Healthy teeth can be achieved with plenty of care. Even though you have received many compliments on your teeth being nice, it is essential to follow the proper oral care routine to maintain their condition and avoid problems in the long run. Investing in the right oral care products and being mindful of your daily habits can be beneficial.
Brush Your Teeth Twice Daily For Two Minutes Minimum.
To maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of your teeth, it is essential to follow the 2×2 rule. What is this rule? Brushing teeth two times daily for two minutes to keep plaque at bay. Adults must introduce children to this concept early to make it easy for them to maintain their teeth in the long run. Set a timer or play a 2-minute song to help them understand how long they need to brush their teeth.
When cleaning for 2 minutes, ensure to spend 30 seconds on each quadrant of the mouth. While brushing is essential, using the proper techniques is even more critical. You aim to clean your mouth thoroughly without damaging any soft tissue around the teeth. Brush in small circular motions and angle the head of the brush towards the gums. Cleaning all surfaces is essential, including the area along the gum line and the fronts and backs of your teeth. If you are comfortable, make use of an electric toothbrush.
Flossing Is As Important As Brushing
Many people ignore flossing, which is one of the most important things in maintaining the condition of your teeth. Flossing isn’t just a way to remove food particles stuck in between your teeth. Instead, it is an activity that will stimulate your gums, reduce plaque, and help reduce inflammation in the area. It’s recommended to floss at night before brushing your teeth to remove anything your toothbrush can’t reach. Flossing may initially cause sensitive gums to hurt. This is natural and nothing to worry about, as this will stop once your teeth get used to flossing after a few days. Flossing requires you to slide it up and down along the whole tooth. Please do not ignore the tight spaces in your mouth, as these are the ones that require the most cleaning since your toothbrush can’t reach them.
Replace Your Toothbrush Every Few Months.
Changing your toothbrush every 3 to 6 months is essential for your oral health. Damaged or frayed toothbrushes don’t clean your teeth well and may cause harm to your gums. Replacing your toothbrush frequently helps in cleaning the teeth better. Also, it is important to rinse your toothbrush well and store it in a cover that keeps it dry. Finally, if you have been sick of late and recovered from a viral infection, it is best to change your toothbrush to avoid re-introducing the germs in your mouth.
See Your Dentist At Least Twice A Year
Your daily dental care routine has a significant impact on your overall oral health. Still, even the sincerest brushers and flossers must see their dentist regularly. Visit your dentist Brisbane, QLD for cleanings and check-ups once every six months. During these visits, your dentist will remove calculus, check for cavities, spot potential issues early, and recommend the best treatment solutions.
Maintain A Healthy Diet
Once it enters your mouth, sugar converts into acid and erodes the enamel of your teeth. These acids then lead to cavities. Therefore, it is best to avoid sweetened foods like candies, chocolates, sugary drinks, etc. If you want to maintain good oral hygiene, include leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, almonds and yogurt in your diet as these foods help strengthen the teeth.
Stay Hydrated
Water is one of the best beverages for your oral health and overall health. Also, as a rule of thumb, drink water after each meal. This habit will help you maintain the condition of your teeth, as water after meals will wash away some of the adverse effects of sticky and acidic foods. Moreover, water helps maintain a healthy saliva flow responsible for moving food particles through your mouth and avoiding most of them from lodging in your teeth. The lesser food gets collected in your mouth, the lesser the chances of bacteria growth.
Quit Smoking
Habits like smoking can have negative impacts on your oral health. It increases the chances of developing gum problems, tooth staining, and oral cancer. To maintain oral health, avoiding smoking or quitting it entirely is best if you have built the habit.
Clean Your Tongue Thoroughly
Plaque doesn’t just build around your teeth but on your tongue too. This is one of the primary reasons why people have a foul mouth odour. To maintain oral hygiene and avoid other health problems, clean your tongue every time you brush your teeth. Brush your tongue gently to remove plaque and germs from it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Practising good oral hygiene is essential to improving your oral health. There are some simple things you can follow to maintain your teeth and gums like brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing every day, using mouthwash, limiting your intake of sugary drinks, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, avoiding smoking, replacing your toothbrush often, cleaning your tongue every time you brush, and limiting the intake of caffeine. One important thing to follow for your oral health is to visit your dentist for regular check-ups. Unfortunately, most people often see their dentist only when they have a dental issue. This is something that we need to change. Making at least one visit to your dentist in 6 months can help detect and treat oral problems early.
There are five golden rules for maintaining your oral hygiene. They are as follows:
- Brush your teeth twice daily with toothpaste rich in fluoride.
- Use a soft bristle toothbrush and change it every two to three months or when you notice its bristles are frayed.
- Flossing is as important as brushing. Floss every gap of your teeth thoroughly and remove any apparent leftover particles.
- Eliminate unhealthy habits from your lifestyle like smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Visit your dentist once in every 6 months to get your mouth examined. Regular dental check-ups and professional cleanings are essential for your oral hygiene.
Maintaining a healthy set of teeth is easy with the below given 5 steps.
- Brush – Brush your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a toothpaste containing fluoride. Brushing your teeth in the morning before breakfast, after dinner, and before bed is recommended.
- Floss – Floss your teeth once daily. This will help you clean the tight spaces between your teeth. If you floss before brushing, the fluoride in your toothpaste will coat more of the surface of your teeth. Do not rush when brushing or flossing to clean each tooth carefully.
- Rinse – Ask your dentist which mouthwash you must use and how often. Some mouthwashes kill bacteria, some contain fluoride, and some do both. Use mouthwash and don’t eat or drink for 30 minutes after that.
- Chew Sugar – Free Gum – After you eat, have sugar-free gum that can kill the cavity-causing bacteria. In addition, gums make more saliva in your mouth and help minimise acid levels. You may chew gum for about 20 minutes after your meals.
- Rinse Again – If you’re out and don’t have a gum or toothbrush, you can rinse your mouth with water. This will help remove food particles stuck between your teeth and reduce the acid levels in your mouth.
The best oral hygiene routine requires you to brush your teeth before breakfast and before going to bed. Ensure to brush your teeth properly and not neglect your tongue. Use fluoride toothpaste to rebuild your weakened tooth enamel. Include flossing in your oral hygiene routine to remove the food particles between your teeth. Visit your dentist at least once in six months to examine your teeth and gums. Regular mouth examinations can detect dental issues early, and early treatment can help prevent the problem from increasing too much.
Oral hygiene is cleaning your mouth regularly and keeping it free of disease. Adopting the proper oral care routine is essential to prevent dental problems like decay, cavity, and bad breath. Oral hygiene includes everything right from brushing and flossing to visiting your dentist regularly to getting dental X-rays, examinations and cleanings done. Some necessary oral hygiene aids for homecare are toothbrushes, mouth rinses, tongue cleaners, rubber tip stimulators, oral irrigators, and dental flosses. If you want to improve your oral hygiene, you should speak to your dentist, who can offer solutions based on your dental needs.
