Tips for Improving Your Dental Hygiene

Dental hygiene is a keystone to your overall health. By taking care of your mouth, you can avoid serious health issues down the road and save money by not requiring costly medical or dental procedures to correct issues. Everybody has heard that you should brush your teeth at least twice a day, and floss every night, but is this enough? Let’s take a look at some of the other ways that you can be at the top of your game when it comes to dental hygiene.

Keep a Toothbrush On-Hand

Sometimes, life gets in the way of keeping your teeth clean. If you work in an office and end up with a lunch that sticks in your teeth, it is great to have a toothbrush there with you to get rid of any food particles. You may end up having to work late or spend the night somewhere unexpectedly. Keep a toothbrush in your briefcase or somewhere else that you have easy access to. You should keep a cover on this toothbrush to prevent dust, germs, or other outside elements from accumulating.

Correctly Floss

When you are flossing, you should be removing any food particles that get caught in your teeth and gums. Your toothbrush is unable to reach about 40% of the surface of your teeth, so you need to floss to get the surface area that you are missing. You need to go into your gums while flossing. C shape flossers can make the whole process very easy. You should not have to use too much pressure, or you may damage your gums if you are not careful.

Once you are done flossing, you should also give your mouth a quick rinse with water. The floss will remove debris and germs from between your teeth, but it will not remove them from your mouth. By rinsing your mouth, you are flushing out anything that the floss knocked loose.

Use Electric Toothbrushes

Electric toothbrushes are a great way to make sure that you are taking proper care of your mouth. The vibration created by an electric toothbrush can help break up and remove food particles stuck in your teeth. Many electric toothbrushes have a built-in timer that will let you know when you have been brushing your teeth for two minutes, taking the guesswork out of how long you need to keep brushing.

Electric toothbrushes require less effort than traditional brushes, which require you to move your brush in small circles over your teeth to thoroughly clean them. Instead, electric toothbrushes can effectively clean your teeth with less pressure and effort. Just guide the toothbrush around your mouth and let it work its magic.

Keep Your Tongue Clean

Everyone cleans their teeth when they brush, but not everyone remembers to give their tongue some attention. Your tongue is home to bacteria that can cause plaque buildup or halitosis if you do not get a handle on them. Gently give your tongue a brush when cleaning the rest of your mouth to get rid of some of these bacteria. You can also utilize mouthwash to help keep your tongue clean.

Conclusion

All in all, dental hygiene is extremely important. By following these tips and tricks, you should be able to take your dental health even higher and avoid future dental problems. Take care of your mouth and it will take care of you as well!

Whenever you have braces, you often hear that you need to take better care of your oral hygiene. Why is that? The short answer to this question is that braces provide more nooks and crannies for food and germs to hide under. As a result, your teeth can get yellow around your braces, and you can develop hard-to-reach cavities or gingivitis.

Why More Oral Care Is Needed During Orthodontic Treatment

If you have braces, you know that there are many brackets and wires in your mouth. These brackets and wires provide many nooks and crannies that food, plaque, and germs can hide out in. As a result, your teeth have a higher risk of tooth decay and gum problems.

In order to prevent tooth decay and gum problems, you need to take special care of your teeth while wearing braces. This includes eating tooth-friendly foods and practicing good oral hygiene habits.

In other words, you need to take more care of your oral health when you have braces. If you don’t, you can easily get permanent tooth damage, enamel damage, gingivitis, or other negative long-term effects.

Eat Tooth-Friendly Foods

One of the best ways to take care of your teeth while having braces is to have a tooth-friendly diet. Tooth-friendly foods include healthy fruits and vegetables that have low acid and sugar. It is best to avoid sugary and starchy foods such as fruit juices, energy drinks, and candy.

Whenever you eat, make sure to drink a lot of water and brush your teeth after. Doing so will wash away any leftover food and acids, which will help to prevent things like cavities, enamel damage, and gingivitis.

Practice Good Habits for Your Braces

In addition to eating tooth-friendly foods, you also need to practice good oral hygiene habits. These habits will help to keep both your braces and teeth clean and safe from leftover food and damage.

Firstly, make sure to avoid hard foods that can damage braces. You do not want to bite into sticky or hard food that breaks your braces and damages your teeth. Foods like nuts, caramels, and chewing gum should be avoided.

Additionally, stop habits such as nail-biting or pencil chewing. These habits can also damage your braces, which can then damage your teeth.

Thirdly, take special care of your teeth at home. Make sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day using toothpaste with fluoride and a soft toothbrush. Brush your teeth at a 45-degree angle in small circular motions. You should aim to spend around 10 seconds on each tooth.

Make sure to spend special attention to the area surrounding your braces. You do not want your teeth to stain around the brackets because the stain will remain once the brackets are removed. So, position the toothbrush so that the areas directly around the brackets are cleaned.

To find out more about oral hygiene with your braces, contact Burke + Beckstrom Orthodontics for a free consultation.

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