A smile is often the mark of the beginning of a great relationship. A smile looks better if it is revealed through a neat, gleaming set of white teeth. And for a set of shining white teeth and healthy gums, maintaining good oral health is absolutely essential.
Practice good dental care habits and make it a point to meet your dentist at least twice a year for a check up. Do not wait until toothache or gum problems drive you to your dentist. As with many health conditions, prevention and precaution is the key to good oral health.
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Tooth brushing tips
Many people take daily brushing for granted. The fact is that tooth brushing has to be done in the right way to ensure optimum dental health. Here are a few tips: |
- Brush your teeth twice a day—morning and before bedtime. If possible, it is also a good habit to brush after every meal.
- Brushing should be done for at least 2 min.
- Use fluoride toothpaste.
- Use a toothbrush that is gentle on your gums. The bristles should neither be too soft nor too hard.
- Hold your brush at an angle and brush the upper set of teeth with a top to bottom Stroke. The lower set of teeth should be brushed with a bottom to top Stroke.
- Brush the inner side of your teeth and the chewing areas well.
- Brush gently so as to scrape out food particles from your teeth. Vigorous brushing can hurt your gums.
- Tongue cleaning is very important. Use a tongue cleaner or use the brush to clean your tongue.
- Replace your toothbrush on a regular basis.
Dental flossing
A toothbrush has its limitations. You cannot reach the areas between your teeth and the areas below you gum line with your toothbrush. If food particles accumulate here, it can lead to tooth or gum problems. Flossing your teeth regularly removes these particles and ensures good dental hygiene. Here are few tips on how to floss your teeth: | |
- Gently ease the floss between your teeth. Do not force the floss between your teeth as it can injure your gums.
- Wrap the floss in a “C” shape between your teeth and floss the front and back surface of your tooth gently.
- Do not ignore the back regions of your teeth.
- Gently pull the floss from the gum line to the top of the tooth to scrape off plaque.
- Use fresh pieces of floss as you go from tooth to tooth.
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Click here to view an animation on dental flossing
General oral care tips While brushing and flossing are the basic essentials for good dental health, following are some of the other measures you can take to promote oral health: |
- Use a mouth rinse or mouth wash regularly. This will help remove plaque between your teeth and also help remove bad breath.
- Rinse your mouth well after every meal. If you do not have a mouthwash at hand, use your fingers to rinse your teeth well.
- Use adequate water to gurgle your mouth well to pry out food particles stuck between your teeth.
- Do not use objects like toothpicks, safety pins or match sticks to pry out things from between your teeth. These can hurt your gums and cause infections.
When to seek your dentist’s help
Going for a regular check up twice a year is necessary to prevent dental and oral problems. But you may also develop certain conditions suddenly, which may require the immediate attention of your dentist. Here are some of them: | |
- Swollen, red or tender gums.
- Bleeding gums.
- Receding gums. This is a condition where your gums may recede from your teeth and make your teeth seem longer.
- Pus formation around your teeth and gums.
- Loose teeth or pain in a particular area of your mouth.
- Bad odor or bad taste in your mouth.
- You feel sensitivity in your teeth when you eat or drink hot or cold foods and beverages.
Click here to view an animation on dental cavity.
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