3 Daily Measures You Can Take To Keep Your Teeth In Great Condition
Keeping your teeth in great condition is important to your overall health. Once your teeth decay, the discomfort can affect your diet, limiting the types of food that you can comfortably consume. This is especially significant if you already suffer from a systemic health condition, such as diabetes.
Still, there are measures that you can take on a daily basis to help ensure that your teeth stay in optimal condition. Here are a few of them:
Use an oral irrigator.
The concentrated stream of water from an oral irrigator can be directed between the teeth and along the gum line to help remove plaque from areas that are not easily reached by your toothbrush. Additionally, many oral irrigators allow you to adjust the flow of water to massage the gums and reduce the chance of gum disease that could result in tooth loss.
Chew gum that includes xylitol.
Xylitol is sometimes added to sugarless gum as a sweetening agent. The natural substance has antibacterial properties that can help reduce the number of microbes in your mouth. This is important, because the reduction can cause a decline in the amount of oral acid to which your teeth are exposed.
Oral acids are produced by the bacteria that reside in your mouth. As the bacteria digest leftover carbohydrates from your meals and snacks, they produce and release acid, which dissolves the minerals in your tooth enamel. The dissolution of important minerals, such as phosphorous and calcium, can weaken the enamel and incite decay.
Rinse your mouth with water regularly.
Rinsing your mouth with water immediately after you eat can help clean your teeth, even when you have no access to toothpaste or a toothbrush. The water can flush plaque, bacteria and particles of food from your mouth. Additionally, it can help weaken oral acids in your mouth by diluting them.
In many instances, water contains fluoride. This element can help your teeth better resist damage from bacterial acids. The fluoride covers the enamel surface and attracts dissolved minerals. As the fluoride mixes with the other minerals, it produces a new tooth material. The new enamel resists acid better than the original tooth enamel.
Water also moisturizes the mouth to alleviate dry mouth, which can cause higher levels of decay by concentrating bacteria and plaque in the mouth.
To learn more ways to keep your teeth in optimal condition, schedule an appointment with a dentist in your area.
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