You’ve probably heard it a thousand times: Keep up with your dental hygiene. However, keeping up with your oral health can take time and effort. If you’re wondering how to make sure you’re doing everything right, check out these five dental hygiene tips for staying on top of things!
Floss daily
Flossing is one of the most important things you can do for oral health. Flossing removes plaque, a soft film of bacteria that constantly forms on teeth. Plaque buildup leads to gum disease, which can lead to bad breath and tooth loss if it’s not treated correctly. A CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) study found that periodontal disease worsens with age and affects more than half of Americans 30 and older. Another CDC study found that one in four adults (those between the ages of 20 and 64) had at least one cavity.
Cavities and gum disease are two of the most common reasons people must pay a lot to visit the dentist. In the end, the number of problems you have with regular cleaning will depend on how committed and proactive you are toward prevention. To lower your chances of getting gum disease or cavities, you must floss at least once daily. Start by taking about 18 inches of floss and making a “C” shape with it around two fingers on either hand.
Then gently rub the floss against each tooth from back to front and side to side at least once per tooth until you reach the gumline. Finally, wrap any remaining floss around your index finger; this will help prevent getting food stuck between your teeth when eating later! If you’re having trouble flossing, try using a floss threader. This tool helps guide the floss through the space between your teeth and under your gums. It’s beneficial for those with braces or crowns.
Once you’ve finished flossing, rinse your mouth with water to remove any remaining debris. Then brush your teeth again to make sure all the plaque has been removed. If you feel like you still have bad breath after these steps, try using a tongue scraper or chewing sugar-free gum for 30 minutes before brushing your teeth again.
However, if you’re still having trouble, it might be time to schedule a dental appointment with your dentist. They can help identify any issues that may be causing bad breath and advise you on how to treat it.
Change your toothbrush every 3-4 months.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that anyone who uses a manual toothbrush should get a new one every three to four months (CDC). If you keep using it for much longer than that, the bristles will start to fray and wear out, and they won’t get rid of plaque as well as they used to.
When you have a lot of plaque and food particles in your mouth, you increase your chances of getting gum disease and tooth decay. If you have not yet done so, now is a great time to start doing this. The bristles on toothbrushes wear out over time and become less effective at cleaning your teeth. In addition, the bristle can harbor bacteria and other germs if they are not appropriately cleaned or replaced often enough.
One way to tell if it’s time for a new toothbrush is by looking at the bristles on your current brush — if they look unevenly worn down or flattened against each other, it might be time for a new one! If you are still determining whether it’s time for a new toothbrush, ask your dentist for some advice. They can tell you if your current brush is doing the job and recommend how often to change them.
Maintain a healthy diet
While it’s no secret that maintaining a healthy smile requires daily brushing and flossing, you may not be aware that your eating may also affect your dental hygiene. Market research shows that the most popular snacks in the United States are fruit, popcorn, chips, ice cream, cookies, candy, crackers, cake, soft drinks, milk, tea, yogurt, nuts, and seeds.
Snacks have been linked to many parts of a healthy diet, such as weight gain, maintenance, and diet quality. Even if snacking is a regular and vital part of a diet, it can sometimes cause problems with dental health. So what can be done to avoid problems with oral health? The American Dental Association recommends eating various foods from all five food groups to get the nutrients you need, including calcium and vitamin D for strong bones and teeth.
Eating meals from all food groups full of nutrients will help you keep your teeth and gums healthy. To keep your oral and overall health in good shape, eating a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products is important. Maintaining good oral health may be facilitated by a healthy diet. If you want to snack in a healthy manner, you should restrict the number of times you eat in between meals and choose meals that are superior to others in terms of flavor and texture.
Eat the whole snack at once instead of breaking it up into smaller pieces and eating it throughout the day. You should also try to cut down on how often you snack on processed foods and carbs. Your health will improve as a result of this. Remember to brush your teeth after every meal to avoid getting cavities. If you can’t brush your teeth, you should at least gargle with water to eliminate any leftover food.
Don’t smoke
Smoking, a major cause of gum disease and tooth decay can also lead to bad breath. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), smoking is a major risk factor for periodontal disease. While it’s true that many people who don’t smoke still experience gingivitis, those who do typically have deeper pockets of inflammation in their gums and more severe symptoms.
If you have been diagnosed with severe gingivitis, this could lead to tooth loss due to the extreme damage in your gums. In most cases, patients who suffer from this disease go through dental replacements as their go-to or best solution. Although implants can be the best solution there is, preventing gum disease as early as possible is advised and would not cost you anything but time. That is to brush your teeth twice a day and quit that one bad habit — smoking.
Consider mouthwash
Maintaining a healthy oral hygiene routine can be difficult, especially when you’re busy. Luckily, several products can help you stay on top of your dental health without taking up too much time or effort. One such product is mouthwash. Mouthwash helps prevent tooth decay by killing bacteria in your mouth and keeping them from sticking to your teeth. It also makes it easier to remove any food particles that may have gotten stuck between your teeth after eating (or even before eating).
Mouthwash is available in many flavors and can be found in supermarkets and drugstores. It’s also reasonably cheap, making it ideal for those who want to maintain good oral hygiene without spending much money or time doing so.
In Closing
Understanding your dental health is the most important aspect of keeping your teeth and gums healthy. If you’re nervous or apprehensive about checkups, the best way to get over that fear is to take some time to research your own dental history and find a dentist who will answer all of your questions and concerns—and who won’t jump right in with a treatment plan. With the right knowledge and a little effort, it’s possible to keep your teeth healthy for years to come.
