It takes more than just cleaning your teeth all day, every day, to practice proper oral hygiene. It entails giving your teeth and gums the necessary amount of tender loving care.
Want to get more fit? Start by forming the routine of engaging in vigorous exercise for 30 minutes each day. Are you concerned about your diet? Establish the practice of planning your meals using the Nutrition Guidelines. What about your dental health, though? You will need to form the habit of great oral hygiene. How can you do that? Let us go through it together.
For optimum oral hygiene, brush your teeth twice daily – To get rid of plaque and bacteria in your mouth, dentists advise cleaning your teeth twice a day. By skipping a brushing session, food and debris can accumulate and lead to poor breath. For a comprehensive mouth cleaning, brush for two minutes every morning and evening.
Try to refrain from brushing just after eating. You should wait at least 30 minutes before cleaning your teeth after eating anything acidic. Acidic meals can erode dental enamel, and brushing too quickly can do so while the enamel is still brittle.
Gently brush your lips. Most dentists advise using a soft to medium toothbrush since it removes food effectively while being gentle on gums. Use a softer toothbrush if your mouth feels disturbed after brushing; there is no need to use one with hard bristles.
A minimum of twice a year, visit the dentist – It’s hard to determine the proper health of your teeth without routine dental checkups. Your teeth and gums could appear healthy, but they could be hiding difficult-to-see issues. Over time, plaque accumulation can corrode your teeth. Make sure you schedule routine dental appointments so that they can examine your teeth and gums.
Your dentist can identify plaque accumulation, which if left unchecked, can result in gingivitis and other oral health issues. They can identify possible issues before they become severe. The best method to avoid significant dental issues is to visit your dentist twice a year.
Put fluoride toothpaste to use – The market is flooded with natural, whitening, and flavored toothpaste brands. Make sure the toothpaste you purchase includes fluoride. Unfortunately, fluoride is sometimes left out of the components of natural products, leaving your teeth vulnerable.
Concerns about fluoride’s safety have been raised by certain people. Fluoride is a naturally occurring chemical that may be found in freshwater, soil, seawater, plants, and the air. Therefore, using fluoride toothpaste is completely natural.
Fluoride works to prevent tooth decay by
- Strengthening the tooth’s surface.
- Limiting the development of the germs that cause cavities.
- The early stages of tooth decay are being repaired.
We raise the amount of acid in our mouths whenever we eat or drink. Tooth decay results from acid removing minerals from our teeth. Fluoride is a mineral that accumulates in our saliva and mouth when we use fluoridated toothpaste and water, acting as a repair kit to counteract the effects of acid. Use fluoride toothpaste to keep your teeth healthy if you live in a region where the water supply has not been fluoridated or if you consume bottled water.
Change your toothbrush regularly – The health of your mouth depends on maintaining appropriate toothbrush hygiene. Make sure you frequently change your toothbrush or the head on your electric toothbrush. Changing your toothbrush with the seasons is a wise practice. This implies that every three months, you should replace your brush. If the bristles on your brush start to flatten or splay, you should replace them.
After brushing your teeth, be sure to rinse your toothbrush well and keep it somewhere sanitary. Avoid storing your toothbrush for an extended period in a closed container or with a toothbrush cover on. This could promote the growth of bacteria.
Brush your tongue as well as the rest of your mouth – If it is tough for you to clean your teeth for two minutes, you might not be brushing your teeth thoroughly enough. Make sure to brush your teeth from front to back and side to side, holding your toothbrush at an angle. Poor brushing techniques might result in food and bacteria being left behind and won’t protect your teeth.
Every time you brush your teeth, you should also brush your tongue. A tongue scraper is an excellent choice if you dislike the way tooth bristles feel against your tongue. Additionally, cleaning your tongue might help you breathe better.
Your mouth has some difficult-to-reach areas. Make sure you are cleaning behind any bars that are on the backs of your teeth if they serve to maintain alignment. It may be beneficial to switch to an electric toothbrush. The tiny head could be able to polish and clean areas of your mouth that a traditional toothbrush head finds difficult to access.
Take caution when consuming food and beverages – Sugar turns into acid in the mouth, which is bad for the enamel of the teeth. It’s healthy for your teeth if you consume less sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages. Crisps and nuts can easily become lodged between your teeth and be challenging to pull out. Generally speaking, eating less processed food is better for your teeth.
Your teeth’s enamel might become stained from drinking tea and coffee. You don’t have to stop eating these things, but you should be aware of how frequently you do. Whole foods are less prone to becoming trapped between teeth, and healthy snacks like carrots and cucumber sticks can be enjoyed without harming your teeth.
Use dental floss at least three times every week – The germs on the surface of our teeth can be removed by brushing twice a day, but food and debris that gets lodged between the teeth are more difficult to remove. Try including flossing in your dental hygiene regimen at least three times per week if you aren’t already doing it. You may work your way up to flossing once per day from there.
A floss comprised of softer, broader material can be more comfortable for you if flossing bothers you. The way you floss matters a lot too. Dentists advise carefully putting a strand of floss between your teeth while holding it at both ends.
- Hold one side of the tooth with the floss while moving it up and down from the gum line.
- Maintaining the floss in place, move it up and down on the side of the opposing tooth.
Plaque can be removed more successfully using this method than by just sliding the floss up and down.
Also Read: Dental Assistants And Their Functions