Everybody wants a beautiful smile. A lovely smile will take you places and is great for self-confidence.
Luckily, genetics isn’t the only thing that determines your smile’s appeal. How well you take care of your teeth will also determine your smile.
Proper dental hygiene is essential for a beautiful smile. That’s why brushing our teeth is ingrained in most people since childhood. Apart from brushing your teeth, there are other pretty amazing dental hygiene tips you could try out.
Apart from a great smile, you need oral hygiene for strong and healthy teeth. Oral hygiene also keeps your breath fresh. Couple that with a great smile, and nothing can stop you now.
Read on to find out the best oral hygiene practices you should add to your dental routines. You can share these tips so your friends can also have brilliant smiles.
Amazing Oral Hygiene Tips You Should Try Out
Oral hygiene is nothing difficult, but consistency is key to proper oral hygiene. Here are the best practices for excellent oral hygiene.
1. Brush Exhaustively
Starting with the most obvious oral hygiene practice, brush your teeth. When brushing your teeth, you should brush exhaustively. So don’t brush the teeth only, get your gums and tongue too.
Most people brush their teeth regularly but don’t brush their entire mouth. But the tongue and roof of the mouth also harbor bacteria. These bacteria are responsible for awful breath.
Here’s a teeth-brushing refresher course for you. When brushing your teeth, brush at a 45-degree angle from the gum line. Brush using the back and forth method, it’s the most effective technique.
Remember to brush gently but get all areas of your mouth. You can also brush your lips to remove any dead skin on your lips.
Brush at least twice a day. You can brush after every meal if possible.
2. Avoid Alcohol and Soda
Your doctor will tell you the same thing but for different reasons. Soda and alcohol are serious threats to the perfect smile. So to get that brilliant smile, you may have to cut down on them.
Soda and alcohol contain phosphorus. Phosphorous is an essential mineral for the body. Phosphorus is, however, a micronutrient, and the body only needs small amounts of the mineral.
Overconsumption of phosphorus creates an imbalance in the body. This imbalance depletes calcium levels, which are the building blocks of teeth. Inadequate calcium can cause gum disease and other dental complications.
Sodas and some alcoholic beverages also contain a lot of sugar. Soda coats the teeth with a sugar coating that can cause tooth decay. Remember to brush your teeth immediately after drinking soda.
3. Avoid Tobacco at All Costs
Tobacco poses a myriad of health complications. Too much tobacco also stains the teeth and can cause oral cancer.
Nicotine in tobacco stains teeth. It’s not unusual for a smoker to have yellow or even brown teeth. Apart from the staining, habitual tobacco smokers also have to deal with bad breath.
Some chemicals in tobacco interfere with saliva production. Without enough saliva, your teeth lack an extra layer of protection against mouth bacteria. These bacteria are responsible for the formation of plaque.
Over time this plaque hardens and becomes tartar. Tartar can only be removed by a dental professional, a toothbrush cannot remove tartar. Do yourself a favor and abandon smoking for good.
4. Floss Regularly
Apart from brushing, your teeth could do well with some flossing. Flossing gets to the hard-to-reach spaces in between teeth. So besides brushing, do some flossing too.
Try flossing at least once a day.
Remember to use dental floss only when flossing. A normal string will do more damage than good.
5. Schedule Regular Dental Visits
How many times in a year do you see your dentist? Less than twice a year? Then you need to see the dentist more.
No matter how healthy your teeth are, don’t skip out on regular dentist visits. See your dentist at least once every six months. Regular visits will bring the best out of your teeth.
The dentist will also identify dental complications early. In doing so, you get to take action before things get worse. If they do, you can arrange for dental implants with the dentist’s recommendation.
Dentist visits aren’t strictly for people with dental problems. These visits are essential for maintaining your healthy teeth too.
6. Pay Attention to Your Diet
You may be a sucker for sugary treats, but spare the sugar for your teeth’s sake. Whenever you eat, consider not only the taste but also the health of your teeth.
There are some teeth-friendly food and others that may be detrimental. Anything with a lot of sugar isn’t great for teeth.
If you want stronger teeth, then consider eating nuts and apples. The calcium in cheese is also great.
Cheese also helps the mouth produce more saliva. Apart from cheese, eat vegetables and chicken. Remember to brush your teeth after consuming these foods.
Limit your consumption of sugary stuff to maybe once a day. Never eat sugary treats before going to bed. Apart from teeth damage, you may also have nightmares.
For Healthy Teeth, Consistency is Key
Hopefully, you now know the best practices for dental hygiene. With that on lock, all you have to do is practice them consistently.
Consistent practice of the discussed hygiene tips will guarantee you clean and healthy teeth. Don’t overlook your dentist; schedule for regular visits.
If your dental situation needs extra help, settle for dental implants. Dental implants are a viable option.Have a look at our other pieces for more exciting topics.