You’ve taken the first step to a lifetime of tooth care and dental services with a visit to the dentist. But what if your family isn’t quite ready to tackle dental care on their own? Fortunately, with a few simple tips, you can keep your family’s teeth healthy. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of oral health, how to keep your family’s teeth healthy, and what you can do as a family to achieve this.
What Is Oral Health?
If you’ve ever had a cavity, you know that oral health is important. The mouth is home to all of the teeth, and the mouth is a very delicate area. The tongue, gums, lips, and cheeks all makeup part of oral health, and if these areas aren’t taken care of, the rest of the body might be affected, too. Not only can tooth decay and other oral diseases lead to pain and infections, but they can also affect your ability to taste and speak, as well as your appearance.
The best way to start improving your oral health is to get your family to brush their teeth! Pop culture might make it seem like brushing your teeth for 2 minutes is enough, but brushing for 2 minutes plus 30 seconds is a good rule of thumb. Brushing for only 2 minutes lets little bits of food and bacteria build up on your teeth, which is why you need to brush for a few extra seconds to help remove the grime.
Why Is Oral Health So Important?
A healthy mouth protects the teeth, mouth and tongue, cheeks, and lips.
With proper oral hygiene, you can protect your teeth, gums, and lips from decay, cavities, and other oral diseases. In addition, you can improve your overall oral health by keeping your mouth clean and healthy.
If you have oral bacteria in your mouth that feed on sugary foods or carbohydrates, they can produce acids that damage the enamel on your teeth. This can cause cavities and other dental problems, such as throat infections.
Proper oral hygiene includes brushing your teeth twice a day with toothpaste that contains fluoride. You can also rinse with water after eating sugary foods and drinks to help neutralize the acids that are released from the bacteria.
If you don’t brush your teeth for long enough, or don’t use the right toothpaste and brush properly, you can also end up missing some of the bacteria hiding in the crevices of your teeth, which is why it’s important to brush your teeth properly.
Get Your Kids To Brush!
Since oral bacteria feed on sugary foods, soda, and carbohydrates, getting your kids to brush their teeth regularly can help protect their teeth against decay and other oral diseases.
This is especially important for children under the age of 4, who don’t have enough teeth yet to properly scrub their teeth without hurting themselves!
Even if they aren’t too keen on brushing, you can still get them on board by using positive reinforcement. For example, you can get your kids to brush their teeth for 30 seconds, and then reward them by letting them play a game on the computer or watch a show.
This will help them associate brushing with something fun and rewarding, which will make the brushing experience more enjoyable!
Encourage Dental Checkups
If you’re concerned about your family’s oral health, talk to your dentist regularly. He or she can check your mouth and teeth, and provide family dental care with oral health care advice that you can use to keep your teeth healthy.
Every 6 months have your dental plaque and bacteria levels checked by a dentist. This will help you get an idea of what your dental care needs are.
Manage Your Waste And You’re Done!
Finally, remember to take care of your teeth and mouth. Remember to brush your teeth twice a day, and floss once a day. Also, remember to rinse your mouth with water after eating sugary foods and drinks to help neutralize the acids that are released from the bacteria in your mouth.
Doing these 3 things will help you keep your teeth and mouth healthy. Remember, oral health starts with you, and nothing is more important than taking care of your teeth and mouth!
Don’t Forget To Floss
Flossing is actually a really important part of oral hygiene. When you floss, you’re actually cleaning your tongue along with your teeth!
But floss only goes between the teeth, not between the teeth and gums. That’s where dental picks come in!
Dental picks are handy because they can get between your teeth and between your gums and teeth, and they allow you to clean between your teeth without hurting yourself!
Conclusion
A healthy mouth protects your teeth, gums, and lips against cavities, tooth decay, and other oral diseases. These are all things you can protect yourself against by maintaining a healthy oral hygiene routine. Get your kids to brush their teeth, encourage dental checkups, and manage your waste and you’re done!