Preventative Dental Care You Should Be Doing For Improved Oral Health

If you aren't paying attention to your teeth and gums, you may have some underlying issues that you aren't even aware of. When these problems do come out, it may be too late and you could end up with some serious oral health problems that could require a tooth to be pulled altogether, or worse — having all of your teeth pulled. Read on for some preventative dental care tips to improve your oral health.

Eat And Drink A Proper Diet

What you put in your body matters to your entire body, and this includes your teeth and gums. If you're eating and drinking junk, it's going to show in your oral health as well. The sugar in foods and liquids will sit on your teeth and gums and can eat away at the enamel on your teeth. Your gums can accumulate with sugar and can lead to bad breath and other problems as well. If your teeth start to rot from cavities that aren't taken care of, it can lead to gum disease. Be sure to eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Water should be a big part of your diet, and you should have at least 8–10 glasses of water per day. Replace sugary drinks in your diet with water instead.

Floss Daily

Flossing should be done more often than the day you go to the dentist. It should be done daily. Flossing gets in between the teeth where your toothbrush can't reach. This buildup of bacteria and plaque can cause your teeth to rot in between your teeth. Floss your teeth every day for healthier teeth and gums. If you don't normally floss, it's a good day to start. You may notice some swelling or redness at first, possibly even a little bit of blood. As you continue to floss, you will not notice this as much. If you do continue to notice an issue, alert your dentist to this issue.

Use Mouthwash

Aside from brushing and flossing your teeth, using mouthwash can be a big benefit for your mouth as well. Mouthwash will clean everything off of your teeth that you may have missed with your toothbrush. Mouthwash can be used during the day when you're away from home and can't brush your teeth for a cleaner mouth and to help remove sugar that is stuck on your teeth and your gums.

Preventing cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay can be done by taking good care of your teeth before you spot an issue. Be sure to visit the dentist every six months for a deep cleaning and checkup. If you notice any issues with your teeth, have any type of pain or have bleeding when you brush or floss, alert your dentist to these issues.

To learn more about preventive dentistry tasks that you can do at home, contact a clinic like Pacific Ave Dental/Allan L. Hablutzel, DDS.