How can you ensure that your entire family has healthy teeth for their lifetime? Attending regular dental checkups and professional teeth cleanings at our dentist near you are two essential elements of any dental health care plan. But they aren’t the only things you can do. Here is a brief checklist of things you and your family can do at home and discuss with our Spruce Grove dentist.
Get Enough Fluoride
Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in your bones and teeth. Fluoride helps to prevent tooth decay by making tooth material resistant to attacks by acid produced by plaque, bacteria and sugars. You can increase your teeth’s ability to resist tooth decay by using enough fluoride. Three ways to increase your level of fluoride are: to use a toothpaste containing fluoride; to use mouthwashes containing fluoride; and, in severe cases where your teeth have experienced demineralization, to ask our dentist in Spruce Grove to apply fluoride to your teeth.
Swap Out Your Toothbrush
Worn toothbrushes aren’t effective. Worn bristles do a poor job of removing plaque, food debris, and particles, and they can harm your gums. To ensure you use an effective toothbrush:
1. Start with a fresh one every three months.
2. When the seasons change, change your toothbrush.
3. Because oral bacteria can accumulate on a toothbrush, get yourself a new one if you’ve been ill — no matter how old your other toothbrush was.
Don’t Skip Brushing and Flossing
Brushing your teeth twice a day — especially first thing in the morning and before going to bed at night — is, combined with flossing, your best defence against tooth decay and gum disease. Floss once a day and, ideally, before you brush so that particles loosened up by flossing can be swept away.
Pay Attention to Dental Hygiene After Eating
In a perfect world, you’d brush your teeth after every time you eat. That’ll keep acids and sugars from lingering on your teeth and even help prevent your teeth from being stained by strongly pigmented foods and beverages. Even if brushing your teeth after every meal isn’t possible, rinse your mouth thoroughly every time you eat (ideally with an antibacterial mouthwash). Are both brushing and rinsing impossible for some reason? Chew some sugar-free gum. That’ll stimulate the production of saliva in your mouth. That saliva will balance out acids in your mouth and help rinse bacteria from your teeth and gums.
Avoid Sugary Foods and Eat Well
The natural behaviour of bacteria in your mouth is to break down sugars in the foods and beverages you eat and drink. The breaking down of sugars produces acids that cause tooth decay by eroding your teeth’ enamel. That makes sodas and artificially sweetened beverages so damaging to teeth —especially if you don’t brush and rinse thoroughly after consuming those sweet drinks.
At the other extreme, eating fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables, and dairy products will help improve your dental and general health. Fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables and dairy products provide the essential nutrients for good bone and dental health and to avoid gum inflammation and periodontal disease.
To get more information from our family dentist in Spruce Grove about each family member’s unique dental needs — no matter their age or current health — schedule an appointment for our family dentist in Spruce Grove for advice and support. Blossom Family Dental staff, are on hand to provide the information and resources you need and the treatment you require to establish and maintain your oral health.