HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR MOUTH
MAKES IT THROUGH YOUR TWENTIES.
While most of us make it through our teens and twenties in one piece, there are some parts of the body that really take some punishment – teeth in particular.
If you drink, smoke, take drugs (legal or illegal), or have oral sex you have two choices:
1) Cross your fingers that your teeth and mouth will be OK.
2) Follow this guide - Give your teeth a fighting chance of surviving past your 30th birthday.
The Young Person’s Oral Survival Guide
The damage
Sugar and acid attack tooth enamel and leave you vulnerable to infection and decay. Alcohol abuse puts you at a higher risk of developing mouth and throat cancer. Arriving home drunk means you’re more likely to go to bed without cleaning your teeth. Vomiting also floods your mouth with tooth-eroding stomach acid.
What you can do
Before a night out leave a toothbrush on your pillow to remind yourself to brush your teeth before going to bed.
While you’re drinking try to swish a mouthful of water around every so often to increase the saliva flow and rinse away sugars and acid in your mouth. Swishing after each alcoholic drink is an easy way to remember.
On your way home, chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva flow and clear the mouth of harmful sugars and acid.
The sugar in alcohol (including beer) and the acid in other alcoholic drinks are the two main threats to your teeth and gums.
3
The damage
Fizzy, sports and energy drinks contain acid that attacks your tooth enamel, (including the sugar-free and ‘zero’
varieties) and most contain sugar, which causes tooth decay. Every time you take a sip throughout the day, you’ll start a brand new acid attack that will last 20 minutes.
What you can do
●
● Cut down the number of soft drinks/
energy drinks you have
●
● Drink through a straw
●
● Don’t brush your teeth for an hour after you’ve finished one of these drinks – the acid in them temporarily softens your tooth enamel and brushing too early will harm it
●
● Don’t drink them before bed
●
● Swish water around your mouth after each bottle or can of drink
Most of the soft drinks we sip throughout the day
contain a large amount of sugar and all of them
contain tooth-eroding acid.
The Young Person’s Oral Survival Guide
The damage
Usually infected gums are red, puffy and bleed easily when they are brushed.
Smokers’ gums are not like this - they are pale and thin and do not bleed readily.
This can make it difficult for your dentist to assess your oral health and take appropriate action.
The effects of nicotine often mask the signs of disease, and problems can go undetected for years until they become quite advanced. Nicotine affects saliva production, which is needed to counteract the effects of acid in food and drinks. As a result, some heavy smokers can still get decay even if they are brushing well.
Smoking is also the leading cause of oral cancer.
What you can do
●
● Quit smoking – it’s the only way to decrease the risk. Visit www.QuitNow.
gov.au for help, ideas and support
●
● Careful brushing and flossing to slow down the deterioration
●
● Visit your dentist to monitor any damage that might be occurring
A little known fact about smoking is that it tends to disguise the damage being done to teeth and gums.
7
The damage
Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs can be acidic (for example chewable vitamin tablets, aspirin and anti-allergy medications); others can cause a dry mouth. Both these things can lead to tooth erosion (the gradual wearing away of the outer layer of your teeth).
Illegal drugs can cause a variety of problems including tooth grinding, dry mouth, gum disease and rapid tooth decay. Apart from the physical effects, some drug use can cause people to neglect their diet and health routine, which will make things worse.
What you can do
●
● Don’t rub drugs directly onto your gums
●
● Brush your teeth carefully for two minutes twice a day and floss afterwards
●
● Cut back on sweet or sticky foods and fizzy, energy and sports drinks (even the
‘zero’ varieties)
●
● Chew sugar-free gum to encourage a steady flow of saliva (which helps fight off decay)
●
● If you’re taking prescription drugs and you’re worried about their side-effects consult your doctor. Do not stop taking prescription drugs without consulting
Both illegal, prescription and some over-the-counter
drugs can create imbalances inside your mouth that
lead to dental problems.
The Young Person’s Oral Survival Guide
The damage
Both genital and oral sex can facilitate transmission of the Human Papilloma Virus, which in rare cases can lead to oral cancer in both men and women.
The Human Papilloma Virus or HPV is the virus that causes cervical cancer in women. It’s also the same virus that can cause oral cancer in both men and women and can be transmitted via genital and oral sex. Both men and women can be carriers of the virus. The chances of contracting HPV increase as your number of sexual partners increases, and applies to both heterosexual and same sex partners.
Not everyone who contracts the virus will end up developing oral cancer – most of the time your body’s immune system will clear it out within a couple of years.
However, US studies have shown that more than half of oral cancers diagnosed are linked to the HPV virus with the biggest growth in numbers amongst men.
With often no signs or symptoms, an HPV infection can go undetected for years and can date back to previous relationships before people settle down with a long term partner.
What you can do
There is no cure for the virus itself although you can test for its presence.
The abnormalities that develop as a result of the HPV virus (for example oral cancer) can be treated if they’re detected early enough.
There is a vaccine that protects you against the four main strains of HPV but it can’t get rid of the virus once you’ve got it. If you get vaccinated after you’ve become sexually active you may already have contracted one (or more) of the HPV strains but the vaccination will protect you against the others.
Be vigilant and get your dentist to check anything that you notice has changed in your mouth that lasts longer than two weeks. It doesn’t have to be painful, just different.
It’s no secret that many people choose to engage in oral sex. Like most sex acts, there are risks you should be aware of before deciding to participate, and there are protective measures you can take to minimise the risk.
11 Visit www.oralcancerfacts.com.au for detailed information on symptoms, detection and treatment of oral cancer
Lip and tongue piercing
While a lip or tongue piercing may seem appealing, improper care can cause chipped teeth, damaged gums, swelling and nerve damage. Such nerve damage could affect facial movement and result in permanent numbness, speech impediments and loss of taste.
If you’re thinking about getting your tongue or lip pierced, see a qualified dentist to help with your decision. If you already have a lip or tongue piercing, visit your dentist every 6 months to monitor any damage it may cause.
Teeth whitening
Not everyone’s teeth are suitable for whitening. Even if they are, you’re not guaranteed to get the results you’re after. Whitening can have some painful and permanent side effects if not done properly, like heightened sensitivity, chemical burns, blistering and uneven
Using your teeth as tools
Your teeth may be the hardest substance in your body but they’re not as tough as you might think.
The enamel surface is quite easy to wear down and can crack if you use them for the wrong things like opening a bag of chips, tearing off price tags, straightening a bent fork or opening a can of beer. It’s best to reach for the scissors or a bottle opener.
Things you thought were OK
You can brush too hard and too often.
Stick to a gentle two-minute brush (with a soft toothbrush) morning and night at least 30 minutes after you’ve eaten or drunk anything, and you won’t go wrong.
Don’t use toothpicks. Unless you have a perfect, gentle technique, they can injure your gums. The best way to remove bits of food is to brush, floss or gargle (or preferably all three).
Australian Dental Association Inc.
PO Box 520
St Leonards NSW 1590 Tel: 02 9906 4412 Fax: 02 9906 4676 www.ada.org.au
Further Information
To find more information on caring for your teeth visit www.dentalhealthweek.com.au