Tips For Beautiful and Healthy Teeth and Gums

Did you know that having healthy teeth is important for total-body health and general wellness? The health of your mouth can affect your whole body! A healthy mouth allows you to speak, eat, and smile in confidence. Read these top tips for improving and maintaining oral health.

Brush Teeth

Brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to maintain a healthy mouth and beautiful smile! Brushing rids teeth of plaque, a thin film of bacteria that will lead to cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay. To maintain an odor-free mouth and pearly-white teeth, brush your teeth for at least two minutes each brushing session. Divide the time you brush your teeth by four, and spend that time on each quadrant of the mouth with a gentle, circular motion. Brushing your teeth is critical for your overall health!

Clean Tongue

With a tongue scraper or toothbrush, scrape or brush the tongue gently to remove odor-causing bacteria and film. Keeping the tongue clean prevents bad breath!

Floss Teeth

Flossing and brushing teeth go hand-in-hand for maintaining healthy teeth and gums! Floss at least once a day before you brush your teeth. Flossing removes built-up plaque, bacteria, and food particles. Be gentle with your teeth and gums while flossing. You miss cleaning 40% of your teeth when you don’t floss.

Mouthwash

Swish mouthwash around in your mouth to kill odor and decay-causing bacteria. Fluoride mouth rinse helps prevent tooth decay. Swishing with mouthwash can be an important part of your daily dental hygiene routine!

Braces

If you are currently wearing braces or corrective hardware, keep it clean and prevent damage to it. Wear bands and hardware as specified by the orthodontic team to ensure proper teeth correction and alignment.

Wear Your Retainer

If you have a removable retainer, wear it! By wearing a retainer, you keep your teeth aligned after teeth-straightening braces and procedures. If you have a permanent retainer, avoid damage to the hardware and keep it clean.

Limit Sugar & Corrosive Acids

Harmful oral bacteria will feed on the sugars you eat and create acids that destroy the tooth enamel. Don’t let fruit drinks high in acid sit on your teeth. Rinse out your mouth with water after drinking citrus drinks, juices, and sodas. The high acid and sugar content of sodas damages teeth. If a substance can stain a white t-shirt, it can stain your enamel. Drinks like coffee, black tea, and wine will stain your teeth. As we avoid sugar and corrosive acids, we will maintain strong enamel that will prevent tooth infection, decay, and loss.

Don’t Chew Ice

Chewing ice can ruin your teeth and hurt your gums. Chewing ice can cause dental damage that often includes cracked/chipped teeth, tooth enamel damage, ruined fillings/crowns, and sore jaw muscles. When damage occurs, your teeth can become sensitive to extreme temperatures and are more prone to cavities and dental issues.

Drink Water

Drinking water helps wash out sticky and acidic foods. Staying hydrated with water promotes whole-body health and vitality!

Don’t Use Teeth As Tools

Teeth are great for making your smile sparkle, not for opening packages! Only use your teeth to help you pronounce words and chew food. Do not open, rip, or chomp down on objects with your teeth. You run the risk of breaking, chipping, or cracking your teeth. Avoid nervous habits of chewing on objects like fingernails, pens, and pencils. Save your smile!

Be Tobacco Free

Don’t smoke or chew tobacco. Smoking increases the risk of gum and tooth disease. Tobacco is associated with cheek, gum, and lip cancer. Smoking and chewing tobacco cause discoloration of the teeth.

Visit The Dentist & Orthodontist

Every six months or twice a year, visit your dentist to ensure that your teeth are healthy and free of damage and disease. During the bi-annual visit, the dentist and dental hygienist will do a deep cleaning of your teeth. They may do other procedures, such as x-rays and fluoride treatments, among others. Orthodontists can help with the prevention and correction of malpositioned teeth and jaw misalignment.

Best Advice

Have confidence in your smile as you take care of your mouth and teeth. Doing so will maintain your overall health. Implement healthy mouth habits into your daily life to ensure your mouth and teeth stay healthy and clean. Keep smiling!