Brushing teeth, orthodontics, tooth extraction, dental implantation... Let's listen to all about teeth on National Teeth Day!

CCTV News: September 20th is the 36th National Teeth Day, with the theme of "Oral Health and Whole Body Health". Recently, the National Health Commission released the "Core Information on Whole Life Cycle Oral Health Care", which provides recommendations on oral health care for key populations such as children, adolescents, and the elderly.

The "Core Information on Whole Life Cycle Oral Health Care" suggests that the general population should undergo at least one oral examination per year; Children's oral diseases progress rapidly, it is recommended to undergo an oral examination every six months; Oral diseases during pregnancy may lead to premature birth or low birth weight of the fetus. It is recommended to undergo a comprehensive oral examination before pregnancy, promptly treat dental caries, remove misaligned wisdom teeth, perform a cleaning or necessary periodontal system treatment.

Oral care for children aged 0-3 is assisted by parents. Children aged 3-6 can learn to use the "arc brushing method" to brush their teeth. Brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste is a safe and effective anti caries measure. The gaps between teeth are prone to bacteria and soft dirt accumulation. In addition to brushing teeth, dental floss or interdental brushes should be used daily to clean the gaps between teeth.

Advocate reducing the intake of high sugar foods and beverages, and drinking less carbonated drinks. Fresh and intact fruits are less likely to cause dental caries, but when fruits are made into juice, their sugar content becomes free sugar, which increases the risk of dental caries. Therefore, it is not recommended to make fruits into juice for consumption. Sealing of cavities and fissures is the most effective method for preventing cavities and fissures.

During the process of replacing permanent teeth in children, there may be a brief misalignment of teeth or widening of tooth gaps, which is mostly a normal phenomenon. If there is still misalignment of teeth after tooth replacement, timely orthodontic consultation should be sought to determine the appropriate treatment timing and plan.

Periodontitis is a chronic and irreversible disease, mainly characterized by gum bleeding, gum swelling and pain, oral odor, loose teeth, etc. If the above symptoms occur, timely medical attention should be sought to prevent long-term periodontal disease from causing tooth loss. You should go to the hospital for dental cleaning 1-2 times a year.

Local use of fluoride in elderly people can prevent root caries, and once root caries occur, it should be treated promptly. For residual crowns and roots without preservation value, they should be promptly removed, otherwise it may cause systemic infection. Tooth loss can easily lead to problems such as difficulty chewing and tilting of adjacent teeth. Regardless of how many teeth are lost, except for wisdom teeth, timely and appropriate restoration should be carried out.

Is early orthodontic treatment better for children?

Children, teenagers, and the elderly are the key populations for oral health care. However, in recent years, the oral healthcare market has seen phenomena such as premature orthodontic treatment for children and excessive tooth extraction and implantation for the elderly.

A reporter's investigation found that some medical institutions and dentists deliberately create "orthodontic anxiety" among minors by promoting on social media or during offline consultations, claiming that "children's orthodontics should be done as early as possible" and "let children's appearance win at the starting line". Experts believe that early orthodontic treatment is not necessarily better, but rather the optimal treatment time is determined based on the type of dental malformation.

Experts suggest that correcting children's teeth too early, if not all deformities can be resolved during the replacement period, may have the opposite effect and affect the overall development of the child's facial features. However, for children with malocclusion caused by deciduous teeth, orthodontic treatment during the 4-5 year old deciduous period is beneficial for the development of the maxilla and prevents permanent teeth from malocclusion.

Like children, the elderly are also a key focus of the oral healthcare market. Reporters have found on multiple online platforms that in recent years, many dental medical institutions have been encouraging elderly patients to have their teeth extracted and implanted, claiming that "same day extraction, same day implantation, same day use" and "implant prices as low as 100 yuan". Some elderly people are easily trapped in consumption traps. Generally speaking, the more teeth are extracted, the stronger the pain and the higher the probability of postoperative infection.

Experts believe that the key to rectifying the chaos of excessive tooth extraction lies in strengthening the supervision of the dental medical industry and popularizing oral health knowledge to the elderly: teeth are still their own good, not only need to be used, but also need to be well protected.

Dr. Wang Qi, a dentist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said, "For example, in preventing dental caries and periodontal disease, we start with oral hygiene, allowing the elderly's teeth to stay in the mouth more and stay healthy for a long time. By the age of 80, we hope that the elderly can still maintain more than 20 real teeth in their mouth. This is our goal to strive for

Source: CCTV Network