Basic oral health practices you should know

Every relationship begins with a good smile. And a good smile also denotes cleaner and healthier teeth. Your oral habits go a long way in not only keeping your teeth clean and healthy but also your general well being. A good oral health is a good overall health. But do you know if you are taking enough care of your teeth? Do you have good oral habits for an overall health? Brushing your teeth two or three times a day does help a lot but there is more to keeping a good oral health. Let us see some of the simple health oral tips that you should know.

It starts with proper brushing
According to the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA), good oral health care starts with proper brushing and this start with a perfect toothbrush. Always choose a toothbrush with soft bristles that will not scratch or damage your gums. It is advisable to follow your dentist’s prescribed way of brushing your tooth and not in a haphazard way that could leave your teeth and gums unclean and damaged. A good brushing technique is brushing at an angle with short back-and-forth action and avoiding harsh scrubbing.

ADHA warns of using the same toothbrush for more than three or four months. That is you need to replace them every three or four months. The reason is some of the harmful microbes that grow on your toothbrush’s bristles and handles could cause cold and flu and give birth to bacteria that could cause periodontal infections.

You should also replace your toothbrush after you had a bout of cold, sore throat or some severe infections. The bacteria could be there on the bristles of your toothbrush and using it again could lead to fresh attacks of infections.

Periodontal disease could lead to oral cancer, heart disease
ADHA statistics claim that 75 percent of the Americans suffer from the various forms of periodontal gum diseases with most of them not knowing it. If unchecked, the disease could well cause serious health hazards including oral cancer, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory problems among others.

Choose the right toothpaste. Flossing is important too.
Choosing the right toothpaste is as important as choosing the right toothbrush. American Dental Association (ADA) advises using fluoride toothpaste. Flossing is important too and should be done everyday. Flossing does what a toothbrush cannot effectively do such as reaching to the tight spaces between your teeth or under your gums. You can clean your teeth with floss or an interdental cleaner.

Fight plaque
Proper brushing, flossing and rinsing with either antimicrobial or antiseptic rinses, can help you fight the plaque between your teeth. Every time after a meal or eating snacks your tooth enamel is affected by the release of acids from plaque, the bacteria that covers your teeth. If the plaque is not removed every day it could lead to repeated attacks and subsequently the breaking of the enamel and could lead to a condition called gingivitis, which is actually the early stage of periodontal gum disease.

Proper brushing, flossing could even save your memory!
According to a recent research by West Virginia University School of Dentistry, the results of which were reported by the American Academy of Periodontology, a clean mouth with healthy teeth and gums will not only protect you from heart diseases and stroke but could also prevent memory loss!

The theory behind this claim is that the bacteria found in the mouth, if not cleaned properly blame the unhygienic oral health care, can lead to bleeding and inflamed gums exposing the blood to enter the blood stream. These germs may then attach to fatty plaques in the heart’s coronary arteries leading to stroke, heart diseases and blood clots. In the same way the bacteria in an unclean mouth can damage the brain, too. It is already a known fact among the scientific community that gum diseases could lead to severe dementia in the elderly.

Proper brushing, flossing, rinsing can help you keep a good oral health and avoid periodontal diseases that could cause serious health complications such as heart attacks, respiratory disorders, diabetes, oral cancer, stroke, and even memory loss! So the next time you brush, remember that a healthy teeth is a healthy body and a healthy life!