Welcome to Lesson 2: Importance of of the Dental Health for Individuals with Disabilities webcast series. Please adjust your computer volume so that it s at a comfortable listening level for you. 1
In Lesson 1, we learned how the health of your mouth affects the rest of your health, and how the rest of your health can affect your mouth health. 2
What happens when you don t take care of your mouth or see a dentist regularly? In this lesson we will talk about problems with your gums and teeth caused by poor mouth care. Gum and teeth problems can usually be prevented with good mouth and dental care. We ll talk more about that later. Here are some words about teeth and gums. Gingivitis means gum disease Periodontal disease are problems around the teeth Cavities are tooth decay or holes in your teeth Halitosis means bad breath Plaque is white stuff around your teeth Have you ever heard of any of these? Have you or someone you know had any of them? Think about which ones you have heard of or know about. What did it feel like? What happened? 3
Bad breath is when your mouth smells bad. It is caused by germs or bacteria in your mouth. Bacteria grow in your mouth when you don t brush your teeth. Plaque is white stuff that is on your teeth when you don t brush them. It happens when food that you eat gets stuck around your teeth. The food gets germs in it. These germs cause problems with you teeth. It also bothers the gums. When it bothers the gums, the germs can get into your gums. This causes gum and tooth disease, both gingivitis, tooth decay, and periodontal disease. It also causes bad breath. Cavities are holes in your teeth. They are also called caries. Cavities happen when bacteria hurt your teeth. They make holes in them. These holes can make your teeth break. The holes have to be filled or you will lose your tooth. The stuff that is put in the holes in teeth is called a filling. Tooth decay is the same thing as a cavity. 4
Your gums are the red parts of your mouth that hold your teeth into your mouth. We are going to talk about two kinds of gum disease. These are gingivitis and periodontal disease. What are each of these and how do you get them? 5
Gingivitis means an inflammation of the gingival or gum. This is when the reddish pink area that is around your teeth gets irritated. Then it turns redder and swells or gets bigger. It also hurts sometimes. What does gingivitis look like? With gingivitis your gums look like the picture: Redness Bleeding Swelling White stuff around the teeth Blood on your toothbrush Bad breath How do you get gum disease? Brushing teeth cleans them. It takes pieces of food and washes them away from the teeth. That way you don t get that white stuff around your teeth. When you get white stuff around your teeth, it bothers the gums. This makes them red and swollen and can make them bleed. This is what causes gum disease or gingivitis. 6
What is periodontal disease? Peri means around. Dontal means teeth. So periodontal disease is an infection around the teeth and bones in the jaw. Periodontal disease happens when gum disease gets worse. It can affect one tooth or lots of teeth. People with periodontal disease can lose teeth. If you lose teeth, then it is hard to eat and smile. If you get periodontal disease, then the dentist may have to scrape your teeth. Or you may need an operation to fix it. So take care of your mouth and don t get periodontal disease! How do you do that? Good mouth care. Brush your teeth at least two times a day. Floss your teeth one time a day. See your dentist about every six months. 7
What is the take away message? Not taking care of your mouth can lead to gum and tooth disease. Good mouth care helps keep your mouth healthy. Remember the take away and get ready for Lesson 3! 8
Thank you for viewing this webcast. 9