I love that everybody is now hopping onto the skincare train and being pro-active about their skincare routine, but what about our oral care? Hardly anyone talks about how to improve on it these days.
Having a good oral care routine that you religiously follow can boost your confidence levels as well as promote good hygiene and health. According to a report by the CDC, bad oral care can lead to cavities, bad breath, heart disease, gum disease and even cancer.
It is easier to neglect taking of our mouths as most of us think that oral hygiene starts and ends with teeth brushing but this is totally false.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy teeth is a lifetime commitment that we all need to take seriously. All things being said, taking care of your teeth from a preventative position is the way to go.
In this article, you’ll find out the best practices to inculcate into your daily routine and the products you should hop on to avoid future, (potentially expensive) and painful visits to the dentist’s.
The Products for Cleaning Your Teeth:
Water:
This is easily available and affordable too. It is advised to use water to rinse your mouth after eating, and drinking sugary foods or beverages. The benefits of rinsing your mouth after a meal is plenty. As an add-on benefit, water helps to reduce the decay-causing acidity of your mouth.
Toothbrush:
The mere act of brushing your teeth alone, without using toothpaste, can remove plaque and food particles from your mouth, thus keeping your teeth healthy, even if it’s a little smelly (from not using toothpaste). Also, remember to change your toothbrush every 3 months at the very least.
Toothpaste:
While there are a variety of toothpastes in the market, using a fluoride toothpaste is recommended.
Dental Floss:
A dental floss is a soft thread of floss silk or a similar material used to clean between the teeth. The dental floss is an ideal teeth cleaning material as it can get into the itty bitty spaces in the teeth that a toothbrush cannot. It is ideal to floss your teeth before brushing as doing this reduces plaque while increasing fluoride concentration.
Flossing regularly reduces bad breath, the possibility of developing cavities and gum disease. It is ideal to floss once a day, but if you can do it twice in a day, then bravo.
The Best Oral Care Practices You Should Inculcate:
Brushing Twice a Day:
This one is a given. Brush your teeth in the morning when you wake up and at night when you’re about to sleep. Using the correct techniques when brushing ensures that your teeth are being cleaned properly and that you are not harming the soft tissue around them.
Replacing Your Toothbrush Regularly:
A general rule of thumb is to change your toothbrush every 3 to 6 months. This is because worn or frayed toothbrushes can damage your gums as well as not clean your teeth properly. Also, replace your toothbrush when you’ve recovered from a sickness so as not to re-introduce germs into your system via brushing.
Flossing Daily:
Doctors recommend flossing every night before going to bed. When you’re flossing, make sure to slide the floss up and down along your whole tooth, paying attention to tight spaces before moving on to the next tooth.
Keeping hydrated:
Staying hydrated throughout the day helps maintain a healthy saliva flow in your mouth. Additionally, it also helps to keep your mouth moist and pleasant.
Using a Fluoride Toothpaste:
Flouride is an important ingredient against tooth decay. It works by fighting off germs that can lead to tooth decay and providing a barrier –a defense of sorts– for your teeth.
Consider Purchasing Mouthwash:
A good mouthwash helps your teeth in three ways: decreasing the amount of acid in your mouth, re-mineralising the teeth and cleaning the “hard to brush” areas in and around your gums.
Limit Your Intake of Sugary and Acidic Foods:
When you eat sugar, it converts into acid in your mouth, which if not properly removed, can erode your enamel and lead to cavities. You don’t have to avoid these types of foods altogether, just practice mindfulness at all times.
Pro-Tip: If you can afford it, please employ the services of a dentist to check your teeth at least twice a year. This is a very beneficial move as a dentist can help check cavities in your mouth before it worsens and also spot potential teeth issues and give you probable solutions for them too.
Additionally, don’t neglect scraping your tongue whenever you’re brushing uour teeth. This is because plaques can build up there too.
