Vishal S S (cbedit@imaws.org)
The Foodie Devi Dr. Radhika Agarwal is a dentist-turned food blogger that one should follow for the ultimate food guide in India. Interestingly enough, a doctor-turned-blogger and digital creator from Jaipur and a foodie herself. From cafes to restaurants, Radhika has covered it all, across the length and breadth of the city. Radhika Agarwal shared her major viewpoints on how ‘Dental Health’ is playing a crucial role in our daily life. Radhika shared her views during a recent interaction with Chef Bharath.
Dental health affects our mental health as well as our physical health. In this current time and age, people are very conscious about the way they look and teeth are a part of aesthetics. Most teenagers are considered to be conscious of the way they look and, if the teeth are not looking good, they become very conscious about it. This in turn affects their mental health.
“If our dental health and hygiene aren’t good then it would affect our digestive system because digestion starts with our mouth. If the first step of our digestion step is not working well, then it will affect the rest of our system”. Said Dr. Radhika Agarwal, Digital Content Creator & Food Microblogger, The Food Devi (Food and Travel blog). There are a lot of cases that have been emerging in dental health issues daily which are around twenty cases every day. In the case of extreme conditions, patients come with heavy pain due to tooth fractures. In another instance, some patients come in accident cases.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Everyone was at home for so many months due to the covid situation and it was a difficult time for everyone. During this stressful time, people started eating whatever they wanted, especially junk food and aerated drinks. “It led to tooth damage and the regular care given to dental hygiene was reduced. There was a sudden hike in the cases for tooth decay during the pandemic”. added Radhika.
Aerated drinks
So many Aerated drinks are introduced very frequently in the market. A huge population is major consumers of these products. These products which contain carbon dioxide as solute and water liquid as a solvent when consumed in high quantities affect the teeth and overall health. Health warnings like on Cigarettes and other associated packets are not mentioned in these kinds of soft drinks products. Coffee is another part where it can stain the surface of the tooth. “People should start to try using a straw(non-plastic) while consuming black coffee which can help in avoiding unpleasant stains”. added Radhika.
Ready to eat products, preservative solution
All the products associated with ready-to-eat products which are having preservative solutions cannot be completely consumed safely, especially those products which are coming in plastic packaging are more harmful. The microplastic units present in these plastic materials are more dangerous than preservatives while consumed. “It is always advisable to use products which are not packed in plastic for ourselves and the environment”. added Radhika.
Precautions and measures
During this period, it is very important to maintain dental hygiene because of the lifestyle changes in food habits. Frequent brushing and dental consultations are preferred to maintain proper dental care. Flossing should be a major dental routine in our daily life especially when consumed after high sugar products.
Dental health in different ages
People at very old ages are not very aware of the knowledge of dental treatments and care. People of those categories need to be made aware by giving more care because of their health issues and age factor. Teenagers in this generation are more conscious about their looks and appearance therefore that is driving people to do dental checkups very often.
Major Challenges
People in India are not aware of the dental procedures and cleaning procedures which are advised to be done every six months.“It is very difficult to make the patient understand about a certain dental process and procedures for recovering and treatment when it comes to challenges”. Says Radhika.
Mask Usage
Front-line workers are also affected by wearing masks during the time of this pandemic. They work for more than twelve hours a day. In this case, wearing a mask for a longer period can lead to lesser production of saliva in the mouth which may, in turn, cause dry mouth. “People need to be more aware of dental hygiene rather than dental aesthetics because dental hygiene is what leads to other health issues”. concluded Radhika.
Best Wishes, Foodie Devi From
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