dental care methods : Good oral hygiene is necessary to keep teeth and gums healthy. It involves habits such as brushing twice a day and having regular dental checkups.
However, oral health is about more than cavities and gum disease. Research has shown that there is an association between the health of a person’s mouth and their overall health. Experts consider oral health problems to be a global health burdenTrusted Source.
Without treatment, tooth decay or gum problems can lead to pain, problems with self-confidence, and tooth loss. These issues may lead to malnutrition, speech problems, and other challenges in a person’s work, school, or personal life.
People can prevent these problems with proper dental care, both at home and in the dentist’s office. The following are some best practices that can keep teeth and gums healthy.
Table of Contents
8 dental care methods
By following these 8 dental care methods , below are some of the best ways to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
- Brush regularly but not aggressively.
- Use fluoride.
- Floss once a day.
- See a dentist regularly.
- Do not smoke.
- Consider a mouthwash.
- Limit sugary foods and starches.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Brush regularly but not aggressively
Brush regularly but not aggressively : Brushing teeth properly removes harmful plaques that cause tooth decay. You should brush your teeth at least 2-3 times a day.
The correct method of brushing is not only related to the act of brushing, but the frequency is also important.
The answer to the question, “How many times a day should you brush your teeth?” It seems easy; In general, it is recommended to brush twice a day.
But you might be surprised that the answer goes beyond that.
Although twice a day is often the recommended amount for brushing your teeth, the number of times depends on your diet, how often you eat, and your overall oral health.
It is better to brush your teeth after every meal and after consuming sweet snacks.
If you have braces or gingivitis, more brushing may be needed.
Remember that using relatively gentle strokes to prevent enamel wear is the key to effective brushing. I eat about 3 times a day, and since I work from home, I brush after each meal. According to what I have read, you should only brush after each meal, that is, 2-3 times a day.
Have you ever spilled a drink on yourself and stained your jacket? The usual procedure is to rush to some water and scrub vigorously so you get the stain out of the clothing fibers.
Aggressive scrubbing helps in this situation, leaving you with stain-free pants, but when it comes to brushing your mouth, teeth and gums, brushing harder to clean better is definitely not the best solution.
When you brush your teeth too harshly, you might actually be causing more harm than good and our family dentists in Alexandria, VA will explain why that is here in this post!
Why aggressive brushing hurts your teeth
There are a number of reasons why brushing more aggressively actually harms your mouth more than it does good.
Some think that if more force is applied to the teeth while brushing them, the brush remove more plaque, but this is not true. Over-brushing your teeth can be very harmful to the health of your teeth and your gums.
The primary concern for over-brushing is the possibility of eroding your tooth enamel. When you aggressively brush your teeth, you can actually erode your enamel, thus leaving your teeth prone to cavities.
People also tend to believe that a firm toothbrush cleans better than a soft bristle toothbrush which also is not true. These brushes are actually more harmful and pose a larger risk of enamel erosion than soft bristles.
How does aggressive brushing affect your gums
There are many reasons why aggressive brushing harms your gums. People who have plaque build-up on their teeth usually see some type of gingival recession take place and this same effect takes place the harder your brush.
This will cause the appearance of black triangles in between your teeth which makes your teeth look longer than they used to.
Over-brushing your gums can cause them to recede and reduce in size, which could lead to exposing your tooth roots. Not only can this be unsightly, but it can lead to tooth/root sensitivity and cavities in spots you can no longer reach with your toothbrush.
What is the proper way to brush your teeth?
- Choose the right tooth brush! Our family dentists here in Kingstowne, Virginia can happily recommend the ideal type of toothbrush for your mouth here in our office! It’s important to make sure your toothbrush has soft and flexible bristles. Aggressive and hard bristles can wear down your tooth enamel and gum line at a faster rate and we don’t recommend buying brushes with hard bristles. It is also very important that you replace your toothbrush once every 2 to 3 months, or as soon as the bristles start to look worn or bent. Brushing with an old brush may be ineffective at removing bacteria and food.
- Change the way you hold your toothbrush. Keep a light grip on your tooth brush, similarly to how you may hold a pen. A lighter touch often leads to softer brushing and firmer grasps normally lead to pushing down harder than needed to clean your teeth effectively.
- Brush in circular motions. Brush using a circular motion, making sure your toothbrush is at a 45-degree angle against your gum line. Brushing at an angle is the best way to remove bacteria from the teeth without pushing the bacteria down below the gum line. A key idea here is if you see the bristles on the toothbrush are bending while you brush, you’re brushing with too much unnecessary force.
- Regular brushing and flossing pays for itself! This point might be obvious to some, but brushing twice a day and flossing once a day is critical to healthy teeth. Although this will help limit how much bacteria build-up there is, it’s also important to see your dentist regularly too as brushing & flossing will not remove all plaque that professional cleanings can.
- Schedule regular cleanings with our dental office. It’s recommended that sees you in our Dental Clinic at least once every 6 months for a cleaning. By staying on top of your cleanings you can help avoid serious dental issues later in life.
Use fluoride for dental health and safety
What is fluoride?
Fluoride is a natural substance that strengthens teeth and increases the resistance of teeth against decay. Fluoride in oral saliva reduces the production of acid produced by microbes and thus reduces tooth decay.
Remineralizes teeth. Fluoride reaches the human body through drinking water and to a lesser extent through seafood such as shrimp, fish, tea and some fruits.
The maximum benefits of fluoride can only be achieved when the fluoride needed by the body is provided in different ways (such as fluoride gel and varnish, toothpaste containing fluoride, mouthwash, fluoridated water).
Fluoride consumption in humans:
The main source of fluoride in humans is drinking water and food. Fish, shrimp, tea are rich sources of fluoride. Using toothpaste containing fluoride helps to absorb it daily.
Fluoride is present in the human body in calcified structures such as teeth and bones.
The concentration of this substance in water sources to reduce tooth decay without creating mottled enamel is 1 ppm for moderate climate.
In the case of children whose water consumption is between 2-4 glasses per day, the presence of this concentration in water causes the absorption of 51 mg of fluoride per day, and for teenagers and adults whose water consumption is between 6-8 glasses per day Fluoride absorption from water is 2 to 1.5 mg per day.
The amount of fluoride in mother’s milk is 12-6 micrograms per liter and 19% ppm in milk cows. Of course, it should be said that the presence of calcium and aluminum in food reduces the absorption of fluoride.
Fluoride in some substances such as sodium fluoride dissolved in soft drinks is completely absorbed, but in milk and dry milk, the absorption of Florapad is reduced by 60-70% due to the presence of calcium and the formation of a complex with it.
Benefits of Floss once a day
Flossing is not only about removing plaque and food particles from your gum lines and teeth, but it also helps stimulate the gums.
You can even massage your gums before flossing to make it more effective.
There are many types of dental floss available in the market, of which waxed dental floss is one of the most popular.
Waxed dental floss has countless benefits. The soft and smooth coating of this type of dental floss makes it possible to use it in different ways.
However, this thick floss can be unsuitable for some people due to the shape and structure of their teeth.
The best way is to find the right thickness of floss for your teeth that can be used comfortably depending on the distance between your teeth.
In this article, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using waxed dental floss. First of all, this article will help you determine whether this type of dental floss is right for you or not.
What are the benefits of flossing
It feels really good to get a leftover piece of popcorn out of your teeth or some leftover greens.
But in addition to helping your teeth and gums look and feel good, flossing has many other benefits. Here we explore these benefits in more detail.
- Get rid of plaque and tartar
- It reduces the risk of tooth decay and cavities
- It helps prevent gum disease
- Reduces bad breath
- It can help your heart health
Get rid of plaque and tartar
Plaque is a colorless sticky layer that collects around and between your teeth and along the gum line. Although it’s hard to see, plaque isn’t something that can stay in your mouth for long.
When the bacteria in your mouth mix with starchy and sugary foods and drinks, plaque builds up on and around your teeth. These bacteria release acids that break down carbohydrates.
If you don’t brush, bacteria, acids and carbohydrates can mix together and form a layer of plaque on the teeth and around the gums.
The bacteria in plaque can release acids that attack your tooth enamel. If these acids are not removed by brushing and flossing, over time it can lead to cavities and tooth decay.
In addition, the accumulated plaque can harden and turn into tartar, which collects along the gum line. When this happens, the risk of developing gum disease increases. Flossing regularly can help remove food particles from around your teeth as well as plaque that has built up between your teeth.
It reduces the risk of tooth decay and cavities
Tooth decay can lead to a cavity, which is a small hole or hole in the hard surface of the teeth (known as enamel).
Although this process occurs over a long period of time, the more plaque you have on your tooth enamel, the greater the risk of cavities and tooth decay.
Flossing between your teeth at least once a day can rid your teeth of stuck food particles and plaque build-up and reduce the risk of tooth decay.
It helps prevent gum disease
Gingivitis is the initial stage of gum disease. One of the first symptoms of this disease is inflammation around the gums. Your gums may also bleed when brushing or flossing.
If gingivitis is not treated, it can lead to a more serious infection known as periodontitis. This disease can cause the gums to recede or the gums to go down from the teeth. In this case, your teeth may lose that protective bone and become loose. If left untreated, periodontitis can cause an inflammatory response throughout your body.
Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day can help reduce the risk of gum disease. Professional cleanings performed by the dentist every 6 months can also help the health of the gums.
Reduces bad breath
Bad breath (halitosis) is a common problem among people, and flossing is one of the tools you can use to prevent bad breath.
When food particles get stuck between your teeth, they slowly begin to decay. If you don’t clean food particles from between your teeth, it can make your breath and mouth smell bad.
Also, if plaque builds up around or between your teeth and begins to erode your enamel, it can cause cavities and gum disease, which contribute to bad breath.
It can help your heart health
Oral hygiene is not only good for the health of your teeth and gums, but it may also be good for your heart health.
According to a large study conducted in this field, participants who followed a high standard of oral hygiene had a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
The connection between oral health and heart health may be greater and more serious than the connection between oral health and the overall health of your body. Either way, flossing is a simple and inexpensive way to help improve your oral health as well as your overall health.
See a dentist regularly
The basic rule of thumb says you should visit the dentist every six months.
Studies have shown that people without any problems are ok to go once a year while those with dental issues should get checked out every 3 or 4 months.
Here are some guidelines to help you know how often you should get your teeth checked.
Do not smoke
It can cause many different medical problems and, in some cases, fatal diseases. However, many people don’t realise the damage that smoking does to their mouth, gums and teeth. Smoking can lead to tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss, and in more severe cases mouth cancer.
Consider a mouthwash
These are some of the common questions that we and the dental treatment staff are often asked?
- Is mouthwash good to use or not?
- What mouthwash should I use?
- Can I use mouthwash instead of a toothbrush?
- Can I use mouthwash daily?
- What are the side effects of using mouthwash?
Types of mouthwash
First, I will find out that there are different types of mouthwashes:
- Antiseptic mouthwashes: such as chlorhexidine mouthwash and Listerine mouthwash, the best effective ingredient of which is alcohol. In fact, the ethanol in these mouthwashes is toxic to bacteria.
- Plaque controlling mouthwashes
- Preventive mouthwashes
On the other hand, mouthwashes have a substance in which their effective substances are usually dissolved. In many cases, especially mouthwashes that have medical prescriptions, this solvent is alcohol.
We call these mouthwashes mouthwash with alcohol base. The reason for using alcohol is that it increases the absorption in the gums and oral mucosa and they are more effective. So, if you go to buy mouthwash after this, be sure to read its ingredients, if the mouthwash has base alcohol, it should never be used without a dentist’s prescription or for a long time.
Like chlorhexidine mouthwash, which is a popular mouthwash among dentists. Because alcohol can dry the oral environment and create a basis for bad breath, on the other hand, its long-term use can lead to carcinogenic reactions.
Advantages and benefits of mouthwash
Second, what are the benefits of mouthwash?
- Prevent bad breath
- Preventing the formation of dental plaque, if anti-plaque mouthwashes are used.
- Preventing the formation of caries, if fluoride mouthwashes are used as prescribed by the dentist.
Choosing the best mouthwash
Third, which is the best mouthwash?
Your dentist should determine the mouthwash you need. Fluoride mouthwashes are usually recommended for those who have a high level of caries. which usually have two types.
With daily use or with weekly consumption (such as the mouthwashes that were prescribed in schools.) Arbitrary and unprescribed use of these mouthwashes can have toxic effects.
Today, they have come to the conclusion that the best way to use fluoride is to add its permitted amount to urban drinking water.
Use therapeutic mouthwashes such as chlorhexidine and listerine, etc. only with the prescription of your doctor.
Continuous use of these mouthwashes and disinfectant mouthwashes can destroy the beneficial bacteria in the mouth and lead to fungus in the mouth.
If you decide to use non-therapeutic mouthwashes such as anti-plaque mouthwashes, be sure to pay attention to its contents and again, I recommend that you avoid long-term use.
Daily use of mouthwash
Fourth, should I use mouthwash daily?
Perhaps the combination of using a toothbrush and dental floss and sometimes mouthwash with very diluted lukewarm salt water is our best suggestion for you to observe hygiene.
Mouthwash instead of toothbrush?
Fifth, can I use mouthwash instead of a toothbrush?
No friends. Using mouthwashes before brushing and flossing can cause food to react with the mouthwash and make the oral environment acidic and intensify the caries process. Besides, it does not remove plaque and food from the mouth…
Limit sugary foods and starches
The leading culprits for starch in a child’s diet are foods such as pancakes and certain breakfast cereals. When these types of starchy foods are combined with sugars, such as syrup, it significantly increases the risk of tooth decay.
Drink water instead of sugary drinks
In today’s world, sugary drinks have become one of the most popular types of drinks among people. In this article, we will examine the harms of sugary drinks.
Consumption of sugary drinks, in addition to tooth decay and obesity, increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver, heart disease, and even increases the risk of death.
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