Surveys conducted have shown that at least 1 in every 4 adults in America have untreated dental decay. This makes it essential that we understand what dental health care is. This article will be capturing in detail all you need to know about dental health and how to best care for your oral hygiene.
What is dental health?
Also known as dental hygiene, oral care, or oral hygiene. Dental health encompasses everything that you need to do to maintain a hygienic and ideally disease-free oral cavity.
What’s the importance of dental health?
Dental health is of immense importance as it can directly affect your general/systemic health. This is so since your mouth is the gateway to your internal body organs.
If you don’t observe proper oral hygiene, you risk getting infections and health complications that may be life-threatening if prompt medical intervention is not sought.
Such infections and health complications include; cardiovascular disease(endocarditis), pregnancy complications (strongly linked with periodontitis-inflammation of the tissue around your teeth), and pneumonia.
How do you care for your dental health?
Below are some of the ways through which you can care for your dental health;
#Observe oral hygiene
You can observe your oral hygiene by brushing your teeth 2 times a day with fluoride toothpaste for about 2 minutes in a circular motion. Ensure that you use an ADA-approved toothbrush with a small head and rounded soft bristles. Always discard your toothbrush after every 3 months of use.
#Eat teeth healthy foods
Limit taking foods that are rich in sugar or citric acid. Ensure that you don’t take sugar more than 10% of your daily diet. Consider consuming a balanced diet that consists of protein (dairy products such as cheese and yogurt), vitamins (fruits such as apples and kiwi and vegetables such as carrots), and healthy carbs (potatoes and oatmeal).
#Schedule regular dental checkups
You should always schedule an appointment with a certified dentist every 6 months, even if you have healthy teeth.
#Only use your teeth to chew food
Please do NOT use your teeth to open soda bottles (no matter how cool it looks!), bite on hard objects, or chew on ice or other non-organic stuff. Doing all these may risk permanently damaging your tooth integrity, which may be hard to repair.