Oral Health with Dr Adewunmi Oluwafunmilayo

Health is broad, so on Yspot it has been divided into 4 categories –  Oral Health, Public health, Nutrition and Medicine. So with every new week on Health you will have one of the four. We hope to touch every aspect with time to meet the needs and to answer the questions on the mind of everyone, if possible. For today on Yspot it’s going to be Oral Health with Adewunmi Oluwafunmilayo.

Is your gate smelling?

Have you ever passed through a street and noticed a house that looks so elegant and well decorated with good horticultural layout and a radiant exterior finish? Well imagined curiosity gets the best of you, so you move closer to have a second look at the glamour of this magnificent building but to your surprise as you moved closer to have a feel of the ambience of the house a foul smell welcomes you from a bin just by the gate of the house and at a closer look you saw a swollen, decaying dead dog, about to burst by the gate of this magnificent edifice.....  your surprised brain will definitely tell your legs to hasten up as your interest would have waned and you no longer would want to partake  of the fragrance distributed freely at the gate of this building despite your curiosity.

 

Do you know that your mouth is the gateway to you body, and at times it freely distribute fragrance that sends people that desire to enjoy the ambience that your presence creates and the elegance of your face constructed as a magnificent edifice.  Most have been oblivious to this fact !

Studies show that people are poor judges of their own breath odour (adaptation/desensitisation due to chronic exposure). Some may have exaggerated concerns, poor judgement, personal experiences, childhood memories, perception of other people’s behaviours etc leading to preoccupation with concealing perceived malodour, social avoidance etc.  Concept of “HALITOPHOBIA”.

What causes mouth odour?
80- 90% 0f bad breath comes from the mouth itself, most especially from teeth that has accumulated a long standing dirt called Calculus which has taken different shades of colours at different times due to the activities of bacteria which has acted on the food substance stuck in between the teeth, the gum and the pits and fissures of the teeth.

Other causes could be:

—  Food stuck in teeth

—  Sinus problems

—  Stomach problems

Formed by bacterial putrefaction of food debris, cells, saliva and blood.

What can one do?

·        Brush your teeth at least twice daily preferably after meal and when brushing remember to brush your tongue using a tongue brush

·        Floss regularly to remove food debris from the corners of the teeth

·        Rinse your mouth with water in between meal and when your brush is not accessible after meals

·        Chew sugar free gum

·        See your dentist once every 6month for thorough cleansing of your mouth

And remember that your gate is so important and must be kept clean at all time.

Adewunmi Oluwafunmilayo