Oral flora To maintain the balance in the mouth

Fascination Mouth: Maintaining balance between tasks and dangers
Kissing, laughing, chewing meals with relish - without our mouth the most beautiful things in life would not be possible. In order for these pleasures to last, special attention is paid to oral hygiene. Because unpleasant odors, missing teeth or painful inflammations affect the quality of life massively. What exactly the mouth does day after day and what dangers threaten Christoph Sliwowski, Director of the Dentistry Clinic Dusseldorf in the St. Vincent Hospital.

Comprehensive duties
First and foremost, the mouth is used for food intake. As teeth break up food, certain enzymes in the body's saliva split complex carbohydrates from food. In addition, the special secretion protects the entire interior, as it thins and degrades attacking acids, for example, from fruit juices.

Oral hygiene: maintain balance between hygiene and oral flora. (Image: Jürgen Fälchle / fotolia.com)

In the saliva contained minerals and trace elements harden the enamel and thus increase its resistance. Another important task is speaking. This succeeds only because tongue and lips can deform strongly and the teeth contribute significantly to the formation of sounds. If they are missing, speech disorders occur. Because some letters such as D, N and T can only optimally form with the help of complete rows of teeth.

"Gaps thus not only affect the aesthetics, but also influence important functions such as speaking and chewing," explains Dr. med. Sliwowski.

Menacing adversaries
Caries, gum and tooth root infections caused by the spread of harmful bacteria are among the biggest dangers of the mouth. In the absence of hygiene, these small microorganisms settle in the difficult to reach spaces, destroy the protective layer of the tooth and cause unpleasant diseases. Dry mouth additionally promotes their spread. Older people in particular are aware of this unpleasant problem, as saliva production naturally declines in old age and thirst is often absent. As a result, harmful bacteria that cause bad breath or periodontal disease, ie inflammation of the dental bed, multiply.

However, those who eat healthy, often take a glass of water and daily hygiene with toothbrush, space brush and mouth rinse takes seriously, creates the best conditions for an intact oral cavity. "In combination with a semi-annual professional tooth cleaning, disease-causing bacterial accumulations, so-called plaques, can be quickly and effectively combated. In this way, patients still benefit from their healthy teeth, even in old age, "notes Dr. Slivovski clear. sb, pm)