There are plenty of things you can do in addition to visiting the dentist regularly to keep your teeth looking strong, healthy, and beautiful. Making oral care part of your daily routine is vital to your overall health and can improve your quality of life. Here are eight tips to help you get the most confident smile of your life.
- Make Flossing as Important as Brushing
Everyone knows that brushing two times daily is essential to keeping your teeth healthy and your breath fresh, but neglecting flossing severely impacts your oral health. Flossing once a day is necessary to keep your teeth and gums healthy because it doesn’t just remove the pieces of food stuck between your teeth. Flossing stimulates your gums and prevents plaque from building up between teeth as well.
Avoid Sugary and Acidic Foods
What you eat is just as important as how you’re cleaning your teeth. Your diet impacts your oral health in many ways, but putting sugary and acidic foods into your mouth means harmful direct contact with your enamel. Acid wear on your teeth is ultimately what leads to cavities, so limiting your intake of sugars and acidic foods like fruits, tea, and coffees is an excellent way to keep your teeth looking bright and fresh.
Clean Your Tongue Regularly
Some people might be unaware that plaque can build up on your tongue, but that’s why this is a critical part of your mouth that you cannot forget to brush! Failing to clean your tongue can lead to bad breath and bacteria that stay in your mouth and cause decay in your teeth. A quick scrub of your tongue with your toothbrush when you brush your teeth is a good start.
Eat Calcium-Rich Foods
Calcium is essential to building strong, healthy teeth that look and feel great. We know calcium builds strong bones, but some people don’t realise it strengthens your teeth too. It can also help to remineralise enamel, so eating dairy products, leafy greens, almonds, and other foods high in calcium benefits your teeth in multiple ways.
Visit the Dentist Regularly
Regular trips to the dentist are essential for maintaining good oral health. Not only will they clean the plaque buildup off your teeth, but your dentist screens your mouth for any other oral conditions that could be developing and may affect your overall health like mouth cancer, gum disease, or cavities. Visiting a dentist every six months is the best timeline to detect cavities early.
In some cases, you might need to see an emergency dentist in Nottinghill if you experience sudden toothaches or oral trauma that requires immediate attention.
Use Mouthwash
Mouthwashes are proven to help with bad breath and protect against certain oral conditions like cavities between brushes. Chlorhexidine is an antibacterial ingredient in mouthwash that can help protect against gingivitis and plaque, but there are also natural mouthwashes containing essential oils that are effective in some cases.
It’s ideal to speak with your dentist about the best product for your specific needs before selecting a mouthwash to add to your oral hygiene routine.
Stop Smoking
Smoking is terrible for more than just your lungs. It also negatively affects your body’s immune system making you slower to heal from wounds or dental trauma. The nicotine and tar from cigarettes also give your teeth a yellow tint while harming your gums because tobacco creates an ideal environment for bacteria and plaque to settle along the gumline. That’s why smoking is a risk factor for gum disease and, over time, can cause your gums to recede, which can result in tooth loss from lack of support.
Eat Chewing Gum After a Meal
Chewing some gum after a meal is a great way to keep your teeth healthy and beautiful, as long as the gum is sugar-free. Chewing gum promotes saliva secretion, which helps fight off bacteria that might feed off your tooth enamel and neutralises the acid. Chewing gum is not a replacement for brushing and flossing your teeth, but it is a good practice to adopt between meals throughout the day to enhance your overall oral health. It has the added benefit of freshening your breath.
A Healthy and Happy Smile
Your smile is often the first way you say hello when you meet someone, so naturally, a beautiful smile is essential to your confidence and quality of life. Applying these tips will help improve your oral hygiene and keep your teeth healthier and more robust.
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