SAY CHEESE!!
These are the most commonly used words while taking a picture.The purpose of saying cheese is so that your teeth will be visible, giving appearance of a beautiful smile.
But, Do you get excited hearing these words ? Or it makes you keep your lips tight shut in social circles?
Having not so good oral hygiene can restrict you to say something as simple as cheese or to smile.
Brushing your teeth every morning and night doesn't guarantee you are giving your mouth all attention it needs.
We are not immune to dental problems. Even maintaining a regular oral hygiene might leave some voids , if we are not aware of few basic habits.
Apart from few people, the problem- besides not caring about dental hygiene- can also be caring wrongly.
By understanding and learning proper brushing technique , summed up with few oral hygiene maintenance tips, you can make sure you have laid a strong foundation for a thorough clean.
Henceforth, you can consider the following oral hygiene maintenance tips to help you take your routine oral care to the next level.
1. BRUSH YOUR MOUTH PROPERLY
U heard that right ! I said mouth and not just teeth . Apart from teeth in your mouth, you have your gums, tongue , palate , which are equally important and needs cleaning too.
USE PROPER BRUSHING TECHNIQUE
A quick move of bristles all throughout your mouth isn't enough to exile leftover food particles or polish your teeth. Instead , learn and use a proper technique to get effective results.
Start with placing your brush at 45 degree angle to your gum line, such that bristles are in contact with both teeth and gums, use short up- down and back- forth strokes across the sides. When you are done, repeat the same steps for the inner surfaces of your teeth and gum.
Then hold the brush vertically on the back side of your front anterior teeth and use several short strokes. ( plaque accumulates most in this region and most of people neglect cleaning this area)
Upper chewing surface of teeth are no less important . Place brush horizontally on chewing (occlusal) surface of teeth and give short back-forth and circular strokes.
Be gentle with your teeth and gums. Also hold your brush lightly while brushing , as attacking them with rapid motion of bristles and forceful hand , will do more harm than good.
CLEAN YOUR TONGUE
Use tongue cleaner to clean /scrape the upper surface of your tongue. Even few brushes on the back side of bristles provides tongue scraper. This helps u get rid of bad breath also.
2. BRUSH ENOUGH
Many of us brush regularly, but not for enough amount of time to keep our teeth and gums clean .
ADA recommends brushing for at least 2-3 MINS and preferably TWICE A DAY.
3. CHOOSE THE RIGHT BRUSH
Always look for a brush whose head is small enough to reach the back side of your last molars ( last tooth ) . Generally for an average adult , SMALL OR MEDIUM HEAD SIZE suffice the purpose.
Coming to the BRISTLES, choosing the SOFT BRISTLE TOOTHBRUSH is usually a better option for average adult, however for elderly or having gum diseases will require using ULTRA SOFT BRISTLE BRUSH. Consult your dentist to know what suits best for your teeth.
4. CHANGE YOUR BRUSH
This is yet another very important point and neglected by most of the people.
With time and usage, bristles too deteriorate and so using the same brush beyond a few months, you may not be getting the best clean anymore. REPLACE YOUR BRUSH EVERY 3-4 MONTHS, SOONER IF THE BRISTLES GET FRAYED.
5. FLOSS REGULARLY
Clean between the teeth once a day with floss or inter dental cleaners to remove plaque from between the teeth where brush can't reach.
6. RINSING AFTER EVERY MEAL
If your work or activities prevent you from brushing twice a day, THOROUGH RINSES after eating helps minimize the amount of food that would serve as substrate for bacteria.
A MOUTH RINSE increases the cleanliness of your mouth.
You can opt for ,
a) warm saline rinses - a very basic household remedy which gives you tons of benefits
b) antimicrobial mouthwash - helps reducing bacterial and plaque activity.
c) fluoride mouth rinses - helps reducing tooth decay
Important point is, Mouthwash cannot do all the work by itself. Also not they are particularly necessary nor all are useful. So before choosing always talk to your dentist about the best option suitable for you and the proper method to use it.
7. DON'T IGNORE ACHES AND PAINS
Whenever you experience any sensitivity , toothache or jaw pain , don;t prefer waiting or to subside it by itself. Instead visit the dentist first. A dentist can detect the cause early and help prevent issue from escalating into costly dental repair work. Remember,
DENTISTRY IS NOT EXPENSIVE, BUT NEGLIGENCE IS.
8. AVOID TOBACCO AND PROMOTE TEETH FRIENDLY DIET
Increased intake of fibrous food and limit the intake of soda and alcohol, and your mouth will thank you!! Tobacco, not only causes stains and bad breath, but it deteriorates your oral as well as overall health.
SUMMARY
Brushing, Flossing and Rinsing are ABC's of oral health, but they are only the beginning. Apart from squeezing paste out of a tube, think improving your brushing technique and simultaneously ditching out the daily soda and tobacco intake habit. In a nutshell , these few tips offer a comprehensive strategy to improve your oral health.
By keeping these simple points in mind each day, you will avoid the high cost associated with the restorative procedures in the future. You will also decrease the likelihood of experiencing painful dental conditions.
Dental health is not something that happens on its own.You have to take the steps to keep your mouth clean and disease free. In short, to some extent
YOUR MOUTH IS IN YOUR HANDS!!
PRACTICING THESE HABITS WILL SERVE AS CHERRY ON TOP, THAT WILL MAKE YOUR ORAL HEALTH GREAT.
These are the most commonly used words while taking a picture.The purpose of saying cheese is so that your teeth will be visible, giving appearance of a beautiful smile.
But, Do you get excited hearing these words ? Or it makes you keep your lips tight shut in social circles?
Having not so good oral hygiene can restrict you to say something as simple as cheese or to smile.
Brushing your teeth every morning and night doesn't guarantee you are giving your mouth all attention it needs.
We are not immune to dental problems. Even maintaining a regular oral hygiene might leave some voids , if we are not aware of few basic habits.
Apart from few people, the problem- besides not caring about dental hygiene- can also be caring wrongly.
By understanding and learning proper brushing technique , summed up with few oral hygiene maintenance tips, you can make sure you have laid a strong foundation for a thorough clean.
Henceforth, you can consider the following oral hygiene maintenance tips to help you take your routine oral care to the next level.
1. BRUSH YOUR MOUTH PROPERLY
U heard that right ! I said mouth and not just teeth . Apart from teeth in your mouth, you have your gums, tongue , palate , which are equally important and needs cleaning too.
USE PROPER BRUSHING TECHNIQUE
A quick move of bristles all throughout your mouth isn't enough to exile leftover food particles or polish your teeth. Instead , learn and use a proper technique to get effective results.
Start with placing your brush at 45 degree angle to your gum line, such that bristles are in contact with both teeth and gums, use short up- down and back- forth strokes across the sides. When you are done, repeat the same steps for the inner surfaces of your teeth and gum.
Then hold the brush vertically on the back side of your front anterior teeth and use several short strokes. ( plaque accumulates most in this region and most of people neglect cleaning this area)
Upper chewing surface of teeth are no less important . Place brush horizontally on chewing (occlusal) surface of teeth and give short back-forth and circular strokes.
Be gentle with your teeth and gums. Also hold your brush lightly while brushing , as attacking them with rapid motion of bristles and forceful hand , will do more harm than good.
CLEAN YOUR TONGUE
Use tongue cleaner to clean /scrape the upper surface of your tongue. Even few brushes on the back side of bristles provides tongue scraper. This helps u get rid of bad breath also.
2. BRUSH ENOUGH
Many of us brush regularly, but not for enough amount of time to keep our teeth and gums clean .
ADA recommends brushing for at least 2-3 MINS and preferably TWICE A DAY.
3. CHOOSE THE RIGHT BRUSH
Always look for a brush whose head is small enough to reach the back side of your last molars ( last tooth ) . Generally for an average adult , SMALL OR MEDIUM HEAD SIZE suffice the purpose.
Coming to the BRISTLES, choosing the SOFT BRISTLE TOOTHBRUSH is usually a better option for average adult, however for elderly or having gum diseases will require using ULTRA SOFT BRISTLE BRUSH. Consult your dentist to know what suits best for your teeth.
4. CHANGE YOUR BRUSH
This is yet another very important point and neglected by most of the people.
With time and usage, bristles too deteriorate and so using the same brush beyond a few months, you may not be getting the best clean anymore. REPLACE YOUR BRUSH EVERY 3-4 MONTHS, SOONER IF THE BRISTLES GET FRAYED.
5. FLOSS REGULARLY
Clean between the teeth once a day with floss or inter dental cleaners to remove plaque from between the teeth where brush can't reach.
6. RINSING AFTER EVERY MEAL
If your work or activities prevent you from brushing twice a day, THOROUGH RINSES after eating helps minimize the amount of food that would serve as substrate for bacteria.
A MOUTH RINSE increases the cleanliness of your mouth.
You can opt for ,
a) warm saline rinses - a very basic household remedy which gives you tons of benefits
b) antimicrobial mouthwash - helps reducing bacterial and plaque activity.
c) fluoride mouth rinses - helps reducing tooth decay
Important point is, Mouthwash cannot do all the work by itself. Also not they are particularly necessary nor all are useful. So before choosing always talk to your dentist about the best option suitable for you and the proper method to use it.
7. DON'T IGNORE ACHES AND PAINS
Whenever you experience any sensitivity , toothache or jaw pain , don;t prefer waiting or to subside it by itself. Instead visit the dentist first. A dentist can detect the cause early and help prevent issue from escalating into costly dental repair work. Remember,
DENTISTRY IS NOT EXPENSIVE, BUT NEGLIGENCE IS.
8. AVOID TOBACCO AND PROMOTE TEETH FRIENDLY DIET
Increased intake of fibrous food and limit the intake of soda and alcohol, and your mouth will thank you!! Tobacco, not only causes stains and bad breath, but it deteriorates your oral as well as overall health.
SUMMARY
Brushing, Flossing and Rinsing are ABC's of oral health, but they are only the beginning. Apart from squeezing paste out of a tube, think improving your brushing technique and simultaneously ditching out the daily soda and tobacco intake habit. In a nutshell , these few tips offer a comprehensive strategy to improve your oral health.
By keeping these simple points in mind each day, you will avoid the high cost associated with the restorative procedures in the future. You will also decrease the likelihood of experiencing painful dental conditions.
Dental health is not something that happens on its own.You have to take the steps to keep your mouth clean and disease free. In short, to some extent
YOUR MOUTH IS IN YOUR HANDS!!
PRACTICING THESE HABITS WILL SERVE AS CHERRY ON TOP, THAT WILL MAKE YOUR ORAL HEALTH GREAT.
Very useful article .... I remember having read somewhere that your dental hygiene is directly connected to your mental hygiene or your mental state ! Hence it's imperative to take good care of your mouth !!
ReplyDeleteVery useful read !