10 Tips for Avoiding Common Oral Health Issues

When you’re busy taking care of the rest of your body, your mouth can often go overlooked. Most people know to brush their teeth, but proper oral health goes beyond just brushing and forgetting about the bones in your mouth. Follow these tips to make sure your mouth stays healthy throughout the day and night — without you constantly needing to check on it.

One thing many people do is brush the correct amount of times. If you’re only brushing once a day, your technique just won’t cut it. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed, in circular strokes. You should also floss at least once a day. Make sure you’re brushing frequently enough to remove all the food debris that could lead to tooth decay.

If they seem too good to be true, that’s probably because they are. You should vet at-home whitening solutions thoroughly when you’re doing research. Otherwise, you may end up hurting yourself or your enamel. Some of the materials you see used in whitening remedies have abrasive properties, which can damage the surface of your teeth.

Your enamel is the only line of defense for your tooth. Once it’s gone, there’s no way that you can build enamel back up again. Avoid abrasive materials unless instructed by your dentist. The health and protection of your teeth matter more than them being white.

When you brush your teeth, you should use toothpaste with fluoride. Fluoride occurs naturally in many things, especially in tap water. While you shouldn’t have an excess of fluoride, a bit of it isn’t bad for you. In fact, it can help strengthen your teeth if you use it often enough. You should ensure that your toothpaste has an adequate amount of fluoride and drink from the tap now and then.

Much of the bacteria in your mouth, including those that cause bad breath, hide on your tongue. If you aren’t brushing your tongue when you take care of your teeth, you leave that bacteria to fester. Consider buying a stainless steel tongue scraper that can remove all the bacteria in one fell swoop. It’s an easy way to improve your breath while ensuring that you’re taking care of every part of your mouth.

It’s not enough to brush twice a day — you must brush your teeth correctly, too. Choose toothpaste from a reputable brand that you trust. You should also take care to pick the toothbrush right for you.

Most people only need soft-bristled toothbrushes because of how vigorously they brush. Anything else might damage your teeth or gums. Also, when you brush, you should brush at a 45-degree angle to reach every crevice and ensure that you’re cleaning your teeth effectively. Once you know how to brush correctly, you’ll never go back to brushing the way you did before.

Your gums can tell you a lot about the health of your mouth. By examining your gums and understanding what normal looks like for you, you’ll be able to tell when something seems off about your health.

If you have light or dark pink gums, your mouth is generally healthy. If your gums seem bright red or inflamed, though, that’s when you need to start searching for a problem. By examining your gums regularly, you may be able to identify a problem before it exacerbates.

If you’ve found that you have a problem with tooth decay, think of the foods you may be eating to cause it. Lack of a proper diet might lead to tooth decay. Though food isn’t always responsible for cavities, it might be worth looking into if you think you could improve your diet.

Fibrous foods can help keep your teeth clean naturally. Opt for more whole foods, such as fruits, to satiate your sweet tooth rather than opting for sugar. Anything starchy or sticky can damage your teeth and lead to decay. After cutting back on sugar, you should see a difference in your oral health by the next time you visit the dentist.

When participating in contact-heavy sports, consider wearing a mouthguard. This small plastic device will prevent you from biting yourself when you fall or get hit, and it can also keep your teeth in place, so they don’t go flying. Once you lose all of your baby teeth, you shouldn’t want to lose any others. Mouthguards are a great way to participate in the sport you love while protecting your teeth and mouth.

If you can’t remember the last time you went to see a dentist about your teeth, now is the time to make an appointment. To ensure that your teeth are clean and in good shape, you should visit the dentist at least twice a year for regular cleanings.

Depending on your oral health, your dentist may recommend visiting more or less, but you should aim to go at least once per year. That way, you can keep a benchmark on your health, and your dentist can see if there are any issues you should work on before they become significant problems.

After your dentist appointment, go ahead and schedule your next one. If you have another appointment, you may be more likely to follow up on it. Since you should have regular cleanings and check-ups to make sure your teeth are faring well, you should be able to catch anything before it escalates. Your dentist will keep you updated with tips on how to take care of your teeth and potentially reverse any damage you’ve done to them recently.

Maintaining good oral hygiene involves picking up a lot of new habits that might feel uncomfortable at first. When you’re used to doing something one way for a while, any sort of change can challenge you. Still, when you learn to take care of your mouth, you’ll feel that your whole body is taken care of, too. Plus, you’ll have a bright smile that screams health to all who have the privilege of seeing it.