New Year Resolutions for Oral Hygiene

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, it won’t be long before people begin to make New Year’s resolutions. For most people, their new year’s resolution would be to be a better version of them, and this could mean living a healthier life. Sadly, while we mostly pay attention to our physical and mental wellbeing, we tend to forget about our oral health.

While our physical health is important, our oral health is equally important and should be treated as such. For this reason, we have to take up activities that improve our oral health. If you do not know where to start, you can contact your nearest dental hygienist for help. Meanwhile, below are some dental hygiene tips you can add to your New Year’s resolution to achieve better oral health as the New Year approaches.

Brush at least twice daily

If you visit your dentist regularly, then this may not be the first time you are hearing this. However, although this is a very common piece of information, it may be surprising to know that certain people do not brush twice every day. Some people may see it as an inconvenience or a waste of time; however, we should know that it is very important to brush twice daily.

We consume different foods daily, some of which can stain the teeth. These food particles can get lodged in between the teeth or even on the gum line. While these food particles may not be removed by rinsing the mouth, they can only be removed when you brush your teeth. By brushing your teeth twice daily, you will be able to remove all food particles that have settled in your mouth all day.  Unfortunately, when you do not brush your teeth, especially at night, the food particles can begin to form a dental plaque, which erodes the enamel and contribute to tooth decay, bad breath and possible tooth loss.

Clean in-between the teeth daily

Brushing is beneficial and protects the teeth from the formation of plaque. However, flossing is equally as important as brushing. While the toothbrush cleans the teeth, it does not get in-between the teeth to remove debris. This is where flossing or interdental cleaning comes in. When you brush your teeth, you get rid of about 60% of the sediments in your mouth. However, when interdental brushing and flossing is added alongside brushing, you will be able to get rid of particles lodged between your teeth and also protect your teeth from decay by removing plaque from the teeth.

Interdental brushing and flossing may seem painful; however, flossing once a day can go a long way to protect your teeth from decay.

Avoid food and drink that stain your teeth

The teeth get stained naturally by the food and drinks we expose them to, but brushing helps to reduce the effect of those food and drinks on the teeth. Sadly, there are some food and drinks that are more likely to contribute to the discolouration of the teeth than others. You should avoid these foods and drinks completely or their intake greatly reduced if you want your teeth to remain clean and sparkling. If you are the type that is conscious of the colour of your teeth, you should be more careful when it comes to the consumption of such food and drinks.

Two very prominent examples of food that stain the teeth are coffee and alcohol. Generally, every dark-coloured drink is a tooth-staining drink because the pigments from these drinks get into the cracks and ridges in the teeth and cause them to stain permanently. With alcohol, it is much worse because they do not only stain the teeth but also contribute to the erosion of the enamel and dental decay.

Stop smoking

Smoking is one of the most dangerous and health-deteriorating habits that one can cultivate. This is because smoking does not only damage your health by contributing to lung cancer, but it places you at risk of gum disease and mouth cancer. Furthermore, smoking also stains the teeth and contributes to bad breath.

Do yourself a favour, stop smoking and invest in ways to purge the effects of smoking from your system.

Reduce your intake of sugar

Addiction of sugar is very easy to get because of the high level of processed foods and sugar-filled drinks available everywhere. Even though we all know that excessive sugar in the system is detrimental to our health, several people cannot go through a day without consuming sugar. Everyone knows that one of the effects of excessive sugar in the body is diabetes, but do we also know that sugar can also affect our oral health in devastating ways. One way that sugar affects our oral health is by causing cavities.

You can protect your oral health from the effects of excessive sugar by reducing your level of sugar consumption to 3 or 4 sugar cubes per day or less and also avoiding in-between meal snacks. If you must have a snack between meal times, only consume safe snacks like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or cheese.

Visit your dentist regularly

It is important to cultivate healthy practices for your oral health. So, you must see your hygienist as often as possible. It is recommendable for you to visit your hygienist at least every six months for professional cleaning.

Additionally, seeing your hygienist protects you from serious dental issues because they will be able to detect any dental issues and treat them before they become serious. Seeing your hygienist when you should will help you maintain a healthy mouth.

If you are looking for a nearest dental hygienist in London, then you can visit this website to book an appointment online or call on 020 31375055.