Prevent Tooth Decay from Home with Dr. Ahmed Essam

Oral & dental surgeon at Qasr El Eyni Dr. Ahmed Essam said that Eid is one of the most frequent occasions associated with toothache as people often eat a lot of Kahk and sweets, as well as nuts and other things that are the main a reason for tooth decay.

- The first questions that will hit our minds is how to eat adequately & keep our teeth healthy?

The answer to this question depends on our understanding of how tooth decay occurs and how we can prevent it.

Decay is a very complicated process that begins when we eat and the remains of food stay on our teeth, whether on the surface or between the teeth, then plaque bacteria break down sugar in your mouth. If this loss of mineral from the enamel is left untreated, a cavity, or hole in the tooth, can eventually occur before feeling pain.

Tooth decay is the softening of your tooth enamel and refers to the damage of the structure of the tooth caused by acids that are created causing bacteria to break down sugar in your mouth.

- Is tooth decay painful?

Decay does not hurt until some of the enamel layer in the teeth is reduced. Pain begins when the plaque bacteria enter the layers of ivory. Only then, it is sometimes possible to feel pain when eating or drinking stuff that contains sugars.

Physical pain begins when the decay approaches the nerve as toothache is always a late stage of decay.

 - How do we prevent tooth decay ? And eat sweets & Kakh at the same time?

To do that, one have to do a regular check-up every 6 months at the dentist, to get rid of plaque and tartar around the gum line and in between the teeth.

However, as most clinics are closed during the curfew due to the preventive measures taken against the coronavirus (COVID-19), Dr. Ahmed Essam presents to Sada el Balad English (See) audience four actions to prevent tooth decay from home.

First: We will eat sweets or carbohydrates at a certain time of the day (To prevent the presence of sugar in the mouth all the time). Up to 3-4 hours should be left between meals that contain sugars or starches.

Second: We wash the teeth regularly in the morning, evening and after the heavy meals.

Third: We use the mouth rinsing twice a day for no more than a week, and we stop for 4 days, then we return to using it again.

Fourth: It is essential to use the dental floss at least once a day, and by this, we can eat whatever we want, while keeping our teeth healthy without visiting the dentist.