4 Ways To Promote Healthy Teeth And Gums
Whether you are looking for a Coquitlam dentist, or one in Branson, you want to be sure that you find a trustworthy and capable professional. However, even with the best dentists, there is only so much they can do.
Many people like to put the responsibility for their health and dental issues squarely on the shoulders of their doctors and dentists. In reality, though, their health and well-being are largely in their own hands. Your health professionals can do only so much to repair the damage caused by your daily habits. Here are four simple lifestyle changes you can make today that will protect your teeth and gums.
1. Brush after Meals
Most people brush once or twice every day, in the morning and/or at night. While brushing with this frequency may seem to take care of all of the visible plaque, it may not be enough to prevent tartar buildup or gingivitis in the long run.
In addition to your morning and nightly routine, focus on brushing after eating – especially after eating foods with high sugar and/or carbohydrate content. By doing this, you can remove the food that bacteria use to make plaque and organic acids that dissolve your teeth. This way, you can prevent plaque buildup from ever happening.
2. Floss every Day
If flossing is not part of your daily routine, then you need to change that immediately. Floss is capable of removing plaque, tartar, and other buildup from between teeth and against the gum line. The American Dental Association recommends flossing once per day to remove that buildup.
It turns out that it doesn’t much matter what time of the day you choose to floss your teeth. Just make sure that you are doing it every single day. That way, you can be sure that you are doing everything you can to prevent cavities from forming between your teeth.
3. Change your Eating Habits
There are some eating habits that work against the health of your teeth. Consuming large quantities of sugars and carbs every day is a great example of this. The bacteria in your mouth that produce tooth-dissolving acids flourish on a diet of sugar and carbs. By eating these foods, you are turning your mouth into an unhealthy environment.
Reduce the amount of carbs and sugar in your diet. If you really can’t live without your sugar, then just changing when you eat it can do a lot for your dental health. For example, when eating large meals, your mouth produces extra saliva, which flushes your mouth out more effectively. When you eat just a snack, you don’t get that extra saliva production. Start eating the sugary and carbohydrate-heavy foods that you love at meals instead of between them.
4. Visit your Dentist Regularly
Most dentists recommend a checkup once or twice a year. Regular checkups provide an opportunity for your dentist to intervene quickly if there is something wrong with your teeth or gums. The checkups give them information about your eating habits, your brushing and flossing habits, and the current state of the health of your mouth. Your dentist can use this information to educate you about things you should be doing differently.
Visiting your dentist on a regular basis can also prevent nasty medical issues from occurring throughout the rest of your body. Tooth and gum disease are intrinsically related to a number of medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. Your dentist may be able to pick up on some early warning signs that your health is headed in bad direction.
There are many things you can do to prevent tooth and gum diseases. Brush and floss as recommended by your dentist. Eat fewer foods with high sugar and carb contents. Finally, visit your dentist at least once per year. The more consistent you are with the above suggestions, the healthier you are likely to be.
