About 3.5 billion people have oral disease. Meanwhile, over 530 children suffer from dental caries on their primary teeth. Without proper care, you could develop a cavity or gum disease. In fact, severe periodontal disease affects about 10% of the global population. Don’t neglect your oral health! Instead, consider these six simple tips for keeping your teeth clean and cavity-free. With these tips for healthy teeth, you won’t have to worry about an expensive, painful oral health condition.
Otherwise, oral disease could cause pain, discomfort, disfigurement, or even death. Ready for a beautiful, healthy smile? Brush up on your dental health with these six easy tips today!
1. Make It a Routine
In order to maintain healthy teeth, you need to remain mindful of your daily habits. For starters, don’t go to bed without brushing and flossing first. It’s important to brush twice a day. Otherwise, you could leave food particles between your teeth.
Bacteria will continue to break down your enamel as well. Tooth enamel is the protective material that covers every tooth. It creates a tough, outer layer that can protect your teeth. Neglecting your enamel could cause discoloration.
Enamel is also responsible for protecting the inner, fragile areas of your teeth. It’s the first line of defense against tooth decay as well. Letting your enamel grow weak could cause:
- Tooth infection
- Temperature sensitivity
- Cavities
It’s important to learn how to protect and preserve your tooth enamel. Once it degrades, you can’t “regrow” enamel. Bacteria, acids, and excess sugar can all cause your enamel to degrade over time. The best way to protect your enamel is to brush twice a day.
If you neglect to brush your teeth at night, bacteria and plaque will only accumulate. Bacteria mixes with your saliva to form plaque. Plaque is a sticky substance that clings to the surface of your teeth.
Over time, plaque can harden into tartar. You can’t remove tartar on your own. Instead, you’ll need to visit your dentist to clean your teeth.
Otherwise, you could develop gingivitis (gum disease). Gingivitis can cause:
- Red, swollen, tender gums
- Gums that bleed when you brush or floss
- Loose teeth
- Receding gumlines
- Pus between the teeth and gums
- Pain while chewing
- Sensitivity
- Changes in your bite
- Foul-smelling breath
Gingivitis could increase your chances of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and lung disease. You could develop periodontitis, a severe infection of the gums. Your teeth could fall out, too.
Avoid the risk! Brush your teeth twice a day to ensure you have healthy, clean teeth.
2. Brush Properly
It’s not enough to quickly brush your teeth. Instead, you need to brush properly. Doing a poor job could leave plaque against the surface of your teeth.
Remember, when plaque hardens, it could become tartar, increasing your risk of gum disease.
To brush properly:
- Don’t neglect your back teeth or any hard-to-reach areas
- Don’t grind the brush into your teeth
- Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle
- Brush each tooth front to back
Don’t forget your tongue! Leaving your tongue unattended could lead to bad breath. It could lead to other oral health problems as well.
As part of your oral health routine, it’s also important to floss. Flossing helps remove any food particles that are trapped between your teeth. Leaving these particles could impact your healthy gums.
Make sure to floss every night before you go to bed. Flossing can stimulate your gums and reduce plaque. It can help lower inflammation, too.
3. Use the Right Tools
In order to maintain your healthy teeth, it’s important to equip yourself with the right tools.
For example, you might want to consider using an electric toothbrush. An electronic brush can clean away bacteria and plaque. It can also help if you have arthritis or mobility issues.
Make sure to replace your toothbrush or brush head every three to four months. If the bristles appear worn or bent, replace the brush sooner.
Consider using mouthwash as well. Mouthwash helps by:
- Cleaning hard-to-reach areas in and around your gums
- Remineralizing your teeth
- Reducing the amount of acid in your mouth
If you want a healthy mouth, take a look at the toothpaste you’re using. Does it contain fluoride? Fluoride can defend your teeth from tooth decay.
It can also strengthen the protective barrier of your teeth.
4. Drink More Water
Water is about 50 to 70% of your body weight. Without water, your body can’t survive. In fact, water helps:
- Your cells, tissues, and organs work properly
- Your body get rid of waste
- Keep your temperature regulated
- Protect your sensitive tissues
- Lubricate and cushions your joints
Women should drink about 11.5 cups of water a day, while men should drink about 15.5 cups a day.
Drinking more water can benefit your oral health and support healthy teeth, too. Try to drink water after every meal. Water will help wash away some of the food that lingers on or between your teeth.
It’s also beneficial to drink water after drinking sugary beverages. Drinking water can help you wash away any food debris before it becomes plaque. It can promote the production of saliva, too. Saliva also helps rinse away plaque.
5. Adjust Your Diet
You are what you eat! If you want a healthy mouth, consider your current diet. The foods you eat each day could impact you mentally and physically.
Vegetables
First, try adding foods that can promote healthy teeth and gums to your diet. For example, you might want to eat more fibrous vegetables. The fiber in these vegetables can benefit your gums.
You have to chew a lot to break down fibrous veggies. Chewing promotes saliva production. Additional saliva production can wash harmful bacteria away from your teeth and gums.
a. Dairy Products
Consider consuming more dairy products, too. Your body needs calcium to produce strong bones and teeth. Most foods don’t contain as much calcium as dairy products do. Consuming more dairy could benefit your teeth.
b. Apples and Citrus Fruits
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? It could benefit your oral health, too! Apples contain many healthy nutrients. They also contain natural acids which could produce a cleaner mouth.
Meanwhile, an apple’s skin can help keep your gums healthy. Instead of sugary snacks or candy, consider an apple for dessert!
Otherwise, try citrus fruits that are high in vitamin C. These include:
- Oranges
- Guava
- Kiwi
- Lemons
Vitamin C can help you maintain healthy gums. It also ensures the connective tissue between your jawbone and teeth remains healthy.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant, too. Antioxidants fight off free radicals, which could otherwise cause damage. In fact, antioxidants could fight off oral issues like gingivitis as well.
c. Ginger Root
Ginger is another food that can help reduce your inflammation levels. You don’t have to eat ginger raw, though. Instead, consider adding it to your next meal.
Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties could promote better oral health.
Foods to Avoid
Once you start adding these foods to your diet, consider the foods you’ll need to remove. Foods that are high in sugar can erode your protective enamel. Cavities could form as a result. You might want to avoid acidic fruits, coffee, and tea, too. These foods and beverages can also wear your enamel down.
Try to limit your intake of soft drinks, hard or sticky candy, and fruit juice, too. Crunchy potato chips could get lodged between the crevices of your teeth as well. Plaque could form as a result. Sugar on its own isn’t bad. When sugar mixes with bacteria, though, it can cause plaque to form.
While you don’t have to cut these foods out of your diet completely, try to limit your consumption.
6. Schedule Routine Checkups
About 86% of children ages 2 to 17 have visited a dentist in the past year. Meanwhile, only 65% of adults have visited a dentist in the past year. If you want healthy teeth and gums, you must schedule regular appointments.
Otherwise, you might not recognize a major issue with your teeth until it’s too late!
In fact, about 13% of children have untreated dental caries. Another 26% of adults have untreated dental caries, too. Left untreated, caries could lead to severe decay.
You could lose your teeth as a result.
Make sure to visit your dentist once every six months. Scheduling regular checkups with your dentist will help you catch problems. You can keep these issues from becoming major concerns down the road. The examination will help your dentist look for plaque, tartar, and cavities. If you have a major concern, they can start treatment right away.
A professional cleaning can help remove lingering plaque and tartar. Your dentist will use special tools to keep tartar at bay.
Avoiding the dentist could cause issues like cavities or periodontal disease. Instead, find a dentist you’re comfortable with and schedule appointments twice a year.
It’s Time to Brush Up: 6 Best Practices for Healthy Teeth
Want healthy teeth and a stunning smile? Give these six oral health best practices a try! With these tips, you can improve your oral health and avoid potential issues down the road.
Searching for more useful tips and tricks? We’re happy to lend a hand. Explore our latest articles and guides today to get started.
Also read: 7 Super Easy Ways To Naturally Whiten Teeth At Home
