Your Mom and Dad were right when they told you to brush your teeth twice a day. They were only trying to instill a very important habit that will not just take care of your oral health but will also impact how the rest of your body is.
While dentists are more than capable of handling cavities and tooth decay, these treatments will cost money, much more than just taking the right steps in keeping your teeth strong and healthy. Fortunately, taking care of your teeth is, in reality, not that complicated.
The Importance of Good Oral Health
Having clean white teeth with fresh breath is not the only reward you get for taking care of your teeth. The fact is, your oral health is also tied to how your overall wellbeing is. One way is preventing the build-up of bacteria in the mouth so that it does not cause any infection in your body or lead to diseases if it gets into your bloodstream.
Getting sick will mean medical expenses that will add to the cost of bad oral hygiene. By just keeping great oral habits, none of these will be necessary. Moreover, you will be able to keep yourself in top health and fully confident of your perfect smile.
Visiting the dentist twice a year will contribute to great oral health and will save you from expensive dental procedures that you can easily avoid.
Tips For Keeping Your Teeth Strong and Healthy
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Avoid Sugar-Filled Drinks
If you do not want to have bacteria multiplying in your mouth and spreading into the bloodstream, then limit your sugar intake. Sugar is like the food of bacteria, and it makes acids that make your tooth enamel soft. Worse, chewy candies get stuck in the teeth and lead to worse damage. Soft drinks are also a bad choice due to the extra acids in the drink.
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Eat Enamel-Friendly Foods
Your teeth love calcium because it will counter the decay-causing acid in the mouth. Beyond that, it is great for making bones and teeth stronger. Good sources include milk, cheese, or other dairy products.
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Do Not Overbrush
Even if your intention is to keep your teeth strong and clean, brushing your teeth might also bring negative consequences. Overbrushing might damage your gums and lead to bleeding. This is why you should choose soft-bristled toothbrushes and only use short and gentle strokes.
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Use of Fluoride
Strong and healthy teeth will get even stronger when you use toothpaste that has fluoride. This will make them more acid-resistant, specifically when you are eating. Lastly, they make your enamel stronger and help avoid cavities.
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Get Treatment For Heartburn And Eating Disorders
When you have a bad case of heartburn, you may find out that the stomach acids that come out are at fault. It will threaten the tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay. This is the same thing that happens when those with bulimia vomit food and release the same acids.
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Avoid Chlorinated Pools
Water turns into acid when swimming pools are not properly chlorinated. In turn, it will damage teeth if this water gets into the mouth. Otherwise, make sure to keep the mouth closed when swimming, so that the teeth do not get wet.
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Get Treated For Dry Mouth
Certain conditions, as well as aging, can lead to dry mouth. The lack of saliva in the mouth is bad because saliva washes away any food or bacteria that may be cavity causing. It will also counter the effects of consuming acidic foods. For those who experience this, the way to solve this is to drink water often or chewing sugarless gum to keep the mouth moist or to stimulate the flow of saliva in the mouth. Lastly, you may talk to your doctor about other medications if your current one is leading to dry mouth.
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Stop Grinding Your Teeth
A grinding habit is very bad for your teeth, as the pressure on both upper and lower teeth will slowly wear down the tooth enamel. If you find yourself doing this unintentionally, you should talk to your dentist and you might be given a mouth guard to protect your teeth.
Check out the post right here to get more tips to keep your teeth strong and healthy. By following these simple steps, you can avoid having tooth decay that leads to expensive dental work or worse, possible health issues.