Having healthy teeth is not difficult, but it does require a commitment on your part. Basically, there are three things that contribute to your oral health – oral hygiene, diet, and genetics. You don’t really have any control over your genetics, so we will leave that out of our discussion for now.
Taking Daily Steps
To achieve good oral hygiene, you must brush twice a day for at least two to three minutes each time, and floss at least once a day. We also recommend the use of mouth rinse and, if needed, we may prescribe a prescription-only toothpaste that has a higher amount of fluoride to fight cavities.
Maintain A Healthy Diet
For diet, we recommend that you avoid prolonged and frequent exposure to sugar. For example, if you have a cup of coffee with sugar, finish it quickly rather than sipping it every 20 minutes. Each sip you take deposits sugar on your teeth, and it takes 30 minutes for your mouth to bring the acids back to a neutral level.
The same recommendation applies to sugar-filled snacks and beverages. Additionally, we recommend that you reduce your overall sugar intake and avoid eating sticky candies and sweets that slowly melt in the mouth.
Contact Us to Learn More
If you’d like more information about the steps you can take to improve your oral health, please give our Glenmont dental office a call. We’ll be happy to arrange an appointment for your next exam and cleaning.