Oral Wellness Tips To Keep Your Teeth And Gums In Their Best Shape

Dentist Blog

Good oral health practices are an important part of managing your entire body's health and wellness. When you experience oral decay or inflamed gums, it can not only cause you discomfort, but it can lead to receding gums, tooth loss, and eventually allow infection to enter your bloodstream and move to other areas of your body, such as the lining around your heart. Here are some recommendations for you to keep your oral health in its best condition to prevent oral decay, soft tissue inflammation, and damage to your gums.

Practice Good Brushing and Flossing

Brush your teeth using a proper, gentle method to remove the sticky plaque that forms on your teeth through the day. Plaque will harden into tartar in just a few days if you don't brush to remove it, and your dental hygienist will need to scrape it from your teeth at your next dental cleaning.

After you brush your teeth, be sure to brush your tongue to remove the bacteria and plaque that also collects here. Plaque and bacteria build-up on your tongue can cause tooth decay and bad breath.

Use floss daily when you brush to remove plaque between your teeth. Flossing also stimulates the tissues of your gums to reduce inflammation and promote healthy blood flow to them.

Keep Your Toothbrush Clean

Your toothbrush is one of the most important tools you can use to keep your teeth clean, so you should clean it often as well. If you only rinse off your toothbrush, you may allow bacteria and germs to grow within its bristles. There are a few different methods you can use to keep your toothbrush extra clean and prevent it from growing and harboring bacteria and germs.

Hydrogen peroxide may not be a good option for cleaning wounds, but you can use it to clean your toothbrush between uses. Store your toothbrush in a small cup of hydrogen peroxide, which you change out after you brush your teeth. You can also soak your toothbrush overnight in a cup of antibacterial mouthwash to clean it. Just be sure you rinse it well before using it.

As another option, place your toothbrush in your dishwasher's utensil rack and run the dishwasher on a hot setting without dish soap. This cleans your toothbrush of any harmful germs, especially after you have been sick and is a good recommendation for a weekly cleaning.

Be sure you visit your general dentist for a dental cleaning and check-up every few months, as recommended by your dentist. This can help remind you to change out your toothbrush with a new one after each visit, and you will likely get a new toothbrush for free from your dentist.

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12 November 2018

Give Yourself the Gift of a Beautiful Smile

If you are someone who hesitates to open your mouth when you smile because you are embarrassed about your teeth, you should know that there are a number of cosmetic techniques that can give you a beautiful smile you will be proud to show to the world. As a cosmetic dentist, I have seen many clients transform their lives simply by fixing their smiles. This blog is meant to encourage people to find out about the possibilities in cosmetic dentistry so they can feel good about their smiles. A beautiful, confident smile really can change your life. I would love to show you how.