Practicing good oral hygiene is important to ensuring a healthy mouth, and oral health can impact your overall health in either a negative or a positive way. When oral hygiene is not practiced correctly, a person may face other health related issues that stem from problems with their teeth or gums, and this can lead to poor health conditions overall. For instance, a badly decayed tooth can lead to an abscess, and an abscess can lead to infection reaching the bloodstream, thus creating a far more serious situation than a simple and preventable cavity.
Good oral hygiene should be practiced each day in the home in order to prevent serious dental health situations, and this should start with the simple acts of daily brushing and flossing. Brushing should be done at least twice per day in the morning and evening before bed, however brushing thoroughly after each meal is also highly recommended! While brushing, the toothbrush should be held at an angle of around 45 degrees against the gums, and you should always pay special attention not to brush too hard against the teeth. When a person brushes too hard, or uses a toothbrush whose bristles are not soft enough, they can risk scratching or damaging their teeth which can lead to dental problems later on.
While brushing your teeth, it is always important to brush the outer surface, inner surface, and chewing surface of each tooth to ensure that all portions of the tooth have been thoroughly cleaned. For the more difficult areas of the inner tooth, it is recommended that you use the top portion of the toothbrush to effectively hit each nook and cranny!
Regular flossing is just as important as regular brushing, and flossing is recommended throughout the day to get any stuck food particles out from in between each tooth. The best way to floss is to pull a string of floss of around 18 inches, and to wrap each end around the middle fingers of each hand. Then, holding the floss tightly between your pointer fingers and thumb, gently slide the floss between each tooth to remove any food particles that may be hidden from the gum line downward, thus allowing you to clean between your teeth and remove any substances which may lead to decay!
Good oral hygiene can not only help you to save time, money, and discomfort, but it can also help you to save the life of your natural teeth! At Island Dental, we love good oral hygiene, and to learn more about how you can keep your teeth healthy and strong contact us today!
