Healthy Teeth Tips: Ways to improve your overall oral hygiene and keep your teeth, gums, and mouth healthy

A visit from the dentist for an annual check-up, in Enable Dental’s case, is the bare minimum for dental hygiene. The key to optimal oral health is in daily habits. Below are the top tips to implement every day to keep your teeth, gums and mouth healthy, and some tips to be implemented more often than you may have thought.

While everybody should be getting regular dental cleanings to ensure that their dental hygiene is up to par, it can be even more important for people with conditions like arthritis or even memory loss. Diseases impairing motor skills can impede on effective dental hygiene because it can make brushing your teeth difficult. These populations should consider scheduling more frequent dental cleanings, but their health conditions can also make visiting a dental clinic challenging in and of itself. Fortunately, portable at-home dentistry solutions such as Enable Dental improve access to dental hygiene by bringing the practice to the homes or communities of the patients or residents.

Toothbrush Types and Techniques for Optimal Oral Health.

Brushing your teeth twice a day is a good place to start in ensuring your oral health, but the type of toothbrush you’re using is also important. Be it an electric toothbrush or a manual one, what matters more is the bristle type.

Soft or medium-bristled toothbrushes are ideal for most people because hard-bristled toothbrushes can damage your gums.

 The right technique for brushing your teeth can also aid in protecting your gums as well as cleaning the hard-to-reach spots in your mouth. A circular motion is better than a back-and-forth motion.

The automated circular motion of electric toothbrushes can take the strain off a dental hygiene routine. For people with motor-skill impairments, electric toothbrushes can improve their dental health by making it easier for them to execute their dental hygiene routine.

Another important factor for oral health is how often you replace your toothbrush. Your toothbrush bristles weaken and splay over time, making them less effective the longer you have them. A general rule of thumb is to replace your toothbrush every three to four months.

Dental Health Products.

To keep on top of your oral health, regular brushing and dental cleanings are the way to go, but the products you choose for your dental health play an important role in ensuring sustained protection against bacteria build-up and tooth decay.

Dental professionals recommend using a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride is a mineral that helps strengthen the enamel of your teeth, which protects against cavities. Fluoride also protects against the build-up of harmful bacteria, keeping your mouth fresh for longer in between brushing.

Other dental health products can also make a difference in both protecting against bacteria build-up and reaching all the places inside your mouth that a toothbrush might miss. Flossing regularly is a necessity for optimal gum health and a mouthwash can also aid in cleaning out bacteria. 

For those with dentures, soaking the dentures in a cleansing liquid overnight is vital for optimal dental hygiene. It is also important to take the dentures out during the night for good gum health because gums can swell when you leave them in.

Using the right dental hygiene practices and products is essential for optimal oral health, and that includes choosing the right dental practice for your regular cleanings. If there are hurdles for you or a loved one visiting a dental clinic, reach out to Enable Dental to schedule any at-home dentistry services.