Maintaining your oral health allows you to be much healthier overall. Damage to your oral health can negatively impact many other areas of your general health. To ensure you’re taking the best care of your oral health, implement the following steps often.
Eat a Healthy Diet
One of the most beneficial things you can do for your oral health is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Sugary foods are one of the top causes for tooth decay and oral health issues. Sugar residues in your mouth attract the bacteria that causes cavities. Because of this, it’s important to eat foods that are good for your teeth and the rest of your body. Specifically, foods that are high in calcium can help strengthen your teeth and build up your enamel. Dairy products, in moderation, can be excellent sources of calcium. Other beneficial foods are any type of crunchy, fibrous fruits and vegetables. The fiber in these foods helps clean your teeth, increases saliva flow, and can freshen your breath.
Practice Dental Hygiene
Besides eating healthy, there are many other steps you need to take to ensure the optimal health of your teeth. For starters, you should brush your teeth twice a day, and floss once per day. Make sure you’re using fluoride toothpaste to adequately prevent cavities. However, there’s only so much you can do on your own. The ADA recommends you go to the dentist once every 6 months. These dentist visits allow your teeth to be professionally cleaned, and the dentist can check for any issues that need to be resolved. The dentist’s tools are more thorough than yours, so they will be able to clean the spaces you miss.
Use Your Teeth Properly
Another one of the most damaging things you can do to your teeth is to use them as tools. Using your teeth to open bottles, packages, and more can cause your teeth to chip and break. You should only use your teeth for chewing healthy foods. This means that chewing things like pencils, ice, and hard candy are also damaging. Hard candy especially has the added damage of leaving sugar deposits in your mouth for bacteria to grow.
Your oral health is one of the most important aspects of your overall health. If your teeth and gums sustain damage, it can lead to nerve damage and infection. Make sure you’re doing all of these things to keep your mouth as healthy as possible.
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