When it comes to the health of your teeth and gums, fewer adages are truer than “prevention better than cure.” When you consider that the “cure” for serious oral ailments can involve surgery, Houston dental implants, medications and a few days off work in recovery, it really does make the “prevention” part – brushing, flossing and a visit to the dentist - look like a stroll in the park!
The only problem is we all tend to take good oral health for granted. If you fall asleep without brushing your teeth, it’s not the end of the world and one decent sugar indulgence is not going to make your teeth fall out. Over the years, however, the consequences of neglecting your oral hygiene and unhealthy eating habits add up. Before you know it, a tooth is so decayed it needs to be pulled.
Then you’re facing the discomfort of the extraction procedure, the cost of having the tooth replaced by an expert in dental implants in Houston and the lifelong challenge of living without your full set of natural teeth. This is not even to mention the other consequences of neglected oral health: tooth discoloration, bad breath, unattractive smile aesthetics, low self-esteem and compromised general health.
Quite simply, by looking after your teeth and keeping regular scheduled appointments with the dentist, you can prevent your teeth and gums from becoming damaged, and the expenses of the far more complex (and often invasive) dental procedures required to fix them, if they can be fixed at all! So, what can you do to keep your smile in good shape? Here are the preventative measures recommended by dental healthcare practitioners…
Your Standard Home Oral Hygiene Routine
- Tooth Brushing: You should be brushing your teeth three times a day for two minutes at a time. Spend 30 seconds per quadrant of your mouth and make sure you scrub each and every pearly white in your mouth, from your back-most molars to your front incisors. Change your toothbrush every four months and when the bristles start to look frayed.
- Flossing: You should floss your teeth every day, especially before you go to bed at night to avoid falling asleep with all that food debris and bacteria between your teeth. Give every tooth a good flossing and then rinse your mouth afterwards.
- Rinsing: It’s not compulsory to gargle with an anti-bacterial mouthwash, but it certainly gives your health the upper hand. If you do invest in a mouthwash, make sure it’s ADA-approved and doesn’t contain any alcohol. Alcohol actually dries your mouth out, which makes it more vulnerable to bacteria and acid.
Visit Your Dentist!
In addition to a rigorous home oral hygiene routine, you should be going for regularly scheduled appointments with the dentist and oral hygienist. By inspecting your teeth and gums – both visually and with the aid of X-rays – the dentist can make sure that there aren’t any potentially serious problems that could, in the long term, cause tooth loss and the possible need for Houston dental implants. A professional cleaning will remove any accumulations of plaque and tartar from the enamel of your teeth above and just below the gum line, enabling you to leave your dental appointment in better health than when you arrived!
