Good Dental Care Made Simple

As if avoiding cavities, bad breath, and gingivitis weren't enough, research has shown a link between dental health and overall health. Poor care of your teeth can lead to gum disease, which in turn can allow the harmful bacteria of your mouth to travel through your bloodstream to the rest of your body. So taking care of your teeth and gums isn't just beneficial for your mouth, but could also be good for your whole body. Here are some great tips for keeping your dental health in tip-top shape.

Tips for good brushing
Brushing your teeth is the best thing you can do to fight off cavities and plaque to keep your mouth healthy. For best results, brush twice daily for at least 2 minutes each time. Try to keep the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle toward the gum line as you brush, and brush all of the major surfaces of your teeth, as well as your gums and tongue(for fresher breath). You can rinse out your mouth with water when done. Optimally, you'd want to choose a toothbrush with soft bristles, and replace it every 3 months; bacteria can accumulate on the toothbrush over time. It isn't necessary to use an electric toothbrush, but the electric models were designed in large part to help make up for poor manual brushing technique. So if don't feel you've been doing the best job brushing manually, you might benefit from electrics.

Why you should floss
Flossing plays a vital role in keeping the tight spaces between your teeth clean, where bacteria and plaque can build up, and a toothbrush alone can't reach. Flossing is the next most important thing after brushing that you can do for good dental health. There's an old saying from dentists that you should only floss the teeth you'd like to keep. For best results, floss at least once daily. Gently slide the floss up and down between your teeth, making sure to reach below the gum line. If you don't care for the string variety of floss that you have to wrap around your fingers, then you might prefer the plastic disposables holding an inch-long line of floss.

Eating for better dental health
Regular brushing and flossing are important no matter what you eat, but there are some foods which might help or hurt your efforts toward better dental health. Foods that are good for your teeth include the crunchy fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, carrots, celery, and cucumbers, as they all can help to remove other bits of food that might get stuck in your teeth. Cheese is another food that can be very good for your teeth, due to its ability to coat your teeth with calcium and reduce the acidity in your mouth. Drinking green tea for its plaque-inhibiting catechins or milk for its calcium and vitamin D can also be good.

Foods that are bad for your teeth include many sticky and chewy sugary snacks, such as granola bars, cookies, caramel, and taffy, all of which can get stuck in your teeth and do further damage. Very sugary or fizzy drinks, including cola and other sodas, can also be very bad for your teeth due to their excess sugar and acidity.

Taking care of your teeth when you can't brush
At times when you can't brush, such as after eating out, it would be helpful to chew on some type of sugar free gum, which will at least build up protective saliva in your mouth. But for even greater protection, you could chew on a type of sugar free gum which contains xylitol, a sweetener which has been shown in research studies to reduce the appearance of cavities and plaque. If nothing else, just drinking some water for its fluoride content after eating can be good for your teeth.