If you are diligent about your daily brushing and flossing routine, you may be surprised to find out that there’s more you can do to keep your mouth healthy. Good dental hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth and teeth clean in order to prevent immediate and future dental problems. Poor practices as well as genetics can easily lead to tooth decay, gum disease, excessive cavities and more advanced dental issues.
Dental Hygiene To Prevent Dental Problems
Basic preventive dental care does start with regular brushing and flossing. Brushing your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day is recommended to remove bacteria, plaque and food particles that can affect teeth, gums and surrounding bone. Plaque that is not removed from teeth can harden over a very short period of time and become what is called tarter or calculus. Once calculus is present, only a dental professional can properly remove it. If not removed, it can eventually lead to tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease.
Brushing shouldn’t stop at the teeth. When thinking about good dental hygiene, don’t forget about your tongue. To help keep odor-producing bacteria at bay and maintain fresher breath, it is vital to clean your tongue, especially the back, using a soft bristle brush or a tongue scraper. Brush from back-to-front and apply enough pressure to accomplish the task at hand but not enough to cause irritation. You will be sure to notice a dramatic difference from the very start.
It is also recommended that you floss once a day to help remove plaque between the teeth and at the gum line that is just too difficult to reach with brushing alone. Regular brushing and flossing will help keep your mouth clean as well as help prevent food and drink from staining your pearly whites.
Sticking to a healthy diet can be a great help in maintaining good dental hygiene. Diets filled with whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and that are high in calcium, can help with proper oral care as well as overall health. Try to stay away from foods that are high in processed sugar. Sugar helps plaque grow, which leads to tooth decay and cavities. Sure, there are sugars in fruits and other healthy foods, but the types of foods that commonly contain processed sugars are the same culprits that seem to get stuck in between teeth more often, fostering the growth of plaque when not properly removed.
Proper dental hygiene begins at home but also requires regular dental visits. During these visits, your dentist will professionally clean and polish your teeth, removing plaque or tarter at or below the gum line that you were not able to reach. Professional polishing can also remove built-up stains that at-home brushing is just not able to accomplish. Your dentist will take the time to examine your teeth and may take x-rays to evaluate if you are at risk for advanced dental problems. Since saliva plays a role in keeping the mouth healthy by flushing out plaque-boosting micro-organisms, and some experience a dryer or wetter mouth than others, it is commonly recommended that some patients make more frequent dental visits than others.
Speak to your dentist about how often you should schedule a preventative dental hygiene exam. He or she will be happy to provide you with additional information about in-office visits and at-home care, and will discuss treatment options for any immediate dental issues.
For more information about good dental hygiene practices, contact Park Dental Care in Queens at 718-274-1515.
