10 ways to keep your mouth healthy

Keeping on top of your oral hygiene should be at the top of your agenda. Here are 10 ways to make sure your mouth stays healthy.

1. Pro Brushing

Brush your teeth twice daily, in the morning and evening (at least). Plaque takes 12 hours to deposit on the teeth surfaces and transform into bacteria, which can attack your enamel or harden into tartar. Top tip: try to hold your toothbrush pointing towards the gum line using circular motions.

2. Keep your mouth in check

Go to the dentist at least twice a year for a check-up. This will allow your dentist to notify you of problems such as decay and gum disease.

3. Go electric

Buy an electric toothbrush and use it for 2 minutes, it has been proven that it removes much more plaque and food debris than the manual one. Make sure you can use it at a low speed so it doesn’t damage the gums. Top tip: a tooth brush head should be changed every three months.

4. Flaws in your flossing

Floss or use inter-proximal brushes in between teeth at least once daily as the food or bacteria get first deposited in between teeth and more likely to develop inter-proximal decays or gum inflammation. Top tip: wrap the floss around your index fingers, use a new piece of the floss for each tooth and floss against the tooth to avoid damaging the gums.

5. Improve your technique

Minimise the amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush: dry cleaning has been proven to be more effective than when using a lot of toothpaste as the mechanical effective movement of removing plaque is dramatically reduced when we feel the mouth fresh using a toothpaste .

6. Don’t forget your tongue

Make sure you clean your tongue as well as many bacteria colonise its surface giving bad breath. Top tip: you can buy special tongue cleaners or simply use a spoon upside down.

7. Stop smoking

Smoking will not only stain your teeth but it also reduces the blood supply to the gums and causes/aggravates gum disease, it can also lead to oral cancer.

8. Can the fizzy drinks

Stay away from acid fizzy drinks as they will erode your enamel and make it more exposed to bacteria. Top tip: try water instead you can always add citrus fruit to the mix.

9. Bye, bye sugar

Reduce sugars in your diet, especially honey or spreadable chocolate or sticky sweets which will go in between teeth and very difficult to brush them off, sugar is the major culprit for tooth decay.

10. Healthy foods

Eat plenty of vegetables like carrots or celery or greens which will naturally brush your teeth and cleanse the surfaces.

Dr Nina Bal DBS (Hons) is a dental surgeon specialising in cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics.

Source from: http://goo.gl/dTPc9y