5 ways to improve your oral health
Oral health starts with good oral hygiene, and the basic recipe for a healthy smile and teeth includes brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing, and eating a balanced diet. However, there are additional tips and strategies that can help you improve your oral health, keep your teeth healthy, and stay motivated between your regular semi-annual dental visits.
Don't forget the tongue!
The tongue is the place where, due to its texture and furrows, the most bacteria and food deposits accumulate. That is why it is the real source of infection, which is transmitted through the saliva in the oral cavity and, among other things, causes caries. The tongue is best cleaned with tongue cleaners - do not use toothbrushes. Your toothbrush with which you brush your teeth should not be used for the tongue either - firstly, you will deform the soft fibers and it will no longer be effective in removing plaque from the teeth and under the gums, and the second reason is that you will only accumulate additional bacteria from the tongue on the brush. The brush is not strong enough to mechanically remove all deposits from the tongue, so you should use specialized cleaners, intended for this purpose. An old toothbrush isn't a good choice either, because it's full of bacteria, and it should always end up in the trash when it's time to change it.
Keep your toothbrush 5 meters away from the toilet or in a separate box.
It has been proven that water droplets when flushing the toilet can spray up to 4 m into the surrounding area. This way, if your toothbrush is very close to the toilet, all the droplets containing microorganisms from the toilet water will end up on the toothbrush and you will only “brush” them into the enamel further. In addition to risking cavities, you may also develop a stomach illness.
Use floss correctly
Using floss incorrectly has no effect – if you use it incorrectly, you will only injure your gums and damage the tissue fibers, which will open the way for bacteria and create gingival and later periodontal pockets. Using floss incorrectly also does not eliminate food debris and plaque between your teeth, so even if you think you are maintaining regular hygiene, if it is not done correctly, it is as if you have not done it at all.
Dental floss should never be too tight – the distance between the two fingers holding the floss should not be more than 2 to 3 cm. This way you have full control over the floss, allowing you to manipulate it and have good support, and you will be able to easily control the passage of the floss over the tooth contact point, without damaging the gums.
Include interdental brushes in your daily routine
Interdental brushes are essential for oral health because they allow for thorough hygiene of the spaces between your teeth. Like dental floss, they remove plaque and food debris, thus protecting the interdental spaces that are most susceptible to cavities, ensuring long-term protection and health of your teeth.
Sometimes there is a dilemma about what to choose – floss or an interdental brush. Floss is a good choice for the front teeth, where the contacts between them are flat, that is, where the teeth touch at every point of contact. However, laterally, the teeth only touch at one or two contact points, thanks to the shape of the lateral teeth, which are rounded and adapt to the gums. In this way, the floss only passes over the contact points, and the surfaces of the teeth remain untreated. You should be very dexterous and skilled to pass over both surfaces of two teeth in contact without hurting the gums. This is especially difficult if the tooth is far away and difficult to reach for flossing.
Then it is best to choose interdental brushes.
They are of different shape, because each interdental space has a different size. It is very important to choose the right one, because if the brush is too small, it will just "fly" between the teeth and will not clean them, and if it is too big, then it will hurt the gums and lead to bleeding.
The size of the appropriate interdental brush can be checked with special graduated probes designed for this purpose. However, they are often only available in dental clinics, which is not a bad thing, because if you are just starting to use them, it is good to have a dentist explain the detailed process of use, proper hygiene, and they will certainly further motivate you to take care of your oral health.
If you do not have the opportunity to measure the dimensions of the space with these probes, then you should always start with the smallest one. In the beginning, the gums will certainly bleed, because they are not used to the interdental brush, they are inflamed due to the presence of plaque, but this should not discourage you and lead you to stop using it. Already after 7 to 10 days, the bleeding will stop, and you will feel the need for a larger brush, and then you should take a larger size. The reason for this is that the swelling of the gums due to inflammation has decreased and they have returned to their original position, so the space between the teeth is also larger.
Do not use mouthwash without the consent of a dentist.
Mouthwashes are an aid to oral hygiene. They should never be used "on your own" even though they are commercially available, because their composition does not suit everyone. Mouthwashes with alcohol, if you use them, should be discarded immediately. Alcohol dries out the mucous membrane, and due to its refreshing effect, it gives the feeling of an impeccably clean oral cavity, which makes you use these mouthwashes regularly, and this is by no means a good long-term solution.
The only mouthwashes that have any effect are those with chlorhexidine. Chlorhexidine is the active element of the mouthwash it is in because it has an antibacterial effect, meaning it weakens the membrane of bacteria and prevents further reproduction. However, you should be careful with these mouthwashes – long-term and frequent use can lead to yellowish discoloration of the teeth, especially when using mouthwashes with a higher concentration of chlorhexidine.
However, considering that the waters have an active ingredient of therapeutic action, they should be used only under the supervision of a dentist. As they are hygiene aids, it is not necessary to use them in the daily hygiene of a healthy oral cavity, and it is better to invest the money and time you spend on them in a soft toothbrush or interdental brushes, in order to ensure adequate hygiene and properly cleaned teeth.
Never replace your tooth brushing routine with mouthwash. Mechanical tooth cleaning has been proven to be the best and most effective way to combat dental plaque, and mouthwashes are an aid and therapy for periodontal disease.
What are the benefits of good oral hygiene?
We know that many systemic diseases are linked to the oral cavity. Alarming research data tells us how important good hygiene actually is, and what systemic diseases improper hygiene or failure to maintain it can lead to. This is especially true for periodontal diseases – the bacteria that cause gingivitis and periodontitis can easily spread through the blood to distant organs and cause endocarditis, and patients suffering from these diseases have a much higher chance of diabetes and stroke.
Know that prevention is always cheaper than intervention. Two regular annual check-ups can indicate many diseases in the initial stage, so you can easily prevent or treat them in the initial stage.
There are many ways to improve your oral health. Pay attention to hygiene mistakes, which are best pointed out by a dentist. Sometimes, even when we think we are doing everything just right, an expert can correct us and set us on the right path. A dentist can find out if you are using too much pressure on your teeth, whether you have chosen the right toothbrush, whether you are taking good care of your interdental spaces, and provide motivation to continue good oral hygiene or change habits if necessary.