Did you know that 26% of Americans suffer from untreated tooth decay? The percentage of Americans that get cavities or gum disease every year is even higher. The majority of these problems are due to poor oral health habits.
Taking the Right Steps to Improve Your Oral Health is Crucial
Oral health is essential to leading a comfortable, healthy life. As your teeth and gums become unhealthy and damaged, it can be difficult to reverse the damage that’s occurred. Staying proactive with your oral health and implementing healthy habits that benefit your oral health is very important. To help start practicing better oral health habits, you must know exactly what you need to do to ensure your mouth is properly sanitized. Here are ten tips for oral health that will ensure your teeth and gums stay incredibly healthy:
1. Floss Every Day
Unfortunately, there is a large majority of Americans that still refuse to follow medical advice and floss their teeth every day. The Family Dental Center reports that 60% of Americans do not floss every day and 20% never floss at all.
However, flossing is essential to protecting the health of your teeth and gums. Flossing ensures you’re able to clean plaque build-up and other unhealthy obstructions from between your teeth. Brushing alone will not be enough to ensure you keep your teeth clean, healthy, and comfortable.
2. Frequently Replace Your Toothbrush
Many people make the mistake of keeping their toothbrushes for way too long. While it’s easy to become attached to your toothbrush, very few models are built to be used for more than three to six months at a time. At the bare minimum, you should be getting a brand-new toothbrush every six months. Doing so will ensure you’re not brushing with a tool that cannot properly clean and protect your teeth. You will also reduce the risk of gum bleeding, which is often caused by people using a frayed toothbrush. Be sure to follow your dentist’s instructions surrounding what type of toothbrush will serve you best as well.
3. See Your Dentist Every Six Months
Even if you take amazing care of your teeth and gums, there are aspects of your dental health that can only be effectively analyzed by a professional. By seeing your dentist every six months, you’ll have a much better ability to keep your teeth healthy and clean. If you want to avoid early-in-life dentures, or other serious gum/teeth problems, following this step becomes essential. Your dentist can help you with any implants or oral fixes you may need as well.
4. Brush Twice a Day (and for Two Minutes Each Time)
The tried-and-true tip nearly everyone has heard deals with brushing your teeth twice a day. However, knowing how to use a proper brushing technique, and brushing for a full two minutes during each session, is essential to making this effort worthwhile. If you follow these specifications and dedicate yourself to brushing your teeth twice a day, your teeth and gum health will be significantly benefited.
5. Avoid Smoking
Few habits are as unhealthy for you as smoking. Especially when it comes to your teeth and gums, smoking can cause major, hard-to-reverse damage. Gum issues, disease, tooth loss, and other issues are kick-started by smoking. Oral health is essential to leading a comfortable, long life, so cutting out (or avoiding) smoking is essential. Combining oral health with other whole-body-benefiting exercises is highly recommended as well.
6. Examine Your Mouth Twice a Month
Regular dentist checkups are crucial, but even between these visits, finding time to self-examine the state of your mouth is recommended. Check for any cracks or abnormalities in your teeth, and ensure your gums are a healthy color. If you begin finding concerning signs of potential disease or damage in your mouth, be sure to schedule a dentist visit to ensure you’re not in danger. The peace of mind you’ll gain from this new ritual will help your teeth and mind feel at ease.
7. Stay Hydrated
Few people understand the direct relationship between hydration and oral health. Without enough liquid, your mouth can become dry, and this dryness can lead to major tooth and gum-related issues. By keeping hydrated, you’ll also avoid the uncomfortable sensation of having an intensely dry mouth. Once again, avoiding smoking becomes important, as cigarettes can quickly dehydrate you.
8. Avoid Excessively Sugary Candy
Sugary foods are fine for you in regulation, but heavily sugared foods and high-sugar-content candy are terrible for your teeth and gums. There are many cases of cavities building up in patients who have an excessive craving for sugar, and the problems cavities cause can domino into other health problems as well.
9. Use Additional Dental Hygiene Products
Aside from toothbrushes and flossing products, there are a variety of useful dental hygiene products that can protect your teeth and gums. Tongue cleaners, interdental cleaners, oral wash, and other products will keep your smile white, and your gums in a wonderfully healthy state as well.
10. Eat a Healthy Diet
In addition to avoiding excessive sugar and staying hydrated, many other dietary habits can help ensure your oral health remains strong. Your body will benefit in many other major ways from a healthy, variety-filled diet as well. Leafy greens, cheese, yogurt, and almonds are especially excellent for boosting your oral health.
Here’s to a Perfect Smile
In addition to keeping your mouth healthy, these tips will ensure you have a bold, white smile that will impress your friends and family. Implementing these ten steps is much easier than you might imagine, so there’s no excuse not to begin building these habits into your daily life immediately. As you age and find your teeth staying healthy for much longer than those around you, you’ll be glad you made these important, healthy changes.
