Oral hygiene is one of the crucial factors associated with human hygiene. The state of your oral hygiene can affect your relationships with people close to you through bad breath. A foul mouth odor may keep your friends off, and you may as well be not willing to talk to avoid releasing a foul smell. Do you know that poor dental hygiene can affect your sense of taste? You are right; yes, it does! It impedes your sense of taste. However, there are tips you can practically use to improve your dental hygiene.
Dental Hygiene
Oral hygiene is the habit of keeping your mouth clean and free from diseases and bad breath by regularly brushing your teeth and cleaning between the teeth.
Tips for Oral Hygiene
There are a few lifestyle habits you can adopt to ensure you maintain good oral hygiene.
Brush Your Teeth Twice Daily
A dentist and an oral surgeon advise on how well to take care of your oral health. The oral experts recommend you brush your teeth twice daily, in the morning and the evening, before bed. However, most people tend to ignore brushing their teeth before going to bed. Bacteria tend to accumulate in your mouth during the day, and it’s essential to brush off the accumulated bacteria and have a refreshing moment at night.
Brush Your Teeth Properly
It’s crucial to acquire good skills for brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth gently in a circular motion. Proper brushing of teeth helps remove plaque which forms as bacteria in the mouth reacts with starch and sugars. Plaque, if not brushed off, can harden and cause gum disease.
Clean the Tongue
Don’t forget to brush the tongue every time you brush your teeth. Brushing your tongue removes plaque hence reducing the risk of oral problems and removing the foul odor. Brush your tongue for a clean feeling in the mouth.
Use A Flouride Toothpaste
Fluoride toothpaste is essential in keeping your mouth clean. Fluoride found in toothpaste helps effectively fight bacteria in the mouth and acts as a protective barrier on the surface of the teeth.
Floss Your Teeth
Flossing is as essential as brushing your teeth. Flossing removes food particles lodged between the teeth, thus reducing bacteria and plaque from your mouth. Dentists recommend flossing at least once daily. While flossing, drift the floss up and down between teeth and on both sides of each tooth. Your floss should be about 18 inches long. Use a clean part of the floss as you move from one tooth to another. If you find flossing challenging, you can also use dental flossers available from your drugs store, such as water floss. Flossing reaches where your routine teeth brushing cannot reach, thus reducing the chances of developing tooth decay and gum disease.
Use Mouth Wash
Mouthwash helps clean where brushing cannot reach, such as at the back of your mouth. Mouth wash also helps remove acid from your mouth. There are different types of mouth wash; if unsure, you can consult your dentist for a prescription.
Drink Water, Eat crunchy Foods and Vegetables.
Water helps reduce food particles from teeth and washes sticky drinks as well as acids from the mouth. Fresh crunchy food keeps your teeth healthy and keeps your jaws working. As you eat healthily, avoid excess sugars since they convert into acids which can erode your dental enamel.
Conclusion
Taking care of your oral health leads to a healthy, happy life with a feeling of a clean mouth. It’s a lifetime affair; if you have healthy teeth today and fail to take care of your oral hygiene, you may have a disturbing situation of dealing with cavities and dental carries tomorrow. Visit your dentist or oral surgeon for advice and for your oral treatment on time to be able to enjoy that crunchy food for longer.
