New Years 2026 blog
How did you celebrate New Year’s? Did you curl up with a
book, watch a movie on TV with your family, or go out with friends?
Human beings are social creatures. We often share our special occasions with
other people. Too much “alone time”
often leads to depression. Teeth are not too different. One tooth that stands alone does not do very
well; it has too many forces applied to it from chewing, speech, and
swallowing. But if that tooth has “friends”
nearby, they can share the functional forces, and each one “suffers” less. When
orthodontists rearrange teeth to a more ideal alignment, each tooth gets less
abuse. The front teeth, with narrow edges, incise or cut the food. The corner
more pointy teeth guide the chewing forces. The back teeth, with a wide biting
surface, support the vertical forces of chewing. The back teeth also support the vertical
height of the face, while the front teeth help the tongue and lips to enunciate
(speak more clearly).
The teeth are only one component of the chewing
process. The chewing muscles, tongue,
and saliva also play a role. The muscles
help the jaws open, close, and move sideways in order to cut and crush
food. The tongue helps push food onto
the chewing surfaces so the teeth can crush the food. The saliva helps by moisturizing
the chewed food and filling it with digestive enzymes before swallowing.
There are also some “bad players” that live in the
mouth's neighborhood. Anaerobic bacteria (the ones that
live without oxygen) cause cavities and gum disease. It is our job to help our teeth by effectively
removing the bacterial build-up daily with proper home care. If we don’t remove
the bacteria effectively, within 24 hours the plaque layer gets thick enough to
provide a place for the bad bacteria to live.
If you are not sure how to clean your teeth properly, please
view our hygiene videos at https://www.okunortho.com/brushing-and-flossing.
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