Oral health doesn’t only involve brushing your teeth twice a day in the morning and before you go to bed. There are many other factors that play a part in keeping your mouth and teeth healthy. We have assembled some pointers to help you with improving and maintaining overall dental health.
Dental Visits:
It is estimated that about 50% of the general population skips regular visits to the dentist. The American Dental Association recommends two visits a year, but even one visit a year will go a long way to maintaining overall dental health. With regular visits, your dentist at Encore Dental will be able to spot any potential problems long before they become serious, and will be able to suggest remedial action.
The very Young and the very Old:
Toddlers and senior citizens often fall through the dental cracks. Children should be assisted in dental care until they can tie their own shoelaces. At that age, they are better able to start taking care of their own teeth. This doesn’t mean that you must ignore them completely. They still need to be supervised, but they must be taught from an early age that they are responsible for their dental hygiene.
Old people often find it difficult to brush their teeth properly because of physical infirmities. Care should be taken, as you age, to keep up a healthy dental discipline and to seek advice from your dentist on alternative dental care techniques.
Diet:
Diet plays an incredibly important role in overall dental health. Our modern lifestyles tend to loaded with fizzy drinks and added sugar. Soda pop has phosphoric acid and citric or phosphoric acid (which gives the soda its tingly bite). These chemicals are very harmful for your teeth. They attack the tooth enamel and increase the risks of tooth decay.
Sugar is added to just about every foodstuff found in the supermarket. The bacteria in your mouth are fuelled by the sugar and considerably increase the risk of tooth decay and infection. The bacterial growth is fuelled for at least twenty minutes after each sugar intake. It is therefore recommended that you brush after each dose of sugar.
And lastly, smoking is a risk to your dental health. Not only does smoking discolour your teeth, but smoking increases bacterial activity, raising the risk of infection. If you can’t stop altogether, try to at least cut down.
Brushing and flossing technique:
All too often, people’s brushing and flossing technique leaves much to be desired. Brushing twice a day for a minimum of two minutes is the very least that is required for maintaining your mouth and teeth in a healthy condition. The correct choice of toothbrush is also important. Don’t keep your toothbrush too long. Replace your toothbrush at least every two to three months.
These are just some of the pointers you can use for improving and maintaining the overall hygiene of your mouth and teeth. Probably the most important is regular dental visits. The dentist is your early-warning system for potential problems. If you are at all unsure of your dental health and what you should be doing to maintain it, regular visits to your dentist will give you all the assistance you need for improved dental health.
