect your kids from dental diseases and give them an excellent ‘gift’ of a healthy smile.

This article is written by General Vimal Arora who was heading the Dental Branch of the Army, Navy & Air Force as the Director General of the Armed Forces Dental Services and managing more than 700 dental surgeons across the country before he joined the Clove Dental as the Chief Clinical Officer. He has had a chequered career in the Army for over 37 years and is the most distinguished and decorated dental surgeon in the country.

General Arora is a recognized teacher of the Delhi & Pune University and was the Professor & HoD in Prosthodontics in Army Dental Centre R & R Hospital, Delhi. He has been awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Indian Prosthodontic Society, Indian Dental Association and he is also the recipient of the ‘Order of the Special Royal Emblem’ from the Sultan of Oman and also the coveted ‘Sushruta Award’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2015.