subject: "your Teeth" Is The Key Word That You Should Focus Upon [print this page] If you practice good dental hygiene, your pearly whites can remain healthy your whole life. When practicing fair oral care, you have to make sure your tongue, gums and teeth are adequately brushed, and visit the dentist regularly.
Accurate execution of these cleaning protocols wards off cavities and gum disease. Avoiding gum disease and cavities reduces the likelihood that you will eventually lose a tooth.
Known more commonly as cavities, tooth decay is the result of the bacteria which lives inside plaque. A slightly sticky and white coating is continuously wrapping its way around your teeth.
Plaque comes about when the normal bacteria that is always in the oral cavity is combined with food and spit. When you eat or drink starchy or sugary foods, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that dissolve tooth enamel, the hard outer coating on teeth.
With repeated exposure to plaque, enamel can break down, resulting in a cavity. Gum disease is another consequence of plaque buildup.
When plaque is not removed by thorough daily brushing and cleaning between teeth, it eventually hardens into tartar chat collects at the gum line. Gum tissue may become swollen or bleed when brushed a sign of gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease.
Periodontitis is a result of Gingivitis, which occurs when gums move from the teeth, creating spaces open to contamination. Periodontitis not only affects the teeth and gums, but also the jawbone and surrounding tissues so that teeth are prone to falling out.
If you stick with a good hygiene regime and visit your dentist regularly, you can help prevent plaque from getting out of control. Proper teeth brushing requires you to push against your teeth with an angled toothbrush, scrubbing back and forth across the surface.
Taking approximately 120 seconds, use the brush to clean the tops and the external and internal sides of teeth, and afterwards clean the tongue. The idea is to get rid of bacteria while freshening your breath at the same time. A good brushing twice a day is acceptable, but dentists recommend brushing after every meal.
Professionals suggest using a toothbrush with gentle hairs. As the bristles become weak around every 3-4 months, you should get a new tooth brush. The use of an electric toothbrush does not replace flossing.
However the only way to effectively remove all the plaque at the gum line and between teeth is to brush regularly and also to floss daily or use an interdental brush or other device designed to reach small spaces.
Professionals recommend ways to use floss for best results. Not forcefully but gently push a long piece of floss between two teeth.
Next, move the floss up and down a few times between the teeth, pulling the floss so that it "hugs" the tooth down at the gum line. Remember to floss in back of the last teeth and to use a new, fresh area of floss for each tooth.
You can easily slide the floss in using waxed floss. People who find it difficult to move the floss might get assistance from a floss holder, or from their dentist. If you've neglected flossing for some time, your gums may become sore or even bleed, at which time you should call your dentist.
And another dental health factor to consider is your diet. Beverages with sugar added, such as soft drinks, fruit juices and candy increase the risk of cavities.
The longer teeth are exposed to acids, the more damage can occur. Also, you can eat some foods that can keep tooth decay bay. Consuming aged cheese right after you eat another food counteracts the acids that destroy tooth enamel.
The high water content of pears, apples and other crisp fruit will promote saliva production and dissolve sugars, making them less effective. Sugar-free gum also generates additional spit, which will help remove the bacteria that leads to decay.
Calcium plays a vital role in the health of your teeth, and foods such as milk and green leafy vegetables are rich with calcium, an excellent addition to your diet. Tooth decay can also be staved off with fluoride.
Find out if your water supply includes fluoride. If it does not a fluoride solution may be necessary. If you want to have a healthy smile, check up with your dentist twice a year.
If you experience any painful areas in the mouth, bleeding gums or changes in your bite, consult your dentist immediately. Through use of proper dental hygiene along with twice a year check ups, your health can last you a lifetime.
by: John Chambers
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