How to Maintain Good Dental Health?
Brush Your Teeth Better
Proper brushing can make the difference between great oral hygiene and poor oral health. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you become a better brusher:
- Brush all of your teeth. Don’t leave out any, even the ones at the very back!
- Use a gentle circular motion, a vertical or side to side motion isn’t good for your enamel.
- Divide your mouth into 4 sections, give at least 30 – 40 seconds to each section, and all surfaces of the teeth.
- Time yourself, at least 2 minutes of brushing is recommended.
- Replace your tooth brush every 3 months at least, once the bristles start to fray, you know its time
- Brush twice a day, especially before bed.
Stock up on the right brushing tools and make sure you aren’t using a tooth brush that is hard, most dentists will recommend a soft to medium toothbrush. Make sure you floss between your teeth at least once a day, a toothbrush can’t reach there! Adding a simple mouthwash to your daily brushing regimen can help too, plus it leaves your mouth feeling fresh.
Keeping Good Oral Health with Healthy Diet
What you eat and drink (and how often) directly affects your oral health and rate of tooth decay. As soon as you eat certain foods, bacteria in the mouth start converting sugars and carbs into acids that start to eat away at your tooth structure and irritate your gums.
Therefore, make the right food choices to best avoid dental decay and gum disease. Here are some teeth friendly foods you should have more in your daily life:
- Cheeses
- Chicken and other meats
- Nuts
- Milk
- Green Veggies
- These foods contain calcium and phosphorous that strengthen your teeth enamel
- Other food choices include: firm/crunchy fruits (for example, apples and pears) and vegetables
- Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and lemons, should be eaten as a part of a meal to dilute the acids
Poor food choices for oral health include:-
- candy -- such as lollipops, hard candies, and mints
- cookies, cakes, pies, breads, muffins
- potato chips, pretzels, french fries
- bananas, raisins, and other dried fruits
These foods contain large amounts of sugar and will stick to the teeth, so they should be minimized.
The correct beverages include:
- water
- milk
- unsweetened tea
Sugary and fizzy drinks as well as alcohol should be taken in minimal amounts.