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Form Easy Habits That Will Improve Your Oral Health
It can often be difficult to make sure you’re looking after your teeth, especially if you lead a busy lifestyle. Below we outline some ways in which you can improve your oral health, without the hassle.
Changing a few habits here and there and being aware of what you’re putting into your body cannot only help your oral health, but your overall health as well.
Drink More Water
This one seems super simple, but its surprising how many people don’t drink water on a regular basis. It is so easy to swap out fizzy drinks for water, and your teeth will thank you for it!
Water has no sugar or calories so is great for your general health and your oral health.
If you drink mineral (fluoridated) water, this can also help fight tooth decay due to its ability to strengthen tooth enamel.
Stop Unhealthy Snacking
A busy life can often mean more snacking! In between main meals, you should be trying to eat healthy snacks that do not contain sugar. Options can include cheese, veg sticks, nuts and breadsticks. Sugary snacks cause an attack on your teeth as the sugar reacts with the bacteria in tooth plaque, and this can last for up to an hour.
If you are eating sugary snacks every few hours, this can mean a continuous attack on your teeth, causing more cavities. Cutting down and eventually ditching this type of snacking is the best way to avoid this problem.
Chew Sugar Free Gum
Why not pop a piece of sugar free gum in after eating? Xylitol is in some sugar free gum and kills the bacteria that causes cavities. Chewing gum increases saliva levels, and therefore helps to bring down acid levels. You should chew for 20 minutes after you have eaten.
Chewing gum is also good for helping to break unhealthy snacking habits by developing a new one. Chewing sugar free gum is a good habit to have. It can also help to protect your teeth and gums in between meals.
Stop Smoking
Smoking regularly can cause stained teeth, bad breath, a diminished sense of taste and mouth cancer. Over a long period of time, smoking can have disastrous effects on your overall health. Smoking is also one of the most significant risk factors associated with gum disease. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your oral and overall health.
Brush Your Teeth
It only takes a minimum of 4 minutes a day to brush your teeth effectively, and this should be number one on your to do list when you get up in the morning and before you go to bed at night. Flossing is also important to make sure your oral health is up to scratch.
Visit the Dentist
Although visiting us at Shifnal Dental Care will take time out of your no doubt busy day, you are only likely to need to go once a year (this could be more or less dependent on your personal needs) and we are here to help you every step of the way. Your health and wellbeing is always at the forefront of our minds, and in the long run, poor dental hygiene would result in more visits to the dentist and more time off work.
Stay on top of your oral hygiene and make an appointment with us at Shifnal Dental Care – our treatment coordinator Katherine will be happy to speak with you. Give us a call today on 01952 460119.
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