Learn to Take Care of your Teeth

A beautiful smile with clean teeth and fresh breath is important not only for strengthening your interpersonal relationships, but it is also vitally important for good health.

Your teeth need the same care, or more, than your hair, nails and skin.

Never forget that strong teeth is not a cosmetic issues; teeth that aren’t properly cleaned and specially cared for could lead to plaque, and then cavities.  The gums can also be affected, which could lead to bleeding gums caused by bacteria, which then can enter the blood stream.  If this bacteria enters some sort of crevasse in the mouth, canker sores and other periodontal diseases could appear.

How Bacteria Attacks the Teeth

Each meal creates bacteria, which interacts with foods.  This produces acids that attack teeth, which can even rob minerals from tooth enamel and cause cavities.

Tips for taking care of your Teeth

Bad Sugar

The more sugar contained in foods, the more acid is produced.  Sweets and carbonated beverages like sodas are therefore more prone to affecting your teeth by creating cavities.

Prevention with Daily Brushing

Cavities can be prevented, however.  How so?  The primary way is by brushing your teeth three times a day, every day.  But you need to know that when doing so, you must take at least 2 minutes each time.

Ideal Brushing

You need to clean the outer surfaces of your front teeth, then the back.  Then clean the inner surface of the front teeth, moving backwards to the back when finished.

For fresher breath, don’t forget to brush your tongue.

The Importance of Toothpaste

It is also important that you see a dentist regularly.  He/she will direct you to the care you need.  They might need to perform a deeper cleaning, and they can also recommend the best toothpaste for you.

There is a wide variety of these products on the market, and some of which are great for treating gingivitis, preventing plaque, cavities, stained teeth, etc.  There are also a lot of natural treatments for dental health.

Flossing

For an even better cleaning, you must also floss.  This will help remove plaque and food from between the teeth, which will prevent cavities and bad breath.  All dentists recommend flossing because brushing and toothpaste alone cannot reach far places between teeth and gums.  This is where bacteria thrives, and these areas generally become swollen, red, and even bleed.

Cardiac Disease

As mentioned in a previous post, contaminated blood can travel to the heart through the blood stream.  Experts have noticed that this very bacteria that creates bleeding gums also causes heart attacks.

Mouth wash is another good piece of advice for reducing plaque by up to 20 percent.  You should also eat a healthy diet that contains essential nutrients, like vitamins A and C.

Work is not an excuse

Being away from the house is not an excuse for interrupting your brushing and dental care.

Carry a toiletry bag in your purse with a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss in it.  This way you’ll have everything you need and you won’t experience any discomfort from having bad breath.  Your teeth with also benefit from this habit too.

Pay attention to your diet

As previously mentioned, sweeter foods damage teeth faster if you don’t brush appropriately at just the right time.  A balanced diet is also fundamental for preserving dental health.

You should therefore try to consume foods that have appropriate amounts of calcium and phosphates.  These are decisive when forming not only teeth, but bones as well.

Children

As parents, you should educate your children when they are young to have good dental hygiene.  Follow a daily routine of cleaning after breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Even though children often times want to go to bed without cleaning up, it is the parent’s responsibility to keep this habit at home.

Fluoride for children

Children are at a stage in their lives when they need to support their dental healthy by using fluoride.  See a professional to determine how to use fluoride.

Fluoride helps remineralize teeth and is also antibacterial.

Adults can also benefit from fluoride, especially if they are experiencing gum loss caused by age or periodontal disease.  In these cases, fluoride helps prevent or eliminate sensitivity to cold and the appearance of cavities in teeth and roots.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 05/16/2018

About the author