In the past, many people thought that you lost your teeth as you got older! Of course, we now know that this is not the case, there are many things you can do to keep your teeth pearly white right into old age, including removing plaque.
As you may know, one of the biggest threats to your dental health, is plaque. There are different types of plaque, but all of them are bad news. Some types cause tooth decay, and some can cause gum disease.
So What Exactly Is Plaque, Anyway?
Plaque is a build up of harmful germs which live inside your mouth, and eventually get stuck to your teeth.
When you eat things like sweets and chocolate, the residue from these unhealthy sweet snacks provides nutrients to the germs in your mouth. That's right; sweets are bad for your health, but the harmful germs in your mouth thrive on them. Yes, life just isn't fair!
Removing Plaque Through Proper Brushing
Having the correct brushing routine is vital in ensuring that plaque gets removed before it becomes a problem.
Floss: Flossing removes food particles, and germs from in-between the teeth. This is an important step, as toothbrushes simply can't get in-between the teeth like dental floss can. If you only floss once daily, make sure you do it before going to bed.
Rinse: This is a really important step that a lot of people miss completely. Flossing and brushing may remove food particles and plaque from the teeth, but they can still stay inside your mouth. You need to rinse well with clean water, swishing it around your mouth and in-between your teeth before spitting it out again. This will get any dislodged particles out of your mouth, and cut off the food source that those pesky germs are devouring!
Brush teeth: Small circular motions and short back-and-forth motions work best for brushing the teeth. Be careful! Don't brush too hard, as this can damage the enamel coating which protects your teeth.
Rinse (again)!
Brush the tongue and roof of the mouth: This removes any remaining food particles from these areas, and leaves the mouth feeling fresh.
Rinse (yes, again)!
You Must Visit The Dentist
Even with a great brushing routine and even if you are carefully removing plaque, you have to visit your dentist. Regular check ups will help to catch any problems early, and prevent them. It's best to catch and prevent any problems early, not letting them develop into something that your dentist can not treat.
You should check with your dentist how frequently you should visit. Depending on the healthiness of your mouth, repeat visits can vary between 6 months to 2 years.
Other Options To Consider
Chew sugar-free gum: When you chew, it stimulates the production of saliva in your mouth. Saliva is the body's natural defense, and helps to neutralise plaque acid. Consider chewing sugar-free gum after meals.
Chew disclosing tablets: Plaque is often almost impossible to see, so how can you tell if you're really getting rid of it? The best way is to use disclosing tablets. These are simply tablets which you chew, and which give the plaque on your teeth a red colour so that you can easily see where to brush. If you know exactly where the plaque is, it's easier to target and get rid of. Disclosing tablets are extremely helpful in removing plaque.
Use dental picks: A dental pick is a small stick which you can use to remove food particles from between the teeth. A lot of people find these a lot easier to use than dental floss.
Get an electric or sonic toothbrush: Many dentists now recommend the use of an electric toothbrush, and indeed clinical trials by manufacturers have shown that sonic toothbrushes in particular are very effective in removing plaque. In fact, they have been shown to remove twice as much plaque as a normal manual brush. Advanced electric toothbrushes can also give you feedback about the pressure you should use when you brush; giving your teeth a balanced clean.
Get a UV sanitizer for your toothbrushes: A UV sanitizer uses UV light to kill 99.9% of germs that are left on your brushes, in-between uses. The less germs on your brush, the less plaque-causing germs go into your mouth at brushing time. Some advanced electric toothbrushes come with a UV sanitizer.
No excuses
There's no rocket science involved! We should all be doing some (if not all) of the above things and regularly removing plaque. There are no excuses; next time you visit the dentist, make sure your mouth is clean, and plaque-free!
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