A bright and shiny smile is more than just aesthetics. It reflects a healthy mouth, gums, and teeth, all of which contribute to a healthy body. However, maintaining a healthy smile takes a lot more effort and commitment. If you do not maintain good oral hygiene, you will be reluctant to express your feelings of happiness and will avoid expressing your smile when sitting in a community.
Hence, it is essential to maintain healthy oral health by brushing and flossing your teeth daily to achieve healthy teeth and gums. Also, you should always visit your dentist if you feel any pain in your teeth. If you are in the area, you should see a Thornhill orthodontist since they can help you maintain that bright smile.Hence, it is essential to maintain a healthy oral healthy by brushing and flossing your teeth daily if you want to achieve healthy teeth and gums.
What is Tooth Decay?
Tooth decay refers to damage in areas around your teeth. This decay may be visible to the naked eye or require special equipment to identify damaged areas.
Usually, people with tooth decay do not experience any symptoms. However, they may experience a toothache, broken tooth, or even tooth loss. Any damage caused by tooth decay is permanent and irreversible. That’s why it is essential to prevent and address such problems at the earliest.
Similarly, individuals who have misaligned teeth are reluctant to express their smiles because they don’t want others to make fun of their teeth. Resultantly, such people have lower self-esteem and lack self-confidence in their daily life.
Teeth retainers are dental appliances that help maintain your teeth’ corrected positions. Most dentists recommend wearing teeth retainers post orthodontic treatment. In such cases, you must visit an orthodontist as they will help improve your teeth’ alignment and hence play a role in building self-confidence.
In this guide, we will share tips that you can adopt to prevent tooth decay and maintain healthy teeth and gums.
4 Tips to Prevent Tooth Decay
Here are a few tips on preventing tooth decay.
1. Identify the Cause
The first step in preventing tooth decay is identifying the cause which leads to it. Once you understand the root cause of tooth decay, it becomes easy to prevent the problem because, most of the time, the issue can be resolved by adopting healthy personal habits.
You must identify which habits are disrupting the health of your teeth. In this way, you will be able to make lifestyle changes easily.
Some unhealthy habits are; maintaining poor oral hygiene, drinking a lot of sodas, or eating plenty of acidic foods. Furthermore, teeth grinding or clenching can also be the cause of tooth decay. Once you know the reason, you must put sincere efforts into preventing the problem.
2. Maintain Good Oral Hygiene
Mainly, tooth decay occurs because of the accumulation of food particles or harmful bacteria between your teeth. That’s why you must pay significant importance to maintain good oral hygiene.
You must brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice daily. Floss your teeth at least once a day and get your teeth cleaned by a professional dentist at least twice a year. These habits will improve your oral hygiene and help you prevent teeth problems.
3. Limit Sugar and Starch Intake
Sugary foods are among the major causes of tooth decay in children and adults. That’s because sugar reacts with the bacteria in your saliva and produces acids that weaken your teeth. Relying excessively on sweet foods like candies and sodas increases the risk of cavities.
On the other hand, starch sticks to your teeth and gums and builds plaque. So, you must avoid foods containing excessive sugar and starch to maintain healthy teeth and gums.
Furthermore, if your dentist asks you to wear a teeth retainer after orthodontic treatment, you must wear Sporting Smiles retainers regularly so that your teeth do not relapse.
4. Quit Smoking
Smoking tobacco can cause various problems, including tooth decay. Smoking is the primary cause of multiple diseases, and it nearly affects every organ of the body. Almost 16 million Americans are living with an illness that has been caused by smoking.
Most people underestimate the harm that smoking and oral tobacco can cause to your mouth, teeth, and gums. Smoking stains your teeth and leads to gum diseases, tooth loss, and even oral cancer. So, you must quit or at least limit tobacco to prevent tooth decay and maintain healthy teeth.
