There are several chances during the day to improve your oral hygiene. You can brush, floss, choose healthy foods, and gaggle with clean water after eating. But while you sleep, you don’t have much control over what happens in your mouth.
The mouth produces little saliva
When you are asleep, little or less saliva is produced in your mouth and this doesn’t allow swallowing all night. The production of not so much saliva helps bacteria and germs develop well in their numbers overnight and this can cause bad breath in the morning.
Brushing before you sleep at night will help manage bacteria and gems. Also, brushing your teeth when you wake up, reduces the bacteria and germs in your mouth from multiplying and excreting.
Bruxism
Bruxism means grinding your teeth when you sleep. Research shows that about 10% of adults grind their teeth while they sleep and this is known as bruxism. Bruxism can lead to the following if you don’t see your dentist early:
1. Disturbance in Sleep
2. Headaches
3. Deform your teeth
4. Wear off your enamel
5. Increase your tooth sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
To control bruxism, your Dentist will likely advise that you wear a nightguard while you sleep.
Bacteria activities in our mouth
The teeth carry thousands of bacteria and when we are asleep, these bacteria start to consume all type of food substance and remains in your mouth. They are microscopic organisms so they consume the tiny pieces of food stuck between your teeth and beneath your gum line. These bacteria also excrete in our mouths and their excretions are extremely acidic. The acid stays on our teeth and causes damage to our enamel which allows conditions like gum disease and tooth decay.
These bacteria cannot be totally gotten rid of from our mouths, but we can control their numbers and growth and also reduce the damages they cause by always maintaining good oral hygiene habits every day.
At Bellevue Dental you can rely on our preventive care for all the dental attention you need.
There are no comments