Best Practices for Healthy Teeth and Gums

Good oral hygiene is essential to keep your teeth and gums healthy. It entails practices such as brushing twice, flossing once, and getting regular dental checkups.

Unfortunately, oral health is not just about cavities and gum disease. An association exists between your mouth and your overall health. Therefore, experts consider oral health issues a global health burden. When you leave tooth decay and gum disease untreated, it results in pain, problems with self-confidence, and tooth loss. In addition, the issues can result in malnutrition, and speech challenges at work, school, or in daily life.

You can prevent the problems mentioned with appropriate dental care at home and getting regular checkups from your dentist. In addition, the best practices suggested in this article can help keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Brush Teeth Regularly without Being Aggressive

An essential part of maintaining healthy teeth is brushing them twice daily for two minutes each to remove dental plaque and bacteria and keep them clean. You benefit from brushing with the correct technique using tiny circular motions to brush the front, back, and top of every tooth. The process requires between two to three minutes. Unfortunately, most people do not brush for more than 40 or 50 seconds and use aggressive back-and-forth sawing motions instead of circular ones. Brushing aggressively or using a hard-bristled toothbrush can result in permanent damage to the protective enamel coating on the external layer of the tooth.

The ADA suggests using a soft-bristled toothbrush and replacing it every quarterly when the bristles appear fraying.

Flossing Once Daily

Flossing helps remove plaque and bacteria remaining on an between the teeth where a toothbrush cannot reach. In addition, daily flossing eliminates lousy breath by removing food particles and debris trapped between the teeth. Although long-term studies confirming the benefits of flossing aren’t available, the ADA and CDC continue recommending it, so do many dentists suggest flossing all the way gently to the gum line before hugging the tooth sides with up-and-down motions. However, you must avoid snapping the floss between your teeth because it can result in pain while not removing dental plaque effectively.

Dental Visits

The ADA recommends visiting your dentist every six months or as suggested by the practitioner for a dental exam and cleaning. During dental exams, your dentist will check for visible signs of cavities, gum disease, mouth cancer, symptoms of bruxism, and other issues. The hygienist cleans your teeth by removing plaque and calcified Tartar that is challenging to remove by brushing and flossing, thus increasing the chances of developing gum disease that can silently advance into periodontitis, a severe dental infection.

Studies conducted recently reveal children and adults should receive dental exams and cleanings every six months to help prevent cavities. However, adults practicing excellent dental hygiene daily and at low risk of oral health problems may receive suggestions from their dentist to visit them every year. In addition, some reviews mention more high-quality studies are essential to confirm the ideal frequency of oral prophylaxis. You can discuss your needs with your dentist to ascertain how often you need dental checkups. All patients are different, and your health, age, and overall dental health determinants how often you need dental checkups.

Quit Smoking

Besides harming your immune system, smoking makes it challenging for the body to heal tissues, including those in your mouth. The CDC mentions smoking is a risk for developing gum disease, and the ADA says smokers confront challenges with slow healing after dental procedures. In addition, smoking also affects the aesthetic appearance of the mouth, discoloring the teeth and tongue to make them appear yellow and contributing to the condition of halitosis.

Using Mouthwash

Some studies indicate chlorhexidine mouthwashes are beneficial because it is an antibacterial ingredient that helps control plaque and gingivitis. Mouthwash brands also contain effective essential oils, according to analysis.

Limit Consumption of Sugary Foods and Starches

Sugar is the prime culprit for the development of cavities on teeth to result in adverse outcomes. Although candy and desserts are prime culprits, processed foods also contain sugar. Therefore, they need limitations to prevent dental infections that might result in severe problems requiring endodontic treatment or tooth removal caused by the acid-producing bacteria feeding on the sugars and starches in the mouth.

Drinking Water

Instead of drinking sweetened beverages containing added sugar, you help your teeth and gums remain healthy by drinking water or unsweetened tea and limiting the consumption of sweetened drinks between meals in small quantities.

It is essential to remember the best practice sessions mentioned apply to children, adults, and senior citizens. Maintaining good dental hygiene from infancy to adulthood helps keep your teeth and gums healthy and without complications.

If you want more help to maintain the health of your teeth and gums, Fox Creek Dental by Espire Thornton welcomes you for a consultation with them to determine what you need to improve your oral health. Kindly schedule a meeting with the practice today to start your journey to keep your teeth and gums healthy.