Your smile says a lot about you. It can tell people if you’re warm and welcoming. It can also tell people if you’re taking good care of your teeth. Disregarding your oral health isn’t just detrimental to your smile, though. Problems that stem from your oral health can negatively impact your whole body. Taking care of your teeth is essential to your overall health.
Practice Good Hygiene
The issues that are most detrimental to your oral health stem from not practicing good dental hygiene. Good dental hygiene is simple: brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes, and floss once per day. This removes the bacteria that accumulates in your mouth during the day. If you don’t brush and floss, this bacteria builds up and can lead to more serious symptoms. The worst case examples are tooth loss, and infection. If you practice good dental hygiene, these are easily preventable. It only takes a few minutes to practice good dental hygiene, and it saves you from painful and unpleasant alternatives.
Avoid Bad Habits
Maintaining your oral health isn’t just about brushing and flossing. There are other things you should do (or in this case, avoid) to ensure the health of your teeth and gums. For example, grinding your teeth can wear away your tooth enamel. If you find yourself waking up with a sore jaw, or displaying other signs of tooth grinding, try investing in a mouth guard. This provides a layer of protection to stop your teeth from grinding together and wearing down. Other bad habits to avoid are nail biting, chewing ice cubes, and brushing too hard.
See a Dentist Regularly
Even if you’re taking perfect care of your teeth, it’s still important to get them professionally cleaned and checked every six months by a dentist. Your dentist has the training and machinery to inspect your teeth and gums more thoroughly than you can at home. Getting your teeth professionally cleaned by a dentist removes any buildup of plaque and keeps your teeth healthy. They can also check for early signs of more serious issues like mouth cancer or gum disease. Just like it’s important to get a yearly checkup by your primary care provider, bi-yearly dentist visits are essential to maintaining your oral health.
Your teeth do a lot for you. It’s important to place real focus on taking care of your oral health so they can continue to do so for a long time. Taking care of your teeth and gums is simple and doesn’t take much time. However, doing so can save you from the painful negative consequences of bad oral health.
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