Oral hygiene is simply the act of regularly working towards keeping your mouth and teeth clean to avoid having dental troubles, in particular the dreaded dental caries (fillings) as well as gingivitis, and more commonly, bad breath. I saw a poster once in a doctor’s office that depicted that many diseases we suffer with, start out in our mouth without our even knowing. This made it clear to me that I needed to pay closer attention than I was to my oral hygiene. Here we will look at 5 tips to help boost your oral hygiene that you can use from now on to look after your dental, and overall health, forever.
Obviously the first tip would be to clean your teeth and mouth regularly by brushing and flossing as well as by using a mouthwash. I have read many cases of the detrimental effects of fluoride on our bodies so would strongly suggest that you look for both a toothpaste and a mouthwash that do NOT contain fluoride. They are not hard to find. The toothpastes that I use I get at Whole Foods and they are fluoride free. I’m sure you can do a search online and find them if you do not have access to a Whole Foods store. I just recently found Binaca Everyday, a mouthwash that is fluoride free, sugar free and alcohol free and it works wonderfully. Note that these items are also very affordable.
The second tip is to not forget about your tongue. The tongue is an area that can harbor bacteria as well as the teeth and gums so you want to be sure that you also pay attention to your tongue whenever you are cleaning your teeth. Using the mouthwash will help with some of the bacteria on your tongue, but brushing it is also a good idea to help remove any lingering bacteria. Left unchecked, the bacteria, decaying food particles and candida found on the tongue can generate tooth decay and gum issues.
Our third tip is to try to eat foods that are known to help with oral hygiene. So let’s have a look at some foods that you definitely should be including in your diet;
1. Green tea – contains polyphenol antioxidant plant compounds that lower plaque and aid in reducing cavities and gum disease. Tea may also help to reduce bad breath.
2. Fruits – for example apples which contain Vitamin C that helps to protect your gums from disease
3. Milk or Yogurt – bring calcium which is needed to strengthen your teeth
4. Cheese – contains calcium and phosphate, which help to balance the acidity in your mouth, help to preserve (and rebuild) worn tooth enamel, help produce saliva, and kill off bacteria that can cause dental cavities and disease.
5. Water – helps keep gums hydrated and flush away food particles between teeth.
There are many more so I’d suggest that you do some research online to learn which foods can be helpful in maintaining proper oral hygiene. There are also some foods that work against you in your effort to protect your teeth and gums. Sugar is the biggest culprit here, as you may already know. The acidity of some fruit juices is
also damaging to the enamel of your teeth. So our fourth tip is to research and avoid those foods that can actually harm your teeths’ enamel and cause you dental problems.
Our fifth tip is to avoid bad habits that can have a negative impact on your teeth and gums. One of the most obvious is smoking and chewing tobacco. Someone who is Bulimic and constantly vomiting can cause tremendous damage to their teeth and gums with all that stomach acid flowing through the mouth.
Oral hygiene, as you can tell, is simply a matter of being consistent in caring for your teeth and gums, eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong, and staying away from bad habits that will negatively impact your mouth as well as your overall health. Some of the diseases or conditions that have been linked to poor oral hygiene are; cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks or strokes, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes complications and more.
