A million-$-smile with great teeth

HAVING great teeth is the making of a great smile and owning a healthy set of teeth means practising a thorough cleaning regimen on daily basis.

“Consistent brushing, flossing and mouth-washing is part and parcel of being able to flash that ready million-dollar smile.

“It is not just about breath  odour because your teeth are also the impression of yourself you give friends and strangers,” a retired dental technician who wants to be known only as Chin told thesundaypost.

A dental technician is a member of the dental team who constructs custom-made restorative and dental appliances.

Chin, in his 70’s, who now works part time, making artificial teeth for middle-aged and old folks, said although knowledge on dental care had greatly improved thanks to the government’s health policy to implement dental care and appoint dental nurses in schools, public understanding of and appreciation for dental care was still “pretty shallow.”

Pointing out that brushing alone was not enough, the septuagenarian said: “Doing it in the right direction is very important. You might not realise it but in dental care, there is a specific direction to brush every part of a tooth. Not only can this method clean your teeth thoroughly, your gum will also not be easily injured.

“For both upper and lower jaws, use only the upper part of your toothbrush to vertically brush the incisors from up to down direction.

:As for pre-molar and molar part, it’s best to brush horizontally to clean away the dirt.”

He added that it was only in recent years that the public became aware of the soft-fine toothbrush.

“Often, I hear people tend to use hard toothbrushes. The harder it is, they claim, the more thoroughly it can clean. But hard toothbrushes can actually ruin your gum and damage your nerves.

“Thus, your toothache might not be due to the food you eat but the way you clean your teeth. The right type of toothbrush is super soft, soft or medium hard,” he said.

Moreover, he reiterated, it was best to clean your teeth right after every meal to eliminate dirt and delay bacteria’s growth in the mouth.

“Most people might find it very troublesome, bringing toothbrush and toothpaste everywhere but once it becomes a habit (and a healthy one at that), you’ll never complain about it.

“On the other hand, although mouthwash is convenient, it only improves your breath. You still need to practise the core of brushing.”

He also said chewing hard food was a form of exercise for teeth and gum.

Good to start young

Chin, who has been working in the dental field for more than five decades, insisted parents had a huge responsibility to show their children the right dental care method, saying from milk teeth to permanent teeth, close observation was vital to ensure a nice set of straight and neat teeth for the children when they grow up.

“The moment a child’s milk teeth drop, parents have to be careful about how the next teeth grow. They must also make sure all the milk teeth have dropped

— whether naturally or manually (with the dentist’s help) — as it is vital for milk teeth to give way to the growth of permanent teeth.

“You can see children being taken to the dentist to have braces fitted out. They wear these braces for years to align their teeth, sometimes at the cost of hundreds to thousands of ringgit. Actually, this could be avoided if only parents were more observant,” he said.

There are 32 permanent teeth for both upper and lower jaws. Milk teeth, if they remain until their teens, can severely affect the growth of permanent teeth, leaving one with a set of ‘scramble’ teeth on display.

“Some people have a wide ridge, some quite a narrow one. The latter faces more problems when more than 16 teeth grow on each row. Not only is it not nice but one’s health can also be affected in a long run.”

Bleach or not

Chin said owning a set of shiny white teeth just like celebrities have driven many to seek help with new bleaching technology, adding that at times the laser effect gave the fastest and longest lasting effect.

“For smokers and coffee drinkers, bleaching helps to eliminate the yellowish colour of the teeth. Cleaning and bleaching can greatly improve you image. However, overdone, it can affect the gum. The best is to clean after meals, before the colour settles on the outer layer of your teeth.”

Original teeth the best

On artificial teeth, he said: “To be honest, it’s ridiculous that people are even considering the idea of pulling out their ‘not very nice’ teeth and substitute them with ‘nice artificial teeth.’

“The truth is whatever the shape or colour of your original teeth, as long as they are still in good condition, don’t simply extract them. This is because no matter how nice and neat your new fake teeth are, they are never as firm and long lasting as the natural teeth which grow on the gum.”

It is, of course, different for people who lose their teeth due to certain circumstances.

Chin insisted special hygiene practices should be strongly suggested to those with artificial teeth.

“Try not to chew overly hard food, brush two to three times a day, use mouthwash and it’s not advisable to wear false teeth while sleeping. The important thing is to keep the acrylic-made artificial teeth in good condition.”

According to him, misuse or over-chewing can shorten the lifespan of artificial teeth.

Usually, one set of artificial teeth can last at least five to six years.

“Well, it depends on the individual. Some dentures can last up to 10 years. Artificial teeth are not like natural teeth. Their shape can easily be changed by high temperatures,” he said.

Special hygiene practices are necessary for those with artificial teeth.