Dr. Shruti Goel https://doctorshruti.com/ Practical dental hygiene and prevention from Dr. Shruti Goel, a dental surgeon in practice since 2006 — how to look after teeth and gums, and why it works. en What dental plaque actually is, and why it is back by eveninghttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/what-dental-plaque-actually-is-and-why-it-is-back-by-evening/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/what-dental-plaque-actually-is-and-why-it-is-back-by-evening/Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelPlaque is a living film that rebuilds itself on a clean tooth within hours, which is why removing it is a habit rather than an achievement. Pressing harder is the most common brushing mistake I seehttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/pressing-harder-is-the-most-common-brushing-mistake-i-see/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/pressing-harder-is-the-most-common-brushing-mistake-i-see/Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelBrushing force does not improve plaque removal beyond a modest point, and past that point it starts costing gum tissue and tooth surface. Two minutes of brushing needs a route, not a timer alonehttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/two-minutes-of-brushing-needs-a-route-not-a-timer-alone/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/two-minutes-of-brushing-needs-a-route-not-a-timer-alone/Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelTiming your brushing is useful only if the time is spread evenly, and most people spend it repeatedly on the same third of their mouth. Electric or manual matters less than what the hand is doinghttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/electric-or-manual-matters-less-than-what-the-hand-is-doing/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/electric-or-manual-matters-less-than-what-the-hand-is-doing/Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelPowered brushes have a modest measurable advantage in the average case, and the reasons for it explain who benefits most and who gains nothing. What each ingredient in a tube of toothpaste is forhttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/what-each-ingredient-in-a-tube-of-toothpaste-is-for/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/what-each-ingredient-in-a-tube-of-toothpaste-is-for/Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelA toothpaste is mostly a delivery system, and knowing which component does the work makes label claims much easier to read. Fluoride, explained plainly and without the argumenthttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/fluoride-explained-plainly-and-without-the-argument/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/fluoride-explained-plainly-and-without-the-argument/Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelWhat fluoride does at the tooth surface is well understood, and separating that from the debate about water supplies makes the practical questions much simpler. The evidence on dental floss is messier than either side admitshttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/the-evidence-on-dental-floss-is-messier-than-either-side-admits/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/the-evidence-on-dental-floss-is-messier-than-either-side-admits/Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelThe trials behind flossing are small and poorly controlled, which is a statement about the research rather than a verdict on the habit. Where two teeth touch is the hardest surface in the mouth to cleanhttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/where-two-teeth-touch-is-the-hardest-surface-in-the-mouth-to-clean/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/where-two-teeth-touch-is-the-hardest-surface-in-the-mouth-to-clean/Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelThe anatomy of the contact between neighboring teeth explains why a brush cannot get there and why that spot causes so much trouble. What a mouthwash can do, and the jobs it was never going to dohttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/what-a-mouthwash-can-do-and-the-jobs-it-was-never-going-to-do/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/what-a-mouthwash-can-do-and-the-jobs-it-was-never-going-to-do/Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelRinsing has a genuine but narrow role, and most of the disappointment with it comes from expecting it to replace something mechanical. The toothbrush itself needs looking after, and it rarely gets ithttps://doctorshruti.com/daily/the-toothbrush-itself-needs-looking-after-and-it-rarely-gets-it/https://doctorshruti.com/daily/the-toothbrush-itself-needs-looking-after-and-it-rarely-gets-it/Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTDaily CareDr. Shruti GoelReplacement timing, storage and the state of the bristles all affect how well a brush works, and none of it is complicated. Gums that bleed when you clean them are not normal gumshttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/gums-that-bleed-when-you-clean-them-are-not-normal-gums/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/gums-that-bleed-when-you-clean-them-are-not-normal-gums/Sat, 25 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelBleeding is a sign of inflamed tissue rather than a sign of brushing too hard, and treating it as ordinary is how small problems get years to grow. Gingivitis and periodontitis are not two stages of the same thinghttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/gingivitis-and-periodontitis-are-not-two-stages-of-the-same-thing/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/gingivitis-and-periodontitis-are-not-two-stages-of-the-same-thing/Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelOne is inflammation of soft tissue that resolves completely, the other involves losing the attachment that holds a tooth in place, and the difference decides everything. Receding gums have several causes and only some are your faulthttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/receding-gums-have-several-causes-and-only-some-are-your-fault/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/receding-gums-have-several-causes-and-only-some-are-your-fault/Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelRecession is a change in the position of the gum margin, and understanding which of the possible causes applies to you decides what is worth changing. Where bad breath actually comes from, in most caseshttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/where-bad-breath-actually-comes-from-in-most-cases/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/where-bad-breath-actually-comes-from-in-most-cases/Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelThe great majority of persistent breath problems originate in the mouth itself, and the mechanism explains why masking it never works for long. What smoking and vaping do to gum tissue, separatelyhttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/what-smoking-and-vaping-do-to-gum-tissue-separately/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/what-smoking-and-vaping-do-to-gum-tissue-separately/Sun, 19 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelTobacco harms gums through several mechanisms at once and also hides the main warning sign, and the picture for vaping is genuinely less settled. Why gums react so strongly during pregnancyhttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/why-gums-react-so-strongly-during-pregnancy/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/why-gums-react-so-strongly-during-pregnancy/Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelHormonal change exaggerates the tissue response to the same amount of plaque, which makes routine cleaning matter more at exactly the time it is hardest to keep up. Diabetes and gum disease each make the other worsehttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/diabetes-and-gum-disease-each-make-the-other-worse/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/diabetes-and-gum-disease-each-make-the-other-worse/Sun, 12 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelThe relationship runs in both directions, which is why dentists ask about blood sugar and why physicians increasingly ask about gums. The two-week rule for anything sore in your mouthhttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/the-two-week-rule-for-anything-sore-in-your-mouth/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/the-two-week-rule-for-anything-sore-in-your-mouth/Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelMost ulcers and sore patches resolve on their own within a fortnight, and the ones that do not are the reason dentists examine soft tissue at every visit. When only one spot is sore, the cause is usually localhttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/when-only-one-spot-is-sore-the-cause-is-usually-local/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/when-only-one-spot-is-sore-the-cause-is-usually-local/Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelGeneralized gum problems and single-site problems tend to have different explanations, and the distinction is worth making before you change your whole routine. Some medicines change the gums, and it is not your brushinghttps://doctorshruti.com/gums/some-medicines-change-the-gums-and-it-is-not-your-brushing/https://doctorshruti.com/gums/some-medicines-change-the-gums-and-it-is-not-your-brushing/Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTGum HealthDr. Shruti GoelSeveral widely used classes of medication affect gum tissue directly, which changes what good home care can achieve and what it is fair to expect.