HOW TO MAINTAIN BETTER ORAL HYGIENE?

Oral hygiene is a preventive care practice. It simply means maintaining oral health by keeping your mouth clean and free of diseases by brushing and flossing your teeth daily and visiting the dental hygienist if needed.

Oral hygiene is an everyday practice that helps you to prevent dental issues in the initial stages and keeps you away from severe oral consequences. You can get a perfect smile by maintaining oral hygiene and also having a straightened smile.

On the other hand, poor oral hygiene leads to various oral health issues, including:

  • Periodontal diseases
  • Bad breath
  • Tooth decay
  • Oral cancer
  • Bone loss

If the oral issues resulting from poor oral hygiene are left untreated for extended periods, they can lead to several overall health complications involving cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.

You can avoid all these health issues by following some simple steps in order to maintain your oral hygiene, including:

1. BRUSH AND FLOSS YOUR TEETH TWICE A DAY

One of the simplest ways to preserve your oral health is to brush and floss your teeth twice a day or after every meal. You should use fluoride-based toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush.

While brushing your teeth, tilt your brush to a 45-degree angle towards your gums. Also, make sure to brush your teeth in a gentle circular motion and brush all parts of your mouth and teeth, including molars, premolars, and tongue.

Moreover, use good-quality floss and floss your teeth in a rotational motion for at least 30 to 90 seconds. Be gentle on your gums, and make sure that you do not pull the floss too tightly.

2. TRY TO USE AN ANTIBACTERIAL MOUTHWASH

The antibacterial mouthwash reduces the amount of acid in your mouth, remineralizes teeth, and cleans hard-to-brush areas. Mouthwash can keep harmful bacteria away from your mouth and also prevents plaque build-up

3. MINIMISE THE CONSUMPTION OF TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL

Tobacco is one of the main reasons for severe oral issues such as oral cancer. Alcohol consumption also leads to several gum diseases and dental decay.

Moreover, alcohol lowers saliva production in the mouth, which results in dehydration and contributes to plaque build-up. So in order to maintain your oral health, it is necessary to minimize or limit the consumption of both these items.

4. LIMIT THE INTAKE OF SUGARY AND ACIDIC FOOD ITEMS

Starchy or sugary food items ultimately convert to acid in the mouth and erode or wear down the enamel of the teeth, which affects their functionality. So be mindful while consuming these items in order to protect your oral health.

Also, reduce the intake of drinks like colas, tea, and coffee as they can potentially cause dental caries and dry mouth. These drinks severely affect the gums as well.

5. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

Water significantly washes away leftover food particles and residues that cause cavities and plaque build-up. That’s why water is considered to be an excellent mouth cleaner.

Moreover, drinking plenty of water can prove to be very helpful for your gums because dehydrated gums usually swell and recede from teeth. They can also cause severe oral complications such as gingivitis.

6. VISIT YOUR DENTIST AFTER REGULAR INTERVALS

Visiting your dentist at least twice a year holds great significance as your dentist can check and diagnose various oral health problems in their early stages before they show any symptoms.

In this way, you can get immediate treatment for your oral issues and can prevent severe oral diseases like tooth decay, periodontal diseases, or oral cancer. Moreover, your dentist or dental hygienist can also provide in-depth oral cleaning of hard-to-brush areas to prevent issues like plaque build-up.

7. EAT CALCIUM AND VITAMIN-RICH FOODS

Although calcium and minerals are present within our teeth naturally, they can still be stripped by bacteria and acid over time. That’s why you should consume calcium and vitamin-rich foods to supplement the nutrient deficiencies. The most common calcium-rich foods are dairy products, almonds, soybeans, etc.

FAQs:

Various symptoms indicate that you might have poor oral health, including bad breath, bleeding gums, tooth decay, tooth erosion, a dehydrated mouth, and various gum diseases. As we know, prevention is better than cure, so to prevent all these issues, we should maintain good oral hygiene.

There is a synergic relationship between oral and overall health as various overall health issues arise due to poor oral hygiene. Patients with oral issues generally have a weaker immune system and are more susceptible to infections.

Moreover, our mouth is the entry point to our organ systems, and poor oral hygiene can lead harmful bacteria to our respiratory or digestive tracts, resulting in health problems like cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections, fertility issues, dementia, cancer, etc.