Good Dental Hygiene Can Prevent Cavities and Gum Disease

Good Dental Hygiene Can Prevent Cavities and Gum Disease

Good dental hygiene is important for the overall health of your teeth and gums. Making periodic trips to your dentist for a cleaning and brushing and flossing your teeth daily can prevent cavities from forming and tartar buildup which can lead to gingivitis. There are many recommendations for good dental hygiene which can help you maintain healthy teeth and gums and avoid costly and invasive dental procedures.

One of the first steps in maintaining good dental hygiene is making regular visits to your dentist. It is recommended that you see your dentist twice a year for cleanings and examinations. Your dentist will remove any tartar from your teeth that has been built up in between visits and take x-rays of your teeth to make sure the roots are strong. They can also check for cavities and fill them while they are still small. They will examine your gums to make sure they are healthy and free from disease. Often after a regular cleaning, the dentist will treat the teeth with fluoride to help maintain the strength of the teeth. Regular dental visits are essential to good dental hygiene.

Following a regular daily brushing and flossing routine is also important to maintain good dental hygiene. It is recommended that you brush your teeth upon awakening, after meals and before you go to bed for the night. It is essential to brush your teeth thoroughly for at least ten to fifteen minutes in order to remove any plaque buildup and control tartar. Flossing is also important for good dental hygiene. Flossing can help prevent gum disease and cavities. Flossing removes plaque and food that remains stuck in between teeth that can decay and cause cavities. Food decay and plaque can also cause irritation to the gums, allowing them to bleed easily. Going without flossing can lead to tooth loss and gum disease. Flossing is recommended to be done at least once a day, preferably at bedtime in order to prevent receding gums, gingivitis and cavities between the teeth.

There are some other important steps to good dental hygiene that may not be as obvious or well-known. Cleaning the tongue is an important part of any good cleaning regimen. Brushing the tongue or scraping it removes a layer of bacteria that can be responsible for bad breath. Cleaning the tongue also removes decaying food particles, fungi and dead cells from the surface of the tongue. Tongue cleaning is an important step in dental hygiene as it can remove some of the bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay.

Practicing good dental hygiene can prevent disease and cavities and make your visits to the dentist painless and enjoyable. Getting into the daily habit of brushing and flossing, along with twice a year visits to the dentist is good preventative medicine for optimum oral health.