Improve Your Dental Health With These 5 Habits

Essential to any oral health care routine is routine checkups to a dentist near you. However, you likely only go to your dentist every six months. This leaves a lot of time in between checkups. In addition to checkups at a dental clinic in Edmonton, there are six valuable habits that you can do to improve your overall dental health. The best part? These tips can be done with minimal effort from your home!

1.  Drink Lots of Water

Drinking water is right for you, period. But did you know that replacing stain-causing beverages such as tea, coffee, and red wine can significantly reduce your risk of teeth discoloration? Additionally, replacing juice or soda with water can reduce the amount of sugar and acid, hitting your teeth and damaging your enamel. While eliminating these beverages all together is great for your teeth, it might not be practical. 

Therefore, if you struggle to give up your coffee, we suggest taking a sip of water and doing a slight rinse after sipping. This can rinse away particles that are lingering on your teeth. 

2. Learn The Proper Brushing Technique

Although we all likely brush our teeth, there is a chance we aren’t brushing our teeth properly. Dental associations recommend that we brush our teeth for at least 2 minutes, two times a day, using a toothbrush with soft bristles. It is also essential to angling your toothbrush to target your gum line since food tends to catch in these areas. 

Brushing properly also means running your toothbrush in gentle circular motions over your tongue. While many people are careful to brush their teeth and gums, they often fail to consider how much plaque builds up on your tongue. If you ever notice that your tongue has a white-ish coloured film over it, this means it needs a good brushing.

3. Eat More Crunchy Fruits and Veggies 

We might have become used to soft foods. After all, smoothie bowls and protein shakes have taken the world by storm. While we might get a lot of our nutrients from these healthy alternatives, the action of chewing veggies can be beneficial to our oral health. This is because chewing hard food can strengthen our jaw and provide our bodies with needed vitamins. 

4. Use Toothpaste With Fluoride  

Fluoride has a proven track record of preventing tooth decay and boosting the remineralization process. Although large amounts can be toxic in children, introducing small amounts can be easy. Fluoride can be found in mouthwash, toothpaste, dental treatments and tap water in certain municipalities.

5. Floss Often and Carefully

Flossing requires more than slipping the string between your teeth. Since teeth are rounded on the bottom, you must move your floss in a C motion on each side of each tooth. This ensures you are removing all the build-up from between your teeth. It is also helpful to rinse out your mouth after flossing. After all, there’s nothing worse than doing all that work to have the food sit in other places around your mouth. If you are having difficulty learning this technique, your dentist in Edmonton can walk you through the process at your next checkup.

By following these tips, you will be well on your way to maintaining a beautiful smile. For additional suggestions on improving your dental health, we encourage you to visit a dental office in Edmonton, such as Oliver Family Dental. Here, our team of experienced professionals can give you a more personalized assessment and advise you accordingly. Appointments can be booked by calling (780) 426-6884 or requesting a consultation online.