The practice of good oral hygiene is an extremely important factor in maintaining your general health. By taking care of your dental health, you’re reducing the chance of painful toothaches, cavities, gum disease and tooth decay, which can then contribute to having bad breath.
Not staying on top of your oral health can have a seriously negative impact on your general well-being. People who suffer from gum disease may be more at risk of developing diabetes or heart disease, while plaque and bacteria build-up can spread throughout the body, resulting in other health issues.
For these reasons, it’s imperative to take good care of your dental hygiene, and doing so doesn’t need to be challenging or a chore. Here are three easy steps from a professional dental team to maintaining healthy teeth and avoid emergency dentist treatment, with the added bonus of keeping your breath fresh!
1. Follow a strong cleaning routine
By brushing the surfaces of all your teeth for around two minutes twice a day, you’re stopping the growth of the bacteria that often leads to dental diseases. Regularly changing your toothbrush every three or four months will ensure that each brush is as effective as it can be.
Ensure that you choose a toothpaste that contains the appropriate amount of fluoride — for adults, this is between 1,350-1,500 parts per million (ppm), and for children six years and over, at least 1,000 ppm of fluoride is recommended. Fluoride helps to protect the enamel (the hard tissue that protects your teeth from everyday actions such as biting and grinding) by combating tooth decay and cavities which cause bad breath.
Flossing is another great way to maintain healthy teeth. Flossing removes the plaque that would otherwise build up on your gums and lead to gum disease. Be thorough with flossing by moving the floss up and down between each tooth to effectively remove the plaque and bits of food.
Remembering to brush your tongue as well as your teeth is crucial to good breath, as this is where food and bacteria can gather. You can also use fluoride mouthwash, which is extremely effective when used after meals and reduces the chances of tooth decay, while keeping your breath fresh.
2. Reduce your sugar and caffeine intake
There are certain foods and drinks that can be particularly bad for teeth or have a negative effect on breath, particularly those packed with sugar or caffeine.
Sugar has an adverse reaction on teeth as it produces harmful acids that will target the enamel. Frequent caffeine intake, meanwhile, is also detrimental to the enamel. If the enamel erodes, teeth are more susceptible to decay and cavities. Caffeine also causes the mouth to become dry, which prevents saliva from removing unhealthy bacteria — and constant accumulation of bacteria is the reason for bad breath.
So by reducing the amount of sugar and caffeine in your diet, you’ll be decreasing your chances of tooth damage and bad breath. Consider having more water in your diet, as this is great for eliminating bad breath. Water flushes away leftover food, which reduces the chance of bacteria build-up and maintains saliva production.
Bonus Tip: What do you really know about fruit juice?
While fruit juice is often seen as a healthy alternative to fizzy drinks, it can often be very acidic and harmful to teeth. The acids in the juice target the enamel and can lead to acid erosion, sensitivity and cavity exposure. Having fruit juice during a meal or even using a straw to drink it will lessen the contact between the acid and your teeth.
3. Keep up to date with dental visits
There are a number of reasons that people avoid making appointments to see their dentist, but it’s important to have a dental appointment at least twice a year. Failure to attend regular checkups can lead to significant toothache or gum disease problems, which could result in an emergency dentist appointment and further dental procedures in the future.
There’s a vital connection between dental health and general well-being, so postponing dentist appointments increases the chances of other illnesses setting in. If you attend regular check-ups, you’ll be able to monitor your oral health and eliminate problems that may have otherwise gone undetected. A lot of people are filled with apprehension at the idea of seeing a dentist, but dentists have a duty of care to all patients, and will provide a professional and supportive service.
<Bonus Tip: Invisalign Treatment – something to consider?>
A simple and increasingly popular form of dental treatment, Invisalign involves straightening teeth with invisible, removable aligners. Straighter teeth are beneficial to oral health as they are easier to clean, and teeth that are aligned correctly allow the gums to fit firmly, meaning the chances of gum disease are further reduced.
Dr Chig Amin is the principal dentist and owner of Epsom Dental Centre, carrying out a wide range of dental procedures and providing outstanding support and care for all patients. Dr Chig Amin and the Epsom Dental Centre can also be found on Twitter.
