Healthy teeth are essential for a beautiful smile and overall good health. Teeth are meant to last a lifetime and generally only fail to do so when not properly cared for. This article will give you some simple, but critical, things you can do to help protect your teeth and gums.

• See your Dentist at Least Twice a Year

While you are responsible for the daily care of your teeth, only your dentist can discover and treat problems before they become bigger problems that can even result in the loss of a permanent tooth. A small cavity is easily treated with a filling in less than an hour, but a cavity too big to be filled can result in infection, abscess, the need for a root canal or even a crown. These are complicated procedures compared to a simple filling that can preserve the tooth for a lifetime.

See your dentist as often as recommended, and by the way, even babies should have their first dental exam around the age of one year. Toddlers can easily get a cavity just like an adult can. Don’t be complacent about baby teeth that will be replaced with permanent teeth later. It’s very important that a child’s baby tooth remains healthy and in place until the permanent teeth are ready to come in. The baby teeth act as placeholders, helping the permanent teeth to come in straight.

Not everyone will need to see the dentist at the same frequency, either. For example, as you get older, you may become prone to root cavities because the gums naturally recede as a part of the aging process. Root cavities can often not be filled, requiring removal of the tooth instead. In this case, your dentist may recommend visits as often as every three to four months. Follow your dentist’s recommendations.

• Brushing and Flossing

Brush your teeth twice a day with a quality fluoride toothpaste. Take your time and do a good job. Before brushing, use dental floss to remove food particles and plaque between the teeth. Plaque is a sticky substance formed by bacteria in your mouth. If not removed, it will form a hard substance called tartar. Tartar promotes both decay and gum disease.

• Reduce or Eliminate Dietary Refined Sugar

Refined sugar isn’t healthy. It promotes obesity and is linked to diabetes. For the teeth, it’s a disaster. Bacteria in the mouth combine with sugars to form acids which may cause decay and erosion of the tooth enamel. Reduce intake of refined sugar as much as you can. If you must eat sugar, at least rinse your mouth thoroughly afterward if you can’t brush right away. Eliminate soda entirely.

• Brush Your Tongue

Plaque and bacteria can gather on the tongue. Take a moment to use your toothbrush to clean it as well.

• Consider Mouthwash

Mouthwash can reduce acids, remineralize teeth and help clean places in the mouth that a brush and floss can’t reach.

• Drink Plenty of Water

Water is the best beverage for your body and your teeth. It helps to wash away sugar, bits of food, and the bacteria that contribute to tooth decay and plaque.

• Eat Raw Fruits and Vegetables

Crunchy fruits and vegetables are good for your teeth and jaw. The sugar they contain isn’t the same as the refined sugar found in a doughnut. Sugars in fruits and veggies are in the form of fructose, not sucrose, and this fructose is always combined in nature with lots of healthy fiber, which changes the way the fructose sugar is used once in the body. Fruits and veggies are colorful because they contain healthy antioxidants and lots of vitamins and minerals, too.

Brisbane Smiles

Here at Brisbane Smiles, our Dentist Taringa provides full-service dental services including routine family dentistry, emergency dentistry, implants, and also cosmetic dentistry services. You can read more about us here: Your text to link… You may also call us at (07) 3870 3333. We warmly welcome new patients. A member of our professional staff will be happy to help you with any questions and will also set up an appointment for you if you wish. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Alternatively, you can also check out this dentist in Melbourne if you live near the area.