WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO VISIT DENTIST REGULARLY FOR SCALING (Cleaning up of teeth in Lehman language)

Hello guys,
I am writing this post for the common people of the society,to create an  awareness  regarding the importance of making regular visit to dentists and asking them for full mouth scaling.
To start with the topic lets first discuss what is the basic structure of our gingiva (gum).

In the picture you can see that the pink color object is our gum tissue and below it there is bone socket with tooth root inside it.You can also see that between the bone and the tooth root  there are horizontal lines which are called as periodontal ligaments(just like ropes are used to hold a tent).Gum tissues,Bone and periodontal ligaments together hold the tooth in place.This is very raw understanding of the basic structure of gingiva.
One should understand that once the gingiva/supporting bone/periodontal ligaments get destroyed,tooth looses its support and finally exfoliates.
When we eat food,Food particles get entrapped in the space present between two teeth.Now our mouth has got many types microbes(pathogens).Which start getting attached to these food particles.They satrt multiplying there and increases the mass.This mass is called as dental plaque.After some period of time this dental plaque starts getting calcified and forms dental calculus (Tartar)
As this dental calculus grows in size following changes occur-

• Dental plaque or calculus invades the gingiva,along the tooth root.At this stage Gingiva starts to show the signs of inflammation(a clinical term,for a Lehman it can be taken as an infection).This can be seen as severe pain, reddening of gingiva and bleeding from gums(acute form of inflammation) or no pain,just reddening or bluish coloration of gingiva(chronic form of inflammation).
• As the calculus growth increases the the toxins liberated by the bacteria and normal body reactions start to destruct the bone and periodontal ligaments.From this stage the tooth starts to become mobile.If left untreated sooner or latter tooth exfoliate.This is called as periodontitis.

 The animation below gives a better idea of the pathological process-In this animation growing gray color material is the dental calculus/tartar and u can see that as its growing supporting structures of tooth are receding and finally tooth gets devoid of all support and finally exfoliates.
As the supporting structures are lost,tooth root starts to get expose.This can lead to sensitivity to both hot and cold, pain on chewing ,foul odor like symptoms.
During scaling,dentist removes all dental plaque and calculus adhering to the tooth.But gingivitis and periodontitis can only be cured when there is full support from the patient as well and he keeps a proper oral hygiene.
Some points which patient should follow for keeping good oral health-

• Eat food that contains less sugary stuff and which is less sticky.Eat more fibrous food.
• Avoid acidic beverages like cola and soda.
• Gargle properly after every meal.
• Brush at least twice a day.Once in day time after taking breakfast and once at night before going to bed
• Visit your dentist every six months or when u suffer from any kind of oral or dental malfunction.

Beside dental plaque and calculus there are some conditions and diseases in which the gum tissues and supporting structures become more vulnerable to destruction and it becomes important for a person to visit regularly to a dentist-

• Pregnant Ladies-In pregnant ladies gingiva becomes more reactive to dental plaque and calculus.Gingiva shows enlargement in size.
• Puberty-This is also a systemic condition in which there is excessive overgrowth of gingiva and it shows exaggerated response to plaque or calculus
• People taking following medicines should consult there dentist if they found any abnormality related to there gingiva-

1. Calcium Channel Blockers like nifedipine (given to heart patients or hypertensive patients[high B.P.] )
2. Anti convulsant drugs like phenytoin (given to epileptic patients)
3. Immunosupressive drugs like cyclosporines
4. Antidepressants 

• Diabetic patients-In diabetes,there is excessive loss of periodontal ligaments and bone.
• Patients going for Radiotherapy or Chemotherapy -Patients who are going under chemotherapy or radio therapy should consult there dentist prior to the therapy.
• Leukemia(blood cancer patients in Lehman terms)
• If you are breathing from mouth more often you should consult your dentist because mouth brathers become more prone to gingivitis
• HIV patients-HIV patients should make a regular visit to a dental clinic as there immunity is weak which make them suspectable to many oral diseases.
• Patients having Cardiac disorders or who have gone under heart surgeries should meet there dentist regularly and should maintain a proper oral hygiene.

Drug induced gingival enlargement

Pregnancy induced Gingival enlargement(pregnancy Tumour)

I guess from now on you guys will visit your dentist regularly for good oral health..after all nobody wants an artificial smile...:)