Having a flawless smile is fast becoming the most sought-after fashion accessory, leading to many more people making an extra effort to learn more about properly caring for your teeth and taking care of their teeth.
Thanks to Instagram filters, Photoshop, and celebrities fixing their teeth to achieve perfection, spending on dental procedures is on the rise, but there are ways to look after your teeth without resorting to dental implants and veneers.
Caring for Your Teeth Begins with Baby Teeth
Properly caring for your teeth should begin as soon as that first tooth makes its appearance. Before you even get to brushing, it’s advisable to wipe babies’ gums to protect the emerging teeth from cavities. You then need to start brushing as soon as the first tooth starts to emerge.
Many dentists focuses on making patient visits as relaxing as possible, as well as offering advice such as looking after baby teeth over on their website.
Healthy smile
Caring for your teeth matters more than you might realize. Not only does it protect your oral health, but it can impact health in other areas too.
You might be surprised to learn that there is a connection between heart disease and gum disease.
Studies have shown that certain bacteria found in the mouth can travel to the bloodstream, elevating the risk of heart problems.
It’s even been said that gum disease puts you at perhaps two or three times higher risk of a heart attack.
Flossing
While brushing your teeth is a vital part of properly caring for your teeth, flossing is just as important. Using an interdental brush or, if that’s not possible, floss or dental tape is essential for an all-around dental clean.
It might not feel like you’re achieving anything, but almost half of your tooth surfaces are hidden from the brush. What these products do is scrape the parts of the teeth that your toothbrush simply can’t reach.
If you don’t clean between the teeth, it leaves this sticky bacteria, called plaque, on the teeth, which damages teeth and gums.
The Breakfast Brush
When it comes to properly caring for your teeth, there is some debate as to whether it is better to brush your teeth before or after your breakfast in the morning.
Although it might seem obvious that brushing after breakfast will rid your mouth of any food debris, it’s not quite as straightforward as that. Here’s why. When you eat, the food can soften the enamel on your teeth, so brushing right after eating means you are attacking the enamel with a brush when it is actually at its weakest.
That’s why some experts recommend brushing as soon as you get up, using fluoride toothpaste to eliminate the harmful, tooth-attacking bacteria.
This is the best course of action unless, of course, you are able to wait for around an hour after breakfast to brush, which gives your tooth enamel a chance to re-harden.
So the best choice for you will depend on your morning routine and how quickly you need to get out of the house after you’ve eaten.
The Check-up
One of the most important, and often neglected, parts of caring for your teeth, is making regular visits to the dentist. In addition to making sure you don’t need any fillings and checking, there are some procedures only a dentist can perform that will keep your smile looking bright.
First of all, during your visit, the dentist can clean some of those harder-to-reach spots we mentioned earlier.
If there are some areas you have difficulty cleaning, and the plaque there hardens into tartar, you’re going to need the dentist to scrape it off using special tools.
They can also give a fluoride treatment that coats your teeth and offers an added layer of protection while you wait for your next appointment to come around.
Final Thoughts on Caring for Your Teeth
As you can see, there is a lot more involved in caring for your teeth than just brushing. So for health as well as cosmetic reasons, it’s important to take care of your smile. And now that you know how to do that effectively, you’ll be able to keep your teeth in the very best condition.