Expert: Having neat and beautiful teeth requires eliminating multiple 'roadblocks'

Shanghai, September 21 (Xinhua) -- Oral health is an important component of overall health. How to have a pair of neat and beautiful teeth? Regarding this, Wang Jun, director of the Department of Pediatric Stomatology at the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, pointed out in an interview with reporters on the 21st that in addition to blocking the "enemy" of tooth decay, it is also necessary to eliminate many "roadblocks", such as opening lips and teeth, breathing through the mouth, snoring while sleeping, habitually biting lips or pencils, sticking out the tongue, etc.

Wang Jun used oral breathing as an example to explain that this may be due to factors such as rhinitis and adenoid hypertrophy affecting respiratory tract patency, leading to oral breathing. Long term oral breathing can lead to incorrect positioning of the tongue in the mouth, which can have adverse effects on bite, facial shape, and dentition.

Wang Jun said that having complete and beautiful teeth not only requires blocking the "enemy" of cavities, but also eliminating many "roadblocks". (Image provided by Shanghai Health Promotion Center)

Wang Jun told reporters: "When resting on the tongue, the lips should be closed and the tongue should be lifted. The tongue should be placed about 3 to 5 millimeters behind the front teeth. Parents can use the method of 'swallowing saliva' to determine whether the position of the child's tongue is correct: if the tongue is in the correct position, swallowing can only be completed by relying on the pharyngeal muscles; if the tongue is not in the correct position, the oral muscles should be used to seal the mouth in order to swallow saliva. This means that if the child's lips do not move when swallowing saliva, it is correct; if the lips exert force when swallowing saliva, the position of the tongue will be problematic. After this problem occurs, it is recommended that parents take the child to the dental department of the hospital for medical treatment, and the doctor will use appropriate orthodontic appliances. Make improvements

Nowadays, with the increasing attention to health and appearance, many parents regularly take their children to hospitals for oral examinations. Wang Jun suggests that children under the age of 6 should have an oral examination every quarter, and children over the age of 6 can have an oral examination every six months. For school aged children, regular dental checkups are mainly aimed at early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of tooth decay. However, the risk factors for tooth decay vary for each child. For example, compared to second grade children, fifth grade children have very strong oral cleaning abilities, and their risk of tooth decay may be lower than second grade children. Therefore, the frequency of oral checkups can be appropriately reduced. "This expert said that the frequency of oral checkups varies from person to person, and parents can follow the doctor's evaluation recommendations to implement them.

On the same day, the reporter learned from the Shanghai Health Promotion Center that the Shanghai Health Lecture Hall special event visited Changning Road Primary School in Changning District, where dental medical staff popularized health knowledge about loving and protecting teeth for students. This event is also a supporting activity for Shanghai's "National Science Popularization Day" and "Service for People's Health Action" National Large scale Free Clinic Week.

Hou Lili, Director of the Nursing Department of the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, told children: "Severe dental caries in baby teeth can affect pronunciation, aesthetics, and the health and alignment of permanent teeth in the later stage. Therefore, when dental caries occur in baby teeth, it is important to receive treatment as soon as possible

Experts in the field of oral care provide science popularization for children. (Image provided by Shanghai Health Promotion Center)

It is reported that dental caries (tooth decay) is one of the most common diseases that harm the oral health of Chinese children. Dental caries mainly manifests as the destruction of tooth structure, which can cause pain when it progresses to a certain extent. The main causes of dental caries include bacteria, acidic oral environment, and long-term poor oral hygiene habits. The most important thing to prevent tooth decay is to clean your teeth and maintain oral hygiene every day, so as to resist the invasion of decay bacteria.

She said, "Children should eat regularly every day, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, and develop a good habit of rinsing their mouths. In daily life, they should eat less sugar, snacks, and carbonated drinks, especially after brushing their teeth at night. Once cavities are found, they should go to the dental department of the hospital as soon as possible. Dentists will help everyone repair cavities and take preventive and maintenance measures

Source: China News Network