Your Go-to Guide for Proper Oral Hygiene

When it comes to maintaining good health, your oral hygiene is just as important as any other part of your body. Whether you’re brushing, flossing, or making regular visits to the best way dental office, there are many ways to maintain proper oral care. While there are many things people may know about practicing good dental health, some things may surprise you. Use this guide for further insight into tips, facts, benefits, and resources related to maintaining good oral hygiene.

Signs of Good Oral Hygiene

When certain people smile, you can quickly see they have excellent oral hygiene. If they had kid braces when younger, a glowing adult smile is easier to have. Needless to say, a set of pearly white teeth is one of the first signs of good daily dental hygiene. A person with a megawatt smile most likely has regular dental cleaning at home and dentist offices. They may even get professional tooth whitening as well. Noticeably smooth teeth are also a sign of a healthy smile. If teeth appear jagged with cracks, it may be time to get local dental care.

Good dental hygiene goes beyond the appearance of one’s teeth. A healthy mouth will also have pink gums. If gums become discolored or swollen, that’s usually a sign of gum disease or infection. And let’s not forget about one’s breath. While, morning breath is typical before you brush your teeth in the morning, lingering bad breath isn’t normal. One can have bad breath from not brushing at all or long enough, as well as from smoking. Cigarettes and dental infections can create a lingering odor that never seems to go away from the mouth. Eating and drinking smelly foods like garlic, certain spices, and coffee can also linger on breath longer than others. The staff at the best way dental can help maintain better hygiene.

Daily Cleaning Routine

According to the American Dental Association, everyone should brush their teeth at least twice daily. It’s also a great idea to try to brush after each meal to ensure that bacteria don’t linger on your teeth longer than necessary. In addition to brushing, flossing is just as important. While brushing with fluoride toothpaste is imperative to clean the teeth overall, flossing is the best way to get rid of tiny particles from between teeth. If those protocols remain, it can later lead to decay and other issues.

Brushing and flossing aren’t the only way to clean your mouth. Mouthwash can flush away any remaining germs and leave your breath super fresh. Mouthwashes such as Listerine have been around for years and are known for killing those germs. However, Listerine may be too strong for children, but you can get a gentle mouthwash for them. You may also want to introduce tongue scraping into your daily oral routine. The use of a tongue scraper is common in many cultures for removing bacteria from the tongue. It’s usually a metal or a plastic device that you simply move down your tongue a few times after brushing. A visit to the best way dental clinic can also provide advice on the best mouthwash and toothpaste to use.

Importance of Changing Your Toothbrush

Don’t forget to change your toothbrush. Like anything else you use daily, your toothbrush can become worn down. And remember, your toothbrush is constantly dealing with removing germs and bacteria from your mouth; so some germs may linger on it too. That’s why everyone should change their toothbrush every three to four months, according to the ADA. You should also switch out your toothbrush if you’ve been sick, particularly if you’ve had a cold, flu, or fever blister.

Orthodontics Help Oral Hygiene

Did you know early orthodontic care can play a role in your oral hygiene? To properly clean your teeth, you need to be able to access each tooth. If teeth are severely misaligned and crowded, it may be difficult to do so. That’s why kids braces are important.

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, children can begin seeing an orthodontist as early as seven years old. Even if children don’t get their braces that early, your orthodontic professional can begin monitoring how their permanent teeth are sprouting so that you can prepare to get kids braces if needed. The earlier you do an orthodontic intervention, the healthier teeth will be since nothing will stand in the way of good oral hygiene with properly aligned teeth.

When it comes to both adult and kids braces, there are many options that the best way dental clinic can recommend to straighten teeth. In addition to traditional braces made from metal, there are also clear braces, ceramic braces, clear aligners like Invisalign, and lingual braces that go behind the teeth.

Side Effects of Poor Oral Care

Whether it’s regular brushing or pursuing orthodontic care, there are many reasons why you should be extra cautious about your oral hygiene. Have you ever seen anybody with stained teeth that appeared gray, yellow, or brown? Needless to say, it’s very unsightly and often results from cigarettes, other tobacco use, or a lack of brushing. In addition to tobacco use, staining foods and drinks such as coffee, tea, and wine can also stain teeth, which is why you should brush regularly if you consume those types of items.

Poor hygiene can also lead to gum disease. As mentioned, cleaning your mouth isn’t just for cleaning your teeth as you’re also supposed to clean the gum area. Failure to do so can trap bacteria in gum pockets. Without proper brushing, plaque will build up on your teeth. When plaque lingers, it can later turn into tartar which will further build into gum disease like gingivitis. If you don’t treat gum disease early, it can lead to tooth loss. That’s why you should always visit the best way dental clinic for your regular tooth cleaning and exam. According to WebMD, Chronic inflammation from gum disease has been associated with the development of cardiovascular problems such as heart disease, blockages of blood vessels, and strokes.

If you develop gum disease or other issues that cause tooth loss, it can affect your overall health. Digestion begins in the mouth as soon as you start eating. You need healthy teeth to properly chew your food. If you have several missing teeth, it can be difficult to digest and chew crunchy and healthy vegetables and fruit for proper nutrition. It will also be costly to fix but professional dental repair is available to restore teeth.

Dental Repairs for a Healthy Smile

According to Healthline, about 30 percent of people around the world ages 65 to 74 don’t have any natural teeth left. Thanks to advances in dental technology, people no longer have to live without proper tooth replacements. There was a time when dentures were the only means of replacing teeth, but that’s no longer the case. The staff at the best way dental clinic can assist you with getting an affordable dental implant. Your local dental implant dentist will examine your mouth and jawbone to see if it’s healthy enough to take on implants. If you qualify for such oral surgeries, you will be able to proudly smile and eat as you would with normal teeth.

If you don’t need to replace missing teeth, you may need to restore existing natural teeth due to poor hygiene. Luckily, crown repairs can fit over your natural teeth and protect them after a root canal or damage.

Diet for Healthy Teeth

Your diet plays a big role in how healthy your teeth will be. Aim for healthy foods like a range of fruit and vegetables that have vitamins including A, C, Folate, and more. Food with calcium is also important as they build bones and teeth. According to Healthline, fatty fish is high in Vitamin D. So the next time you eat out, you might want to make a reservation at your local seafood restaurant. Have fun chowing down on some really good sushi.

It’s no secret that sugar isn’t good for your teeth. If your child has kids braces, this may be a challenge, as kids have a natural sweet tooth. However, not following the proper diet while undergoing any type of orthodontic treatment such as braces, can damage the orthodontic device as well as worsen the health of your teeth. Even when you’re not wearing braces, you should still be mindful of your sugar intake. Sugary foods and drinks can cause tooth decay. Decay can turn into cavities, and if cavities worsen, they can lead to expensive dental treatments like root canals.

Mental Health and Oral Care

Dental hygiene can be important to your mental health. Your smile is one of the first things that people see. So having beautiful, healthy teeth makes it easier to feel comfortable smiling and talking with people. When you smile, it’s easier to engage and make people feel comfortable with you. Such a smile and the happy energy that it exudes can open many doors for you professionally, academically, and socially. It’s easier to have confidence when you have a bright, healthy smile. That’s why regular visits to the best way dental office are vital to ensure that you’re happy with your smile and aren’t afraid to show it every day.

Obviously, poor oral hygiene can also signal mental issues. When someone is suffering from depression, they may be less likely to worry about brushing and flossing their teeth or going to the dentist. When somebody develops body dysmorphia issues that lead to eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia, their dental health may suffer. In the case of bulimia, the constant flow of stomach acid from vomiting can damage tooth enamel. With anorexia, the entire body suffers from a lack of nutrients which also affects teeth. A good dentist can identify such issues during an oral exam. Such a caring professional, such as someone from the staff at best way dental clinic, would gladly recommend counseling services for any dental patient that shows signs of hygiene problems due to such disorders.

Paying for Oral Care

Unfortunately, paying for dental care can be overwhelming for many Americans. After all, dental insurance can be notoriously expensive and only 64% of Americans have coverage, according to CBS News. Being uninsured doesn’t mean you can’t get affordable dental care. You can check your local dental clinic to see if they have income-based discounts. Dental schools often provide free and low-cost care so students can perform certain procedures to graduate. If you served your country, you should check your local VA for dental and health-related benefits. In addition, United Way Worldwide has a 24.7 hotline for people to call regarding health and dental care.

You can even try your luck at applying for dental or health-related credit. Care Credit, which is now accepted by several dentists and doctors, can approve you for a certain amount upon a quick online application. Even if you have dental insurance, Care Credit can come in handy to pay for any copays or coinsurance that insurance doesn’t cover.

As you can see, good oral hygiene matters for everyone. Practicing regular hygiene isn’t just a matter of aesthetics. Sure, it’s great to have a white smile; However, you also want strong, healthy teeth that allow you to properly eat food. Chewing food affects digestion and overall health. You want well-aligned teeth that are easy to clean and never make you feel subconscious about smiling. Your mental health is associated with your dental hygiene, so keep a beautiful smile and feel good every day. Whether you need kids braces or teeth whitening, contact the dental experts at the best way dental office today.