Top 10 Dental Hygiene Tips for a Beautiful Smile

May 24, 2017, Clayburn Dental

http://www.clayburndental.com/dental-hygiene-tips-beautiful-smile/

You’ve heard it time and time again — dental health is important. Healthy-looking gums and white teeth make all the difference in the world; you’ll feel more confident in life and look fantastic in those family-reunion photos too!

Oral health also goes a long way towards overall health too, in addition to a beautiful smile. Plaque, tooth decay and gum disease can all link to other infections and diseases throughout your body; keeping your teeth and gums clean is strong protection against a host of medical concerns because your mouth can be a harbour for bacteria.

For all of these reasons, simply going to your local Abbotsford dentist for dental cleaning checkups is only one piece of the puzzle. Incorporating good cleaning and preventative habits into your daily schedule for your oral health is an incredibly effective and even necessary factor to a strong and amazing-looking smile.

But in today’s busy, modern world, sometimes it can be easy to overlook or—gulp—even forget some of the basic but easy habits required for good oral health.

Clayburn Dental in Abbotsford has prepared these 10 best tips for a strong and healthy smile to help your teeth look amazing and become as healthy as ever!

1. Brush Your Teeth Properly and Regularly

This first tip sounds like an obvious one but sometimes people neglect brushing here and there when their days get busy. However, brushing your teeth twice a day remains the single most time-efficient, simple and effective way to maintain good oral health. Only 30 seconds per brush is all you need.

Make sure you’re doing it right though. Use up-and-down and back-and-forth brush motions along the outer surfaces of your teeth on both the front and back areas, while also paying attention to the gum lines. But be mindful to replace your toothbrush at least once every six months, as bristles can becomes less effective as they wear down and bacteria can also build up on them over time on them.

2. Don’t Forget to Floss!

All too often flossing gets overlooked even more than brushing your teeth does, but it’s just as important because toothbrushes can’t clean in between your teeth. It can feel like a chore sometimes but in reality it’s actually a very easy and quick habit that anyone can do in no time.

Flossing allows you to clean in the deep crevasses between your teeth and get rid of plaque and built-up material along the sides of your teeth and along the gums, so flossing once a day makes a huge positive difference towards your long-term oral health.

3. Avoid Over-Consuming Coffee!

We know, we know. Coffee reigns supreme in many Abbotsford households, not to mention across Canada. One cup of Joe in the morning won’t hurt – not only does it help wake you up, but coffee contains phosphorous, a mineral that contributes to a healthy mouth. However, too much phosphorous actually backfires by depleting your body’s calcium level, and calcium helps keep teeth enamel strong. Plus, too much coffee is a long-term factor to teeth staining, and nobody likes yellow teeth!

4. Quit Smoking

The health detriments to smoking are plentiful and well documented, but how tobacco affects your teeth is one of the most damaging, multifaceted and ostensible dangers of this bad habit. Smoking is guaranteed to cause bad breath and stained teeth, and it also increases your risk substantially of gum disease, tooth decay and oral cancer.

5. Switch to Fluoride Mouthwash

Not all popular mouthwashes on the market have fluoride in them, but those that do provide a major boost to your oral health. A main ingredient in toothpaste, fluoride helps to prevent tooth decay and cavities, so fluoride mouthwash combined with brushing your teeth provides an extra line of defence for your oral health. Check the ingredients of your mouthwash the next time you’re visiting your local drug store or grocery store to make sure it contains fluoride.

6. Keep the Sweets to a Minimum

We all love candy or dessert every now and then, but sugary foods and beverages increase the risk of cavities when over-consumed. Try to only indulge in sugary tweets occasionally, avoid carbonated soft drinks such as cola when possible and plan a balanced and healthy meal schedule to make this process a lot easier.

7. Drink Lots of Milk

Milk is an excellent source of calcium, which helps strengthen teeth and decreases your odds of dental diseases. It goes great with cereal too, but remember, try to avoid sugary cereals!

8. Don’t Forget to Clean your Tongue

More than half of the bacteria that lives in your mouth is actually on your tongue. Plus, tongue bacteria contributes to bad breath, not to mention gum disease. Make sure to brush the top of your tongue each time you brush your teeth, or better yet, simply invest in specially made tongue cleaners that you can easily buy over-the-counter at most drug stores, since they can usually be more effective than toothbrushes.

9. Exercise

That’s right, exercise. Research shows that people who exercise regularly are 40% less likely to experience periodontitis, otherwise known as advanced gum disease.

10. Visit Your Abbotsford Dentist at Clayburn Dental Twice a Year

And finally, visit your dentist at least twice a year for a cleaning checkup. Not only do we help clean your teeth, but we also examine your oral health to help check for any concerns, prevent future problems and rectify current ones you might not even know you have.

Visit Clayburn Dental

The Abbotsford dentists at Clayburn Dental are accepting new patients and we are also kid-friendly. Call us today at (604) 852-8487 or easily request an appointment online and learn how we can help your whole family get stronger, healthier, beautiful teeth today!

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