What are the signs of poor personal hygiene. How does bad hygiene affect your health and social life. Why is maintaining good hygiene practices important for overall well-being. What are some easy ways to improve your hygiene habits.

Defining Bad Hygiene: Personal and Environmental Aspects

Bad hygiene can be categorized into two main areas: personal hygiene and environmental hygiene. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for maintaining overall health and well-being.

Personal Hygiene Neglect

Personal hygiene refers to the practices individuals employ to keep themselves clean and healthy. Poor personal hygiene may include:

• Infrequent showering or bathing
• Neglecting to brush teeth regularly
• Failing to wash hands before and after handling food
• Not washing hands after using the toilet

Environmental Hygiene Issues

Environmental hygiene encompasses the cleanliness of one’s surroundings. Examples of poor environmental hygiene include:

• Neglecting to clean areas prone to bacterial growth, such as kitchens and bathrooms
• Allowing garbage to accumulate
• Improper food storage and preparation
• Infrequent laundering of clothing and bedding

Recognizing the Signs of Poor Hygiene

Identifying signs of poor hygiene is essential for addressing potential health concerns and improving overall well-being. Common indicators include:

• Persistent body odor due to infrequent bathing
• Unkempt or greasy hair
• Halitosis (bad breath) and visible food particles between teeth
• Wearing visibly soiled clothing
• Dirty and overgrown fingernails and toenails

Is body odor always a sign of poor hygiene? While body odor can result from infrequent bathing, it may also be caused by medical conditions, certain foods, or excessive sweating. If persistent body odor is a concern despite good hygiene practices, consulting a healthcare professional is advisable.

The Impact of Bad Hygiene on Health and Society

Poor hygiene practices can have far-reaching consequences, affecting both individual health and social interactions.

Health Risks Associated with Poor Hygiene

Neglecting proper hygiene can lead to various health issues, including:

• Spread of infectious diseases such as food poisoning, gastroenteritis, and hepatitis A
• Dental problems like tooth decay and gum disease
• Skin conditions, including dermatitis neglecta
• Secondary infections due to lack of cleanliness

Can poor dental hygiene affect heart health? Research suggests a potential link between oral health and cardiovascular disease. Maintaining good dental hygiene may contribute to overall heart health, though more studies are needed to fully understand this connection.

Social and Professional Implications

Beyond health concerns, poor hygiene can significantly impact an individual’s social and professional life:

• Difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships
• Potential job loss or limited career opportunities, especially in public-facing roles
• Social isolation due to others’ discomfort with hygiene-related issues

Are there industries where hygiene is particularly crucial? In food service and healthcare, maintaining proper hygiene is critical for ensuring the safety of customers, patients, and colleagues. Many companies in these sectors have strict hygiene policies to protect both their employees and their reputation.

Underlying Causes of Poor Hygiene

While poor hygiene is often attributed to laziness, various factors can contribute to neglecting personal cleanliness:

Mental Health Conditions

Certain mental health issues can significantly impact an individual’s ability to maintain proper hygiene:

• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Schizophrenia

How does depression affect personal hygiene? Depression can lead to a lack of motivation and energy, making routine tasks like bathing or brushing teeth feel overwhelming. This can result in neglecting personal hygiene, which may further exacerbate feelings of low self-worth.

Cognitive Impairments

Conditions affecting cognitive function can also lead to poor hygiene practices:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Dementia
• Developmental disabilities

Socioeconomic Factors

Limited access to resources can hinder proper hygiene maintenance:

• Lack of clean water
• Inability to afford soap or cleaning supplies
• Homelessness or inadequate living conditions

Strategies for Improving Personal Hygiene

Enhancing personal hygiene doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Simple, consistent habits can make a significant difference in overall cleanliness and health.

Daily Hygiene Routine

Establishing a regular hygiene routine is key to maintaining cleanliness:

• Brush teeth twice daily, in the morning and before bed
• Take a quick shower or bath daily, focusing on key areas
• Wash hands frequently, especially before and after handling food or using the bathroom
• Use deodorant or antiperspirant as needed

How long should you brush your teeth for optimal cleaning? Dentists recommend brushing for at least two minutes twice a day. This duration allows for thorough cleaning of all tooth surfaces and helps prevent plaque buildup and gum disease.

Clothing and Bedding Care

Maintaining clean clothing and bedding is crucial for overall hygiene:

• Launder clothes and bedding weekly
• Change into clean underwear and socks daily
• Spot-clean clothing as needed between washes

How often should you change your bedsheets? While individual preferences may vary, changing bedsheets once a week is generally recommended. This practice helps reduce the accumulation of dead skin cells, dust mites, and other allergens that can affect sleep quality and overall health.

Environmental Cleanliness

Keeping living spaces clean contributes to better overall hygiene:

• Regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces
• Properly store and prepare food to prevent contamination
• Dispose of garbage promptly and maintain a clean living environment

The Role of Proper Hand Hygiene in Disease Prevention

Hand hygiene plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and maintaining overall health.

When to Wash Hands

Key moments for hand washing include:

• Before and after preparing food
• Before eating
• After using the toilet
• After handling garbage
• After touching animals or animal waste
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

Proper Hand Washing Technique

Effective hand washing involves more than just a quick rinse:

1. Wet hands with clean, running water
2. Apply soap and lather well
3. Scrub all surfaces of hands and fingers for at least 20 seconds
4. Rinse thoroughly under running water
5. Dry hands using a clean towel or air dry

Is hand sanitizer as effective as washing with soap and water? While alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be effective in killing many types of germs, they are not as effective as soap and water for removing all types of germs and chemicals. When possible, washing with soap and water is the preferred method for hand hygiene.

Addressing Hygiene Issues in Various Populations

Different groups may face unique challenges in maintaining proper hygiene, requiring targeted approaches and support.

Children and Hygiene Education

Teaching good hygiene habits from an early age is crucial:

• Make hand washing and tooth brushing fun and engaging
• Use positive reinforcement to encourage good habits
• Lead by example and explain the importance of hygiene

Elderly Care and Hygiene

Older adults may require additional support to maintain proper hygiene:

• Provide assistive devices for bathing and grooming
• Establish a consistent hygiene routine
• Offer gentle reminders and assistance as needed

Addressing Hygiene in Mental Health Care

For individuals with mental health conditions, hygiene care may require a specialized approach:

• Incorporate hygiene tasks into daily treatment plans
• Provide supportive environments that encourage self-care
• Offer occupational therapy to improve hygiene-related skills

How can caregivers help individuals with dementia maintain good hygiene? Caregivers can establish consistent routines, provide gentle reminders, and create a safe and comfortable bathing environment. Breaking tasks into smaller steps and offering choices can also help individuals with dementia feel more in control of their hygiene practices.

The Connection Between Hygiene and Self-Esteem

Maintaining good hygiene can have a significant impact on an individual’s self-esteem and overall well-being.

Psychological Benefits of Good Hygiene

Practicing proper hygiene can lead to various psychological benefits:

• Increased confidence in social situations
• Improved mood and overall outlook
• Enhanced sense of self-worth and personal pride

Social Acceptance and Hygiene

Good hygiene practices can positively influence social interactions:

• Easier formation and maintenance of relationships
• Increased comfort in professional settings
• Reduced risk of social isolation due to hygiene-related issues

Can improving hygiene habits lead to better mental health? While not a cure-all, maintaining good hygiene can contribute to improved mental health. The act of self-care can boost self-esteem and create a sense of accomplishment, potentially alleviating symptoms of conditions like depression or anxiety.

In conclusion, understanding the importance of good hygiene and implementing effective practices is crucial for maintaining overall health, well-being, and social functioning. By recognizing the signs of poor hygiene, addressing underlying causes, and adopting simple yet effective hygiene habits, individuals can significantly improve their quality of life and contribute to a healthier society as a whole.

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Improving your personal hygiene doesn’t have to be difficult or costly. Small changes in habits can make a big difference. If you’re concerned, see a doctor, as it may reveal an underlying health issue.

Wondering what constitutes bad hygiene, or trying to figure out if your hygiene habits are lacking?

Take a (minty fresh) breath, and rest assured that some supposed bad hygiene traits are actually NBD — like peeing in the shower, for instance.

That said, some poor hygienic traits can be harmful or even a sign of more serious issues.

Skimping on hygiene might seem like NBD, and it isn’t if we’re talking about the occasional day you don’t brush your teeth until noon. But it matters when it affects your life or that of the people around you.

In the most extreme cases, when left unattended, poor hygiene can breed disease that can affect you or others.

For example, not washing your hands after you use the toilet, handle food, or touch dirty surfaces can spread bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These can lead to infections and diseases, like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, cold and flu, and hepatitis A — just to name a few.

Poor dental hygiene can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, which can also affect the heart.

Not bathing can result in a skin condition called dermatitis neglecta and secondary infections.

An obvious lack of hygiene can also affect a person’s work and social life. Some companies have a hygiene policy in place for the protection of employees and company image, especially if you have a public-facing role.

If you work in the food industry or in healthcare, proper hygiene is detrimental to the safety of everyone you’re in contact with.

Bad hygiene can be broken down into two categories: personal hygiene and environmental hygiene.

Here are examples of both kinds.

• Poor personal hygiene:
  • not showering often
  • not brushing teeth
  • not washing hands before or after handling food
  • not washing hands after using the toilet

• Poor environmental hygiene:
  • not regularly cleaning areas that breed bacteria, like the kitchen and bathroom
  • leaving garbage sitting out
  • not cooking or storing food properly
  • not doing laundry often (clothing and sheets)

Here are some signs that are indicative of poor hygiene in yourself or someone else:

• body odor from not showering regularly
• unwashed or disheveled hair
• bad breath, food between teeth, or signs of tooth decay and gingivitis
• wearing soiled clothing
• dirty and untrimmed fingernails and toenails

People are quick to pass off poor hygiene habits as laziness, but poor hygiene can be a sign of a disease, such as Alzheimer’s, or a mental health condition, like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

For some, lack of access to clean water, soap, or cleaning supplies can make proper hygiene more difficult to achieve.

Here are some easy ways to practice good hygiene:

• Brush your teeth twice a day. Doing it when you get up and before you go to bed makes it easier to get into a routine. Remember: You only need to brush for 2 minutes for a good clean, so you can do it even if you’re short on time.
• Wash your body daily. A quick shower or bath is all you need, as long as you cover the important parts (Think: pits and private bits). If access to water is limited, use a damp cloth or sponge to wash your genitals, around your anus, under your arms, between any skin folds, and under your breasts.
• Wash your clothes and bedding regularly. Doing laundry once per week is sufficient, whether by machine or hand. If you need to re-wear clothing, a quick wash in the sink and hanging it to dry for the next day works fine. Keeping your body clean lets you extend the time between washing clothing and sheets.
• Wash your hands often. If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that washing our hands goes a long way in keeping us healthy and reducing the spread of illness. Remember to wash your hands before and after contact with shared, or potentially unsanitary or contaminated surfaces to protect yourself and others.
• Wipe properly after going to the toilet. Wiping properly after going to the toilet will keep underwear clean and unpleasant odors at bay. Always wipe front to back to keep bacteria away from the urethra to avoid urinary infections. Body wipes or a bidet work, too. (Though keep in mind that wipes can make life hard for sanitation workers. So if you don’t need them, it’s best to stick with TP). If pain or a disability makes it hard to wipe, consider a toilet paper aid.
• Wash your hair at least every 3 days. Most people don’t need to shampoo their hair more than daily. How often you should wash depends on how oily or dry your hair is, how much you sweat, and how much product you use. Every 2 to 3 days is fine for most people, but feel free to experiment by extending the time between washes. Bouncy shampoo commercial hair is nice, but a healthy scalp is the priority.

Practicing good hygiene doesn’t have to be time-consuming or require expensive products. A few tweaks to a person’s routine can help prevent bad hygiene.

Since poor personal and environmental hygiene can be a sign of an underlying condition, consider reaching out to a healthcare professional if you’re concerned about your hygiene or someone else’s.

Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a Canada-based freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. When she’s not holed-up in her writing shed researching an article or off interviewing health professionals, she can be found frolicking around her beach town with husband and dogs in tow or splashing about the lake trying to master the stand-up paddle board.

Bad Hygiene Habits That Are Way Worse Than You Thought

Everyone skips a shower or forgets to floss. How bad could it be… right? Experts reveal the real consequences of these bad hygiene habits.

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Irregular brushing or flossing your teeth

What would happen if you abandoned your toothbrush and dental floss? “You would first experience swollen, bleeding gums, bad breath and [you] may develop cavities,” says Natasha Lee, DDS, president of the California Dental Association. Untreated cavities would travel to the nerve, requiring root canals, and debris in your mouth would lead to gum disease, a painless condition that eventually causes your teeth to fall out.

And it gets worse. “There is a growing amount of research that indicates an association between gum disease and other health problems like heart disease and diabetes,” notes Lee.

Get The Healthy @Reader’s Digest newsletter

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Rarely showering or bathing

“Personal hygiene serves a more important purpose than just keeping body odor at bay,” says skin care expert Janine Frances, CME, LMT. It’s not just gross, in other words: Soap and water can prevent acne, rashes and life-threatening infections. “Bacteria grows rapidly on the body, and when it has lots of dead skin cells to feed off of, bacteria on your skin can cause, itching, irritation, and inflammation,” says Frances. “If you already have a skin condition, such as eczema, not showering regularly can make it worse.”

Eventually, a condition called dermatitis neglecta would set in if you stop showering completely, says Frances. You’ll notice thick patches of brown plaque on the skin, and they can lead to secondary infections. Luckily, dermatitis neglecta is usually treatable with regular washing. In severe cases, topical medication might be needed to break down the plaque.

Here’s How Often You Should Really Shower

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Going to bed with your makeup on

At the end of a long day, it might be tempting to nod off without washing off your makeup. But any makeup artist or skin care professional will tell you this is one of the most egregious hygiene mistakes you can make. “Not washing your face daily can create clogged pores which can not only lead to blackheads and pimples but uneven skin color due to overgrowth of skin cells,” notes Frances.

And that’s not all: Neglecting to wash off your mascara, eyeliner and other eye makeup can do serious damage to your eyes. Makeup harbors bacteria, which can migrate under your eyelids and lead to styes, inflamed follicles on the lash line, and serious skin infections. Untreated, these infections could eventually lead to blindness.

6 Things Bedrooms of Good Sleepers Have in Common

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Infrequently washing your bedding

Laundry is a chore some people try to avoid like the plague—but if you actually do, you’re asking for trouble. And this doesn’t just apply to clothes; bed sheets that haven’t been washed in months (or longer) become a petri dish of bacteria, fungus, dust mites and more—and it’s going to get worse exponentially, as “bacteria multiply rapidly,” says Frances. In the worst-case scenario, unwashed bed sheets—and pajamas and clothing for that matter—will lead to a staph infection. If a staph infection makes its way into the bloodstream, it can escalate to a more severe condition like septicemia or toxic shock syndrome, which could be fatal.

7 Tricks that Turn Household Chores into Legit Workouts

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Leaving your contact lenses in for days

One of the poorest hygiene habits that ophthalmologist and eye surgeon Alan Mendelsohn, MD, has ever seen is the overwearing of contact lenses that are never cleaned properly—or at all. “Wearing a contact lens for a week or longer results in an exponential increase in severe eye infections, including corneal ulcers,” says Dr. Mendelsohn, who equates this habit to wearing the same dirty underwear every day.

If the term “corneal ulcer” makes you cringe, it’s for good reason. A corneal ulcer is actually an open sore on the cornea which causes pain, redness, discharge and blurry vision. Most corneal ulcers can be treated with antibacterial, antifungal or antiviral eye drops, but in some cases, a cornea transplant is necessary.

Personal Hygiene: What’s Harmful, What’s Helpful

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Not washing your bras or underwear regularly

You’re courting yeast infections, thrush and urinary tract infections. Untreated, urinary tract infections can travel to the kidneys and cause sepsis, which can be life-threatening, and thrush and yeast infections can cause infertility and internal scarring.

And then there are bras, which most people don’t wash after every wear. Like any unwashed clothes, dirty bras trap oils and bacteria, which will eventually cause acne, rashes and worse.

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Sharing your toothbrush, razor or hairbrush

Sometimes it’s a good thing to be selfish, and personal grooming products are a perfect example of a situation in which sharing is not necessarily caring. For instance, poor oral hygiene habits are bad enough—you certainly don’t need the bacteria from someone else’s mouth infecting yours. And the spread of infections is precisely what can happen if you use someone else’s toothbrush, says the American Dental Association. The consequences of oral infections range from gum disease to potentially fatal conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Sharing razors isn’t much better, as it can not only spread skin infections like staph, but the practice can transmit viruses like hepatitis and HIV. Sharing hair brushes can put you at risk for lice and skin rashes.

35 “Healthy” Things You Have Permission to Stop Doing Right Now

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Reusing towels

It’s common to reuse the same towel after a few showers before tossing it in the laundry. But towels that have been used more than a few times—or have been used once at the gym—should be laundered right away. And they certainly shouldn’t be shared, as they can easily harbor bacteria and bodily secretions.

Sharing sweaty towels is an excellent way to spread dangerous skin conditions and infections, like staph, which can be fatal. Need more reasons not to share towels? How about warts and scabies—or more serious conditions like meningitis, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia? Chlamydia is a highly curable condition but left untreated it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and even infertility.

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Walking barefoot in public showers

They make flip-flops and water shoes for a reason: When sweat, hair and urine collect on shower floors, they can breed bacteria, fungus and mold. Walking barefoot is a great way to pick up ringworm, athlete’s foot and nail fungus, to name a few notoriously difficult-to-treat conditions.

Ringworm, a fungal infection of the skin, responds well to topical antifungals; however, athlete’s foot can be far more persistent. In the worst-case scenario, athlete’s foot may cause a secondary infection that can lead to fevers and complications of the lymphatic system. Getting a toenail fungus infection means you’ll be losing your nails on a regular basis—and it’s tough to beat: Not even oral antifungals meds can reliably cure the condition, which will eventually cause permanent deformity of nails and nail beds. In extreme cases, nails infected with fungus need to be permanently removed.

How Bad Is It to Pee in the Shower?

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Reusing a water bottle without washing it

Staying hydrated is important, but refilling your disposable plastic water bottle too often or refilling your reusable bottle without washing it thoroughly could be as unhygienic as licking on your dog’s toys. In one test, large amounts of bacteria—including the food-poisoning bug E. coli—were found in squeeze-top and screw-top water bottles. Over time, chemicals that leach from dirty plastic bottles can lead to conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis and possibly breast cancer.

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Not washing your produce

How important is it to rinse those apples you bought from the fruit stand? Pretty darn important, it turns out. Ingesting the bacteria on unwashed fruits and veggies can give you food poisoning, and consuming the pesticides on some of these foods can raise your risk of serious conditions. Pesticides have been linked to diarrhea and insomnia in mild cases; in severe cases, pesticides can be responsible for conditions like increased heart rate, respiratory illness, loss of reflexes, unconsciousness, and even death. Needless to say, a good scrub is well worth the effort.

4 Easy Tips for Safer Fruit and Vegetable Washing, from Food Safety and Nutrition Authorities

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Not caring properly for eyelash extensions

The most frequent makeup-related reason a patient ends up in Dr. Mendelsohn’s office, he says, is due to eyelash extensions. “There are varying degrees of toxicity when the glues get into the eye.” He confirms that glue in the eye can cause mild to moderate vision impairment, but in the worst-case scenario, the glue can become embedded in the cornea and lead to “keratitis, or inflammation of the cornea, which is acutely painful and usually will not resolve on its own. ”

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Leaving in tampons too long

The most notorious consequence of not changing your tampon frequently enough is toxic shock syndrome—a potentially life-threatening infection. The symptoms start with fever, vomiting, diarrhea and headaches. Left untreated, it can eventually lead to kidney failure or death. Luckily, it’s very rare. The chances increase if you accidentally forget to remove a tampon completely—in which case surgical removal may be necessary.

What to Know About Menstrual Cups, Including How to Use One

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Never washing your hair

There are hair experts who believe that frequent washing and shampooing can damage your hair. What’s even more damaging? Neglecting to wash your hair at all, ever—even with water. First, your scalp will start to smell. Eventually, bacteria will start to collect and clog your hair follicles, which could lead to infection. Build up of oils could cause skin infections, dandruff and yeast to develop. Eventually, without any washing at all, your hair could stop growing.

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Using your kitchen sponge for too long

Sponges are notorious germ magnets. It’s easy to lose track of how long you’ve been reusing the same sponge, but you could be making yourself sick with the very thing that should help protect you. A dirty sponge can spread salmonella, E. coli and Staphylococcus, among other nasty substances. In fact, the average dirty sponge may be even more toxic than your toilet. To avoid food- and sponge-borne diseases, replace them frequently.

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Originally Published: June 28, 2018

10 problems caused by poor oral hygiene

04/24/2023

What causes poor oral hygiene – top 10 problems.

1. Bleeding gums.

Unpleasant – fact. There can be a lot of reasons: incorrect or irregular oral hygiene, bad habits, plaque, old fillings, orthopedic constructions … The problem can be solved only when the cause of bleeding gums is precisely established. Please contact your dentist!

2. Plaque.

Unbalanced diet, incorrect fillings, lack of effective oral hygiene – all this ultimately leads to the appearance of plaque, and therefore – subsequent diseases of the teeth and gums. You need to learn how to use a toothbrush, dental floss and mouthwash. A dental hygienist will help you with this.

3. Exposing the necks of the teeth.

Incorrect use of a toothbrush, malocclusion, poor oral hygiene or no oral hygiene – and here you are with a tooth defect in the form of a wedge. Teeth with a wedge-shaped defect, as a rule, react sharply to temperature changes, clearly require treatment and do not satisfy the owner aesthetically. It is necessary to treat (but it is better to prevent!)!

4. Contact caries.

If it is difficult to floss between two teeth, then there is a high probability that contact caries will occur in this place due to poor hygiene. A dentist diagnoses and treats QC, but you yourself can notice the first signs: discoloration of teeth, pain from thermal irritants and sweets, food jams and inflammation of the gums. There is only one advice – make an appointment with a dentist as soon as possible!

5. Loss of teeth.

If caries destroys the tooth, then gum disease (of which the main or concomitant cause is poor hygiene) leads to the destruction of the tissues that hold the tooth in the bone. Gingivitis, periodontitis, then its complicated form … As a result, a significant part of the bone tissue is lost, And the teeth lose their support, become loose and fall out.

6. Lack of aesthetics.

Caries and more serious dental disease, plaque, inflamed gums, food debris in the teeth – this picture is far from the ideal smile of Hollywood stars. The first and important step towards the ideal is correct, timely and sufficient oral hygiene.

7. Bad breath.

Most likely no one will tell you about it. But if you notice that during a conversation people are trying to stay away from you, then there is definitely a reason to think. In 90% of cases, the cause of halitosis (bad breath) must be sought in the oral cavity. It is often caused by bacteria that reside on the underside of the tongue and gum disease. A dental hygienist will help you expand your circle of social contacts – tested repeatedly!

8. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Colonies of bacteria that inhabit the oral cavity, with insufficient hygiene, enter the gastrointestinal tract and begin to settle down there. The most common example is gastritis. Does your stomach hurt regularly? It is worth contacting a specialized specialist and an experienced dentist!

9. Diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Imagine: an inflamed gum is constantly bleeding, the body tries to fight it by producing more active substances designed to increase blood clotting in order to reduce losses. But clotting increases throughout the body, and not just in the gum tissue, which can lead to circulatory disorders in other small vessels, primarily in the heart and brain.

Approximately 90% of patients with cardiovascular disease have periodontitis (According to Oral Health Fact Sheet). There is an assumption that periodontitis plays a direct role in increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Regular oral hygiene can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

10. Expenses.

The more you run your teeth, the more money you will spend on follow-up treatment. Dental treatment is not cheap. Take care of prevention: this way you will definitely save money!

Sources:

Gaivoronsky IV, Petrova TB Anatomy of human teeth: textbook. – St. Petersburg: ELBI-SPb, 2005. – 56 p. — ISBN 5-93979-137-9.

Borovsky E. V., Gemonov V. V., Kopaev Yu. 3rd ed. — M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. — T. 8.

Bodin I, Julin P, Thomsson M (1978) Hyperdontia. I. Frequency and distribution of supernumerary teeth among 21,609patients. Dentomaxillofac Radiol 7:15-17.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/291550/

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doctor:

Alexander Yurievich Glazunov
Chief physician and founder of the clinic. Dentist orthopedist, surgeon, implantologist, endodontist, CEREC doctor.

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Poor oral hygiene-consequences – article from the dental clinic “Ionika”

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Publication date: September 13, 2021

1258

Occupational hygiene and whitening

3

Everyone knows that one should brush one’s teeth, and one way or another, they follow this rule learned from childhood. But few people think about the quality and regularity of such an ordinary procedure, and even fewer people carry out oral hygiene according to the recommendations of the dentist. As a result, this negligence in relation to one’s health leads to serious consequences that develop slowly but surely bringing the moment when the teeth will be lost.

To understand the consequences of non-compliance with oral hygiene, it is enough to trace the entire process of the destructive effect of bacteria in soft deposits on the enamel and tissues underneath.

Deposits on teeth . After eating, pieces of food remain in the mouth, fibers that get stuck between the teeth or simply accumulate near the gums. If they are not removed in time (preferably after each meal) with a brush, thread or irrigator, pathogenic bacteria that live in the oral cavity begin to multiply in this nutrient medium. They, in turn, start the process of fermentation with the formation of acids that are unusual for the human body – formic and propionic, capable of corroding tooth enamel. Hence the putrid smell from uncleaned teeth, and the plaque itself gradually hardens, mineralizes and turns into tartar, which can only be removed in the dentist’s chair.

Caries . Damaged enamel becomes an entrance gate for the penetration of bacteria inside and under it, into softer and more vulnerable tissues. Microbes infect the dentin, and then the pulp – the area in the roots of the tooth, penetrated by nerve fibers and blood vessels. Inflammation in the deep layers causes severe pain – a sign of pulpitis. Active destruction of the crown part of the tooth, canal damage, inflammation at the roots of the tooth are already serious indications for treatment, and in the absence of such, for tooth extraction, because. filling and restoring most often there is nothing.

Periodontitis. If caries at almost all stages can be treated, then periodontitis – damage to the tissues around the tooth – is practically not treated. Tartar on the enamel penetrates under the gums, pushing them back and exposing the necks of the teeth. The gums themselves become inflamed. There is a comprehensive process of destruction of soft tissues covering the necks of the teeth, as a result of which the teeth become loose and can spontaneously fall out. Periodontitis can only be slowed down, which in any case is more difficult than starting to brush your teeth thoroughly in time.

Loss of teeth . It is obvious that non-compliance with oral hygiene affects all structures of the dentition and directly affects the preservation of teeth. The process of destruction of both hard and soft tissues is accompanied by a number of symptoms, ranging from discomfort, yellow plaque and dark stone on them, and ending with acute pain, sensitivity, inflammation of the gums and tooth loss. You can not ignore any changes and discomfort!

The permanent teeth that nature gives us are easy to lose and cannot always be replaced with an equivalent alternative. Only expensive implants act as it, however, their installation may be difficult or even impossible due to atrophy of the bone tissue in the jaw after the extraction or loss of a tooth.

Oral hygiene regulations

Proper use of toothbrush . Very often people do not know how to properly brush their teeth or are too lazy to do it for a long time and thoroughly. Brush movements should not be left or right, but up and down – such vertical sweeping movements in the direction from the gums to the edges of the teeth effectively remove the bulk of plaque and do not damage the enamel. But the chewing surfaces of the back teeth should be cleaned horizontally. It is necessary to work with a brush throughout the oral cavity for at least 2 minutes, and carry out this procedure at least 2 times a day.

Use of various means and methods . It is impossible to completely remove plaque with a regular brush, even of the highest quality – you must additionally use an irrigator, as well as various threads (floss) and brushes. The irrigator is able to safely and gently wash the smallest food debris with a jet of water from the most inaccessible places: interdental spaces, from gum pockets, if they already exist, from the molars zone.