When it comes to taking good care of your teeth, it is important to get started off correctly and to have good habits for your oral care. Here is a list of 10 great oral hygiene tips that our experts here at Comfort Care Family Dental of Naperville share with all of our patients.
10 Great Oral Hygiene Tips
- Proper Brushing
It is important that you brush at least twice a day for a minimum of 2-3 minutes each time in order to remove plaque and prevent bacteria from growing on your teeth and to reduce the acidic wear and tear on the teeth throughout the day. However, if you cannot brush after meals you should at the very least rinse well with clean warm water to wash as much of the food off your teeth as possible.
- Flossing!
It is a lot of work and can get annoying but flossing is very important to your dental health and overall well-being. Flossing helps to remove food particles and ensures that plaque is not able to accumulate where brushing cannot clean very well. Brushing handles the outside of the teeth but there is a lot of surface area to the teeth in those tight spaces between each tooth that has to be cleaned as well!
- Avoid Tobacco
Kicking the tobacco habit helps your overall health and your teeth and gums too! Tobacco users are more likely to lose teeth, have dental problems, get oral cancer, and suffer other dental problems. You also will not be using all that gum and all those mints to hide the tobacco breath and you avoid that sugary damage. This is of the great oral hygiene tips we tell all smokers they need to try to adhere to.
- Limit Sodas, Coffee, and Alcohol
While there is a lot of phosphorous in these drinks, which is an important mineral, an overdose of phosphorous can severely deplete calcium levels and it can actually leach calcium out of the teeth and bones. This causes dental hygiene problems and makes teeth much more prone to decay, cavities, and other problems. At Comfort Care Family Dental of Naperville, we urge all our patients to limit these drinks.
- Get Your Vitamins
This is one of the great oral hygiene tips more people need to follow. Most people know that calcium is important for healthy teeth and bones but other vitamins and minerals are also essential. Calcium and Vitamin D are vital for the health of gums and teeth. B Vitamins work to protect the teeth and gums and keep them strong. Copper, iron, zinc, iodine, and potassium are also needed for good dental hygiene.
- Visit Your Dentist
Do not skip those dental appointments, no matter how much you may hate or fear sitting in the dentist chair. You should see a dentist at least twice a year for general dental care and checkups. If you have serious dental issues, more frequent checks may be needed. This is one of the great oral hygiene tips because the experts at Comfort Care Family Dental of Naperville will ensure dental health is maintained.
- Use Mouthwash If You Want
Mouthwash is not always needed and some people do not tolerate the strong Listerine rinses very well. Mouthwash cannot do all the work but it is an important part of the overall dental care for many people. If you do not like store-bought rinses you can make your own or try one of the natural mouthwashes that are available to you to use. You should use mouthwash several times a week at least.
- Don’t Avoid Symptoms
If you are experiencing symptoms of dental issues- toothache, bleeding gums, or other issues, it is important that you get to your dentist and have things checked out as soon as possible. Your dentist needs to do a full evaluation and check in order to diagnose the underlying cause and determine the best way to treat your symptoms and the cause before it grows into a major dental emergency!
- Look at the Big Picture
Tooth problems impact more than just your mouth, teeth, and gums- it can have a devastating impact on your overall health. Untreated dental problems can affect your heart, your breathing, your sleep habits, and many other seemingly unrelated systems of the body. This is why Comfort Care Family Dental of Naperville is committed to helping all of our patients with their dental health and hygiene needs!
- Clean your tongue
It is important that you clean your tongue daily. There are a number of professional grade tongue cleaners that you can use. These cleansers help remove much of the bacteria that otherwise live and thrive in the rough surface of the tongue. These can contribute to bad breath and can spread to your teeth where they cause damage too! So, take care of your teeth by taking care of your tongue!
To learn more and find out how to use these great oral hygiene tips in your daily routine, contact Comfort Care Family Dental of Naperville today to get started!
Comfort Care Family Dental P.C.
1001 E Chicago Ave #143, Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 369-0111
https://www.comfortcaredentists.com
