How To Take Care Of Your Teeth For A Healthy Smile

How To Take Care Of Your Teeth For A Healthy Smile

Do you take special care of your gums and teeth? Do you follow your dentist's suggestions and dental care reminders? Do you follow the recommended annual visits to the dentist? Are you keen in keeping your dental health at its best?

Providing proper teeth and gum care are important. Here are some tips to follow in order to keep your oral health at its optimum level.

1. Your dentist and dental hygienist can provide you the best education on how to properly take care of your teeth and gums. Follow the tooth brushing techniques and proper oral care advices given by your dental health professionals. Avoid rushing when brushing your teeth. Provide at least 3 minutes of your time to thoroughly clean your teeth. Take enough time to reach all the dental surfaces including those hard to reach areas and the back teeth.

2. Your brush should be held at a 45-degree angle to your gums. This will enable the tips of the bristles to point to the gumline. Gently move your brush in very short strokes in a back and forth motion 3. You should not take for granted the inner surfaces of your teeth even if these are not readily visible when you smile or open your mouth. Brush thoroughly both the inner and outer surfaces of your teeth as well as the grinding and incising surfaces.

4. It is also advisable to brush your tongue gently. Our tongue usually harbors bacteria and minute food debris left during mastication, which can cause bad breath.

5. It is also important to floss your teeth at least twice a day or after every meal as much as possible to remove trapped food particles in between the teeth that may cause bad breath and may become a bacterial breading ground.

Today there are a lot of types of dental floss coming out in the market. Choose the product that you feel most comfortable with and that doesn't cut or hurt your gums.

Here are some useful steps to follow on how to floss correctly: a. Use at least 18 inches of dental floss and wind it around the middle finger of each hand. Hold it between your thumb and forefingers and leave about an inch of dental floss. Gently slip it in between your teeth in a sawing motion. Be careful not to snap or jerk the floss into the gums. b. Curve the dental floss into a C shape when it reaches the gumline then slide it gently up the gum. Be careful not to press too hard, you don't want to cut your gum in the process. c. The floss should be held against the tooth and perform a scraping motion along the side of the tooth. This should be done gently and moving the dental floss away from the gums. Follow this procedure until you reach the backside of the last tooth. d. Bleeding gums may occur during the first 5 or 6 days after you start flossing. If beyond this period bleeding still occurs, you need to call and inform your dentist about it. You may not be doing the right thing and in the process hurting your gums.

Properly taking care of your oral health will provide you a good and healthy oral environment, which will give you a healthy, beautiful smile and increase your self confidence.