Good habits and practices start at home — this is undeniably true when it comes to oral hygiene. Achieving impressive oral health takes more than just a simple everyday brushing of teeth. Even if your teeth look nice on the outside, you still have to take the necessary steps in taking good care of teeth as well as your gums to avoid oral health problems.
The effects of not having good oral hygiene and practice at home will reflect on the person’s physical appearance. Here are some of the most important oral care habits that you can practice at your own home:
- Brush your teeth regularly
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing our teeth twice every day for at least two minutes. Brushing every day prevents a clear film called plaque from building up on your teeth.
- Don’t forget your tongue
Your teeth may have done almost all the hard work in cutting, munching, and chewing your food. However, your tongue also receives damages because of the plaque that could start building upon it caused by the acids on the foods you ingest. Neglecting your tongue in your oral health practice may lead to bad mouth odor and other oral health issues.
- Floss regularly
While brushing can clean the surface of your teeth, flossing performs its job by removing the food pieces in between your teeth. Flossing also reduces the plaque buildup in between the teeth as well as lowers the inflammation of the gums by stimulating it.
- Choose the food that you eat
The plaque building up on our teeth and the acids that damage them comes from the foods we eat. One way of taking good care of your teeth and gums is to choose the foods that won’t deteriorate their health. Refrain from cigarette smoking. Instead, eat foods that are oral health-friendly such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, chicken, and dairy products.
- Use toothpaste with fluoride
When buying toothpaste, choose those with fluoride content. This component helps in fighting the plaque buildup and keeps the teeth strong. You might even like to leave some fluoride on your teeth at night by not rinsing your mouth after brushing.
If you don’t clean your teeth regularly, you are putting yourself for so much dental risk. Apart from experiencing uncomfortable pain due to a toothache, you may also have to deal with dental treatments such as fillings, crowns, implants, and other complicated procedures and to give solution to your dental problem. So take care of your teeth at home and visit your dentist regularly for checkups; only then you will be able to keep your teeth and gums healthy for a long time.
