As the famous saying goes, “where there is thunder there is lightning.” Hence if you end up messing up with your health habits, you would eventually fall into the trap of various diseases. The same goes for the case of your dental health. Your dental health has a lot of impact on your overall presence. It is always said that your smile is the best ornament that you can wear.
It is easy to forget about your dental health when you have so many things to remember on the daily basis. When you take care of your oral health, this in turn helps in saving a lot of money of yours. Dental procedures pinch your pocket harder than any other medical procedure. The cost of dental procedures is higher than those of medical procedures.
Healthy oral health, with a healthier set of teeth and gums, helps you to enjoy your food and eat it well. There are several health problems that end up affecting your mouth, but good oral healthcare habits can keep all your dental problems at bay and maintain your perfect smile. It is said that as you age, your oral health tends to weaken, and keeping that in mind you should take care of your oral health as you age gradually.
It is often misunderstood that taking care of oral health is the job of kids and younger children. Have you ever thought that as you age you should stick to a particular oral health care habit, to keep your teeth and gums healthy? The habit of brushing and flossing is an essential habit that everyone needs to adopt irrespective of age.
As you age, everyday wear and tear take a toll on your teeth and gums and this leads to the dwindling of your teeth and gums. There are plenty of habits that you need to check out, for keeping the shape of your teeth and gums in shape.
Below enumerated are the habits that you need to cut off
Not having a dedicated brushing routine:
Your teeth are your smile’s best friend. Hence if you want to maintain your precious smile, then looking after your teeth is an essential habit that you need to follow. Brushing your teeth regularly twice a day and flossing once can help in, maintaining your teeth’s health. Hence if you are still not brushing and flossing regularly, then you should immediately take note and get back on track if you care about your oral health.
Here a question might arise in your mind how often you should brush your teeth? Well, the answer is very simple brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing for once is what you should do.
Your toothbrush is responsible for your teeth’s shade:
The next thing that you need to look out for is what kind of toothbrush you are using. Dentists recommend that using an electric toothbrush provides you with the best results. Plaque is the enemy of your teeth and gums, and the buildup of plaque is a very common thing, and if it is not cleaned that it builds up into hard tartar. Hence using an electric brush, would be an effective way for removing plaque. Electric brushes have much more effective in removing plaque as they vibrate at a higher speed. Hence it stimulates the gums and this removes the plaque from the places where it is harder to reach, where the food can build up in between the middle of teeth.
Choosing a proper type of toothpaste:
In the world of toothpaste, one can find various options to select from. There are different kinds of toothpaste, and each has got a different job to do. Some are there to whiten your teeth, while others help in preventing cavities. There are some tubes of toothpaste that taste like fruit snacks. While there are some tubes of toothpaste that even contain chemicals that are meant specifically depending upon the sensitivity of the teeth. Well, there might be several different kinds of tubes of toothpaste available in the market dentists recommend using that tube of toothpaste for teeth which consist of fluoride in it.
Not following a proper brushing pattern:
A proper brushing routine is a golden key to unlocking your smile’s beauty. Well, the selection of soft toothbrushes leads to less damage to your gum tissues. Apart from that, you need to give a light touch too, for cleaning your teeth.
Brushing too hard leads to damaging your gum tissues and causes the receding of your gums, which exposes the roots of your teeth this also includes the root surfaces that are covered by enamel. For avoiding this kind, of harshness on your teeth you should use a soft-bristled toothbrush that has a small head.
Avoiding flossing:
Just like a plant requires a good amount of soil and water for its growth. Your teeth too require a proper routine of brushing and flossing for their maintenance. You know that flossing is all about getting rid of the food particles that are stuck in your teeth. Flossing also helps in cleaning the gum line, where bacteria build up their nest which causes bad breath.
However, many people don’t include flossing regularly in their routine because they find it boring or difficult to do it properly. Well, in that case, you should use floss picks instead of traditional floss. As these are easier to use and take up less space in your mouth than traditional floss and this also saves time.
Smoking or chewing tobacco:
By reading the heading, you must have developed an idea in your mind that smoking or chewing tobacco is the worst habit that leads to dwindling your teeth and gums and in turn destroys your dental health. Smoking or chewing habits are the worst habits, which cause several oral diseases.
The chemicals present in the smoke also lead to bad breathing and yellowing of teeth, while if you chew tobacco your mouth becomes prone to cavities and mouth cancer. While smoking also affects your heart and lungs; and it is harmful to your gums and teeth, too. Hence try avoiding these if you want to build a road to better oral health for yourself.
Consuming hard candies, toffees:
Crush those hard candies and toffees from consuming if you care about your oral health. Dentists recommend not consuming those hard candies, and toffees if you want to maintain that perfect smile. Those hard candies and toffees are something that you should bid farewell to if you want to maintain your teeth and gum health. Try avoiding any kind of hard food as this can easily chip your teeth and the worst thing is it can also break off entirely.
Acidic foods are the worst thing to consume:
If you really care about your oral, then cutting off that acidic food can help you out a lot. Chopping off those acidic foods which dwindle your enamel, such as citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, and sports drinks. You don’t know but consuming these foods and beverages coats up your teeth and that leads to the dwindling of your tooth enamel if you consume them very frequently.
When your tooth enamel starts to dwindle, this leads to the darkening and yellowing of teeth. If your teeth start to erode, in that case, bleaching won’t help you. If you want to save yourself from that situation then getting veneers to cover those areas would help you in the only way.
Lack of saliva causes dehydration in your mouth:
Not consuming enough water leads to drying and dehydration in your mouth. It is not something new that water is the best drink you can give your body, and consuming enough water keeps your teeth and gums healthy. Saliva in your mouth prevents your mouth from drying. Hence if you don’t drink enough water, your mouth will dry out, and in turn, you will be producing less saliva. Less saliva can cause a lot of troublesome situations for you, as you will face difficulties in swallowing your food, and speaking. Less production of saliva can also promote the growth of bacteria in your mouth. Hence this leads to more cavities, fungal infections, and periodontal diseases.
Well, how can you avoid this from happening? The only rule is to drink at least eight glasses of water every day. If you still don’t remember to consume eight glasses of water then, carry around a bottle everywhere you go and drink from it every few hours throughout the day. Well, you will thank yourself as you are saving yourself from the clutches of cavities by promoting better oral health.
Not visiting your dentist for regular check-ups:
If you want to maintain your oral health and your smile then regular check-up is an essential thing to do. Visiting your dentist for a check-up, allows your dentist to spot potential problems at an earlier stage and treat them before they can cause more pain and cause severe pain problems. Missing regular visits can lead your problem to become acute, which could lead to more time and expense down the line. Hence to prevent any upcoming oral diseases, you need to see your dentist every six months and more often if they recommend it.
Biting Nails:
Biting nails is always considered a bad habit. Not just that, biting your nails can also damage your teeth and jaws. Nail biting can also cause jaw dysfunction because it causes you to hold your jaw in a protruded position for a longer period of time. Nail biting can also lead to chipping of your teeth, too. Hence if you want to care for your teeth and jaws try curbing this habit.
Chewing Ice:
This is another ill habit that you need to avoid if you care for your teeth. Chewing ice after finishing a cool and refreshing drink can land you in trouble. If you don’t want to risk a broken tooth or filling, then try enjoying your drink through a straw or you can also take your drinks without ice for preventing the chewing of ice.
Clenching or Grinding Your Teeth:
Clenching and grinding teeth is often a subconscious habit that can eventually, result in damaging your teeth, and also leads to muscle pain and restricts jaw movement. For preventing this harmful habit, relaxation exercises, the night-time mouth guard, and trying to be more aware of when the clenching or grinding starts help in preventing this bad habit.
Sucking Thumb or Fingers:
Sucking thumbs or fingers is fine for babies, but if this becomes a habit beyond the age of 5, then it might result in misaligned teeth. As the child grows older, this misalignment of teeth can lead to several problems and can also lead to serious dental problems. If the child is 5 or older and still continues to suck their thumb or finger, their pediatrician or pediatric dentist can offer advice for weaning children off thumb sucking for preventing this bad habit.
Using Toothpicks:
Using a toothpick can lead to damaging your teeth. If you think that using that toothpick around your teeth after the meal, can help you in picking up food debris then you should get this thing cleared in your mind that poking that toothpick in your mouth can also result in damaging your mouth by infecting gums. Instead of using a toothpick, try to floss for removing the food that has got stuck in between your teeth.
Misuse of teeth:
Yes, you have read that right, you misuse your teeth several times whenever you hold on to something in your teeth or bite open a package, you are directly risking injury to your jaw or a cracked tooth by exerting force to tear up things. Hence if you want to take care of your teeth then take your time with your task, and don’t use your teeth as a third hand and try using scissors to tear up things.
Sipping Sodas:
The darkening and yellowing of teeth can be the result of excessive consumption of soda or sugary drinks. Regular consumption of sods and sugary drinks dwindles the enamel present in your teeth. Hence for a healthier option try drinking plenty of water, milk, or green or black tea. As these can help in strengthening your enamel and also gives protection to your teeth from built-up bacteria.
Now that you know what are the bad habits that you need to avoid in order to maintain your oral health. If you want to save money and if you don’t want to spend it unnecessarily then you need to follow several steps.
Make sure to brush your teeth before going to bed:
Brushing your teeth twice a day is an essential thing if you want to maintain your oral hygiene. Dentists recommend brushing twice a day, but still many people tend to forget to brush before going to bed. Brushing the teeth before going to bed helps in the removal of bacteria, and plaque that gets accumulated throughout the day.
Don’t neglect your tongue:
Built-up plaque can also happen in your tongue, and hence this leads to a bad odor. Apart from bad odor, this also leads to several oral health problems. Next time you brush your teeth, try to gently brush your teeth every time.
Drink more water:
Water is the best drink for your overall health, and this also includes your oral health. Dentists also recommend drinking plenty of water after every meal. Drinking plenty of water can help in washing out some of the negative effects of sticky and acidic foods and beverages in between brushes.
Munching on some crunchy fruits and vegetables is a good thing for your teeth.
Eating fresh, crunchy fruits and vegetables produce not only healthy fiber, but it’s also the best choice for your teeth. Try to avoid that mushy processed stuff.