Everyone desires to have a great and beautiful smile. This, however, can only be achieved by observing proper oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene causes a number of oral and medical issues, like gum infection and disease, heart disease, bone loss, and stroke, among others.
However, observing good dental hygiene can ensure that you have healthy teeth, and that smile you always dream of. The following are the top 10 tips for good oral hygiene.
Brush your teeth every day
Always brush your teeth at least twice a day. Preferably, you should do it in the morning, and in the evening. In addition to this, ensure that you observe the proper brushing techniques. Professional dentists recommend that you hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums when brushing your teeth for maximum effectiveness.
Don’t forget to floss your teeth
Flossing your teeth daily helps in removing any food particles that your toothbrush couldn’t remove. Most people don’t consider flossing to be necessary, but it’s essential for good dental hygiene. If you brush your teeth, but you don’t floss, tiny food particles can lead to tooth decay. This shows the importance of flossing your teeth. Make sure that you concentrate on the tiny spaces when flossing since it’s hard for your toothbrush to reach these spaces.
Replace your toothbrush regularly
Most dentists recommend that you replace your toothbrush every 3 months. Frayed or damaged toothbrushes cannot clean your teeth effectively. Moreover, they can easily cause bruising to your gums. You should also note that replacing your toothbrush regularly helps in keeping it clean—thus preventing bacteria growth.
Eat a healthy diet
According to the expert at the dental clinic, Bajars&Bajars, you should avoid sugary foods, like sports drinks, cakes, and candy, as well as foods with high calcium levels. This ensures that your teeth remain strong and healthy. Rather, you should take foodstuffs that will strengthen your teeth. Such foodstuffs include cheese, yogurt, leafy greens, and almond. Always ask your dentist to recommend the best foods that will assist in keeping your teeth healthy and strong.
Rinse your teeth with mouthwash
Mouthwash helps in getting rid of food particles that toothbrush or dental floss couldn’t. Moreover, it helps in eliminating any other bacteria in your mouth, as well as maintaining fresh breath. Therefore, you should include this in your daily oral care routine.
Clean your toothbrush
Failure to clean your toothbrush can lead to the breeding of bacteria, which can be introduced to your mouth easily. Moreover, you should never cover your toothbrush in an attempt to keep it clean. The best way to clean your toothbrush is to rinse it after every use, and then let it air dry. Lastly, never share your toothbrush with anyone.
Drink a lot of water
Drinking water is not only best for your general health, but it also assists you to have a healthy flow of saliva. If you didn’t know, saliva is essential for your dental health. It helps in the movement of food particles in your mouth. This prevents the particles from accumulating on your teeth, which can lead to bacteria growth. Besides, it helps in keeping your mouth moist and comfortable.
Clean your tongue
You should take this seriously—just like brushing your teeth. Today, we have professional tongue cleaners, which allow people to get rid of bacteria that are found on the rough part of their tongues. This bacteria mostly leads to halitosis (bad breath), which can have detrimental effects on their overall dental health.
Quit smoking
Smoking leads to dental problems like staining, as well as periodontal disease which affects the gums. When left unchecked, periodontal disease can lead to other serious problems like oral cancer and tooth loss, among other issues. Therefore, the best thing to do for your oral health is to stop smoking immediately if you are an active smoker. You should also avoid using any other tobacco-related product.
Schedule regular appointments with your dentist
Observing the above tips without visiting your dentist for a periodic dental check up will be in vain. Therefore, you should always schedule regular dental appointments for a thorough oral checkup, as well as a dental cleaning.
At times, there are some dental issues that you cannot detect on your own. Besides, other issues can start to develop, despite observing these tips. However, visiting a dentist for a dental checkup can help them to identify these issues, and come up with the necessary course of action. While you might not see the benefits of this now, you’ll enjoy them when you grow old.