Steps You Need to Take to Keep a Beautiful Smile
When thinking about health, most people do not think much about caring for the health of your teeth. The truth is there is a definite connection between having a healthy mouth and having a healthy body. This how to guide will present an overview of what you need to keep your healthy teeth.
Brush Your Teeth
Brushing your teeth and flossing form the basic two things that serve as a starting place for healthy teeth. You need to brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time and floss them once a day – preferably before you go to bed.
Gum Disease
The bacteria in your mouth will form a film (plaque) on your teeth every so many hours. This is constantly occurring and brushing your teeth will remove it from the surface of your teeth, and flossing removes it from in between your teeth.
When you eat sweets and sugar-laden drinks, it causes the bad bacteria in your mouth to multiply. When it does, it produces an acid that starts attacking the enamel on your teeth. Without the proper care, the bacteria will continue to create dental problems. Your healthy gums will start to show signs of gum disease, which in the early stages are revealed by bleeding gums when you brush your teeth, they may possibly be inflamed, and your gums may be noticeably receding.
In more advanced stages, gum disease becomes periodontitis, which causes more adults to lose their teeth than any other cause. The same bacteria involved in the more mild form of gum disease (gingivitis) continues producing acid that destroys your gums, the structures that hold your teeth in place, and your jawbone. Only a periodontist can help restore your gums and teeth at this point – and it will be very costly.
Why Healthy Teeth and Gums Are Important
Recent research has discovered that the bacteria that cause gum disease and inflammation are also a major factor in as many as 50 different diseases and health problems. Among them are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke. Several types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, COPD, pregnancy complications, and many more are caused by these same bacteria.
Eat Healthy Foods
The acids and sugars in many foods attack the enamel on your teeth, which leads to a process called demineralization. This means it is actually removing important minerals from your teeth, weakening the enamel and even making holes in it. By eating balanced healthy foods, your teeth can be remineralized and strengthened. Both processes are constantly occurring, but healthy eating helps ensure that the right vitamins and minerals are available.
The right kind of nutrition is also necessary to help your immune system. When healthy, your immune system can help fight off both gum disease and some oral cancers. Both of them are apt to grow faster when you do not get enough of the right kind of nutrition.
Smoking, or using chewing tobacco or even e-cigs, weakens the immune system in your mouth. This is why dental work on smokers takes longer to heal, and it is also why many smokers develop oral cancer.
Teeth Cleaning
Making regular visits to the dentist is also important to keep healthy teeth. The dentist can spot dental problems in their early stages and treat them, which could easily prevent the need for more costly treatments later on. As the dentist provides regular teeth cleaning, they can also tell you about spots you may be missing in your own dental care.
In between teeth cleanings, there may be other times when you should contact your dentist. These include occasions when you notice:
- Red or tender gums that may also bleed when you brush.
- Your gums are pulling away from your teeth.
- Your teeth become sensitive to hot and cold.
- Bad breath that you cannot prevent.
- Some teeth are becoming loose.
- Sores in your mouth are not healing.
- Your teeth do not align the same way.
- Your dentures or partials do not fit the same way.
- You have difficulty when swallowing.
Be Careful of Drugs
The illegal kind of drugs can contain many harmful types of chemicals that will help destroy your teeth fast. They contain acids that will weaken your teeth’s enamel quickly, leading to serious cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss.
Even prescription drugs can harm your teeth. Some drugs, such as some antibiotics, can lead to discoloring them. If you are taking a drug that seems to be discoloring your teeth, see if your doctor can prescribe an alternative medication.
In order to maintain your healthy teeth and gums, you need the regular assistance of a dentist. If you live in Farmers Branch, TX all you need to do is call 214-747-0763 , Champion dental clinic for your regular dental check ups and affordable oral care. Make Champion Dental as your preferred dentistry for all your family dental needs.
