During life we go through various stages with different physiological needs, and the mouth and gums are no strangers to all these changes, so there are stages in which we must carry special attention.
You may have heard that we should all have at least one check-up and possibly one professional oral hygiene per year
We are going to look at stages or factors that are particularly sensitive for gums:
The first tooth
The first thing to be clear about is that teeth are brushed as soon as they erupt, which means that babies from 6 months of age should be brushed with a special toothbrush that is suitable for their age. Starting check-ups with our paediatric dentist at around two years of age.
Childhood and adolescence
Between 9-19 years of age, children go through a stage in which they undergo many hormonal changes, mixed with a lack of hygiene and the ingestion of foods that are harmful to oral health, such as sweets, fizzy drinks, etc., which results in the appearance of tartar and the need for the first oral hygiene.
At these stages it is important to visit the clinic to make an appointment with our oral hygienist to reinforce proper hygiene techniques and establish good oral habits.
Adult life
As with the rest of the body, this will be the healthiest and most stable stage of the mouth, if there are no other added alterations, and unless we tell you otherwise, a check-up and hygiene every year will be enough. But it is important that you do not neglect yourself and be rigorous with your hygiene and habits, as it will depend a lot on how you take care of yourself during these years so that in the future you do not have any problems.
Senior
From this age onwards it will depend a lot on how you have looked after your mouth, your hygiene, your habits and your genetics. It is important to keep your mouth healthy in order to have an excellent quality of life and great pleasures, such as being able to enjoy food, conversations, etc. without having to worry about our teeth and gums, from this age onwards it is advisable to go twice a year, if we do not indicate otherwise.
Now that we have reviewed life stages, let's look at special situations in women:
Pregnancy
During pregnancy many changes occur in a very short time, each trimester is important and different, so we recommend a visit and hygiene in each trimester of pregnancy, in these visits we will give you guidelines to combat the effects that pregnancy may be causing your mouth and tips for when your baby is born.
Menopause
As in previous stages, a woman's body undergoes many hormonal changes, which directly affect the mouth, especially the gums, you may notice that your gums are swollen more than usual or dry mouth. Your hygienist can help you, from this stage onwards it is advisable to visit us every 6 months, unless we recommend otherwise, so that you can enjoy good oral health.
And we'll leave some harmful habits that worsen your oral health until last.
Tobacco, alcohol and other substances
The first thing we advise you at Vélez y Lozano is not to consume alcohol in excess and not to smoke, as tobacco drastically reduces our oral health, but if you have not yet seen the time to give it up, you should maintain perfect dental hygiene and go for check-ups and hygiene every 4-6 months. These substances increase the probability of suffering periodontal disease, the main cause of tooth loss.
If you have any questions regarding your dental treatment, please do not hesitate to contact our team of the Vélez y Lozano Dental Clinic.