Daily oral hygiene is essential to keeping your mouth as healthy as possible between dental appointments. Creating and sticking to a good dental routine can help you maintain optimal oral health. A healthy smile is not only beautiful, it also makes it possible for your mouth to function properly and your entire body to be healthy.
Taking proper care of your mouth each day includes flossing, brushing, and maintaining a healthy diet. These three easy steps will help stop issues before they occur, and if issues do develop they will be much less painful and expensive. Those who neglect their oral health and do not have a good dental routine that they actually put into practice have a much higher percentage of oral health care issues than those who take proper care of their mouths.
Developing a good dental routine is a relatively easy task. A good dental routine includes:
- Flossing your teeth daily. This removes plaque buildup that develops between the teeth each day.
- Brushing your teeth at least twice a day. This helps to loosen plaque from the surfaces of the teeth so that it can be expelled when you spit. It also freshens your breath.
- Eating a healthy diet. The bacteria that live inside the mouth are most attracted to sugars in the foods that you eat. Eating a diet that is low in sugar reduces the amount of bacteria that congregate at your teeth.
- Drinking water. By choosing water over juices, soft drinks, tea, coffee, and alcohol, you are not only making better choices for your body, but you are limiting sugar and acid from coming in contact with your teeth.
- Using toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride strengthens the teeth and protects them from decay.
- Brush your teeth after you eat. By carrying a toothbrush with you or keeping one at your desk, you can easily brush your teeth after you eat so that they stay clean between meals.
- Making and keeping regular dental appointments. At your bi-annual dental cleanings and checkups your teeth are thoroughly cleaned and examined in order to prevent, or treat, any issues.
At Group Health Dental, we want to help everyone develop a good oral health care routine in order to promote optimal oral health. Call us today for suggestions and tips!
