Discussions relating to our mouth or teeth are rarely had in our homes and communities. And when we do have these conversations, it is usually when someone dear to us is in the throes of excruciating pain. But the conversation must be had, and it must be based on verifiable information from the experts. The book for today serves that purpose. It is titled: "The Fastest Way to Learn about your Oral Health: A Detailed Guide to all your Oral Health Needs." It is written by Dr. Abraham Akinbami, and published in 2021 by Tomio Publishing, Ibadan.
The author has a mandate of educating the African layman on the prevention of gum infection, tooth decay, and other dental issues. And he pursues that mandate passionately as he opens the book by underscoring the crucial role that our teeth play in projecting our smile, which in turn helps us to attract people and forge enduring relationships and favours. Thus, he says that we have a responsibility to take great care of our oral health.
Regrettably however, many, if not all of us neglect the health of our mouth, and only turn up at the dental clinic when we are in excruciating pain. So for the author, this book, The Fastest way to Learn about your Oral Health, will help readers with simple, basic information that'll help them to prevent toothache and gum diseases.
In the book, Dr. Abraham discusses the mouth and its concomitant organs, clearly defining the stages of tooth development. He discusses oral hygiene habits, intricately explaining how to correctly brush the teeth and how not to, and quickly pinpointing the effects of using the wrong type of brush on your gum or the sensitive layer of the tooth.
In the book, Dr. Abraham discusses common ailments of the oral cavity like the bleeding gums and treatment, as well as some cleaning, scaling and polishing procedures carried out by dentists or dental therapists.
In a section of the book, the author discusses dental caries and toothache as well as what to do to restore a decayed tooth, but he quickly adds for emphasis that not all teeth with holes must be removed.
In the book, the author writes about how diet, especially sugar-containing foods and drinks, have adverse effects on our oral health.
Many times, books that discuss the author's subject are restricted to academic spaces and medical schools. They are seen by laymen as boring catalogues of scientific terms, medical jargon that confuse more than they educate. On the contrary, this book has been presented in a very accessible language. In this highly and colourfully illustrated book, the author exposes the reader to the consequences of missing teeth, and replacement options, and the often-feared conversation about tooth extraction and all the technicalities involved. And the author also gives the reader the correlation between some diseases like diabetes, hypertension, peptic ulcer, etc and dentistry.
In 73 pages of this book, the author has successfully engaged and sufficiently educated the reader on common ailments of the teeth and mouth, how to prevent them and how and when to approach dentists and oral health professionals. He has also been able to simplify the information in the book for the delight and education of the reader. It is indeed a very handy book to have.
. Olatunbosun, broadcast journalist, fact-checker and book reviewer, can be reached via 08023517565 (SMS & WhatsApp only) and email [email protected].