In order to maintain oral health, it is very important to take care of your oral hygiene. Proper dental and oral hygiene will prevent development of a diseases such as dental caries, gingivitis and periodontitis which can lead to more serious consequences for your teeth and health in general.
In text below, there are 7 useful recommendations for maintaining oral hygiene and health:
1. Proper teeth brushing
Teeth should be brushed twice a day, for 3-5 minutes. Use toothbrushes with soft bristles and keep minimum pressure on teeth while brushing. Hard pressure while brushing can cause injuries and retraction of the gums. Brush your teeth in circular motion to grip tooth surface, but also the gums.
2. Use an interdental brush and dental floss
There are places you will certainly not be able to reach with your toothbrush so it is necessary to use dental floss or even better – an interdental brush. With it, you will easily clean interdental places and prevent diseases such as dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis etc.
3. Reduce smoking or stop smoking
Smoking not only harms your respiratory health (and health in general), it also harms your teeth. Smoking produce stains on your teeth and impairs their appearance. Bad breath is also a result of smoking. If you need implant therapy or a surgery, smoking can greatly harm the course of a therapy.
4. Take care of your health in general
Diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity can also harm your teeth and gums. Take care of your health and go to a regular check-ups. Do not ignore the symptoms your body sends to you. If you already have some of those diseases, make sure it is under control and take the therapy regularly.
If you are entering implant therapy or you need a surgery, general state of health significantly affects the further course of a therapy.
5. Eat healthy and drink a lot of water
Eating healthy can also have a great impact on your oral health. Groceries high in sugar encourage formation of bacteria which produces acids harmful for teeth and tooth enamel. Always choose fruits and vegetables instead of a food full of sugar and starch. For example, apple clean your teeth and gums, onions are full of antibacterial compounds, while carrots stimulate you teeth and gums with crunchiness.
Hydration is very important for the health of entire organism, including your teeth and gums. Drink plenty of water through the day.
6. Visit your dentist regularly
It is recommended to visit your dentist twice a year, every 6 months. During regular check-ups, doctor will assess the condition of your teeth and if there is any indication of some kind of disease, he will be able to react in time. If it is necessary, doctor will educate the patient of a proper oral hygiene and teeth brushing.
7. Take care of a hygiene of a prosthetic works
Hygiene of a dental crowns or some other prosthetic work is equally important as a hygiene of a natural teeth. Duration of a prosthetic work largely depends on the hygiene of a patient.
