Fewer than 1 in 5 of us manages to keep our oral health routine up to scratch. As a result we expose ourselves to a number of common oral health problems including halitosis(bad breath), tooth decay and gingivitis (bleeding and receding gums). Whilst none of us is perfect we should all be taking steps to ensure that we maintain our vigilance with our oral health. With that in mind we decided to look at some of the most important aspects of your oral health.
Proper Brushing Routine
Simply brushing twice a day is an important step but it’s not all that matters. We should be spending at least 2 and a half minutes brushing using an extra soft toothbrush and need to make sure that we hit every area of our mouths. Hard to reach areas often get overlooked if you aren’t paying attention so concentrate on your brushing and make sure you work systematically to clean every area.
At the same time you need to make sure that you are flossing correctly and efficiently and that you are flossing at least once a day. When you floss make sure that you work carefully under the gum line of your teeth to ensure that you don’t miss any areas.
Finally make sure that you rinse with a fluoride mouth wash to help strengthen your teeth against decay.
A better diet
Our modern diets are one of the worst ways we mistreat our teeth and our gums. One of the leading causes of tooth decay is poor diet and the most common reasons for this are our addictions to sugar. Sugar has been added to almost every product imaginable and the worst place is in our drinks. Sugary drinks help plaque build up on your teeth throughout the day and this can lead to the formation of tartar causing cavities and eventually gum disease as well. We want to reduce the amount of plaque our teeth are exposed to in order to prevent health problems arising.
At the same time as sugar being bad for us we also need to increase the amount of healthy food that promotes clean teeth and healthy living. The most important things are water and vitamin and mineral rich foods – particularly sources of calcium which help strengthen tooth enamel. Drinking water promotes the production of saliva – which is the body’s natural defense against plaque.
Chewing sugar free chewing gum regularly is also a great way to help reduce plaque building up on your the teeth.
Visiting the Dentist
The best defense is a good offence and one of the best defenses when it comes to oral health is to visit the dentist regularly. It is no good waiting for problems to arise to visit the dentist when early identification of potential problems can stop them occurring altogether. You should visit the dentist and hygienist at least twice a year for a check up and professional clean to make sure that you don’t run into any problems. Your dentist can help you with any problems and provide great tips on keeping your teeth healthy.
If you need to locate a dentist, have a look at What Clinic first. It is a useful, and handy dental review website.
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