Many dental problems can be prevented with preventative dental care and at-home oral hygiene routines. Dental practitioners, including your hygienist, play a key role in equipping their patients with the skills and knowledge required to maintain optimal oral health.
Here are some basic tips that will help you avoid dental problems and maintain a healthy smile.
Oral Hygiene Regime
The most important guideline for avoiding dental problems is to maintain a good oral hygiene regime at home. Patients are advised to brush their teeth twice daily for two minutes and to floss once daily. Dental problems such as tooth decay occur due to food debris and harmful bacteria residing in the mouth. However, good oral hygiene will maintain a clean mouth and help prevent such oral diseases.
Regular Preventative Dental Care
Regular visits to the dentist for a check-up and clean should be made every six months. Visiting the dentist regularly allows for early detection of any oral health issues and can help avoid more serious problems. Additionally, professional removal of plaque and calculus by a dental hygienist will assist in maintaining good gum health.
Healthy Eating Habits
To maintain a balanced diet, we recommend that you eat a variety of foods from each of the five major food groups and limit any sugary snacks. Ideally, avoid sugar-filled soft drinks, sweetened fruit drinks, and packaged sticky sugary snacks. Over time sugar-filled snacks and drinks can create various dental problems for regular consumers. To maintain optimal oral health, limit the number of snacks you consume between main meals and choose foods and drinks that are less harmful to the tooth surface. Healthy options include cheese, water, raw vegetables and natural yogurt.
Teeth Protection
Various sports and activities can expose teeth to injury, and that is why your dentist might recommend a professional form of protection. A mouth guard will protect your teeth from factures, chips, breaking and loss while you are engaged in active sport, while a mouth splint will protect your teeth if you clench or grind your jaw while sleeping – a subconscious habit that can cause cracking and chipping of tooth enamel and existing fillings. You are strongly advised to discuss with your dental professional which guard is best suited to your lifestyle.
Fluoride
The main role of fluoride is to mineralise tooth enamel and keep our teeth strong. Fluoride also works as an antibacterial, whereby it helps to reduce the bacteria that contribute to tooth decay. Fluoride has a large role to play in combating the sugars and acids in our diet. The use of fluoride in our daily oral hygiene regime will strengthen your tooth enamel and help avoid dental problems.