Preventive Dental Care at Home!
It is important to your dental health to visit the dentist every 6 months for a thorough checkup and cleaning. But perhaps even more important is the preventive measures you take every day, including what you eat and drink and your oral hygiene regimen.
Your diet can have a dramatic effect on your oral health. Think of it this way: if it is bad for your diet, it is not good for your teeth. For example, energy drinks, like Red Bull have been found to damage tooth enamel, greatly increasing the risk of cavities and increasing tooth sensitivity. Once enamel is gone, it can’t be replaced.
Other “foods” that are bad for your teeth are sticky snacks – think fruit chews, caramels or other chewy candy. These treats can loosen dental restorations. And if you have a restoration that is already loose, chewy candy can pull it right out. Hard candies are also bad for your teeth. They linger in your mouth for a long time, allowing sugar to coat you teeth. Sour candies have a high acid level that can damage tooth enamel. Even gummy vitamins that you take to be healthy can be damaging to your teeth for these very reasons.
But if you think you just have to be wary of simple sugars, like candy and soda, think again. Even complex carbohydrates turn into sugar in your mouth . . . sugar that bacteria can use to produce acid and damage teeth.
In addition to carefully monitoring what goes in your mouth is actually taking care of your mouth with your home oral hygiene regimen. You should thoroughly brush your teeth with a quality, fluoridated toothpaste at least twice a day for at least two minutes at a time. You should also floss daily. We also recommend using a fluoride rinse and an oral irrigator, like the HydroFloss or WaterPik, for an even deeper clean at home.
