Good oral health may contribute to a healthy body and offers a lot of health benefits. To maintain your oral health is as important as maintaining a good overall health condition.
Neglecting oral health can result in problems like gum disease and decay. In that case you must contact the experts like dentalavantgarde.com as they have years of experience and hundreds of happy customers. If you do not treat those decayed teeth then it might get worse. Furthermore, problems with your gums and teeth may increase your risk or cause serious health problems, such as diabetes, stroke, or heart attack.
If you don’t want this to happen, make sure to consider the tips below to maintain your oral health:
- Schedule Regular Dental Check-ups
To maintain your oral health, you should schedule regular dental checkups. Paying visits to the best dental clinic, like Family Dental Health Center or a nearby dentist, guarantees that any dental problems can be corrected and distinguished early on.
It’s recommended to visit your dentist at least twice a year.
- Brush Your Teeth Daily
Brushing at least twice a day for two minutes is all it takes to maintain your healthy smile. But, more often than not, most people rush brushing because of some reasons.
If you find yourself getting distracted or impatient while brushing, play your favorite song or set a timer. Doing so will help ensure that you brush your teeth in two minutes.
- Consider Using Proper Brushing Techniques
While you can brush your teeth in any way you want, it’s important to use proper brushing techniques to brush your teeth the right way, helping you avoid toothache.
Having a brushing pattern that helps you move through your mouth systematically can help you ensure that every spot is brushed thoroughly. If you use a sawing motion, switch to make small circular motions. Also, as you brush your teeth, focus on one section at a time and split your mouth into quadrants. This enables more thorough and better coverage, helping you avoid being tough on your sensitive gum tissues.
Moreover, take note that harder isn’t always better. Brushing your teeth too hard can result in enamel damage and receding gums. So, use a soft bristle toothbrush and apply gentle pressure only.
- Stop Using Tobacco
Smoking isn’t just linked to lung cancer, but it’s also associated with cardio-pulmonary problems that may result in asthma, causing a negative impact on your oral health.
When you’re smoking, your mouth is prone to more bacteria. Smoking may also give you foul breath, increases your chances of suffering from oral cancer, causes the teeth to be yellow, and delays your oral surgery’s recovery time.
- Floss Daily
You’ve been probably told your whole life that it’s crucial to floss your teeth on a regular basis or perhaps you’re never aware of the importance of this habit.
Periodontitis is one of the major oral health problems that affect many people. Basically, it’s an advanced stage of gum disease that may damage the tooth that surrounds soft tissues and jawbones. Periodontitis also happens when bacteria are allowed to form and collect plaque and trigger inflammation. One of the signs that you could be at high risk for periodontitis is bleeding when brushing your teeth. Some symptoms include receding gums, bad breath, shifting of the teeth, and pain.
A good way to prevent periodontitis and gum disease is to practice good oral hygiene. Furthermore, the best solution to get rid of bacteria from hard-to-reach and tight spaces between your teeth is flossing. Thus, flossing will prevent bacteria from turning into a serious problem.
If you’re already experiencing the effects of periodontitis, always include flossing in your routine to restore your oral health and fight any dental-related illnesses.
- Reduce Alcohol, Pop, And Coffee Consumption
Alcohol, pop, and coffee can have ill effects on your smile since it’ll lead to cavities and serious diseases like tooth decay and gingivitis.
If moderate consumption of alcohol is part of your lifestyle, take note that alcohol isn’t considered healthy for your body or teeth. For example, beer is very acidic, which could wear down your tooth’s enamel. The dark barley from the beers can stain your teeth, while the sugars in the soft drinks and alcoholic beverages encourage tartar and plaque buildup.
- Use A Mouthwash
With a proper regime of flossing and brushing daily, using mouthwash is like a cherry on top that would make your oral health great.
Several bottles of mouthwash contain chlorine dioxide, which is helpful in killing bacteria in your mouth. A mouthwash also maintains strong teeth and fresh breath. Based on a new study, mouthwash can be more effective in reducing both gingivitis and plaque than brushing alone.
- Don’t Forget To Brush Your Tongue
An essential factor in your dental care regime is brushing your tongue. This is important because the buildup of bacteria on it can spread to your teeth, which can cause inflamed gums or gingivitis. If not treated, the inflammation can turn into periodontal disease. If you think it’s ridiculous, think of your tongue as a sponge full of bacteria.
There are hundreds of bacteria species living on the tongue. While some of these aren’t detrimental to your health, if you let them breed, they could cause damage, which can be more serious than bad breath.
- Avoid Sugary Foods
In stressful times, most people would turn to comfort foods, which often contain more starches and sugar. While such foods may taste good, they play a role in the development of cavities. Starches and sugar tend to stay in the mouth for a longer period of time and give a great food source for bacteria, which is the primary source of tooth decay.
Rather than eating unhealthy snacks and sweets, why not use this time to cook new recipes that contain more vegetables and fiber-rich fruits? Healthy eating won’t just relieve your stress, but it can also make a difference in your oral health.
- Use Fluoride-Rich Products
If you’re always conscious about the harmful ingredients present in products and foods, you should adapt it when looking for oral health care products. When shopping around for a toothpaste or any oral care products, find fluoride-rich products.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance and not a man-made chemical that may be found in the soil. It also plays an essential role to prevent cavities. Flossing and brushing regularly will protect your teeth better, especially if you’re using fluoride-rich products.
- Invest In A Good Electric Toothbrush
Electric toothbrush are more effective and affordable than ever before. They feature a vibrating head, which loosen the plaque. There are also automatic reminders that’ll notify you when it’s time to switch to the other part of your mouth. After two minutes, an electric toothbrush will shut down to signal that you’re all done.
Just make sure to consult your dentist first before you buy a new electric toothbrush. There are times that dentists recommend the best brand to choose and which ones are affordable but of high quality.
- Always Eat A Nutritious Diet
Most dentists would encourage a healthy diet plan in patients to reduce their sugar consumption. While sugar is important for your body to function well, bacteria also feed into the mouth that produces acid–dental weakening and erosion are due to acid production.
Choose foods that are good for your general oral health, including vegetables, whole grains, fruits, low-fat milk, and lean protein choices.
There are several foods that may harm your teeth and these include candies, dry fruits, crunchy products, and fruits that are rich in vitamin C.
Dentists also encourage not just to stay hydrated, but also to rinse any leftover food acids and contaminants from your teeth’s enamel surface all day long. Saliva is also crucial to help your mouth eliminate acids. However, the mouth releases less saliva whenever you eat meals, so it’s best to restrict yourself from eating snacks.
- Replace Your Toothbrush Regularly
A lot of people forget to replace their toothbrush. If possible, replace your toothbrush at least every 3 months, especially after you were sick.
Moreover, once your toothbrush looks worn, replace it immediately. A worn or old toothbrush doesn’t clean your teeth effectively and just increases the risk of arising oral health problems like tooth decay.
- Avoid Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding can be due to anger, stress, or feeling anxious. A lot of people grind their teeth during their sleep and they don’t even realize that they’re doing it.
If you experience torn cheek tissue, increased tooth sensitivity, or worn tooth enamel, it may be due to teeth grinding while you’re sleeping.
Even if the dentists can’t stop your teeth grinding while sleeping, there’s a special mouthguard to wear during night time. This prevents you from wearing down your teeth. In other cases, a splint can help with the symptoms.
- Stay Hydrated
Drinking a lot of water daily helps you stay healthy. Generally, it’s recommended for an adult to drink at least 1.5L of water daily.
Since water is a major part of your saliva, it helps fight bacteria and neutralize the acid that causes tooth decay. Water also washes away any excess bacteria and food particles in your mouth.
Moreover, it keeps your mouth’s soft tissues healthy and moist, which prevents bad breath effectively.
- Follow A Good Oral Health Care Routine
Maintain your oral health care routine includes using a soft-bristled toothbrush when brushing your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes. You must do this as soon as you wake up and before you sleep.
When brushing, ensure to spend the right amount of time in every part of your mouth and don’t forget to clean your teeth’ front and back parts. Brush in a circular motion and do it in a gentle way.
If you have trouble with your kids brushing their teeth, you can let them watch a video of how proper brushing looks like.
Benefits Of Maintaining Your Oral Health
Aside from living a healthier and longer life, good oral health can save you money in later years. Rather than spending half of your life savings on dental implants and root canals, stick with your daily dental regimen for better oral health.
There are many benefits of maintaining your oral health, including the following:
- Reduces Risk Of Cancer
If you have gum disease, it can lead to particular kinds of cancer like pancreatic or oral cancer. Oral bacteria in the bloodstream might increase the growth of cancer cells. By having good oral hygiene, you’ll reduce the oral bacteria that may get into your bloodstream.
Through regular dental checkups, your dentist can also check for any signs of cancer. Such symptoms may include difficulty in speaking, chewing, or swallowing. So, once you experience such signs, schedule a visit to your dentist as soon as possible.
- Less Risk Of Heart Disease
If you don’t floss or brush your teeth, you’re letting gum disease to form, which can result in bleeding gums. Because of this, oral bacteria may enter your bloodstream and spread throughout your body. This can lead to increased chronic inflammation, resulting in cardiovascular problems such as strokes, blood vessels, and heart disease.
Maintain your oral health, to reduce this risk. However, if you already have early signs of gum disease like swollen or bleeding gums, visit your dentist for advice and treatment.
- Lowers Risk Of Diabetes
If you have poor oral health, there’s a high chance that it can result in type 2 diabetes or it may worsen your health condition if you’re already diabetic. The reason behind it is that oral bacteria may raise your body’s inflammation, which can result in an increased level of insulin resistance.
Diabetes may also cause more serious gum problems like eventual tooth loss and tissue damage. So, continue flossing, brushing, and rinsing your mouth while keeping your blood sugar low.
Wrapping Up
Whether you want to fight against the effects of periodontitis and gum disease or maintain a healthy mouth, make sure to keep the above tips in mind and practice them at home.
If you want to improve your daily oral care routine, never hesitate to ask for more recommendations or suggestions from your dentist and make it a habit to maintain your oral health.
