Oral health is very important if you want to keep your teeth into old age. The unfortunate fact is that this is challenging for many people as they don’t get the dental care they need.
However, research suggests that oral health is connected to overall health. If you fail to look after your mouth you’ll increase the amount of plaque and bacteria in your body. This leads to an increased risk of heart diseases, stroke, and even diabetes. It’s also been linked to the early onset of Alzheimer’s.
The main cause of the oral and dental disease is a lack of care. This is generally due to not brushing enough or a poor technique when brushing.
Your mouth has bacteria in it all the time. When you eat, the sugar in your food reacts with the bacteria in your mouth. The side-effect is acid. This is what attacks the hard enamel covering your teeth.
Over time the enamel is worn away, allowing the bacteria access to the center of the tooth. Bacteria can then attack the soft dentin inside your teeth, damaging the nerve and potentially causing a tooth-weakening abscess.
This is when you’ll get a severe toothache and need to do something about the issue.
Steps To Prevent Oral Disease
There are several things you should be doing regularly if you want to prevent oral and dental disease from occurring.
-
Regular Checkups
Potentially the most important part of dental care is finding a reputable dentist, such as this Alexandria dentist. You’ll then be comfortable going once or twice a year according to their recommendations.
A regular check-up will allow issues to be spotted early and rectified. That’s not just good for your oral health, it’s beneficial for your overall health and outlook on life.
-
Brush twice a day
A key part of looking after your teeth is to brush twice a day, preferably for two minutes each time. You should use a gentle circular motion and a fine, but soft-bristled brush. This will allow you to get between all your teeth and remove as much debris as possible.
You must not brush too hard as this will damage your gums, and increase the risk of oral disease. Hold your brush with your forefinger and your thumb, that should help you maintain the right pressure.
-
Floss
Alongside brushing it’s a good idea to floss once a day every week. The floss slides between your teeth, helping to remove excess debris. Use a gentle sawing motion with the floss between your teeth, this will remove the maximum possible level of debris.
-
Emergency appointments
Never be afraid to book an emergency appointment if you think you have an issue. Even if it turns out to be nothing it’s much better to get it checked out. This will help to ensure you get the treatment you need when you need it. That’s better than waiting and finding out you’ll have to lose your tooth when a filling would have originally solved the issue.
