Practicing good oral hygiene is the most important action that a person can take to prevent and treat gum disease. Most people tend to overlook their gums when it comes to oral health and focus on getting a bright, white smile instead. However, healthy teeth require healthy gums.
Gum disease can lead to tooth loss. Fortunately, a person can take many steps to prevent and even reverse gum disease. These include:
• brushing the teeth properly
• choosing the right toothpaste
• flossing daily
• taking care when rinsing out the mouth
• using mouthwash
• having regular dental checkups
• stopping smoking
1. Brush the teeth properly

Brushing the teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste can help keep gums healthy.
Brushing the teeth properly is key to having a healthy mouth and gums.
• Brush at least twice a day using a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.
• Replace the toothbrush every 3 to 4 months or sooner if the bristles begin to fray.
• Brush the teeth at a 45-degree angle to the gums.
• Move the toothbrush in short strokes.
• Press gently.
• Clean the insides of the front teeth by turning the brush vertically and making several short strokes along each tooth.
2. Choose the right toothpaste
The toothpaste aisle in most stores will contain many varieties of toothpaste, from whitening products to formulas containing baking soda.
3. Floss daily
Many people neglect daily flossing, but this habit as an important part of oral care.
Flossing removes food and plaque from between the teeth and gums. If the food and plaque remain in these areas, this can lead to tartar, which is a hard build-up of bacteria that only a dentist can remove. Tartar can lead to gum disease.
4. Rinse your mouth out with care
Many people rinse their mouth out after brushing their teeth. However, oral hygiene practices should complement the effectiveness of fluoride products, such as toothpaste.
When a person washes their mouth out with water after brushing their teeth with fluoride toothpaste, they wash away the fluoride.
Conversely, when a person rinses their mouth out after eating, they may rinse away food and bacteria that can lead to plaque and tartar.
5. Use mouthwash
A therapeutic mouthwash can help:
• prevent gum disease
• reduce the speed at which tartar builds up
• reduce the amount of plaque on the teeth
• remove food particles from the mouth
However, people should not use mouthwash as a replacement for brushing and flossing.
Children under the age of 6 years should not use mouthwash.
6. Get regular dental checkups
Dental checkups typically include a professional cleaning of the mouth. Professional cleaning is the only way to remove tartar from the teeth. Professional cleaning can also help eliminate the plaque that a person may have missed when brushing their teeth.
With regular visits, a dentist can help identify the early signs of gum disease and gingivitis, a condition in which the gums become inflamed. Early detection can help prevent more severe problems from occurring.
7. Stop smoking
Smoking makes a person more susceptible to gum disease because it weakens the immune system.
Quitting smoking immediately to help reduce the risk of developing gum disease. The use of other tobacco products can also increase a person's risk.

Cavities are what you get from tooth decay damage to the tooth.
Tooth decay can affect both the outer coating of a tooth (called enamel) and the inner layer (called dentin).
What causes decay? When foods with carbohydrates like bread, cereal, milk, soda,
fruit, cake, or candy stay on your teeth. The bacteria in your mouth turn them into acids. The bacteria, acid, food debris, and your saliva combine to form plaque, which clings to the teeth. The acids in plaque dissolve the enamel, creating holes called
cavities.
Who Gets Cavities?
Many people think only children get cavities, but changes in your mouth as you age
make them an adult problem, too. As you get older, your gums pull away from your
teeth. They can also pull away because of gum disease. This exposes the roots of your
teeth to plaque. And if you eat a lot of sugary or high-carb foods, you’re more likely to
get cavities.
Older adults sometimes get decay around the edges of fillings. Seniors often have a lot
of dental work because they didn't get fluoride or good oral care when they were kids.
Over the years, these fillings can weaken teeth and break. Bacteria gather in the gaps
and cause decay.
How Do I Know If I Have One?
Your dentist finds cavities during a regular dental checkup. He’ll probe your teeth,
looking for soft spots, or use X-rays to check between your teeth.
If you’ve had a cavity for a while, you might get a toothache, especially after you eat or
drink something sweet, hot, or cold. Sometimes you can see pits or holes in your teeth.
How Are They Treated?
Treatment depends on how bad the cavity is. Most often, the dentist removes the
decayed portion of your tooth with a drill. He fills in the hole with a filling made of either
silver alloy, gold, porcelain, or a composite resin. These materials are safe.
Some people have raised concerns about mercury-based fillings called amalgams, but
the American Dental Association, the FDA, and other public health agencies say they
are safe. Allergies to fillings are rare.
Crowns are used when a tooth is so badly decayed that not much of it remains. Your
dentist removes and repairs the damaged part. He fits a crown made from gold,
porcelain, or porcelain fused to metal over the rest of the tooth.
You might need a root canal if the root or pulp of your tooth is dead or injured in a way
that can't be repaired. The dentist removes the nerve, blood vessels, and tissue along
with the decayed portions of the tooth. He fills in the roots with a sealing material. You may need a crown over the filled tooth

National Dentists Day
HelloDox wishes ”Happy National Dentist’s Day” to all Dentists on the occasion of National Dentist's Day which is celebrated on March 6 every year to raise awareness about dental health in India. This would be a great day to make a promise for better dental habits and Hygiene. Most of us are reluctant to visit a dentist. However when our check-up is done, our teeth are cleaned, cavities are filled, the broken tooth is fixed and get relieve from toothache, we realise the important role played by Dentist in our life. Hellodox is privileged to collaborate with many dentists on our platform. In past lot of Dentists supported our Health Camps. We on the behalf of our whole Hellodox team say “Thank You” to all Dentists and appreciate their contribution for society.

Clove is a commonly known spice, which is native to the Asian cuisine. They are dried flower buds of a tree from the family of Myrtaceae. These buds are known to be harvested originally in Maluku Islands in Indonesia. The cloves are aromatic and is known to lend a sweet and earthy flavor to food. Historically, cloves have been used both for culinary and medicinal uses. As a culinary spice, clove is used in meat dishes, curries, drinks and marinades. It is widely used in Indian, Chinese, African and South Asian cuisine.

Cloves have amazing medicinal properties. The bud has been widely recognized as a wonder bud packed with health benefits. In India, cloves are an important element of Ayurvedic medicine. It’s warm and soothing properties are beneficial for treating digestive tract problems. Clove oil is used in aromatherapy and can also be used as an ant repellent, due to its strong smell.

Clove oil is extracted from cloves and contains a chemical compound called Eugenol. This compound not only lends aroma to the spice, but also possesses analgesic, antibacterial, antiseptic and anesthetic properties. It is for this reason, clove oil is used extensively in dentistry as an anodyne (A pain reliever). Its antiseptic and antibacterial properties are beneficial in treating infections and its anesthetic qualities are extremely helpful in relieving pain.

In painful teeth conditions like an abscessed tooth, infections, gum disease or even cavities, toothache can range from mild to sharp shooting and almost unbearable pain. The patient suffering from such conditions is usually put on antibiotics, thus, it is wise to recommend using Ayurvedic clove oil or Eugenol oil as it is commonly known for its pain relief properties. Eugenol helps in providing relief from pain by arresting the nerve tissues, causing a local anesthetic effect. However, it is strongly advised to use clove oil only under the guidance of a dentist.


Since Clove oil can alter blood sugar levels and is warm in nature and is not recommended for patients suffering from diabetes or bleeding disorders. Caution must be exercised as overuse of clove oil can cause nerve damage. If using at home, it is better to mix 2 to 3 drops of the clove oil along with half a teaspoon of olive oil and then apply the mixture to the painful area. The oil can also be applied using a cotton ball on the painful tooth with the help of tweezers; however, it is important that one should not keep the oil for more than 10 seconds on the affected area. It is also important not to swallow any oil as it can be harmful for your health. Drinking clove tea or chewing a clove till it releases its oil is much safer and effective way to use it, than using a clove oil.

Toothache is perhaps one of the most abhorred form of body ache, which can potentially stall the normalcy of our lives to a great extent. Although seemingly non-hazardous, toothache can also lead to severe health implications. The dental health often indexes the condition of the heart and hence, should not be taken lightly. Toothache usually emanate from cavities or gum infection. While there are multiple cures for the same, these are the types of ailments, which are laden with the risk of relapse. The last minute rush to the dentist may buy temporary relieve from the excruciating pain, but what you should actually look for is a more holistic and sustained cure. Homeopathy brings all the benefits of natural herbs and traditional condiments to ensure your well-being and provide substantial relief from the menace that toothache can be. Some of the most reliable cures have been listed below.

Merc Sol: This is a very beneficial remedy for toothaches which are accompanied by increased salivation and swelling in the gum. This brings additional warmth to the gums which largely mitigate the pain.

Coffea: Coffea functions as an effective adjuvant to cold water in decreasing toothaches. It works best on increased sensitivity and irritability and cures them both to a large extent.

Sepia: Sometimes excessive intake of sweets leaves a bitter aftertaste in one’s mouth, resulting in unbearable toothaches. The ringing pain often spreads to the ears and the gums also get swollen. Sepia sufficiently pacifies such agitation.

Kreosote: Kreosote relieves those extreme kinds of toothache which reach up to the temples and induce sleeplessness in the patient. It also cures ulcerated gums.

Mezereum: Mezereum purifies dental health from its very roots. It reduces toothache from spreading and stalls the decay at the very roots. Mezereum soothes acute sensitivity and a constant ringing sensation in the temples and the ears of the patient.

There are various other drugs also which are of immense benefit in toothache and also for the cutting of wisdom tooth.