The foundation of good oral health is good oral hygiene. For this, routine check-ups are key to knowing if our mouth is healthy and preventing periodontal diseases, such as gingivitis or cavities. Most can be avoided with simple daily hygiene habits and visits to the dental clinic. “We always insist on how important it is to have periodic check-ups between once and twice a year, depending on the needs of each patient,” says Mari Carmen Montenegro, hygienist and professor of the oral hygiene cycle at Escola Pejoan in Barcelona.

According to the hygienist, these reviews are essential to be able to carry out an early diagnosis and treatment of periodontal diseases such as gingivitis or caries. In general, both have the same common causative factor, which is the presence of a biofilm or bacterial plaque that contains many pathogenic bacteria that promote these diseases.

A routine check-up can even save lives, since it allows early detection of tongue or lip cancer, pathologies that are more frequent than we usually think. “There are lesions that can be precancerous and that are being seen more frequently,” says Montenegro.

It is precisely in this detection that the hygienist fulfills one of his main functions in the consultation, such as oral hygiene instructions and motivation towards an improvement in hygiene techniques by the patient in his day-to-day life. “The hygienists advise patients on the foods and drinks that can cause the most cavities, such as all those drinks that contain sugars. In case of consuming them, it is important to remind the patient that they should brush their teeth after consumption”, explains Mari Carmen.

Routine reviews consist of taking a medical history or updating it. Subsequently, an inspection of the soft tissues surrounding the tooth and the teeth themselves is performed. “Sometimes it is necessary to do an x-ray that offers us a general vision of the mouth”, details Montenegro.

In the case of children, check-ups should begin when their milk teeth begin to fall out and the permanent ones come out. “Normally, between one and two check-ups are carried out a year, although that is determined by the pediatric dentist. Until then, the person responsible for checking their dental health is usually the pediatrician”, points out Mari Carmen.

To maintain a healthy mouth you must follow some simple guidelines, but at the same time essential. Routine is one of the best companions of oral hygiene. The first advice is to brush your teeth three times a day and rinse with a specific liquid after each brushing. As for the recommended duration of brushing, the ideal is two and a half minutes per session.

Brushing your teeth is just as important as brushing technique. Montenegro comments that “we have a certain tendency to hold the brush with great force and do it very quickly, since it gives us the feeling that in this way the teeth are going to be cleaner, and it is not like that”. It is better to stay longer and do it gently so as not to damage the teeth. At the same time, it is recommended to use brushes – manual or electric – of medium to soft hardness, since if they are too hard they can wear down the tooth enamel and even stimulate dental sensitivity.

As for toothpastes, those that have a whitening effect should not be abused, since they contain a substance called carbamide peroxide, which is very aggressive and often causes sensitivity problems. In this sense, professionals recommend pasta with a high fluoride content. It is also very important to floss, especially after each meal or every 12 hours, as it helps remove interdental bacterial plaque that the brush has not removed.

Information prepared with the collaboration of Escola Pejoan.