When last did you visit the dentist? Well, maybe that is too much to ask; we can rephrase the question to read when last did you get your teeth checked? Most people, especially in Africa, don’t visit the dentist until they have a toothache—are you one of them? The reason many people don’t visit the dentist is because they feel they have “strong teeth” with the definition of strong teeth being that they can crack bones with their teeth!
Bone crackers!
Unfortunately, teeth are not meant to be bone crackers. This gives us the first semester course of toothache—using your teeth as bone crackers! The tooth comprises three layers, although you are used to the white layer on top, which we call the enamel. The enamel is the hardest substance in the body—yes; it is harder than bone, but it is not indestructible. Using your teeth as bone crack is gradually wearing off the enamel and, as this happens, the next layer called the dentin, which is not as hard as the enamel, gets exposed. At this point, you experience some sensitivity when you take cold drinks or sweets. This is the beginning of toothache.
Enjoying unripe citrus fruits!
With the encouragement to take fruit and veggies and the several health benefits attached to these, you could imagine that no one could ever go wrong with fruit—but sorry you are wrong! Fruits are good, but taking unripe fruits could harm your teeth. Have you ever heard of erosion? Your tooth enamel gets gradually eroded away or destroyed with your consumption of unripe citrus fruits as a result of their high acid content. The problem creeps slowly as oversensitivity of the teeth, but if left unattended, it is likely to result in toothache, eventually.
Acid reflux
Have you ever experienced a phenomenon where you regurgitate your stomach contents after a heavy meal? This could happen now and again, but if this happens frequently, you need to consult a doctor to treat the underlying cause. The reason is that your stomach contents are acidic and the acid gradually dissolved the enamel again, which could lead to tooth erosion, which, if left unattended, could cause tooth ache in the future.
Bottle openers!
This might sound funny, but it’s true! Some folks use their teeth as bottled lead openers. So, instead of using a proper bottle opener, they chose to use their teeth as bottle openers. The commonest teeth used are the premolars. The tricky bit is that most people get away with this for many years and they even cite this unconventional, unsafe practice as an index of the strength of their teeth. Many others even refuse to visit the dentist or don’t find it necessary because they say if our teeth are strong enough to serve as bottle openers why see the dentist?! Unfortunately, the damage occurs slowly but definitely and eventually, those teeth either become painful or die quietly!
Take-home message: Your teeth are precious. Once damaged, it takes complex and expensive procedures to fix adult teeth. Taking a little care could be all you need to avoid these common causes of toothache!
