Dental Health

Your Guide to Supreme Dental Health

Though some people may see it as a chore, having excellent dental health is actually quite easy and takes only minutes a day. This small amount of time is a great investment not only into the health of your teeth and gums but also into your overall health and well-being, as you will soon see.

If you have reasonably good dental health already, then you likely only need to know and practice the very basics of good oral hygiene. The first and most obvious thing is to brush your teeth. You should do so when you first wake up, before you go to bed and ideally after meals as well. People who work, have active or busy lifestyles or even just take care of their kids rarely if ever have a chance to brush after every meal. Others are simply too embarrassed to brush their teeth in a public bathroom like at work. If this is the case with you, then chewing sugarless gum can help until you can get home.

Flossing is also a basic essential for great dental health. You need only do it once a day and it only takes a few minutes. It is essential to floss not only between all your teeth but also the back of all teeth in order to remove plaque that can cause gum and tooth decay. Finishing up with a mouthwash will help to remove any loose plaque that the floss didn’t remove and also keep your breath feeling fresh and clean, which helps not only your dental health but the health of your social life as well!

Some people whose dental health is poor try to overdo things in order to compensate for past neglect. Like most things in excess, this is a bad idea when it comes to the health of your mouth. If you brush too vigorously, you may make your gums bleed (which is why a soft head toothbrush is recommended by most dentists- because it is easier on the gums). Also, using too much alcohol-based mouthwash can dry out your mouth, which is almost as bad as not brushing enough.

You should also visit a dentist at least twice a year for optimum dental health. They can do things like professionally clean and whiten your teeth and fix things like cavities and other tooth and gum ailments. They can also give you the skinny on why dental health affects your overall health. Recent studies have shown that gum disease and/or tooth decay can lead to worsened diabetes, stokes and even heart diseases or attacks. So following these very simple guidelines can not only save your teeth, but your life as well.