Oral Health 101: How to Keep Your Teeth and Gums Healthy

Achieving a healthy mouth is a life-long commitment. Having a set of beautiful, healthy teeth naturally does not mean hard work won’t be necessary to keep them in great condition as your age. In order to maintain beautiful and healthy teeth, routine oral care and regular dentist visits are essential. 

Our oral health also has an impact on our daily lives. A great smile is important, but oral hygiene goes far beyond that and well into protecting our overall health. Today, we will cover the five basic steps in taking care of your teeth and gums so your smile and your body are taken care of.

5 Steps To Improving Your Oral Health

While there are several other ways to supplement your oral care routine, these five are the core pillars of oral health: 

1. Brush Regularly
2. Floss Consistently
3. Maximize Mouthwash
4. Mindful Habits and Eating
5. Periodic Check-up

Brush Regularly

Brushing your teeth is the primary step in achieving better oral health. Standard practice is to brush your teeth at least twice a day to remove plaque that’s clinging to your teeth (after each meal is even better). How you brush is also equally important, so take your time brushing your teeth in a gentle circular motion to prevent plaque buildup and protect your gums, and focus on one tooth at a time.

Do not miss brushing the top and bottom insides of your teeth as well. It’s equally important to brush your tongue also. Bacteria can grow on the tongue and can cause bad breath and increased risk of oral infection. Ensure to gently brush your tongue from back to front.

Floss Consistently

Flossing the teeth is one of the most neglected steps in oral hygiene. Doing this at least once a day helps keep remove food particles and plaque off hard-to-reach areas and helps keep your gums clean too.. 

Make sure to floss correctly:

1. Grab at least 18 inches of floss.
2. Hold it tightly.
3. Guide the floss in between your teeth, then gently rub the floss in between. 
4. Make sure to never floss roughly to avoid injuring your gums.
5. As the floss reaches the top of your tooth and gum, curve it to form a C shape. This will allow you to enter the space between your tooth and gums.
6. Repeat the process for each tooth. Ensure to use a clean section of the floss to prevent trapping bacteria. 

Maximize Mouthwash

Mouthwash helps reduce the amount of acid in the mouth and helps remove plaque. Rinsing with mouthwash also kills bacteria in your mouth that causes bad breath. Indeed, mouthwash is an adjunct step to greatly improve your oral hygiene. 

Mindful Habits and Eating

We’re all familiar with the short-expression “you are what you eat.” To achieve good dental health, consuming a diet of healthy food is a wise decision. Minimizing sugary and starchy food in our diet helps prevent tooth decay and reduces the growth potential of plaque. Since sugary and starchy food produces the most acid, they stay longer in the mouth, potentially doing increased damage to our teeth as compared to other, more healthy options. 

It is also helpful to minimize consumption of food and drink that causes stains on your teeth such as beverages that contain caffeine and acid. Caffeinated drinks in particular cause rapid bacteria growth in your mouth that may lead to brittle enamel over time and accelerated staining and yellowing.

Regular Checkups

Being diligent in visiting your dentist will greatly help you maintain healthy teeth and gums. It is advised to visit your dentist at least once every six months or more often if necessary.

You must also visit your dentist if you are experiencing pain, bleeding, or swollen gums. Visiting for a dental checkup also helps note and track oral problems and will also help detect if there are any potential long-term issues. Preventative dentistry is the best option to avoid costly and painful dental and oral health problems down the line. 

Let Carrie Muzny DDS Take Care of Your Smile

Carrie Muzny D.D.S. offers the highest-quality dental services for our patients in The Woodlands and surrounding areas. Our highly acclaimed dentists are not only exceptionally trained in modern preventative techniques, but also have attained academic honors and continue to refine their craft year after year in preventative dentistry, restorative dentistry, surgical procedures, and cosmetic dentistry. 

With our state-of-the-art technology and vast range of smile-perfecting procedures, we stay atop the field and deliver smiles as sunny as the state of Texas!

To let us help you get that perfect smile, contact us today. 

You can even request a virtual consultation!