Everybody desires to have a great smile and a good oral hygiene. Not taking care of your teeth and gums can lead to many medical and dental problems, such as gingivitis, periodontal disease, tooth decay, heart disease, bone loss, and many others. Visiting your dentist regularly, you can prevent all these problems and will ensure the proper health of your mouth. In this article, you will find a series of useful tips that will help you maintain a good oral hygiene.

1. Brushing is crucial

One of the easiest and quickest ways of improving your oral health is to improve your brushing technique. When you brush your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush, the position of the bristles should be at an angle of 45-degrees. The contact of the toothbrush should be with both the gum line and the teeth. Firstly you should brush the outer surface of your teeth with a back-and-forth and up-and-down motion. Next, you should clean the chewing surfaces of your teeth. The inner surface of your teeth is the last part you clean using the same type of motions you used for the outer surface. Be careful not to brush too hard, or you will damage your teeth. In the end, don’t forget to clean your tongue with a tongue scraper and the roof of your mouth to remove the excess bacteria.

2. Flossing is necessary

Many people don’t realize the importance of flossing at least once every day. But using string floss can help you remove the food particles that got stuck between your teeth and are unreachable with a toothbrush. Flossing enables you to reach areas of your teeth where food might get stuck. Dentists recommend flossing at least once a day, especially before going to bed. It doesn’t matter if you floss before or after you brush your teeth, as long as you do it.

3. No tobacco

Do a big favor to your teeth and avoid using tobacco products. There are a lot of health issues tobacco may cause, including oral cancer, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, periodontal disease, and tooth decay. In addition to this, smokers always have to counter the bad breath caused by the agents used to process tobacco. Some smokers try to use candies, coffee or tea to mask the bad breath, but all these add more to the damage suffered by the teeth.

4. Limit coffee, wine, sodas and alcohol

Most of the beverages today contain high levels of phosphorous, which can be found naturally in the mouth. But too much phosphorous could cause a depletion of the calcium levels the human body needs. This could cause tooth decay and gum disease.

5. Limit the sugars

A lot of foods and beverages today contain high sugar quantities to make them taste better. Sugar is the preferred “food” for the tooth-decay-causing bacteria in the mouth. Because people with diabetes cannot regulate the sugar levels in their body, they suffer a lot of dental problems. The same thing happens if you do not watch your sugars. By reducing the intake of sugars, you will improve your oral health.
The best way of treating an oral condition is to prevent it. For more information about your oral hygiene, schedule an appointment with your dentist.