Taking Care Of Your Mouth With Proper Dental Care
Taking Care of Your Mouth with Proper Dental Care
The way you take care of your mouth especially your teeth actually reflects your overall state of health.
Science has shown a strongly positive relationship between oral health and general wellness. In simple
terms, if you take good care of your teeth and your oral cavity, you will also have a generally healthy body.
Conversely, poor dental and oral health is equated with poor general health. Suffice it to say, everything
starts with proper dental care. You can also go to the website to learn more about proper dental care.
Good oral care starts with the correct brushing of the teeth. Most folks don’t really observe the correct
way of brushing their dentition. Some do it rather haphazardly while others only brush in a single pass.
Some don’t even brush for several days at a time. As such, the first order of business is to learn the correct
way to brush the teeth.
There is also the question of using fluoridated toothpastes. Fluoride is a mineral that our teeth need to stay
strong and resist the abrasive nature of certain foods and drinks. However, you only need to use
fluoridated toothpaste if you think your water supply doesn’t already contain fluoride. You see, most water
utilities already include fluorine in the supply so you don’t need to use fluoridated toothpaste anymore.
As for flossing, it is expected that you floss at least once daily. This is a very important step in the removal
of food debris that are stuck in between teeth that they cannot be removed by ordinary brushing alone.
However, just like in brushing, the correct way of flossing is necessary to make sure you get thorough
cleaning.
Dentists also recommend the use of mouth rinses. For many, this helps freshen breath. But for those in the
know, a good mouthwash does more than simply give you fresh breath. It also kills many of the bacteria
and other microorganisms that have not been physically removed by brushing or flossing. Steer clear of
mouthwashes that contain alcohol, however.
Proper dental care also includes regular visits to your dentist. When we say ‘regular’ it means at least every
6 months with or without any obvious dental problem. The issue with most of us is that we don’t go to the
dental office unless we have pain, swelling, or any other complaint on our teeth. This is the only time that
many of us would even bother scheduling an appointment with our dentist. This has to stop. We need to
regularly visit our dentists so they can also regularly assess the condition of our teeth.
If there are no problems in our oral cavity and our dentition, then we can adhere to our dentist’s
recommendations on how to promote and maintain healthy and strong teeth. If there are problems, then
our dentist can provide the solution immediately. This is one of the advantages of going to a dentist on a
regular basis. You get to learn the current status of your oral cavity and dentition. This way you will know
what you need to do.
Then there’s the issue of proper nutrition. You will need foods that are naturally rich in calcium and
phosphorus as these can help strengthen the teeth. Protein-rich foods are also a must since these can help
in the development of mucosal and connective tissues which will anchor the teeth as well as provide the
connective matrix for calcium deposition. Foods that are rich in zinc, folate, and iron are also essential
since they can help in the continuing development of both mucosal and connective tissues. Equally
important are foods rich in vitamins A, C, and D as well as omega-3 essential fatty acids.
A word of caution about vitamin C-rich foods though. While citrus fruits are excellent sources of this
vitamin, you should really avoid eating fresh citrus fruits because its acidity can weaken the structure of
the tooth enamel, making it more susceptible to cavity formation. If you really have to eat fresh citrus
fruits, make sure to rinse your mouth immediately after eating. Or you can drink a full glass of water to
wash off the acidity.
Taking good care of your mouth means observing proper dental care. This can go a long way towards
achieving optimum health.