Good oral health is essential for so many reasons. Not only does good oral health prevent gum disease and tooth decay, but it also sustains your digestive and immune health as well.
Your mouth, like other parts of your body, is filled with bacteria. Most of the time, it is harmless. However, because your mouth is the point of entry for your respiratory and digestive tract, sometimes the bacteria can cause diseases.
When you practice good oral health, the bacteria is kept under control. Without proper care, the level of bacteria in your mouth could lead to oral infections, such as gum disease and tooth decay.
Some of the conditions your oral health could contribute to include:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Complications of pregnancy and birth
- Pneumonia
- Endocarditis
This is why it is critical to take care of your teeth and gums. Below are the top six best practices for establishing good oral health.
1. Regular Dental Checkups
Most people do not even go to the dentist for regular checkups. It is one of the contributing factors to their oral health decline.
Do not make the same mistake. Schedule regular dental visits with a qualified dentist at least once a year or every six months.
The dentist will examine your mouth to look for signs of disease or decay. If a problem is discovered, they can provide you with advice on how to prevent its progression.
We recommend you have regular checkups with a professional dentist in Huntersville NC.
Their reputation for patient satisfaction makes them a good and trustworthy choice for your dental care.
2. Do Not Consume Tobacco Products
Tobacco is terrible for your health in so many ways. If you smoke cigarettes regularly, you will increase your chance of developing oral cancer and periodontal disease.
Your teeth will appear more yellow too. That is not an attractive look. There are several reasons why you should avoid smoking and all tobacco consumption.
If you care about being cancer-free and having good-looking teeth, let that motivate you to quit tobacco altogether.
3. Rinse and Brush Your Teeth After Meals
Most of the foods we eat contain harmful ingredients for our teeth and oral health. Even the slightest amount of sugar or acidic content in food could deteriorate your teeth significantly.
Develop a habit to rinse your mouth and brush your teeth after each meal. You could rinse your mouth out with water or a dental-approved mouthwash solution. Then brush your teeth with dental-approved toothpaste that has fluoride in it.
4. Chew Sugar-Free Gum
The simple act of chewing is healthy for your mouth. When you chew something for a long time, it produces more saliva in your mouth.
Saliva is essential for neutralizing the bacteria in your mouth that contributes to cavities and gum disease.
There are two ways to chew more frequently. You can either chew on a tough piece of steak or chew on a tasty piece of sugar-free gum.
We recommend sugar-free gum because it does not hurt your oral health or bodily health. Sugar-free gum products use an artificial sweetener to replace the sugar ingredient.
The three most common sugar substitutes are xylitol, aspartame, and stevia. The best choice would be stevia because it is a natural sweetener that comes from a plant.
However, there are very few sugar-free gum products that use stevia. The more common sugar substitutes are xylitol and aspartame. If it comes down to a choice between those two, choose the xylitol.
5. Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking water does so much for your health. It hydrates your body and washes out the food particles and bacteria that get stuck in your mouth.
Water is the natural way of maintaining good oral health. If you do not have any mouthwash available after a meal, drink some water to wash your mouth. It will do a lot to prevent the development of cavities and gum disease.
6. Avoid Sugary Drinks and Foods
There is so much emphasis on avoiding sugar because the bacteria in your mouth love sugar. If you eat sugary drinks and foods, the sugar will likely get stuck to your teeth.
That is how cavities and tooth deterioration occurs. It is so much better to avoid sugary drinks and foods altogether.
Replace them with water and sugar-free drinks and foods. Sugar is bad for your overall body health too. So, you might as well avoid it to stay safe.
In case you experience regular bad breath or toothache, do get a dental checkup done. Root canal, tooth replacement, and most other intensive dental problems can be prevented if detected earlier. Even if you do require an expensive procedure, plan to get it treated quickly. Check your dental insurance coverage and other out-of-pocket costs before your procedure because dental treatments are often very costly. If a patient does not pay their bills on time, a dental office may forward an account to a dental debt collection agency. To avoid any harassment, do careful planning before you undergo any significant dental treatment.
Many of the common health problems facing people are somewhat related to oral health. You must develop new lifestyle changes and practices to preserve your oral health and your body’s overall health.