Maintaining good oral hygiene is important for everybody. Oral health maintenance is not only a necessity but also integral for your appearance and social life. If you don’t have a good oral cavity, you’ll run into many incidents where somebody might point it out to you, making the situation extremely embarrassing. Let’s start off by explaining what oral health actually is.
What is Oral Health?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Oral Health is defined as the “state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, Oral and throat cancer, Oral sores, birth defects such as cleft lip and palate, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay and tooth loss, and other diseases which affect the oral cavity.” (Source: WHO)
In simpler terms, we can say that it’s a state of oral cavity having no irregularities or disease. The question is: how can we get rid of any problems? How can we eradicate the irregular activity within the mouth? Here are some tips to maintain a good and healthy teeth, gums, and tongue:
1. Regular Visits To The Dentist
You should visit your dentist regularly for your routine dental check-up. Many people assume that whenever there is a problem or some pain in the tooth, then that is the time to visit the dentist. However, that shouldn’t be the case. You can ask your dentist for dental advice and get your teeth checked regularly.
2. Age Factor
When it comes to oral hygiene maintainence, older people and toddlers should be given more importance. Parents should teach their children how to brush their teeth properly at an early age. When in old age, other problems also have an effect immediate on the oral cavity. So special preventive measures should be taken.
3. So “No” To Soda
If you want to save your teeth get rid of the bad habit of drinking fizzy drinks. Soda and other carbonated drinks contain ingredients like phosphoric acid and citric acid which give the soda it’s taste, but it damages your tooth surface. A can every now and then will not cause a big effect, but drinking habitually will make your tooth enamel softer and eventually will lead to cavities. Instead of these drinks, drink fresh juices or the best thing is water.
4. Cut Down the “Sugar”
Cut down that sugar. The sugary treats which you eat tend to increase acidic activity inside the oral cavity. Leading to bacterial invasion, these sugars are the major culprit in causing tooth decay. Parents should keep a check and balance on their kids regarding the sugar intake of their children. Soda also contains a lot of sugar. So all the more reason to remove them from your diet.
5. The Smoke Should Go
You’ve all been told to quit smoking by your doctors and dentists, and maybe even family members. They tell you that because it has more cons rather than pros. Smoking damages your body as a whole.
The nicotine and tar in the smoke leads to the formation of plaque near your teeth and gums. Excessive smoking can lead to bone deformation causing tooth loss in severe cases. Smoking also leads to oral cancer.
6. Use The Appropiate Technique
What is the right brushing technique? We’ll tell you. Place your brush at a 45-degree angle, with the tip pointing towards the gum-line. Move the brush in a circular motion, 15-20 times on each tooth. Use this technique along with mouthwashes to stop tooth decay. And remember at least twice a day.
7. Flossing
Flossing is also a good way to prevent teeth from the invasion of bacteria within the mouth. The right flossing technique is to wrap around a foot of floss with a two inch gap between your index fingers. Use this technique to unroll all the plaque and leaving back healthy gums.