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Article written by-Cheng Handberg
If you are like many people, you have unanswered questions about proper dental care. Aside from the need to brush and floss daily, what else can you do to enjoy a healthy and attractive smile? Start by reading the article below. You'll find a selection of helpful insights and ideas with the answers to many of your questions.
Brush your teeth daily. Food and bad bacteria can settle on and in between teeth causing odor and dental issues, so brushing them helps to keep them clean. Brush them at least twice per day using a toothpaste that contains fluoride. The best times to brush your teeth are after every meal you eat and prior to bed.
Do not hesitate to use large quantities of floss to clean your teeth. Use approximately 20 inches of floss to ensure you are able to floss each tooth. Use your middle fingers to twist the floss. When you are done, about 2.5 centimeters of floss should remain to clean your first tooth.
Brush your teeth twice a week with baking soda. Use it just like you would toothpaste normally. Baking soda will help whiten your teeth over time. You can also use regular salt as a replacement. Just remember never to swallow either, otherwise your sodium levels might get higher than they should.
Never assume that skipping your dental appointment is okay. Everyone should start getting dental care as soon as they are six months old. Dental check-ups should be done every six months after. This holds true for children, teenagers, adults and the elderly. Everyone needs to see a dentist twice a year past their first birthday.
Using mouthwash on a daily basis is a great way to maintain a healthy mouth. Mouthwash will help pervent periodontal disease. It kills bacteria in your mouth and improves your overall mouth health. Another benefit to using mouthwash is that it will keep your breath fresh. Even if you have a beautiful smile, having bad breath will reduce your smiles' positive impact.
Make tooth brushing fun for your young children so that they will want to engage in the habit. Play games with your child like seeing who can take longest to brush their teeth. Give children stickers or stars for completing routines that include tooth brushing, and buy them a small present when they have brushed their teeth for a certain number of days in a row.
As you floss, focus on just one tooth before turning your attention to the next one. Work the floss down to your gum line and then carefully pull it back up to get rid of any plaque that has accumulated. In a back-and-forth motion, rub the floss so that it cleans the tooth well.
Know your feelings on oral irrigators. These will help with your oral hygiene as long as they are used properly. However, you still need to brush your teeth. These irrigators don't remove plaque. With correct use, these irrigators get rid of the bacteria, but if used the wrong way you end up with bacteria being lodged in your gum tissue.
If you find that your mouth and lips are dry a lot, tell your dentist about it. If you are taking medications, they may be the cause. Your dentist will be able to tell you whether your medications are causing your dry mouth, and can help you determine how you can treat it.
Eat an apple everyday. This tip has been around forever, leaving some to believe that it is just an old myth, but it is not. Apples are full of vitamins that are good for your teeth and also make your teeth stronger because eating an apple is like a workout for your teeth.
Every two month, you should even change out the head of your electric toothbrush. These bristles will soften and they will not clean teeth effectively long term. An explosion of bacterial growth will lead to a toothbrush that you really don't want to consider putting in your mouth.
If you have a small cavity, it is always best to go ahead and fill it. Small cavities are easy to fill, while large cavities take longer, cost more and can require extensive work like crowns or root canals. It is always better to catch a cavity when it is small and the work is minimal.
Don't always start your brushing routine by starting to brush in the same place each time. Vary your routine and it will help ensure that you are not skipping the same places each time you brush. If you always use the same routine, you may brush too hard at first and not hard enough at the end.
If you are having dental issues, go the dentist right away, even if you are off your visit cycle. It may be tempting to think it's best to hold off til your normal visit, but your teeth will only be getting worse during the wait time. It may cost a few extra dollars now, but it's well worth it to keep the big dental bills away.
Do not get into the bad habit of tearing open plastic packages with your teeth. Your teeth should be treated with care. Using it to tear non-food items can damage your teeth and gums. Open your packages with a knife or a pair of scissors, and not with your teeth.
If you suffer from acid reflux, GERD or heartburn, the acids in your stomach can make their way up your throat and into your mouth where they can cause decay and enamel loss. If this is happening, then rinse your mouth out to help dilute the acid and wash it away.
Never brush you can try here after you eat. It may seem as though that you could prevent cavities by brushing right away, but the reality is that the enzymes from food can react with the toothpaste in a way that it causes harm to your teeth. Be sure that you rinse your mouth before brushing to make sure that this does not happen.
In conclusion, you may have been like most people, uneducated about dental care. But, now you can see that there is a lot that goes into dental, most of which you need to know about to avoid a myriad of dental problems. Use the above advice to keep your teeth in great shape.
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