5 WAYS TO HAVE GOOD TEETH FOR LIFE

Good teeth for life is almost a mantra. Some of us are born with beautiful teeth and others have teeth that need work. All of us must work at keeping our teeth in the best shape possible regardless of how well our teeth look.

HOW TO HAVE GOOD TEETH FOR LIFE

1. BRUSH TWICE A DAY

The American Dental Association recommends that we brush our teeth twice a day for at least two minutes. They also recommend that we use a soft bristled toothbrush unless otherwise directed by your dentist. Brushing is the number one way to keep teeth, gums, and your jaw bones in top shape. To keep your teeth for life you need healthy teeth, gums, and jaw bones. Your gums and jaw bones help to support the teeth. Without focusing on all three areas of your mouth you risk losing your teeth early.

2. KEEP UP WITH FLOSSING

Flossing is an easy way to care for the hard to reach places on your teeth, such as below the gum line and between teeth. Flossing helps to remove plaque and food from places where your toothbrush cannot reach and it also helps to stimulate your gums. It is helpful to flow after meals and between brushings. The American Dental Association recommends the use of waxed floss over other flossing tools, including toothpicks. If you have braces, flossing is especially important. With traditional braces, you can make the task of flossing easier by using a threading tool designed for use with wire braces. Floss once or twice per day as recommended by your dentist. It is also helpful to floss anytime you feel teeth stuck between your teeth. While flossing is important, it is only important if you floss correctly. Here’s how: Floss Correctly: Ask your dentist to show you how to floss properly. The basic advice is to slide the floss between teeth and bring both ends of the floss towards the center of the tooth you are flossing. Pull upwards gently so that the floss scrapes along the tooth’s side. Make sure the floss is beneath the gum line so that any food that is trapped down there is removed.

3. CHEW GUM AFTER MEALS

Chewing gum helps to cue your mouth to continue to make saliva after you are done eating. Saliva is one of the ways that our body helps to control the population of bacteria in our mouth. Because many of the foods we eat are acidic they chemically harm our teeth. Chewing gums helps keep the saliva flowing which also helps to reduce the amount of acid in our mouth. Sugarfree gum works best since sugar is also an acid.

4. QUIT USING TOBACCO PRODUCTS

Tobacco – smoked or chewed – is a detriment to our teeth. Smoking or chewing tobacco does a number on our mouth’s parts. It is a major cause of decreased blood flow to the gums and that can lead to all kinds of oral health issues. There is an increased risk of periodontal disease due to poor circulation to the gums and jaws. Blood is one of the primary ways that disease-fighting cells are transported around our body. Since smoking tobacco reduces the number of blood vessels in our gums, it also reduced the amount of blood flow to the gums and that increases our risk of developing periodontal disease. In fact, smoking can cause wounds to heal slowly. If you have a dental procedure, smoking can increase the risk of infection due to the slower healing times. There are many positive reasons to quit smoking or using tobacco products.

5. EAT HEALTHY TO BE HEALTHY

Eating less sugar and drinking more water are two ways to easily increase your oral health. Other foods, such as those rich in calcium, help our body to make strong bones, including the bones that hold our teeth in place. Foods that are rich in iron help our body to build stronger red blood cells which in turn bring more oxygen to our gums. Healthy foods go a long way in creating a healthy body. A well-balanced diet that is low in sugar, fats, and salts, not only help our overall health but helps us to keep our teeth for life. Regardless of who we are, we have to work to keep our teeth for all of our lives. It used to be that dentures are a part of getting older, but as dental technology improves and the products available to us improve we have the opportunity to keep our teeth longer. The easy to adapt tips in this blog help to improve our oral health and the health of our teeth, gums, and jaw bones. With those improvements plus regular dental visits, we really can keep our teeth all of our life