You can be rest assured that a sparkling smile is actually much more than just the mundane tasks of brushing and flossing. But dental care is not just about your beautiful smile; it covers much more than that to say the least. You must have heard about the massive impact that oral health makes on your overall health and wellbeing. For example, gum infection or periodontal disease is linked to a number of chronic medical conditions like stroke, heart disease, blood sugar, pre term labour and even Alzheimer’s.
And this why it is so crucial, to take a good and consistent care of the teeth as well as the overall mouth. Brushing and flossing are the basics of oral hygiene but definitely not everything. Now you may argue never having missed any of those routine visits to your dentist. But believe the truth – the steps mentioned above are important but certainly not everything that you can do to maintain a healthy mouth free from diseases.
Here is a brief guide how you can take proper care of your dental health and your overall health and wellbeing will follow suit. Here we take off!
- Know when you should brush the teeth – are you in the habit of finishing off a glass of orange juice before starting your morning? If the answer is yes then you must hold on brushing the teeth for a while after breaking the night-long fast with the fruit juice. Foods and drinks with low pH – in other words acidic foods and drinks – are known to soften the teeth enamel though for the time being. If you immediately brush after having an acidic food or drink chances are high a portion of the enamel may get removed and this damage is irreversible. Thus the teeth become more and more prone to decay with time. The secret is to hold on brushing for about 30 minutes to an hour after having any citric fruit, fruit juice, soda, wine or even tomato. This way you prevent your teeth from wearing away.
- Toothbrushes with soft bristles – it is important to change the toothbrush after every 2 to 3 months. The replacement can even be sooner if the bristles are frayed. But if the toothbrush that you are now using is made of hard bristles then you replace it now. Hard or firm bristled toothbrushes may make you feel as if the teeth are cleaner, but there is always the factor of abrasion that causes severe damage to the teeth enamel over time. And if the truth is to be told, soft bristled toothbrushes more or less suit everyone. As a matter of fact proper brushing never indicates that you have to brush vigorously. So why do you need brushes with hard bristles. Always go for the ones with soft bristles. Tilt the brush at about 45 degrees with the gum line and move it in soft circular motion using gentle pressure of the hand.
- First brush the teeth at the back – the teeth placed at the back of the jaw line are more prone to cavities and other diseases. It is a good idea to always start brushing from the back. This ensures you contribute with more effort in cleaning the teeth that sit at the back.
- Antimicrobial mouthwashes are a crucial part of your oral hygiene regimen – daily flossing and brushing twice a day are good. But rinsing the mouth thoroughly with a antimicrobial mouthwash once daily is even better! This way you get rid of more harmful bacteria from the mouth. The mouthwash regimen also keeps the mouth free from plaque build-ups. After brushing and flossing are done just rinse the mouth well with the mouthwash for about half a minute.
- Sugar-free gums are very helpful – dentists all over the world recommend chewing sugar-free gums to keep your teeth and the gums strong and healthy. This variety of gums keeps the mouth hydrated and harmful bacteria and microbes find it hard growing inside a moist hydrated mouth with alkaline surroundings.
- Do not brush multiple times a day – properly brushing the teeth twice a day is sufficient to keep the teeth healthy although recommendations may be brushing every time after a meal. Frequent brushing is likely to bring about irreversible damage to the tooth enamel. It can also damage the gum tissues. Just rinse the mouth well with plain after every meal or snack.
- Finish off sugary drinks in haste – already you are aware about limiting the intake of sugary drinks and foods. Now here we have something more to it! Whenever you are having a sugary beverage like soda, coffee with lots of cream and sugar, sweetened tea and the likes, just try to have it all at once instead of sipping it throughout the day. According to a dental hygienist in Wimbledon, this way your teeth and the gums come is lesser contact to harmful sugary content and thus less damage is registered.
In addition to the tips mentioned above, keep your focus on raw, coarse and fibrous food items like cucumber, celery, carrot, lettuce, apple and the likes for healthier teeth and the gums.
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