Dental care is as important as skin care. Oral health represents overall health. Preventive dentistry or preventive dental care refer to a set of practices that involves caring for the oral health. It helps avoid the oral problems like gum diseases, infections, cavities, tooth sensitivity, enamel wear and tear and a lot of oral problems. Preventive dental care also includes periodic visits to a dentist or an dental care practitioner. World Health Organization and Dental Associations of various countries have laid down several practices to ensure that the oral health is optimal.
Following Are Some Of The Common Preventive Dental Care Practices To Be Followed:
1. Brush Your Teeth Twice A Day:
When it come oral health or dental care, the first thing everyone look into is teeth. Every one longs for cleaner, whiter, sparkling and strong teeth. Teeth health is also relatively important. Brush your teeth two times a day, in the morning immediately after you wake up and at night before you sleep. Change your brush once in a month. Use the toothpaste that contains fluoride. Don’t forget to brush your tongue. Use soft bristles to brush your teeth.
2. Floss:
Just like brushing you should floss daily. Flossing helps you remove the food particles stuck in between the tight spaces of your teeth, which prevents tooth decay.
3. Scrape Your Tongue:
Use a copper tongue scraper to clean the tongue and remove the food debris, fungal or bacterial buildup, as well as dead cells from the tongue.
4. Eat For Your Teeth And Teeth Health:
Preventive dental care is not just limited to daily brushing. Healthy eating also plays an important role in determining your oral health. Just like bones your teeth need calcium. Include calcium rich foods in tour diet. Eat crunchy foods to strengthen teeth. Crunchy foods does not refer to fried foods, but natural foods that has good crunch naturally like celery, carrots, cucumber, etc. Chew your food thoroughly and swallow the mash. When you chew, your mouth will secrete saliva, which contains healthy bacteria. It not only helps you digest the food, but also wash away all the food particles from your mouth. When you eat any sticky foods like candies, make sure to rinse your mouth and get rid of the food stuck in your mouth. This is the major reason of tartar buildup, gum inflammation and gingivitis.
5. Quit Smoking:
Smoking is the major cause of tooth stain. Similarly use of tobacco also leads to irreversible stains on teeth.
6. Reduce Eating High Sugar And Carbonated Foods / Drinks:
When you eat foods high in sugar and carbonated beverages, it leads to tooth decay. When you eat sugary, the bacteria in your mouth convert the sugar into acid, which leads to decay, soreness and swelling of the gums.
7. Plan For Periodic Visit To A Dentist:
It is recommended to visit a dentist twice a year. The dentist will thoroughly analyze your oral health. In case of buildup of plaque or tartar, the dental team will remove it from your teeth. Discuss with your dentist about the recommended dental care products to use.
If you are not sure about flossing or tongue scraping, get it clarified from the dental care practitioner during your next visit. Remember, children should be taught with proper dental care practices and importance of oral hygiene at the tender age itself.
