Dental plaque forms as a biofilm of bacteria on the surface of your teeth and may be caused due to the consumption of sugary foods. It is quite important to maintain oral hygiene. For people with dental plaque can use the following remedies to ensure that the swelling of gums and tooth pain is drastically reduced. Aloe vera gel with glycerin To use this remedy, you need one teaspoon of aloe vera gel as well as four teaspoons of vegetable glycerin. Additionally, you also need to add 4-5 tablespoons of baking soda along with ten drops of lemon essential oil along with one cup of water. You need to mix all these ingredients into a paste and scrub it with the same. You can do this once a day. The reason why they work for dental plaque is that both baking soda and the aloe vera gel contains antioxidants which can improve the healing process. Brushing with a baking soda mixture You require one tablespoon of baking soda and you would need to mix with salt and place it on a wet toothbrush. You can gently scrub the teeth with it and then rinse it with lukewarm water. It is better to use it every alternate day to treat the dental plaque until it subsides.

Nausea is an unpleasant sensation that is often considered as a precursor of vomiting. It is a painless condition where the person feels an unsettling discomfort which is often accompanied by vomiting. Even if the condition is painless, if ignored, nausea can be an exhaustive symptom for more serious health conditions, which can eventually make way for periodic chest pains and other discomforts in the lower abdomen and the back of the throat. Causes Nausea is not a disease but a symptom of various health conditions. From morning sickness in pregnant women to sensitivity and motion, the causes for nausea are many. Some of the most common causes are: Gastrointestinal disorders – Acute nausea can be caused because of the presence of one or more gastrointestinal disorders, such as functional dyspepsia, celiac disease, peptic ulcer, Crohn’s disease, hepatitis, and pancreatic cancer. This is one of the most common causes of nausea. Food poisoning – Food poisoning is another common cause of nausea and vomiting. This is caused because of the toxins produced by bacteria and virus in food. Nausea and vomiting usually occur between one to six hours after the consumption of unhealthy food and can last up to three days.

Teeth brushing is a simple activity that we all do daily. But have you ever wondered if you were doing it right? This article tells you how to brush your teeth the right way so that it is effective. Brushing your teeth Once you get your permanent teeth, they are the only set of teeth you will have for your entire lifetime. If you lose your teeth due to any problem, then you can’t get them back and have to go for expensive and irksome treatments. A simple thing like proper teeth brushing is a basic part of oral hygiene that is simple and easy to do and can prevent your teeth from decaying. Many people, however, do not know how it should be done. This article tells you how you must brush your teeth the right way, by using proper techniques. Were you doing it right? Most people brush their teeth vigorously back and forth, like a saw cutting through a log of wood. The more vigorous the rubbing, the better the brushing is what most people believe. Were you also brushing your teeth in this way? If your answer is yes, then please note that you have been doing it wrong.

A migraine is a form of a headache that usually involves a throbbing pain. Migraines usually last from 2 to 72 hours and can be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers. What is migraine and what are its causes? A migraine is caused by pressure on the brainstem that is connected to the trigeminal nerve. It is mostly inherited. It is a persistent headache that stays longer if not treated with proper medication. The pain gets severe, leading to nausea, sensitivity to light, pain on one side of the head, and blurred vision. There are several causes that trigger a migraine. Few of the main reasons are: Hormonal changes in women Skipping meals or food allergies Stress Change in sleep pattern Extreme climate conditions/sudden change in climate Drinking excessive alcohol Symptoms of migraine Food craving at improper timings Irresistible yawning Frequent urination Aura effects such as seeing flashes of bright light, or a feeling of being touched or grabbed A simple headache can also lead to a migraine, where one cannot bear loud noise, strong smell, and bright lights. Different types of migraines Chronic migraine – These types of migraines usually last for more than 15 days and needs medical attention.

A vet might prescribe some medications for your pet in case of a medical condition. The prescribed medications help manage, treat, and cure the problem that your pet is facing. Although there are medications specifically available for pets in the market, many medications that are prescribed for pets are the same ones prescribed for people. Some of the most commonly used pet meds are: Antibiotics Microbes such as bacteria and yeast are killed with the help of antibiotics. These are also used to treat infections. Antibiotics, however, do not kill viruses, but they are prescribed when an animal is suffering from a secondary bacterial infection that may be the result of illness due to a viral infection. Some of the medicines prescribed for pets are penicillin, trimethoprim-sulfa, cephalexin, and enrofloxacin. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories These are common medicines given in order to reduce pain, inflammation, swelling, etc. Some of the medicines that fall under this category are carprofen, deracoxib, firocoxib, and meloxicam. Opioid pain relievers These can serve as potent pain killers as they are basically derived from morphine. Medicines like oxycodone, hydromorphone, butorphanol, meperidine, and fentanyl are prescribed as opioid pain relievers. These medicines, however, are addictive in nature and should be controlled.

When there is a noticeable hair fall in patches, it is known as alopecia areata. This disease is caused by the immune system attacking the hair follicles by mistake resulting in hair loss. It could occur in the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, face and other parts of the body as well. The extent of hair loss differs from person to person. Though there is no cure as of now for this disease, there are treatments that help in quick re-growth of hair, preventing future hair loss and also to cover up the loss of hair. There are resources to manage the stress caused by the disease too. Hair is perceived to be an important part of one’s personality and loss of it could cause emotional stress. The immune system normally defends the body against invaders such as viruses and bacteria. Sometimes, the immune system themselves attack the healthy cells causing an auto-immune disease. When the hair follicles are attacked, they become smaller and stop producing hair, leading to hair loss. It is still a mystery as to why the immune system attacks the hair follicles but research proves that people with a family history of auto-immune disease like type – 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis are more prone to alopecia.

Toothpaste is a dentifrice in gel form that helps to clean the plaque and food remnants from the teeth surfaces. It is used along with a toothbrush and furnishes an abrasive to scrub teeth surfaces. It is also a medium to supply active agents like xylitol or fluorides to the teeth and gums to prevent diseases like tooth decay and gingivitis and other ingredients like biocide and a flavor. It is believed that somewhere around 5000 BC Egypt, people started to use toothpaste to clean teeth before toothbrushes came around. Around 500 BC, it was the Roman, Greeks, Indian and Chinese who first used toothpaste. The toothpaste was used to address the same concerns as now. However, the ingredients were different, powdered bunt eggshells, horse hooves’ ashes along with pumice. Greeks and Romans liked more abrasives and added powdered bone and oyster shells. Romans added more fragrance too. Modern toothpaste appeared in the early 1800s which was basically soap. In its evolution, it saw the addition of betel nut in the 1800s, chalk in 1850s, and also became a real paste. The 1850s saw the paste in a jar for the first time. Powdered charcoal entered in the 1860s. 1873 saw mass production of toothpaste by Colgate and in the 1890s introduced tubes like the current ones made of lead and lined with tin.

The oral health scenario of the country is not something to be proud of with 178 million Americans missing at least one tooth and 40 million adults having none of their natural teeth. The most common reason for this is dental decay or cavities. Only 13.5% of adult Americans floss daily, and brushing twice daily for two minutes and flossing once every day has a huge effect in preventing cavities. About 20% of adults have one or two teeth missing congenitally, and the lateral incisors and the second premolars are usually the missing ones. There may be cases where it is a harmless family trait, and these teeth may not erupt at all during one’s childhood. More rarely, it may be due to a more serious condition called ectodermal dysplasia. Another condition that can cause missing teeth is oral cleft palate and lip. Effects of missing teeth Missing teeth can affect one’s speech, and the neighboring teeth migrate toward the gap, affecting chewing. Also, bone is lost near the empty socket, leaving the jaw weak, and it may change the appearance of the face, which may also affect the person psychologically. The bone loss is time dependent and can be severe enough to preclude the possibility of implanting a tooth later.

Research has established a relationship between oral health and cardiac health. The germs that cause gum infections are found to cause inflammation and coronary heart diseases, and the relation between gum infection and diseases like certain cancers, diabetes has also been established. Some of these diseases make one susceptible to gum infection too. Primarily, it is the lack of oral hygiene that is the root cause of gum diseases. There are many types of gum ailments but what is called gingivitis, periodontitis or pyorrhea is of great concern. This can lead to loss of teeth and damage to the jaw bone. Oral bacteria secrete a clear sticky slimy liquid continuously. Shortly after, this liquid is acted on by bacteria is called plaque. The plaque which is harboring bacteria settles down on the teeth and along the gum lin. This then hardens into tartar or calculus which hard to be cleaned. The bacteria continue to grow and attack the periodontal tissues. These periodontal tissues are gum or gingival, the tooth root surface or cementum, the socket in which tooth is fixed or the alveolar bone and the periodontal ligament that holds the tooth. Gingivitis is the initial stage where the attack is only on the gum tissue.

Unless one knows about bad breath or halitosis they cannot meaningfully prevent it. This is generally caused by poor oral hygiene which, in turn, leads to cavities and gum diseases. Tooth cavities and deep pockets in gum from gum diseases are safe havens for bacteria. Other general causes are dehydration, use of alcohol, tobacco, or excess intake of caffeine. There are medical conditions and certain medications that produce halitosis. Halitosis or bad breath unlike morning breath often merits more than a good mouth wash, mint or good brushing. It can often indicate a more serious condition that calls for medical intervention. Some of the common causes are: Smoking and the use of other tobacco products devastate the body. They tend to dry out the mouth. Smokers are also very prone to develop gum diseases. Gum diseases start as gingivitis or gum inflammation, all of which lead to bad breath. Dry mouth or xerostomia can be a major cause of bad breath. Simple habits like drinking an adequate amount of water help deal with this condition. Additionally, an adequate flow of saliva while eating food ensures proper digestion and washes out the leftover food from the mouth. This prevents the growth of unwanted bacteria in the mouth.