All of us are a little guilty at shrugging off our brushing habits occasionally but how do these occasional slips affect us overall? 

As you already know, eating sweets and having fizzy drinks constantly simply invites cavities to form in your mouth! It’s important to avoid or reduce your intake of such foods and drinks in order to keep away acid attacks on the enamel that protects your teeth from cavities and other oral issues.

But here are a few lesser known risks when it comes to bad oral care;

Feeding Bottle Syndrome 

The tendency for parents to let their infant fall asleep while sucking on a bottle of milk can cause dental cavities. This is because when milk is left in the mouth, a layer is formed between the tongue and the teeth, feeding the bacteria that cause plaque causing dental caries to occur throughout the night!

Not cleaning the mouth after feeding breast milk 

Breast milk is in no way a bad thing to give your child but it’s important, once the mother finishes feeding, to wrap a finger in a clean cloth and clean the inside of the mouth. Do not let your child sleep with milk inside his mouth. 

Heart Disease/Stroke Risk

People with periodontal disease are more likely to develop heart disease and arterial narrowing as a result of bacteria and plaque entering the bloodstream through the gums. It can also increase the risk of having a stroke.

Diabetes

The connection between gum disease and diabetes appears to be a two-way street. Aside from having a higher risk of gum disease due to diabetes, gum disease may also make it more difficult to control blood sugar, putting the patient at risk of even more diabetic complications.

Did you know?    

Globally,

164 million hours of work are lost by adults due to dental emergencies
Children miss 51 million hours of school due to dental emergencies.
The average person only brushes 45 – 70 seconds a day whereas the recommended time is 2-3 minutes.
Tooth decay is the most chronic childhood disease.

*Based on a discussion with Dr. Dileep De Silva, Immediate Past President of Sri Lanka Dental Association and consultant in dental public health, and various sources on the internet. 

Text by Panchali Illankoon