Early in childhood, we are all reminded by our parents to always brush our teeth after every meal.  They taught us to subscribe to a good dental hygiene – not only to have beautiful teeth – but also so that we won’t have to deal with tooth decays and the pain that goes along with such.  Indeed, maintaining your teeth well will spare you the troubles of toothaches and stuff.

But first, we must understand what goes on in our mouths and teeth – so that we will have a better idea on what is happening inside.  First of all, our mouths – whether we like it or not – have some bacteria in it.  The bacteria together with the sugar or starch substances from the food we eat – along with our saliva – combine to produce plaques.  Such will produce acids that will be harmful for our teeth.  The acids will create holes in teeth as it dissolves the enamel surface.

Such a condition wherein you already notice plaques building up in your teeth should warrant you to visit your dentist.  This should be treated so that it will not develop to an even worse case.  Leaving it as it is, may lead to bigger cavities and possibly penetrating to the dentin layer of your teeth.  Certainly, you do not want it to develop this much since you are allowing the decay to spread further – even to the point of reaching the roots of your teeth – which obviously is a very bad case for you. 

That is why brushing of teeth is important after a meal – and when you are eating something sweet as cakes, ice creams, candies and chocolates.  Brushing of teeth removes the plaque or tartar that collects in the surfaces of your teeth. Only discipline is what this requires – and if you are truly concerned with the health of your teeth – then brushing should not be too much of a hassle for you.

Otherwise, if you should risk having a tooth decay – then you may have to deal with the pain later on.  In worst cases, one will experience swelling around the tooth, foul smell from the affected tooth – and some will have fever with these.  The health of the gums will also be affected in this case – complications as they say, to a situation gone bad.

A treatment from the dentist will be in order here.  Your dentist will thoroughly check your gums, teeth – and will ask for some history of the pain, swelling and infection. An x-ray may also be done for your case, as such will enable the dentist to see the condition of your teeth from the inside. This just goes to show how visiting your dentist will do you good – in the treatment of teeth related issues but also in the preventive aspect of your dental care.      

Treatment for tooth decay will range from filling up the cavity – or if already in a worse condition, your dentist may have to extract your tooth.  If yours is an infection of the nerve of the tooth, a root canal may be done for your case.  In such a case, bacteria were able to find its way into the insides of your tooth.  Antibiotics may also be prescribed for your condition. 

With all these, you may have to consider seeing your dentists at least annually. This will ensure having a good set of teeth – without the decays, cavities, bad breath and toothaches.  Visiting your dentist regularly will reduce the chances of developing cavities – and you will be confident that there will be no surprises for your teeth’s condition along the way.

As your personal measure - brush your teeth, floss and subscribe to other good oral hygiene practices.  In this way, you will be doing your teeth a favor – and at the end of this all, you will be all smiles.