Taking good care of your mouth, teeth and gums is of vital importance for the health of your entire body. Good oral and dental hygiene can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease, which in return will help you keep that beautiful smile well into your old age.
It is important to keep in mind that a healthy mouth can help you fend off medical disorders while an unhealthy one may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labor.
In this article we will cover some of the most important techniques you can use to improve your oral health.
Don’t forget about the tongue
Most of us brush our teeth regularly, at least twice a day. This has become a routine and is great for our overall oral health. However, our tongue is a whole different story. Although most modern design tooth brushes have a rubber tongue cleaner on the back side, very few people actually use it. Bacteria tends to accumulate in the area of your tongue between the taste buds and other tongue structures. Just rinsing it won’t do the tricks, so brushing is key.
You can use the front or back side of your brush, just add a bit of toothpaste. Additionally, you can also use floss, by wrapping each side around your index fingers you scrape your tongue with the middle portion of the floss. By removing the accumulated bacteria you are minimizing the possibility of bad breath and even tooth damage.
Mind your mouthwash
Using mouthwash helps maintain oral health since it reaches areas that your toothbrush and floss can’t. However, it is important to choose the right mouthwash for your specific needs. Currently, on the market you can find mouthwashes containing alcohol and those which do not. You can also find a lot of conflicting opinions on which one is better.
In most cases, diabetics and pregnant women along with people with addiction to alcohol and those suffering from certain health conditions are advised to rather go with the non-alcoholic mouthwash version. Consulting a dentist on this matter would be a prudent move.
Don’t avoid your dentist
Even if you are doing everything right, brushing twice a day, flossing, and cleaning your tongue, regular visits to the dentist are a must if you want to maintain your oral hygiene. You might not feel and discomfort, but that doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. By visiting your dentist in Sydney at least twice a year to get professional cleaning and checkup, you can ensure a high level of oral health and teeth longevity.
Change your eating habits
When it comes to the health of your teeth, you really are what you eat. It is no secret that sugary foods, like candy and soda, immensely contribute to tooth decay. You should keep in mind that according to the Australian Dental Association (ADA), one of the first areas to decline when your diet is less than ideal is your oral health. It is important to remember that it’s not just the obvious sweet foods and drinks that can cause decay.
Frequent snacking on foods with hidden sugars such as biscuits, crackers, cereals, chips and even dried fruit (these foods break down into sugars in the mouth) is known to cause acid attacks on your tooth enamel. In order to keep your teeth healthy you should add the following into your diet – cheese, yogurt and leafy greens for calcium, apples and carrots for fibre and of course, drink a lot of water.
By following the four tips provided in this article you are sure to improve your overall oral health. We have learned so far that just brushing does not do the trick anymore and that it is essential for our body that we pay extra attention to what we eat and how we maintain our oral hygiene.
This post is from one of our guest bloggers Luke Douglas, thanks, Luke.
