One visit to the dentist is not nearly enough to keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime. It takes a lifetime of determination and dental care on your part to ensure you have a healthy smile. The following article has compiled some great tried and true advice for you to try for the perfect smile.
Prevention is the key to avoiding expensive dental work. Most dental problems are completely avoidable when you take preventative measures. Some important preventative measures are brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing daily, and seeing the dentist for a teeth cleaning once yearly. Avoiding sugary drinks like Kool-Aid and soft drinks will also help.
A glass of water a day keeps the dentist away. Actually, make that eight glasses of water, or 64 ounces. When you drink enough water, you are less likely to drink things that harm your teeth. When you skimp on water, you fill up on soda pop, Kool-Aid, and other sugary drinks.
Do not forget to remove plaque from your teeth when flossing. You should place the floss at the bottom of the tooth and gently pull it so it scrapes the plaque off your tooth. Do this for each tooth before focusing on cleaning the space between your teeth with floss.
Medications can be responsible for halitosis and dry mouth. Cavities are more likely to arise when there is less saliva. Talk with your physician to see if your chronic halitosis and dry mouth is due to medicine you are currently taking. If this is the case, you might be able to switch medications. If that’s not the case, your dentist may be able to recommend treatment for the dry mouth issues.
One of the worst feelings is to have a seed or some other foreign object caught between your teeth. Do not try to force it out with a fork or other hard object. Take a small length of floss and gently try to remove it. If it does not come out, visit your dentist, and they can help remove it.
If you suffer from a dry mouth, use a toothpaste and mouthwash specially designed to help relieve dry mouth. Many of today’s leading toothpaste brands contain ingredients that will dry out your mouth. Therefore, if you suffer from dry mouth, look for dry mouth relief toothpastes and mouth washes.
Sugar is a major cause of most types of tooth decay. Eating sugar isn’t the only problem. Drinking sugar can be even more harmful. When you drink sugary drinks, the sugary residue just sits on your teeth. It coats your mouth. As long as the sugar is on your teeth, it is causing damage.
The types of foods you eat can have an impact on the health of your mouth. One example is dairy products, which contain an abundant amount of calcium. Therefore, make sure you drink milk and eat cheese. If dairy products aren’t your favorite, try eating nuts as they are another excellent calcium source. In addition, nuts contain healthy fats. Meat gives your body protein and your teeth use that to heal.
Brush your tongue. Your tongue needs attention just like your teeth and gums do. Use your toothbrush and brush your tongue just like you brush your teeth. Not only is this good for your dental health, but it can help with any bad breath you may be experiencing, too.
As was mentioned before, one visit to the dentist doesn’t do the trick. A good portion of having healthy teeth depends on you! It is imperative that you apply the tips from the article above, to ensure you do everything in your power to prevent cavities, gum disease, tooth decay and other nasty problems.