5 Tips to Keep Your Teeth Healthy by by Dr. Misty Seale DMD

Your smile is very important. More often than not, it’s the first thing people notice when they first meet you. It is a reflection of who someone is and how well they carry themselves as a person. Instantly, you give off an impression that will be either good or bad with one smile.

More importantly, your mouth is not separate from the body, and if you have problems maintaining your mouth hygienically, you also most likely have problems elsewhere… The goal is to be healthy.

Remember, your teeth (as well as your mind and body) are meant to last a lifetime. So regular maintenance will be key to making anything last. Therefore I came up with The 5 Most Important Dental Tips To Keeping Your Teeth Healthy:

You don’t have to brush all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep

It is very important to brush your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste—once in the morning and once at night before going to bed. This is the very basics—and it all starts here. The toothbrush bristles mechanically remove plaque and the fluoridated toothpaste kills the bacteria that causes tooth decay and cavities while strengthening and protecting the teeth at the same time.

This is the single most important thing YOU can do to help maintain your teeth on a regular basis.

Flossing is a real thing and it helps prevent cavities in between teeth

Flossing at least once a day helps remove plaque buildup in between teeth. These surfaces are hard to reach with a toothbrush alone and usually the places where most cavities start. Don’t forget to floss and brush around the very backs of your last teeth as well. These places are very hard to reach and oftentimes missed.

Brushing better does not mean you brush harder

Brushing harder doesn’t mean you’re brushing better, so don’t strong-arm your teeth and gums away. In fact, studies show the softer the bristles and the softer the brush strokes the better the cleaning. This allows better manipulation and control of the bristles on teeth surfaces while causing less damage to the teeth and gums. So using a soft bristle toothbrush is the best! Using an electric toothbrush with soft bristle brushes is even better!

Do not eat or drink after you brush your teeth at night

After you brush your teeth at night, do not eat or drink anything to keep your mouth as clean and fresh as possible during the night. Tooth decay happens in the middle of the night because our mouth becomes dryer and acidic as you sleep.

It’s very important to floss and brush your teeth with a fluoridated toothpaste before going to bed to ensure the best defenses for your teeth as it combats dry mouth and acid wear during the night.

If juices, candies or sodas are the last things in your mouth before going to bed, then your teeth will suffer even more devastating damages during the night as it combats dry mouth and acid wear.

Visiting your dentist regularly helps prevent bigger problems

Visit your dentist to help clean and fix the areas that are hard to reach and things you can’t fix on your own.

Even the best brushers with the best oral hygiene should visit the dentists at least twice a year. Calcium in our blood travels out of saliva and sticks to our teeth. This bacterial infused hard calculus builds up on our teeth over time, causing damage underneath that can only be removed with mechanical scraping.

iHeart Dental can help you remove all that and maintain a healthy mouth. Also adding a prescription strength toothpaste and mouthwash in conjunction with your normal oral hygiene routine can help reduce your incidence of cavities and oral infections tremendously. Ask us about that as well! 

I’m Dr. Misty Seale with iHeart Dental and I encourage you to stop by the practice anytime to learn more about dental education and the methods we use to help you achieve your dental goals. Like I said, we are here to help!

Sometimes it’s as simple as understanding the use of proper tools and techniques in achieving better oral hygiene or as intricate as a full mouth reconstruction with implants. It all starts with you and your overall oral needs. Stop by anytime. Your smile is very important to us and we want you to be happy about it!