With age, your body slows down and while a lot of functions slow down, your risk of dental issues too increases. As per the Health Policy Institute, procedures like cavity fillings peak in the early to mid-50s, and by 60s, most people require treatment for tooth decay. While figuring out the right dental care can be tricky, it is important to do so to maintain good oral hygiene at home is a simple and effective step.

The Importance of Regular Dental Checkups

Even with a solid home care routine, your regular dental visits are essential. It is important to do that twice-yearly. As per a 2020 Cochrane review, individuals who customize their visit schedules based on their dental risk had comparable oral health to those who visited every six months.

People with periodontal disease or dental implants may need to visit more frequently. The recommendation for them is to visit every three months. However, your dentist can tailor your visit as per your needs.

How To Know Which Toothpaste To Choose?

Fluoride remains the gold standard for cavity prevention, strengthening enamel and reversing early decay. When selecting a toothpaste, look for the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance, which ensures it meets safety and efficacy standards.

Ingredients to Watch For

Avoid sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS): If you frequently get canker sores, an SLS-free toothpaste may help reduce their occurrence.

Skip charcoal toothpaste: While often marketed as beneficial, activated charcoal is abrasive and can erode enamel.

How Much to Use?

A pea-sized amount is sufficient for adults. Additionally, avoid rinsing immediately after brushing to allow fluoride to work on enamel longer.

How To Brush The Right Way?

Go For Soft Bristles

Toothbrushes with soft or extra-soft bristles are best and safe. As harder bristles can damage enamel and lead to bleeding gums too.

Electric vs Manual Toothbrushes

While a manual toothbrush is effective when used correctly, a 2014 Cochrane review found that electric toothbrushes reduce plaque by 21% and gingivitis by 11% over three months.

ALSO READ: Sonic Vs Rotating, Which Electric Toothbrush Is Better?

Brushing Duration and Technique

Brush twice daily for at least two minutes.

Avoid brushing too hard, as this can cause gum recession and enamel wear.

Does Flossing Matter?

Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from in between teeth. These are the areas where brush alone cannot reach. However, there has not been much strong evidence for flossing as it is for brushing, but dentists do agree that it is beneficial.

What Kind Of Floss Can You Choose?

Traditional floss: Effective for most people.

Water flossers: Useful for those with braces, implants, or dexterity issues.

Interdental brushes: Ideal for cleaning larger spaces between teeth.

Flossing Frequency

Floss once a day to prevent gum disease and decay. If you have dental implants, an interdental brush may be a better choice.

Additional Dental Care Steps

Tongue Scrapers: They help clean your tongue and reduces bacteria buildup and helps with bad breath.

Whitening Strips: They can lighten teeth but won't affect crowns or fillings. It can fix uneven coloring.

Mouthwash: Fluoride mouthwash can complement brushing and flossing by reaching the areas harder to clean.

Ear issues nowadays are more common than you think. This is also because we are constantly by sounds and noises. When we think of ear issues, hearing loss is the first and major concern. However, ear pain can sometimes be severe and can also be a common problem with many. It can happen due to anything, including ear infections or any underlying conditions that cause discomfort in and around the ears.

According to David E. Melon, president of Carolina Ear, Nose & Throat Sinus and Allergy Center, ear pain may originate from an infection or be referred from another source. Left untreated, some conditions can lead to hearing loss, but timely treatment can relieve discomfort and prevent complications.

What Are The Reasons For Ear Pain?

Infections: there are two main types of ear infections that can happen to an individual. These include middle ear infections, which occur behind the eardrum, often triggered by an upper respiratory infection such as cold. Whereas outer ear infections or what is also known as Swimmer's ear happens due to water exposure. This type of infection can develop after time spent in pools, hot tubs, or even showers.

Most of the times, it is the children who get such infections, however, adults too can have the infection. Experts explain that trapped water behind earwax can also lead to infection and pain. In swimmer's ear, the individual is often treated with antibiotic drops, while for the middle ear infections, it can be resolved on their own. In some cases, antibiotics are also required.

Earwax Buildup

As we grow old, our ear canal also lose rigidity, which can lead to excessive earwax buildup, causing a gradual muffling of hearing, a feeling of pressure or fullness in the ears or itching and discomfort.

It is recommended to avoid using cotton swabs as they can further push in the wax deeper into the ear. Instead, the better option would be to try a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to soften the wax or visit an ENT specialist for removal.

Problems Originating Outside the Ear

Sometimes, pain felt in the ear is caused by issues elsewhere in the body. Identifying the root cause is crucial for effective treatment.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ)

TMJ disorder affects the joint where the lower jaw meets the skull and is a common cause of referred ear pain, especially in older adults. If you experience chronic ear pain along with jaw discomfort, consult a dentist for evaluation.

Dental Issues

Untreated cavities or gum infections can cause pain that radiates to the ears.

Arthritis

Stiffness and pain in the neck or jaw due to arthritis can extend into the ears, causing discomfort.

Cancer (Rare Cases)

In rare instances, ear pain may signal cancer in the throat, tongue, or tonsils. If you experience ear pain when swallowing or yawning that isn’t linked to an infection or TMJ, consult a doctor immediately.

3 Ways to Keep Your Ears Healthy

Avoid Cotton Swabs: Using Q-tips inside the ear can damage the ear canal and push wax deeper. It also risks leaving cotton fibers inside the canal.

Let Your Ears Clean Themselves: The ear is self-cleaning. The best approach is to gently wipe the outer ear with a washcloth. Avoid inserting objects like pens or keys, as they can cause injury or worsen wax buildup.

Keep Ear Devices Clean: Earbuds, hearing aids, and earplugs should be cleaned regularly. Using them repeatedly without cleaning or sharing them can introduce bacteria into the ear canal.

Teeth are an essential and permanent part of our adult lives. We grow a set of milk teeth as kids and lose them in the following years, growing a new and permanent set if adult teeth by the age of 12 and 14 according to NHS Informs. A full set of teeth has 32 in total, which includes wisdom teeth. But these grow much later in life, and they can cause a lot of trouble as well.

They can cause pain and swelling, infections in your gum, tooth decay, gum disease, buildup of fluid, or a dental abscess. The risk factors of wisdom teeth being so much caused this to become a standard procedure for people. But should you get them removed when they are causing you so much issue?

Do You Need To Remove Wisdom Teeth?

Even if you don't feel pain, your wisdom teeth could still cause trouble and there can be multiple reasons for that.

One of the reasons can be that your wisdom tooth is "impacted," meaning they're stuck under your gums and can't come in properly. This can happen if your jaw is too small or if it's growing at a bad angle. Impacted teeth can damage the teeth next to them.

Some dentists recommend removing healthy wisdom teeth to avoid future problems. As you get older, your jawbone hardens, making removal more difficult. Waiting can lead to complications after surgery, like heavy bleeding, broken teeth, severe numbness, or limited jaw movement. These issues can last for days or even a lifetime.

Why Should You Remove Your Wisdom Teeth?

WebMD explains that wisdom teeth need to be removed when they're causing problems, or if X-rays show they're likely to in the future. Specific reasons include

Damage to other teeth

Your wisdom teeth might shove your other teeth, making them crooked. This can cause pain when you bite and make it hard to chew.

Jaw damage

Sometimes, bags of fluid called cysts grow around stuck wisdom teeth. These cysts can eat away at your jawbone and hurt your nerves.

Sinus problems

Problems with your upper wisdom teeth can cause pain in your sinuses, like a stuffy nose or pressure in your face.

Gum inflammation

The gums around wisdom teeth can get puffy and red. It's hard to brush or floss these areas, so they get irritated easily.

Cavities

When gums swell, they make little pockets where food gets trapped. This food attracts germs that cause holes in your teeth.

Alignment issues

Stuck wisdom teeth can push your other teeth together. This crowding can mess up braces or make it harder to straighten your teeth.

Understanding The Procedure of Wisdom Teeth Removal

Wisdom teeth removal means taking out one or more of your back teeth. Sometimes, these teeth are stuck under your gums. During the surgery, you'll get medicine to make you sleepy or numb. You might get local numbing, strong sleep medicine, or something in between. Most people go back to work in a few days, but it takes a few weeks to fully heal. It's important to know what to expect.

• Mayo Clinic explains the procedure, the oral surgeon will first cut the gum tissue that exposes the tooth and the bone
• They will then remove the bone that blocks access to the tooth.
• After dividing the tooth into sections for easier access, they remove the tooth and clean up.
• They will then stitch up the wound and place a gauze to control the bleeding

What Are The Risks Of Wisdom Teeth Removal?

Doctors say wisdom tooth extraction, while often beneficial, is a surgical procedure that carries potential risks. Understanding the risk can help you make an informed decision regarding whether you wish to get the surgery.

- Following extraction, a blood clot should form in the socket. A "dry socket" comes loose or doesn't form, it's called a dry socket. This causes a lot of pain. Luckily, a dentist can fix this problem.

- Like any surgery, with wisdom tooth removal there's a chance of getting an infection. Keeping your mouth clean and following your dentist's advice helps prevent this.

- Though uncommon, nerve damage can happen during extraction. This damage to the nerves near the wisdom tooth might be short-term or last longer.

- Some people take longer to heal after surgery. How hard the removal was and how well you heal naturally affect recovery time.

The Before And After Considerations

American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons explain that before your surgery, buy soft foods. Your doctor will give you a list of foods you can eat. Good choices are yogurt, soup, applesauce, ice cream, blended foods, and smoothies. Don’t use straws, because they can cause a painful problem called dry socket.

On the day of your surgery, follow your doctor’s instructions exactly. They’ll tell you when to stop eating and drinking. This depends on the medicine you’ll get. Brush your teeth before you go. Wear comfortable clothes. Don’t drink alcohol or smoke for at least 8 hours before the surgery. Make sure your ride is confirmed. Following these steps will help your surgery go smoothly.

Get any medicine your doctor prescribes or recommends from the store. You’ll probably need pain medicine. Make sure to get this before your procedure. Make a cold pack by putting ice in a plastic bag or using a store-bought one.

Visiting a doctor can be a daunting task for many people. While health is a concern for many, people often worry about how they look to the doctor. Going about our day-to-day life, we often do things that we know are not good for our bodies. Whether it is smoking or eating unhealthy foods, and when asked about it at the doctor's office, many people chose to lie.

While we all want to be healthy and have the best care, the nervousness we experience at the doctors can sometimes stumble us into a harmless fib. But what most of us do not know is that doctors can usually tell when we are telling a lie. A 2020 survey done by the BCMJ revealed the number of people who lie and what they lie about.

The Pollfish survey revealed that 43% of those who admitted to lying did so about their exercise routines, with smoking being the most common lie at 46%. Older patients (35+) were more prone to misrepresenting their exercise habits, while younger patients (<35) were more likely to lie about smoking.

Common Lies Doctor Knows We’re Telling

While the doctors understand why one would choose to lie about certain things, they also urge their patients to answer them truthfully as at the end of the day it will help them give you the best treatment possible

"I Only Drink Occasionally"

The lie is saying you drink less alcohol than you really do. Doctors know many people don't tell the truth about this. Drinking too much can cause big problems like liver damage and heart disease. If you're honest, your doctor can give you the right advice. If you're not honest, they might miss problems or give you medicine that doesn't mix well with alcohol.

"I Don't Smoke"

It may seem like a harmless fib, but doctors can tell when someone is not telling the truth about these things. Smoking is very bad for your health and can cause cancer and hurt your lungs. Also, smoking can change how your medicine works. If you tell the truth, your doctor can help you quit and lower your risk of getting sick. If you lie, you might miss out on help and get very sick.

"I Went to the Doctor Pretty Recently"

You may think that lying about this is ok as it does not affect your current medical crisis, but that is not true. Your doctor needs to know your full health history to give you the best care. If you lie, they might miss important screenings or not find problems early. This can lead to delays in getting the right treatment.

"I Rarely Eat Junk Food"

We all know junk food is bad for us, yet we cannot keep ourselves from having some time to time. What you eat affects your weight, test results, and how your medicine works. If you're honest, your doctor can help you with diet problems. If you lie, your diabetes or cholesterol might get worse, and your medicine might not work right.

"I Don't Know My Family's Health History"

Your family history is crucial for your health, while you may think your health is separate, it give your doctor much needed information. Familial history reveals risks for hereditary diseases, making accurate information vital for preventative care. Lying about this can lead to missed opportunities for early detection and prevention of potentially life-altering conditions.

"I've Only Had X Number of Sexual Partners"

It may be embarrassing to tell, but being truthful about your sexual history can help your doctor give you the right advice and also give important context. When you speak truthfully, your doctor will help you safeguard against things like sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. Dishonesty can result in untreated or poorly managed STIs and other health issues, potentially leading to long-term complications.

"I Take My Medication Regularly"

You may think you can be dishonest about whether you took the medication regularly or not, but it can lead to negative consequences. Your doctor could assign you an incorrect does, which could lead to ineffective treatment, unwanted side effects, and further health problems. Honesty ensures proper medication management, reducing the risk of drug interactions and preventing the worsening of your underlying condition.