Introduction
After the common cold, tooth decay is the second most common disease in the whole world. 25% of the adults in the United States and over half of the teenagers suffer tooth decay. You also can know more about the reasons for tooth decay from the internet.
Though it is an essential part of our daily life, most of the time, oral health is taken for granted. We all know that brushing and flossing are the two most common ways to prevent cavities. So start taking control of your oral health before it is too late.
Prevent Tooth Decay From Happening In 5 Easy Steps
Here are the 5 easy steps that you need to take for getting improved oral health and keeping your teeth away from cavities.
1. Know Your Cavity Risk Level
The very first step that you need to take to develop good oral health is knowing your cavity risk level. A comprehensive dental exam is the easiest way to know your cavity risk level. Once you know the level, you can easily plan what precautions you need to take to get better oral health.
You will know what type of diet you need to follow or cut out which type of nutritional supplements. The lower the risk level is, the less you need to visit your dentist, and the higher the risk level is, the more care you need to take.
2. Brush Your Teeth Properly, Regularly With The Right Brush
From our childhood, we have been told to brush our teeth regularly and properly. Do you know the reason? Our mouth is actually the home to billions of microbes. These microbes are the main reason for cavity or tooth decay.
So, brushing your teeth is one of the most effective yet simplest ways to prevent cavities. But you also need to make sure that you are brushing properly. Here are the proper brushing techniques that you need to follow.
- Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush your teeth applying gentle pressure.
- Hold your brush at a 45-degree angle and use back and forth strokes to clean the outer, inner, and chewing surface of your teeth.
- In order to clean the inside surface, use the tip of the brush and use un and down strokes.
- Also, brush your tongue to remove bacteria.
- Change your toothbrush once every 4 to 4 months.
3. Drink More Water And Cut Out Acidic And Sugary Drinks
Sugary or acidic food causes the cavity, with prolonged exposure to coffee or tea or any other sugary or acidic drink increases the chances of forming new cavities. So, try to keep it 20 minutes or less than that.
There is one more thing that you can do, and that rinses your mouth with water after drinking any sugary or acidic drink. When the harmful sugars stay in your mouth with saliva for a long time, it causes tooth decay or cavities. So, in order to rinse your mouth and keep sugars away from your teeth, drink water along with other sugary drinks.
4. Make A Habit Of Flossing
Who likes flossing? Well, mostly no one. Our teeth have a total of 5 sides. And in order to maintain good oral health, it is necessary to keep all these sides clean. But while brushing, we only are able to clean the three sides of our teeth. So, it is like we are cleaning only 50% of our teeth.
That is why using floss picks is important for good oral health. And the best thing about it is you can do it on the go while watching TV or reading a book. However, it is told to floss after every meal. But before going to bed after you brush your teeth, including flossing too in your daily routine.
5. Quit Smoking
Smoking is another thing that hampers our health to the extreme level. It affects not only the lungs but also our oral health. Smoking along with oral tobacco is the problem behind the health issues of over 16 million Americans.
So, by just quitting smoking or any other tobacco forms, you are not only stepping towards better oral health but also a healthier physics.
Conclusion
Follow the above-mentioned 5 easy steps and make a habit of these for getting healthy teeth. Oral health is as important as the proper functioning of your other organs. So do not take it for granted.