It’s never too late to start taking care of your teeth. Besides, some habits that may seem harmless can actually harm your smile. Listed below are some practices that can lead to dental problems.

• Visit your dentist regularly

When it comes to your dental health, your dentist is your first line of defense. Your dentist is trained to detect problems such as tooth decay and gum disease in their early stages before these problems can cause significant damage to your oral health. With regular checkups, your dentist will also have the opportunity to catch and treat problems early, which can prevent the need for restorative or cosmetic procedures to restore the beauty of your smile. If you don’t visit the dentist on a regular basis, you could be putting yourself at risk for a variety of oral health problems.

• Brush your teeth twice daily

It’s important to use a soft-bristled toothbrush with an ADA-accepted toothpaste to remove plaque and tartar buildup from between teeth and along the gum line. You should also consider brushing your tongue once you brush the rest of your teeth. This will remove bacteria from the tongue that can cause bad breath. Brushing your teeth daily is the foundation of a healthy smile. Ensure that you brush your teeth for two minutes each time.

• Floss daily

Brushing your teeth twice a day is great, but flossing is just as important to keeping your teeth and gums healthy. In fact, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends flossing at least once a day – preferably before bed. By brushing and flossing both morning and night, you’re removing any food particles or bacteria that build up throughout the day. 

The ADA says that when you floss is just as important as how often you floss. You should take about 18 inches of dental floss and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wrap the rest of the floss around the same finger of the opposite hand. This helps keep your hands clean and reduces the spread of germs by transferring them from your dirty hands to your clean ones and vice versa. Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers, and gently rub it up and down between each tooth. Curve the floss around the base of the tooth, but be careful not to snap it down onto your gums. Use a clean section of the floss as you work your way around your mouth, so you aren’t rubbing a dirty section across fresh gum tissue. Don’t forget the backs of your last molars! These areas often trap food and bacteria and require a little more attention when cleaning.

• Use mouthwash

Daily use of mouthwash can benefit your smile in several ways. It can freshen your breath, fight plaque buildup, prevent gingivitis and tooth decay, and promote good overall dental health. A good oral hygiene routine should include brushing twice a day for two minutes at a time, flossing, and rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash. These three steps combined are the best way to prevent oral disease and maintain a healthy smile!

Studies show that those who use mouthwash regularly have fewer cavities than those who do not. There are a variety of over-the-counter rinses available at your local pharmacy, as well as prescription rinses your dentist may recommend for your unique dental health needs. Choosing the right one for your needs will depend on what ingredients are included, the level of fluoride in the product, and whether or not it includes alcohol. Patients shouldn’t use mouthwash as a substitute for regular brushing and flossing – it should be used in addition to these habits in order to reap all of the benefits.

• Limit sugary foods

Your teeth and gums are under attack every day by harmful oral bacteria that feed on food particles that remain in your mouth after eating. Eating sugary foods is one of the easiest ways to feed these pesky critters, which makes eating sweet snacks like cookies or candy far from a good idea for a healthy smile. Simply rinsing your mouth with water after enjoying a snack is often not enough to clear the mouth of harmful bacteria because sugar sticks to the teeth and binds with proteins in your saliva to form a sticky film called plaque. These leftover traces of sugar can increase your risk of tooth decay over time.

Besides, you should also avoid drinking too much soda or fruit juice, which also contains high amounts of sugar and acid that can lead to cavities. Limiting the consumption of sweet treats and acidic beverages can help prevent future issues from arising with your pearly whites.

Get in touch with Dr. Steven Go of OC Dental Arts by calling us at (714) 779-7700 to learn more about good oral care practices.