Follow These Tips for a Healthier Mouth

Follow These Tips for a Healthier Mouth

dental CharlottesvilleMaintaining good dental health is important for preventing disease and enjoying optimal oral function. If we neglect our oral health, we place ourselves at risk for conditions like gum disease, bone atrophy, and dental caries as well as tooth loss. While many conditions can be improved with professional intervention like placing restorations for cavities or embedding dental implants for tooth loss, it is best to prevent oral health problems. Prevention preserves your health and helps you save money on healthcare costs. Following are easy-to-follow tips for improving your oral health.

Brush Thoroughly

Brushing your teeth with an ADA-approved toothpaste twice a day is one of the best defenses you have against developing tooth decay and gum disease. When we brush our teeth thoroughly, we remove most of a day’s plaque deposits. Plaque is a substance that is full of harmful bacteria. It coats our teeth and when exposed to calculus, it hardens into tartar. Brushing helps stave off the accumulation of plaque and tartar. When brushing, patients should make sure to pay attention to each tooth equally. One should brush for a minimum of two minutes and use soft, circular motions when doing so.

Floss Regularly

Like brushing, flossing is another way to protect one’s teeth and gums from common oral disease. Flossing removes debris and substances between teeth and just below the gum line. These are places where a toothbrush cannot reach. Flossing is essential to preventing gum disease because it stimulates the gums and impedes tartar accumulation.

Dietary Considerations

What we eat and drink can have a big impact on our oral health. For instance, eating foods high in sodium can dry our mouths or consuming too much sugar leads to bacterial colonization. In most cases, it is best to avoid sugary and acidic foods or drinks. If one does consume acid or sugar, he or she should do so in moderation. Water consumption is very important, too. Drinking water helps rinse our mouths of debris and dilute acids to help maintain a healthy oral pH.

While caring for our oral health at home is important, visiting a professional for checkups and cleanings is still a must.

If you have been referred to our practice, call us today at Charlottesville Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Center to schedule an appointment.