Maintaining a great smile starts and ends with a great oral hygiene routine.
Taking the appropriate and necessary steps to ensure that your mouth remains healthy and free from cavities and discoloration is the key to maintaining a better smile for years to come.
A careful and purposeful oral hygiene routine can also save you significant time and money in the long run. While restorative dentistry is an option, prevention is nearly always better than the cure.
Dental Hygiene And Your General Health
Did you know that good dental health is also linked to a wide range of other health benefits?
Research has shown that those with poor dental health and hygiene are more likely to suffer from conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and badly controlled diabetes.
Conversely, those who take the time and effort to maintain good standards of oral health and hygiene are less likely to suffer from a whole range of wider-reaching and more problematic health conditions.
So, with that being said, here are our top oral health and hygiene tips for a happier smile.
1 – Brush Twice Per Day
This might be an obvious one to many, but one of the most important things you can do to maintain healthy teeth is to brush them thoroughly and regularly.
A quick, 30-second speed brush doesn’t count.
Aim to brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes, twice per day. Once in the morning and once before bed.
Set a timer and monitor how long you’re actually brushing. Two minutes doesn’t sound very long, but it’s surprising how many people fall short of even that small of a time without realizing it.
You should also pay attention to the pressure you’re applying with the toothbrush. Too much pressure can leave your gums feeling sore and, over a long period of time, can push gums to recede and lead to further complications.
Finally, try to brush in circles, lifting the brush from the gums up to the top of the tooth. This helps to ensure that any food particles are moved away from the gum where they can cause gingivitis and gum disease if left unchecked.
2 – Floss regularly
Flossing in between teeth helps to remove any leftover food particles from those gaps that your toothbrush can’t reach.
Flossing regularly is an important part of maintaining healthy gums.
Failing to floss will only weaken your gums in the long run and open you up to potential gum disease problems that are often difficult to recover from.
3 – Maintain A Healthy Diet
The food you put in your mouth is just as important as the food and plaque you take out of it with brushing and flossing.
Foods that are high in sugar can often be causing long term damage to your teeth, as the sugars speed up the process of tooth decay.
Limiting your sugar intake is an important part of a good dental health and hygiene routine.
But the importance of a healthy diet doesn’t stop there.
A well-balanced diet with the right levels of protein and minerals your body needs can actually help to strengthen your teeth and make them more resilient to decay over time.
4 – Have Regular Dental Checkups
We recently wrote about the importance of having regular dental checkups in Calgary, and this is another important part of any good dental hygiene routine.
Regular checkups every 6 months can help to be proactive about your dental health – spotting potential problems before they become too big of an issue.
Your dentist can also help to advise you on ways to further improve your dental hygiene on your regular checkup visits and offer advice and tips on procedures that might help to improve your smile even further.
If you’re based in Calgary and want to schedule a regular dental checkup, contact us here at Rocky Ridge Dental today.
Book an appointment or speak with one of our dental professionals at the Rocky Ridge dental office by calling us at (403) 244 2273.
