Maintaining good oral hygiene is incredibly important for yourself, and your family. Having a good oral hygiene routine is important, as oral disease can cause pain, discomfort, affect your ability to eat, as well as diminishing your self-confidence. Oral problems can be complex and expensive to treat. There is also evidence to show that an unhealthy mouth can interact and affect disease in the body, such as heart disease.
At The Fine Tooth Company, we are your local family dentist in Croydon. We always put your health first. Below are some oral hygiene tips, so you know the best practices for healthy teeth.
How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy
1. Maintain a Healthy Diet
A balanced diet is known to be a key factor in maintaining your overall health, but it is also a major aspect in looking after your oral health. Eat a variety of foods each day, from the five food groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains and cereals, dairy, lean meat, fish, and eggs. Dairy, such as cheese, milk or yogurt, can give the additional benefit of helping to strengthen your teeth.
2. Reduce Sugary Foods and Drinks
Sugary foods can cause decay to occur to teeth. It’s best to limit your total intake of sugar, and it is best to avoid sugary snacks in-between meals. If you do have sugar-containing food, try to finish it at once, rather than snacking on the food repeatedly.
3. Reduce Acidic Drinks
Beware of acidic food and drinks, such as fruit juice, sports drinks, soft drinks, and wine, as these can cause erosion (dissolving of the teeth). After having an acidic drink, rinse out soon after with plain water. Also avoid brushing for at least 30 minutes after having an acidic drink.
4. Chew Sugar-Free Gum
Chewing sugar-free gum between meals can help reduce your risk of decay, by stimulating saliva flow. It can also help to freshen your breath, and can be a healthy substitute for unnecessary snacking. It can also help to stimulate saliva, and improve comfort for individuals who may be experiencing a dry mouth.
5. Brush Twice a Day
Everyone knows that the key part of everyone’s oral hygiene tips is to brush twice a day. Always use a soft toothbrush, as harder bristles can actually cause irreversible damage to your teeth and gums. Use a gentle circular motion in a systematic approach so you avoid missing any areas. Always use a fluoride-containing toothpaste (use a specialised low-fluoride children’s toothpaste for kids under 6 years old). Thorough brushing should take at least two minutes – time yourself to see how long you’re taking. Spit out the toothpaste, but don’t rinse after, so you maintain the protection of your toothpaste in your mouth for longer.
6. Floss Once a Day
Brushing thoroughly, while an excellent way of maintaining oral health, will only reach about 60% of the tooth’s surface. The remaining area can only be cleaned properly with flossing. Flossing daily is important to prevent decay occurring in-between your teeth, adn to prevent the development of gum disease (loss of bone due to gum inflammation). Some individuals may benefit from other cleaning aids to clean in between the teeth, such as interproximal brushes. Your dentist will talk to you about these, if they are suitable for your needs.
7. Have Regular Dental Check-Ups
Routine dental check-ups with your dentist in Lara, are important in maintaining a healthy mouth. Regular dental check ups allow for early detection of dental problems, allowing for them to be treated before they become a bigger (and often more expensive) issue. A dentist will also usually perform a professional scale and clean at a routine dental check-up to remove any build up of tartar, which is important in maintaining healthy gums. X-Rays are usually part of a routine examination, and should be done at regular intervals to detect, and diagnose dental problems. It’s also important to bring children in for their first dental check-up when their first tooth erupts, or when they are 12 months old, whichever happens first. Your oral hygienist in Croydon will be able to give you tips to keep your teeth healthy.
8. Protect Your Teeth During Sports
It’s important to wear a professionally fitted custom mouthguard, if you, or your child, plays a sport where there is a risk of contact injury to the teeth. Over-the-counter, and “boil-and-bite” varieties of mouthguards do not offer adequate protection to the teeth, as they are not designed to evenly distribute any contact forces to the mouth. The Australian Dental Association recommends that only a custom fitted mouthguard be used for any high-risk sports. It is important to seek immediate dental advice as soon as possible after any dental trauma.
9. Protect Your Teeth From Grinding
If you are someone who grinds, or clenches, their teeth while you sleep, it is advisable for you to get a custom-fitted device to wear at night-time called an occlusal splint or a nightguard. A splint is similar to a mouthguard, and is worn to prevent you from grinding your teeth shorter, or putting cracks in your teeth from the pressure of the grinding. If you have a lot of treated teeth, such as fillings, crowns, or veneers, a splint can be advisable to increase the longevity of those restorations.
10. Quit Smoking
Smoking can have major, negative, effects on an individual’s oral health. It is a major risk factor to the development of periodontal disease (gum disease). Smoking can reduce the success rate for treatment of periodontal disease, and smoking is known to increase the chance of oral cancer. It can also stain and damage your teeth.
Your Local Croydon Dental Clinic
The Fine Tooth Company offers a range of quality dental treatments in Melbourne. We have created a homely atmosphere, and have been operating for 30 years. Our Croydon Dental Clinic has flexible opening hours for our patients with busy lives. We’re open 6 days a week, so we have an appointment for even the busiest of people, simply call us to find out how we can help you.
At Fine Tooth, your local dentist in Croydon has your best interests at heart. To book a routine check-up, talk to an emergency dentist, or to find out more about our wide range of services, visit our website, or call us on (03) 9723 1100 to find out more. We have afterpay available, allowing you to take the financial stress out of your oral health.
