Having a great smile and clean breath can make or break our first experience with people. Dental care has come a long way since we put baking soda on our fingers to clean our teeth. Having a bad dental hygiene might result to problems such as gum disease, bone loss (when using dentures), infection and more. We now have an enormous assortment of dental health and dental care products to help us get rid of plaque and bacteria that reside around and on our gums.

Brushing your teeth every morning and night might not guarantee that you’re giving your mouth all the attention it needs, not if you include other teeth damaging habits in your repertoire. Consider the following tips to ensure healthy dental care.

1. Selecting Toothbrush

Although some ancient civilizations used frayed twigs to clean their teeth, we have toothbrushes which have different sizes and shapes these days and finding one that should fit your mouth and allow you to reach all areas easily is important. Toothbrushes come in manual and powered variety. And the first step to ensuring good dental care relies on choosing a toothbrush that’s right for the job.

You’ll want to pick one that:

  • Fits your mouth size: Use a small toothbrush if you have a small mouth and likewise a big toothbrush for a large mouth.
  • A toothbrush with softer bristles rather than a harder counterpart. Hard toothbrushes wash off your enamel over time.
  • Whether it’s a powered or a manual it is easy to use.

Ask a dentist if an electric toothbrush is right for you. Electric toothbrushes have been shown by experts and toothbrush makers to clean teeth way better than manual toothbrushes.

2. ToothPaste 101

Dental care experts regards toothpaste has important to oral health because it helps to remove plaque and its bacterial buildup on teeth and fights off periodontal (gum) disease. However, with the startling variety of toothpaste available in the marketplace, it can be frustrating to try and find one that’s right for you. This makes it imperative to seek out the recommendations of your dentist, especially with those having special needs, such as teeth sensitive to cold or heat, or problems with tartar buildup.

3. Brushing

Brushing regularly, twice a day for the recommended two to three minutes might do no good if the process is done wrongly. Brush in a circular motion starting from the gum line and at 45-degree angle to your teeth, this ensures the toothbrush touches every area of the mouth removing debris and killing harmful bacteria.

4. Brush Timing

The American Dental Association recommends brushing two to three minutes, twice a day. This dental care habit is known to help evade dental complications.
Some power toothbrushes are designed with this recommendations in mind, having a built-in timer that will vibrate or beep when you’ve finished brushing for two minutes. Thus, helping people fight against their impatience during their time at the sink.

5. Brush your Tongue

Most people in their attempt to have a good and shining teeth neglect to brush the tongue, but most of the bacteria which causes bad breath resides on the tongue. You could follow all due process for washing your teeth but without scrubbing the surface of your tongue, you would walk out of the house giving off an offensive smell when you try to converse with people.

6. Use Mouthwash

Mouthwash cannot do all the work but if you are already brushing and flossing then mouthwashes containing ClO2 are very helpful because they help to kill and maintain the bacteria in your mouth.

The American Dental Association agree that Mouthwash is not particularly necessary and not all mouthwashes are useful. But they are known to help maintain good breath.

7. Consume Calcium

Calcium we know from our elementary days builds a strong white tooth, making it a habit to consume calcium as well as drinking milk, orange juice, fortified yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products helps with supplying nutrients for healthy teeth and body.

8. Dentures

Dentures should be cleansed regularly particularly after each meal; this help remove buildup of debris and harmful bacterial. you should also clean them regularly with antibacterial soap or denture cleaner — but not toothpaste, which is too abrasive.

9. Visit your Dentist

Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and checkups. Many Dentist recommends checkups be done within intervals of 6 months from previous visit.

10. Call your Dentist if you have symptoms of a cavity that include

  • Pain in the tooth that is happens for no reason or pain caused by eating food, beverages or brushing and flossing
  • Loose teeth
  • Tooth sensitivity to foods or drinks (hot or cold)
  • Gums that are red, puffy or swollen
  • Gums that bleed when you brush your teeth
  • Bad breath