Pointers for Keeping Your Smile Healthy
Good dental health requires more than sticking to a schedule of dental exams and cleanings. It also requires daily attention and care at home, otherwise known as your dental hygiene routine. Most people recognize the need to brush and floss their teeth every day, but not everyone remembers how important it is to never skip a session. You might also not realize how certain aspects of your diet affect your smile, or what could happen if you fail to attend a checkup and cleaning even once. At our office, out goal is helping you achieve your healthiest smile, and that includes offering tips on how to optimize your dental hygiene between visits.
Brushing and flossing
- Simply passing a toothbrush and some floss over your teeth every day won’t exactly keep your teeth clean. To fight plaque and tartar buildup, you must carefully brush your teeth at least twice every day and floss at least once. Preferably, floss before bed time to limit the buildup of bacteria on your teeth overnight.
- How often you brush matters to how effective your routine is, but so is the quality of the tools you use to clean your teeth. Generally, you should change your toothbrush at least once every three months, or as soon as you notice the bristles becoming frayed. Otherwise, it may not effectively clean your teeth anymore.
- Use fluoride toothpaste with the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance. Fluoride is a mineral that bonds to the mineral strands of your tooth enamel. By brushing with toothpaste that contains fluoride, you can boost the strength and integrity of your enamel as it protects your teeth against harmful plaque and tartar.
Diet and dental health
- The fact that sugar can increase your risk of cavities is one of the most well-known links between diet and dental health. Therefore, one of the most important dental hygiene tips is to limit how much sugar you consume, and how often. You don’t have to eliminate sugar from your diet completely, but save the sweetest foods and beverages for larger meals, and brush or rinse your teeth afterward whenever possible.
- Sugar is a threat to your teeth because certain types of oral bacteria – the building blocks of dental plaque – convert it into harmful acids. Similar acids can be found in many other types of foods and beverages, including sugar-free fruit juices, vinegar-based foods, and more. Be wary of eating too many of these foods, as well.
- To benefit your oral health, be sure to include plenty of healthy vegetables, as well as foods rich in calcium and vitamin D. The enamel that surrounds your teeth, and their main structures themselves, utilize your body’s calcium to remain strong, healthy, and resilient to damage and decay.
Learn to practice better hygiene
The better you are at sticking to good dental hygiene at home, the less likely you’ll be to require treatments more complex than routine checkups and cleanings. To learn more, schedule your consultation at Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry in Houston, TX, today by calling (281) 974-4494.