In an age in which new health concerns are practically issued every week, it’s no wonder why some people have just reached a point where they just don’t care anymore. But that’s not true for most of us. In fact, the majority of us still pay attention to health warnings and recommendations in the hopes that utilizing said advice will help us to prevent a health disaster later in our lives. This is true whether you are talking about your general health or your oral health. No matter what the latest developments are with respect to dentistry, dental care providers continue to insist that there are certain behaviors that continue to work in spite of changing times. It is the intention of this article is to discuss three habits dentists continue to recommend for oral health.
The biggest and perhaps most obvious habit dentists recommend for oral health is brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing. If you have grown up within the last 30 years or so, your dental care provider probably has advised you to brush your teeth twice a day to prevent cavities as well as maintain good oral health Flossing was added to this daily regimen. The logic is simple: be in practice of keeping food from building up and causing damage to your teeth.
Another habit that dentists recommend for good oral health is rinsing nightly with a fluoride mouthwash. Although brushing twice daily is often misrepresented as having the biggest impact on your oral heath, the truth of the matter is that brushing only gets rid of about 25 percent of bacteria in your mouth. Sure, flossing helps out, but the point is that rinsing with a fluoride rinse, particularly at night when the mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria, is also important in the fight against cavities. For instance, fluoride mouthwash helps keeps the enamel on your teeth strong, so that plaque doesn’t weaken it, creating a hospitable environment for cavities and oral diseases.
The last habit that dentists recommend is maintaining a healthy diet. It is a little known fact that sugar turns into carbohydrates, which is an essential component of the bacteria found in plaque. By moderating your sugar intake — that is, by eliminating high sugar content food and beverages (i.e. sodas) — you can significantly decrease your chances of developing cavities and poor oral health.
Regardless of whether or not you focus on or even pay attention to the constantly changing health warnings and recommendations, there is some knowledge that continues to stand the test of time. This is especially true with respect to personal dental care. Specifically, there are three habits dentists recommend for oral health. They include: brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing, rinsing nightly with a fluoride mouthwash, and maintaining a healthy diet. The results of these simple habits only prove that, despite advances in technology, there is something fundamentally reassuring about sticking to the basics.
Daunting. That is one word a lot of folks use to describe what it’s prefer to keep their family’s oral health up to par. Have more than one kid? That word may become closer to ‘impossible’. It may see a never ending battle to keep sugar away from freshly brushed teeth.
As soon as another child gets done flossing, you find that the dental floss has been used to hang GI Joes from the ceiling fan and the box is now empty. One child will only brush her Disney Princesses toothbrush and her brother insists on hiding it from her. The battle for good oral health never ends!
To help you keep your family on the track to good oral health, we’ve provided a few general oral tips below.
General Oral Health Ideas to Protect Your Family
* Don’t share toothbrushes. Provide special places for every child’s toothbrush so they don’t get them mixed up, and enforce the use of individual toothbrushes rather than one communal child brush.
* Clean the many toothbrushes your family uses on a regular basis. To achieve this, merely soak in bleach or peroxide for 30 minutes. Rinse well before using again.
* When your toothbrushes begin to show wear, replace them, or every three months at least.
* Choose a medium or soft bristled brush to avoid damaging delicate tooth enamel and gum tissues.
* Have your children watch you floss at least once or twice a day so they get into the habit with you.
* Sugar is in plenty of things we indulge in everyday – keep it out of the sugar you keep on hand for in between brushing.
* Always keep water on hand. It helps to rinse away residue that may harm your teeth.
* Do you grind or clench your teeth? Try to break the habit. This is harmful to teeth.
* Check for the ADA stamp of approval to make sure your toothpaste is as effective as it needs to be.
* Make certain you reinforce your teeth enamel with a fluoride rinse. Twice daily is good.
* Visit your dentist regularly for dental cleaning, exams, and preventative care.
* See your dentist as soon as a dental problem comes to your attention. Waiting until a cavity is too painful to endure often means that the tooth is in danger of begin unsalvageable. If you notice a problem either with your teeth or your children’s, make sure to get it checked right away.
Keeping these good oral care guidelines could be challenging, so pick one or two to institute with your family at a time and be patient as new daily dental care habits are formed.
People with healthy mouths may have another reason to smile: Their pearly whites could be linked to healthy hearts.
The American Academy of Periodontology states that bacteria from your mouth not only cause bad breath but could also contribute to the development of heart disease, which is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.
More than 75 percent of adults in the U.S. have gingivitis and periodontitis and could potentially reduce their risk of heart disease by simply improving their oral health on a daily basis.
It is recommended that you floss daily. Some scientists believe periodontal bacteria enter the bloodstream, travel to major organs and begin new infections that may contribute to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This risk heightens as the severity of the oral infection increases.
It is important to note that there is not yet enough evidence to establish oral infection as an independent risk for heart disease or stroke, but controlling periodontal disease might still help keep you healthy. Patients can work to reduce their risk of the disease with regular dental care and by making sure to incorporate flossing into their daily oral care routine.
One amazing flossing product is REACH® CleanPaste™ Floss, which is infused with a revolutionary CleanPaste™ formula to provide a whole-mouth clean. It comes in an original and a “Tight Teeth” option. The American Academy of Periodontology notes that daily flossing keeps the formation of plaque to a minimum and that if it is continually neglected, and not removed every 26 hours, plaque can turn into calculus, which can lead to periodontal disease. The TSPP-also known as Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate-in REACH® CleanPaste™ Tartar Control floss is clinically proven to reduce plaque buildup. This daily cleansing helps keep the plaque biofilm under control and reduces tartar formation, according to the American Dental Association.
If you are prone to producing extra plaque, try REACH® CleanPaste™ Tartar Control. REACH® CleanPaste™ Tartar Control is the first and only tartar control product that helps prevent plaque buildup between teeth and around the gum area with TSPP. If you’re on the go, you can use the REACH® ACCESS® Flosser, which is a brush-style handle that makes flossing as easy as brushing. It is available in original as well as CleanPaste™ formulas.
Used properly, these products can help you reach the two out of five tooth surfaces that are missed with an ordinary toothbrush.
The best advice is to start young and make flossing a part of your daily regimen. If you have kids, you may want to get them into healthy oral hygiene habits early by getting them a floss that is fun. REACH® WILD FLOSSERS® are great for making flossing enjoyable, with their dinosaur heads and floss in the mouths.
Of course, flossing is only part of the healthy tooth equation, along with regular dental checkups. It’s important to spend at least two minutes brushing your teeth twice a day-especially before bed.
When you think about oral health, you think of brushing, flossing, and going to the dentist. Not everyone, however, remembers to do these three simple things to maintain their oral health. If you lapse on taking care of any of these three important steps, you may compromise your oral health and your teeth, mouth, and gums could be susceptible to stains, disease, and decay. Make sure that you spend time ensuring your general level of health by making sure you brush, floss, and visit a dentist bi-annually.
Brushing is the most basic task in personal oral health care. There are plenty of products on the market to effectively and efficiently take care of your teeth. Whether you brush twice a day or only once, it is important to take just minutes out of your day to clean your teeth. Some products do help maintain a higher level of cleanliness, such as electric toothbrushes or specially designed toothpastes, but even a basic brush with basic fluoride toothpaste can help ensure a healthy mouth. It is also important to remember that over-brushing can be just as detrimental to teeth as not brushing at all, so remember when you brush to concentrate on the gum line and to use a soft bristle brush for the safest, effective method.
Flossing may be the least enjoyable oral healthcare task, but many oral surgeons now consider the act of flossing more important than brushing. By flossing, you are making sure that your teeth are clean in places that a brush or mouthwash cannot access. This significantly cuts down your risk of infection and disease and maintains strong healthy gums. Flossing is also recommended once or twice a day in order to reap the full benefit. You may find that if food or other particles get stuck in your teeth that you may want to floss after meals. If you have neither a tooth brushing habit nor a flossing habit, a dentist would most likely recommend flossing before brushing as it is more beneficial for your overall oral health.
Lastly, you want to make time to seek out a dentist at least twice a year. It is recommended that you make a dental appointment bi-annually for cleanings and consultations. These appointments are also opportunities for a professional to inspect your teeth, mouth, and gums to ensure that you are disease-free and there is no decay occurring on or between teeth. Generally they find cavities to fill or early signs of gum disease for those patients who do not have good at-home oral health habits.
If you want to maintain basic oral health care, make sure to build up three simple habits: brush, floss, see a dentist. With these simple steps you can have a clean, healthy mouth without too much fuss.
