10 Tips for Great Dental Hygiene

Having great dental hygiene is not only important for the health of your teeth, but for your health overall—one recent study from Harvard suggests that there may be a link between Gum disease and Heart disease. Therefore, the state of your dental health can be indicative of underlying diseases. Furthermore, neglecting your dental health can lead to further complications that can be painful and even costly. It’s never too late to improve how you care for your teeth with this list of our top 10 tips for great dental hygiene.

Brushing your teeth 

This tip is on the top of our list because it is just that important! Good dental hygiene starts with you brushing your teeth regularly and thoroughly with a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride helps prevent cavities by strengthening the outer surface of your tooth and removing any plaque build-up. Don’t forget to angle your toothbrush towards your gum line in small circular motions so that you reach between your teeth. And always remember to brush your tongue which holds a lot of bacteria and germs! 

Floss Floss Floss!

It’s quite common to hear people admit that they do not floss regularly, or at least, do not floss as much as they should. Brushing alone may feel like it fully cleans your teeth and does enough to remove the plaque build-up and bacteria in your mouth but it simply doesn’t. Just brushing your teeth alone leaves behind large spaces between your teeth that cannot be reached by your toothbrush alone. Flossing removes plaque and tartar buildup between your teeth, that, if not removed, can lead to gingivitis, tooth decay and cavities. 

Manage Your Sweet Tooth  

Don’t worry, we’re not going to tell you to completely remove sugary foods from your diet. Rather, dentists will most often advise you to be more mindful of the sugar you consume and the potential harm foods high in sugar can have to your dental hygiene. Sugar is one of the greatest concerns on your dental health because of the harm it can have when consumed in great quantities. A diet high in sugary drinks, foods and candies can cause sugar to stick to your teeth, change the acidity in your mouth and attract bad bacteria which can lead to tooth decay. The more sugar you eat, the greater chance of you developing tooth decay, cavities and tooth loss. Reducing the sugar you eat and brushing after an hour of eating sugary foods can help prevent sugar from hurting the health of your teeth.

Go to the Dentist!

We know that visits to the dentist can be a dreaded experience for some. However, even if you practice great dental hygiene, without visiting the dentist, you may not be able to prevent or detect oral issues yourself before they worsen. A thorough dental cleaning during your dental visits not only removes stains and tartar buildup from your teeth, problems such as gum disease, tooth decay, worn enamel, damage to the tooth and structural issues can be detected during your appointment as well. Going to the dentist for your regular dental cleanings and exams are integral to great dental hygiene! 

Drink More Water

It shouldn’t be surprising that among the many benefits of drinking water, your dental health can benefit too. After eating, drinking water can wash away food that gets stuck to your teeth which can attract cavity-causing bacteria. Additionally, water can dilute the acidity in your mouth which can prevent against tooth decay. Where acidic drinks like teas and soda can lead to the erosion of your enamel, which protects against cavities — water restores the PH levels in your mouth, protecting your teeth against decay. Moderating the amount of acidic drinks you have throughout the day and swapping out acidic drinks for water can help prevent future dental issues.   

There are many dental hygiene tips that we could include on this list. However, these 5 are among the most important and overlooked that can help you keep your dental hygiene great. Did any surprise you on this list?