Oral Ailments

Oral Ailments can range from embarrassing to life threatening like from bad breath to oral cancer. The mouth is one of the most important parts of a body. Any problem that affects the mouth can make it hard to eat, drink or even smile. The health of gums, teeth and mouth are very important to the overall health. Maintaining good oral health throughout a person"s life is important. Although most dental diseases are preventable, many children unnecessarily suffer from dental disease because of inadequate home care, and lack of access to dental services.

Neglecting dental and oral health, diet, personal habits and tobacco are the main causes of mouth, tooth and gum problems. An enormous number of conditions can cause pain in the mouth; from caries and traumatic ulcers to a fractured jaw. Only a dentist can make a differential diagnosis and undertake any necessary treatment or, if necessary, refer the patient to a specialist. Few painful mouth conditions are self-limiting and some can ultimately be life-threatening, so any person with dental pain should be advised to make an emergency appointment as soon as possible.

The most common oral diseases are dental cavities, gum disease, oral cancer, oral infectious diseases, trauma from injuries and hereditary lesions. Some other mouth problems include:
• Cold sores are painful sores on the lips and around the mouth, caused by a virus
• Canker sores are painful sores in the mouth, caused by bacteria or viruses
• Thrush is a yeast infection that causes white patches in the mouth
• Leukoplakia are white patches of excess cell growth on the cheeks, gums or tongue, common in smokers
• Dry mouth is a lack of enough saliva, caused by some medicines and certain diseases
• Gum or tooth problems
• Bad breath or Halitosis
• Stomatitis, a general term for an inflamed and sore mouth, can disrupt a person`s ability to eat, talk, and sleep.
• Pyorrhoea is the excessive discharges of pus from the roots of gums and teeth.

Treatment for mouth disorders varies, depending on the problem. Keeping a clean mouth by brushing and flossing often is important. There are some universal ways to maintain the dental health, such as regularly visiting the dentist and regularly brushing and flossing teeth. Looking after the teeth is important to help avoid tooth decay and gum disease. Avoiding gum disease is important for a general health too as it was linked to conditions such as stroke, diabetes and heart disease.

Oral and dental diseases in India are on the upswing, especially among children. Majority of the people are quite ignorant of benefits of good oral health. The negligence of oral hygiene, betel chewing, tobacco chewing, smoking etc. contribute to oral cancers.

With the advancement of Dental Science and proper home care, it is possible to retain natural dentition throughout life. In order to achieve this, we must concentrate on the following aspects of Naturopathy.

Nutrition for Oral Problems
Oral health depends to a great extent on proper nutrition. A balanced diet plays a great role in maintaining dental health. Milk, fresh chewy fruits and green vegetables rich in calcium, fluorides, phosphorus and fibrous diet help to a great extent in maintaining optimum dental health. Visit the dentist at least once in 6 months for a check-up even if there is no apparent dental trouble.

Regular Care for Oral Problems
A clean tooth never decays. The teeth should be properly cleaned with a soft toothbrush after every meal using toothpaste. This helps in breaking up the bacterial plaque and minimizing it to be calcified leading to calculus formation. A proper way for brushing the teeth is very important. Brush the teeth as the way they grow.

Massaging the gums, rinsing mouth with fresh water, cleaning the tongue with brush or tongue cleaner and using dental floss or tooth pick is also very helpful in maintaining oral hygiene.

Avoid soft diet that is poor in fibre content and rich in refined carbohydrates. These lead to the formation of bacterial plaque underneath the gums and around the teeth surfaces. Excessive smoking, use of betel leaves and nuts, tobacco chewing and pan masalas, should be avoided as they are known to be cancerous.