10 Essential Dental Hygiene Tips for Maintaining Optimal Oral Health
24 Apr 2024
Your teeth should be brighter, whiter and straighter for aesthetic purposes. It is important to maintain good dental hygiene for your overall condition. Whether you are already keeping teeth clean and healthy and see what else you may do or your hygienist has advised to change ways and improve oral health, you should start taking care of your teeth as soon as possible.
Why good dental hygiene is necessary
Dental hygiene is the practice of keeping and maintaining your teeth, gums and tongue free from bacteria or infection. The location of mouths is between two of the important organs in the body – the head and the heart. So, if you keep your mouth free from bacteria, the infections can break out and spread through the vessels to these organs. The infections which spread the vessels can lead to pressure on the vessels, causing serious illnesses.
Some health conditions which occur due to improper dental hygiene are:
According to studies, there is a link between poor dental hygiene and cancer. Many of these conditions may have life-changing consequences by emphasing on the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene.
10 Tips for a good dental hygiene routine
Most people follow basic principles of good oral hygiene though there are some tips to improve your dental hygiene habits.
- Brush before eating breakfast – Do you think your mouth is bacteria free when you wake up in the morning as you had brushed properly last night? Want to wake up with a cup of tea and get ready for the day? The fact is bacteria might thrive in dark, warm and wet environments like the mouth. If you have removed most of the leftover bacteria and food before going to bed, there will be new bacteria in your mouth. The bacteria eat all the sugars you provide through your breakfast and tea, coffee or juice, and multiply quickly, leading to the accumulation of plaque on the teeth. Plaque is a bacteria layer that eats away the tooth enamel, forming cavities in the teeth and leading to gum disease and mouth infections.
In order to avoid this, brush teeth when you get up in the morning. Your mouth will remain clean and you are all set to eat your breakfast.
- Brush before going to bed – Though you should brush teeth before taking your meals to get rid of the bacteria, make sure you brush teeth before going to bed. The bacteria which have built up in the mouth can be removed before you sleep. This removes leftover food which gets stuck in between the teeth, leading to the accumulation of plaque.
Do not brush within an hour after eating as Once you eat , mouth environment becomes acidic, if you brush teeth in acidic environment, it takes off enamel from teeth. It is best to wait for an hour after eating before you brush your teeth. Hence, it is advisable to not eat snacks and have everything at meal time if possible.
Floss daily – It is not possible for toothbrushes to reach into the gaps between the teeth. This is why dental floss is necessary as waxy string slides between the teeth remove food particles and avoid plaque formation on those hard-to-reach places in the teeth , Alternatively, you can also use interdental brushes
- Use a mouthwash – By brushing two times in a day and flossing daily, you will be able to maintain good oral hygiene. One way to improve your dental health is by rinsing mouth daily with a mouthwash. This is because mouthwash kills bacteria where we cannot brush due to sensitivity issue or difficulty in reaching mouth roof, throat back and gums. By gargling, you can eliminate the bacteria at your mouth’s back leading to tonsillitis, when it is left alone.
Mouthwash is not an alternative option to brushing and flossing. Your mouth will feel fresh and clean, but brushing teeth can sufficiently eliminate bacteria and food particles from the mouthwash. It is not advisable to use mouthwash after brushing as it can rinse out toothapaste
- Reduce the intake of sugars – The bacteria loves sugar and the more sugary food and drink you consume, the healthier your mouth bacteria will be. So, the more the bacteria multiples, it can lead to plaque and eat away at the teeth.
Try to eat and drink less sugar so that your teeth remain healthy and prevent the formation of bacteria.
- Drink fizzy drinks by using a straw – Though fizzy drinks are among the worst products for the teeth, they are a good drink if you have low blood pressure or sugar. So, if you drink fizzy drinks, use a straw so that they may bypass your teeth and not coat the enamel ready for bacteria to consume and acid content to eat away the enamel.
- Do not take foods and drinks causing stain – Having brown coloured teeth seem to be unpleasant and give you the look you have dirty mouth. But your stained teeth are highly susceptible to damage and so, you should try to keep them whiter. Make sure you do not take foods and drinks with chromogens like tannins as they may dry the teeth yellow or brown, by damaging your protective enamel.
Such foods and drinks you need to avoid are:
- Tea
- Coffee
- Soy sauce
- Curry powder
- Balsamic vinegar
- Red wine
- Tomato-based sauces
Though all these are extremely delicious, you will be able to improve dental hygiene and keep teeth whiter for longer by reducing their intake.
- Visit a hygienist two times in a year – Another component of maintaining good oral hygiene routine is seeing your dental hygienist in every six months. During the appointment with a hygienist, he checks overall health of your mouth and eliminate the buildup of plaque from your teeth to prevent tooth decay and mouth cavities. They may give advise if you require any procedures from a dentist and point out the areas requiring particular attention.
If you are suffering from problematic teeth, then make sure you see your hygienist once in every three or four mouths. These dental appointments are affordable when compared to other options.
- Quit the habit of smoking – Cigarettes may be the reason for various health concerns in the mouth as it is the first point of contact for smoke. The tar sticks to the tooth enamel and seeps in the cracks, causing inside and outside your teeth to become yellow and brown or black. Smoke can lead to gum disease and mouth cancer and it us necessary that you do not smoke or quit, if you do so.
- See a dentist for routine checkups – When you break a tooth, lose a tooth, suffer from oral infection or toothache, you need to visit a dentist soon and solve the problem. The quicker you can solve the problem, the less likely it will lead to other oral health concerns.
You may feel anxious about seeing a dentist and the sooner the problem gets resolved, the less painful the treatment will be.
If you are experiencing any dental problems and you are finally ready to get them fixed, do not wait anymore. Book your dental hygiene appointment at Smile 4 U dental practice and treat your oral concern as early as possible.
