7 Dental Hygiene Tips for Healthy Teeth

Our oral health is an important part of our hygiene habits. Our self-confidence and how we interact with the world is directly tied to our overall oral health. It’s important that we spend the time and effort to keep our teeth, gums, and tongue healthy and free from issues like gum disease, tooth decay, or bad breath. You should also take the time to visit this Dentist in Arlington to address all your dental issues. Here are some tips you can follow for good dental hygiene and healthy teeth.

1. Brush your mouth

Let’s start with the obvious. As a child, it has been drilled into our heads that we should take great care of our teeth by brushing regularly and avoiding sugary food. But as we grew up, we started to take that advice for granted in favor of other more pressing matters. But being a grown-up is even more reason to take care of our oral health. The teeth we have are permanent and it gets damaged, it’s going to be costly and a big hassle getting it fixed.

Brushing shouldn’t be limited to just our teeth. We should also brush all the components in the oral cavity as well. Always include the gums to remove food residues that might have clung to it. Brushing the inner cheek is also advisable. Our tongue should also be brushed to remove the bacteria that live and thrives within it. It’s also a good way to keep our breath smelling fresh and minty.

The kind of toothbrush we use also plays a big part in our brushing habits. Choose a soft-bristled one to prevent gum bleeding. In brushing, we should use small circular motion instead of the back-and-forth we’re used to. Brushing should be done at least twice a day for a good two minutes before rinsing.

2. Floss

Another piece of oral health advice that we hear often is the importance of flossing. Many of us, myself included, tend to forgo flossing especially after brushing our teeth. But brushing alone is not enough to remove all the plaque and food debris in our mouth. The spaces between our teeth are tight and small; something a toothbrush could never get at. Flossing ensures that we get to those small spaces to remove cavity-causing debris.

It’s important that people get into the habit of flossing at least once a day. It’s a quick way to improve your oral health. People who have established a good flossing habit have also reported that they feel their teeth cleaner which in turn makes them feel amazing.

3. Teeth-friendly diet

Many of us tend to focus on direct teeth cleaning as a means to keep our oral health in check. But, just like any parts of our body, our oral health is connected to what we take in, i.e. the diet that we follow. We all know the standard tooth-friendly diet advice like avoiding sugar and eating food rich in calcium but there are other food groups that can also benefit our oral health.

Salmon is a good source of vitamin D which is essential for the absorption of calcium into our bones and teeth to make them strong and durable. Carrots are also advised since it’s a crunchy food that acts as a natural toothbrush as we chew on it. Yogurt and cheese are both dairy products and so contain calcium and phosphate; all compounds that help teeth grow strong and repair any damages.

4. Limit soda and alcohol; avoid smoking

It should come as no surprise that to boost the health of our oral cavity; we should avoid vices such as smoking and drinking too much soda and alcohol. These contain harsh chemicals and sugar that can lead to dental problems like cavities, gum disease, and even bad breath. Smoking, in particular, has been associated with oral cancer. Moreover, drinking soda and alcohol in excess can further damage our gums and teeth.

Both alcohol and sodas contain phosphorus which is good for our teeth in small amounts. Too much of it can result in calcium depletion which results in our teeth becoming week and becoming prone to tooth decay. The best beverage for overall dental health is water. It hydrates the body and is infused with fluoride which helps to strengthen our teeth.

5. Use fluoride before bedtime

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that appears in the water, soil, plants, rocks, and even in the air. It is commonly used in dentistry to strengthen teeth enamel. This mineral is known to help prevent cavities which are why in many places around the world; fluoride is added into public water supplies in a process called fluoridation.

Almost all toothpaste contains fluoride as its active ingredient. The mineral is absorbed directly into our teeth so dentists advocate keeping it in our mouth for as long as possible. Naturally, we can’t rinse toothpaste so the next best thing would be to apply fluoride directly into our teeth right before bedtime.

6. Use mouthwash

We see ads about mouthwash all over the media but many people actually don’t use a mouthwash that often. This is because they don’t know exactly how it works. Mouthwash helps to reduce the amount of acid in our oral cavity. It also cleans those hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. And it remineralizes our teeth to help it become stronger and resilient to damages. It’s good to finish tooth brushing with a good swig of mouthwash for a minute or two. There are different kinds of mouthwash including prescription ones for certain dental issues.

7. Visit your dentist

Last on the list of helpful dental tips, and many dentists will agree with this, is to visit your dentist regularly. They can help catch dental problems that you might not have noticed. They can also recommend other ways to ensure that you maintain your oral health. And they can do further cleaning on your teeth and gums to really remove all the plaque and food debris that might have lingered in your mouth.

We should not neglect our oral health because it is tied to our overall health. We should take great care of maintaining it and following the suggested tips to avoid dental problems.

Author Bio:

Sarah Brooks is a passionate blogger who loves to write about health, beauty, food, travel and more. She is currently working with Dentistdrpowell, owned by Sherry Powell, the leading dentist in West Columbia SC.