Health and Hygiene
“SMILE, it raises your face value”.
Oral health is considered as a window to your overall health. As your mouth is the entry point to the digestive and respiratory tracts, the bacteria which plunge into your body can cause diseases. As a rule, the body’s natural defences and good oral health care practices such as flossing, and brushing keeps bacteria under control. However, having proper oral health hygiene maintained, will not just keep your tooth decay-free and gums protected but will also improve your overall health.
It requires a lifetime of care and attention in achieving healthy teeth. Even if people have nice teeth, it is very crucial to be mindful of your daily habits and use the right products to prevent problems. Here are some of the ways to maintain good oral hygiene.
- Proper Brushing
The way you brush your teeth is very important. If you are not brushing your teeth for at least five minutes you are doing a very unsatisfactory job which is almost as bad as not brushing at all. Dentists’ advice using gentle and soft brushes. Moving them in circular motion removes plague. Unremoved plaque can get hard further causing calculus build-up and gingivitis which is commonly known as early gum disease.
- Adequate attention to your tongue
While brushing people tend to concentrate on their teeth and leave their tongue uncleaned. Such negligence causes a plague to build on your tongue. This not only leads to bad mouth odour but can have consequent oral health-related problems. Therefore, it is advised to gently brush your tongue when you brush your teeth.
- Using Fluoride toothpaste
Nowadays there are n number of toothpaste available in the market. One must make sure to choose the right one. While choosing toothpaste there are important factors to consider apart from whitening power and flavours. No matter which brand and version you chose, one should make sure that it contains fluoride.
While many argue that fluoride has come under inspection by those anxious about how it impacts other areas of health, this substance remains a centrepiece in oral health. Fluoride has time and again proved to be a leading defence against tooth decay. It does not only fight germs but also provides a protective barrier for your teeth.
- Treating Flossing as an important practice
Even if people pay very good attention to their oral health they mostly try to concentrate more on brushing while neglecting to floss. The practice of flossing barely means removing little pieces of food or broccoli stuck in between your teeth. Dentists recommend flossing once a day as it really is a way of stimulating your gums, reducing plaque, and lowering inflammation in the oral area.
- Dealing with flossing difficulties
Many people find it awkward as well as tricky to practice flossing. Apart from that, for children and old adults with arthritis flossing can be difficult to practice. But to give up flossing isn’t the solution. There are a wide variety of flossing tools available in the market. The wax flosses slide very easily through your teeth which helps clean the area of your mouth where a brush cannot reach. There are ready-to-use flossers that can make a huge difference in your oral health.
- Count on Mouthwash
As we know television advertisements make it seem very necessary to use mouthwash in your daily routine. Nonetheless, people neglect that often avoid using mouthwashes as they are not fully aware of the benefits they provide. Using a mouthwash once a day has three proven advantages
- It helps reduce the amount of acids in your mouth and neutralize your saliva.
- It slides easily and gently in between your teeth and helps clean hard-to-brush areas.
- It remineralizes your teeth that is helps recover the lost enamel which is the outermost part of the tooth.
- Keeping yourself Hydrated
Drinking water is extremely good for your teeth as it helps rinse away harmful bacteria and food debris. The plague does not get built up in a clean and hydrated mouth. The food we eat and the beverages that we consume have acids in them. Drinking water helps dilute these acids and protect your teeth
Xerostomia, simply known as dry mouth is a condition where plaque builds up as the mouth does not produce saliva. Like water, saliva plays an important role in protecting your teeth and gums. Drinking water helps your mouth stay hydrated and stimulates the process of saliva production.
- Avoiding Sugary and Acidic food
In time, the sugar that we consume gets converted into acids in the mouth, which can destroy the enamel of your teeth. Further, these excessive acids lead to the problem of cavities. It is not advised to cut down on sugary and acidic food altogether, but it doesn’t even hurt to do mindful eating.
In this rush life, people usually don’t give adequate attention to oral hygiene. The mouth plays a crucial role in your overall health. It is the gateway to consume nutrients as well as bacteria. Hence, it is very important that individuals practice oral health practices and adopt them in their daily routines.
- Shrutika Khedekar.