To keep your teeth strong and healthy, you must care for them. Taking care of your teeth involves using the right oral products and being dedicated to oral care throughout your lifetime.
Oral care is not only limited to protecting the gum and eliminating dental cavities, but it also affects the entire health. Therefore, having good oral health is essential to having healthy lungs, liver, kidneys, bones, and so on because they are related. Research has also shown that bad oral health is related to dementia in certain individuals.
Any tooth or gum problem left untreated will cause you long-lasting pain, reduce your self-worth, and you may even lose a tooth or more. All these negative problems associated with bad oral practice can lead to depression, malnutrition, and speech impairment. The good news is that you can set yourself free from these problems. Follow these dental care tips to maintain healthy teeth.
Brush Your Teeth Regularly
It is inappropriate to ignore this practice. A wide section of people already knows brushing at least twice daily is a healthy measure to maintain. Brushing goes a long way keeping the mouth fresh, discarding mild stains on the surface of the teeth, getting rid of food particles that may develop into plaques, and inhibiting bacterial damage. Brushing will only be efficient if an individual uses the right oral techniques.
When brushing, you should place your toothbrush at an appropriate angle to your gums by gently doing a back-and-forth motion in short strokes. Ensure you brush the outer, inner, and chewing portions of the teeth. You should also extend the brushing to the inside parts of your front teeth by making several upward and downward motions with the brush slanted vertically. Proper brushing will take about 2 to 3 minutes to accomplish. Avoid brushing the outer surface of your teeth using a back-and-forth movement. The right practice is an up and down motion.
However, using brushes with hard bristles can harm your gums and enamel. Brushing too hard can also cause bleeding in the gum. The problems these damages may cause include gum erosion, tooth sensitivity, and long-lasting damage to the protective enamel.
Dental experts recommend the use of toothbrushes with soft bristles as these kinds of toothbrushes are made to pamper the gums and tooth enamel. They also advise toothbrushes to be changed after every three months of regular use or when the bristles begin to wear and fade in color.
Use Fluoride Tooth Paste
Fluoride is an element from the earth’s soil called fluorine, and dental experts believe it discourages tooth decay or cavity from taking over the teeth. Fluoride is a common ingredient in mouthwashes and toothpaste. Any oral product that does not contain fluoride elements may not be so efficient since a lot of people hardly ever use them.
Using toothpaste that lacks fluoride can cause tooth decay no matter how much dedication and energy a person puts in while carrying out regular brushing. According to a current review, flossing and brushing will not prevent an individual from having tooth decay if he or she does not use oral products containing fluoride.
Chew Sugarless Gums And Use Anti-Bacterial Mouth Wash
When chewing gum, saliva is naturally produced in your mouth. The saliva produced in the mouth helps in neutralizing the effect of acid-producing bacteria in the mouth by acting as natural and temporal guards for your teeth. To maintain healthy teeth and fresh breath, rinse your mouth daily with anti-bacterial mouth wash to keep off gum diseases and tooth decay.
Restrict Your Love for Sugary Foods
When you consume sugary food, bacteria in your mouth will readily break down the sugar to form harmful acids that will accumulate on the teeth’ enamel. However, if you take proper care of your teeth, you will hardly even face this sugar problem. To this effect, immediately after you have consumed sugary beverages or food, rinse with anti-bacterial mouthwash or brush your teeth.
Avoid Excess Consumption Of Alcohol And Smoking Tobacco
Reducing or completely staying off the use of tobacco is a good way of saving not only your health but your teeth from impending danger. Alcohol and tobacco, when consumed in an unrestricted amount, could potentially lead to oral cancer. It can also result in gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontists.
Floss At Least Once A Day
Flossing removes bacteria and plaque hidden in between the tight spaces of the teeth. These are areas where a toothbrush cannot reach. Flossing regularly will prevent bad breath and mouth odor because it removes food residues that have been trapped in the tight spaces between the teeth.
Eat Vegetables And Crunchy Fruits
Eating fresh, healthy food products like vegetables and crunchy fruits is very efficient because these products are very good at strengthening the tooth enamel, and they contain healthy fibers, which is the best choice for maintaining healthy teeth. Eat crunchy fruits like apples. It exercises the jaw bones during chewing and produces saliva that refreshes the mouth.
Have An Appointment With Your Dentist At Least Twice A Year
Your daily dedication to good oral practice is very important as regular brushing and flossing improves more than just your oral health but takes care of your overall health. Although you have been diligent in carrying out all these good oral practices, you may still encounter dental issues in the near future. Therefore, you need to go for a regular dental checkup.
Your dentist will not only check you up for traces of cavity but he may also be able to detect potential oral cases that can disrupt your overall health and provide you with the best treatment options. If you have had periodontal issues in the past, you should always visit your dentist regularly for proper care.
Conclusion
For strong and healthy teeth, good oral care from infancy to adulthood will aid an individual to maintain healthy gum and teeth. Keeping off bad habits like drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco products, daily brushing and flossing, eating healthy, and avoiding the consumption of sugary food and beverages as well as regular visits to the dentist will also promote healthy teeth.