5 steps to achieving good oral hygiene.

As part of a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to reduce the risk of oral diseases, by following these 5 steps you can achieve good oral hygiene.

1. See your dentist regularly
Regular checkups and professional prophylaxis are the best way to prevent dental problems or to treat any dental alignment at it’s earliest. Your dentist will look for signs of oral disease and any dental cavities. Oral diseases often go unnoticed and may lead to serious health problems, some pre cancerous lesions often get detected by dentist when the patient comes for check up.Only your dentist has the training, skill and expertise to diagnose and treat oral health diseases and to meet all your oral health care needs. Click here to make an appointment.

2. Practice good oral hygiene
You can use a soft-bristle toothbrush to brush your teeth and brush at least twice daily with fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque and bacteria that cause cavities and periodontal disease (gum disease) fluoride has the tendency to prevent teeth from proximal caries.

Make flossing your habit and do it regularly. If you don’t floss, you are not cleaning more than a third of your tooth surface. When choosing oral care products look for the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) Seal of Recognition.

3. Eat a well-balanced diet
Healthy food is good for your general health and your oral health. The nutrients that come from healthy foods help you to fight cavities and gum disease.

Drink fluoridated water, but excess fluoride in the drinking water can damage teeth and bones. Fluoride’s protection against tooth decay works at all ages. Avoid excess sugar especially sticky candies. It is one of the main causes of dental problems.

Heavy use of alcohol is also a risk factor for oral and throat cancers. When used alone, alcohol and tobacco are risk factors for oral cancers, but when used in combination the effects of alcohol and tobacco are even greater.

Adults should avoid junk food and snacks with high sugar content and starches. Limit the number of snacks eaten throughout the day. The recommended five-a-day helping of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables stimulates salivary flow to aid re-mineralization of tooth surfaces with early stages of tooth decay.

Diabetic patients should take extra care to maintain good oral hygiene, they should visit dentist frequently to detect any periodontal changes. They are more prone to lose teeth due to high risk of periodontal infections. They should maintain their sugar levels, within the normal range.

4. Check your mouth regularly
Look for warning signs of periodontal disease (gum disease). Gum disease is one of the main reasons why adults lose their teeth. The warning signs include:

Red, shiny, puffy, sore or sensitive gums

Bleeding when you brush or floss

Halitosis or bad breath

Look for warning signs of oral cancer. The 3 most common sites for oral cancer are the tissues adjacent to molars, sides and bottom of the tongue and the floor of your mouth.

Some clinical signs of precancerous lesion

Bleeding from the sores

Open sores that don’t heal within 7 to 10 days

White or red patches

Numbness or tingling

Small lumps and thickening on the sides or bottom of your tongue, the floor or roof of your mouth, the inside of your cheeks or on your gums.

Report any of these warning signs to your dentist.

5. Don’t smoke or chew tobacco
Smoking and chewing tobacco are dangerous to your oral health and your overall health.
Tobacco use is a major cause of tooth loss through gum disease and may lead to serious problems like oral cancer. Tobacco can cause heart disease and a variety of cancers.

If you take care of your teeth and gums at home and visit your dentist regularly, your smile should last you a lifetime.

Source: worlddental.org

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