Dental Health 101: All you need to know about healthy teeth and gums
Dental Health 101
Dental health is of utmost importance for us. Yet this is one aspect of healthy life which we always miss upon. So today we will be discussing everything about maintaining healthy teeth and gums aka Dental Health 101. Let us remind you that having white and shiny does not necessarily mean that you have healthy teeth. At the same time yellow and stained teeth aren’t healthy either. So without much adieu let’s take it further:
- Dental hygiene: Also called as oral hygiene it is a process of performing preventive dental care. The most common methods of performing preventive dental care are brushing, flossing and use of mouthwash. Apart from those mentioned you also need to visit your nearest dentist. This helps you to be sure that bacteria is not playing games with your teeth and gums
- Maintaining proper diet: This is essential for proper dental health. Frequency and type of food that you eat makes a huge impact on your health and also affects your gums and teeth. Always remember that the more often you eat the longer the food stays in your mouth.
- Dental Flossing: This is an integral part of dental hygiene. Brushing your teeth will help in fighting germs and give you fresh breath. Yet it won’t help in removing food debris that gets trapped between teeth. This is where flossing comes in picture. Food trapped between your teeth is hazardous for dental health. Flossing helps in removing them thus avoiding catastrophic affect on your oral health.
- Fluoride: Fluoride plays a vital role in making our teeth stronger. It also helps in avoiding development of dental caries. If we consume water which has fluoride then tooth decay which results from acid in food can be avoided. Yet you need to make sure that you consume the right amount of fluoride. Consuming more than recommended level of fluoride can lead to dental fluorosis.
- Oral Rinses: Mouthwashes have a lot of advantages. They help in promoting oral hygiene, reduce oral discomfort, provide moisture to oral tissues and help avoiding bad breath. All you have to do is swish your entire mouth with it. There are three types of mouthwashes – cosmetic, therapeutic and a combination of both. You can buy it over the counter or you can speak with your dentist to recommend you some.
- Saliva: This is the liquid which keeps on flowing inside our mouth and helps a great deal. Presence of saliva ensures that your mouth is free from bacteria and is clean. Make sure you drink more water and keep your mouth hydrated throughout the day.
- Smoke: For those worried about their oral health should never indulge in smoking. When you smoke, your dental care needs increases manifold. To be honest, smoking is the major reason for tooth loss. Smoking also increases your risk of periodontal disease, loss of bone structure, inflammation of the salivary gland, leukoplakia (precancerous condition) and development of lung, throat or oral cancer.
So these were some important steps that you can take to ensure proper oral health. No matter what you do, make sure that you see your dentist to be sure that your efforts are not getting wasted.