Dental Hygiene Month Is In October: How to Keep Your Teeth Clean All Year Round

Teeth are known to be sturdy; in fact, they are sturdier than bones. It is this fact that most people might be a bit cavalier about caring for them. Your teeth can serve you for an entire lifetime, but it takes deliberate care each day. You must be intentional daily to ensure that your pearly whites are bacteria and plaque-free. You also must visit our dentist in Plano at least twice a year.

Now that October is here with us let it be the month that you decide to start the journey of keeping your teeth clean.

Why Is Dental Hygiene Important?

Dental hygiene is vital to your oral health. If you don’t care for your teeth as you should, you can develop gum disease or tooth decay. Gum disease causes severe complications to your oral health. It affects the gingival tissue and other tissue that hold the teeth in place, including the underlying bone.

Tooth decay will lead to a tooth infection and eventually tooth loss. If you combine these two dental issues, you will have to deal with things missing teeth, bone loss, and receding gingival tissue.

These dental issues can be avoided when you clean your teeth. Oral hygiene is the cheapest and easiest way to preserve teeth, facial structure, and bone mass.

On the other hand, your oral hygiene affects more than your oral health. Your oral health will also feel the impact of poor oral health. When you don’t clean your teeth, harmful bacteria will accumulate in your mouth. Bacteria don’t regularly enter the bloodstream via the mouth, but if your mouth isn’t clean, this can easily happen.

Even though the specific relationship between an unhealthy mouth and the development of certain oral health issues is still being studied, preliminary studies show a connection. In other words, studies have revealed that poor oral health can lead to the development of certain health conditions, such as pneumonia, diabetes, pregnancy complications, and cardiovascular issues.

As you can see, your daily oral habits can go a long way in keeping your oral and overall health in tip-top shape. Plus, you will avoid the scenarios where you need to seek the services of our emergency dentist in Plano due to pain arising from tooth decay or infection.

What Are Some Ways to Maintain Good Dental Hygiene?

Brushing and flossing are the main ways people can clean their teeth. However, there are other things that you must do to maintain proper oral hygiene. Let’s check them out:

Brushing        

You must already know by heart that you must brush your teeth each day after meals to remove food debris and bacteria. But brushing has to be done correctly to ensure that it’s effective.

Therefore, as a rule of thumb, practice the two-by-two rule. In other words, brush twice a day and brush for no less than two minutes. Spend 30 seconds on every quadrant, and you will cover all the surfaces within two minutes.

Also, the technique is vital. You need to angle the brush at 45 degrees towards the gum line to remove food debris that would accumulate in this area.

Flossing                     

Since brushing covers three teeth surfaces, you should incorporate flossing into your daily routine. Floss no less than once each day to remove debris from the hard-to-reach areas.

Use an Anti-microbial Rinse

A good mouthwash will boost your oral health because it deals with bacteria that might be lingering in your mouth.

Check Your Diet           

What you eat is equally important since certain foods enhance your oral health, whereas others cause a lot of harm. So, eat more fruits and vegetables, take dairy products, and drink more water.

Regularly Visit Our Dentist

Visiting our dentist in Plano every six months will ensure that nothing catches you off-guard, and any developing issue can easily be dealt with.

What Are Some Common Dental Hygiene Problems?

Sporadically caring for your teeth can lead to the following dental problems:

• Cavities
• Gum disease
• Tooth Sensitivity
• Gingivitis
• Broken and cracked teeth
• Oral cancer

How Can I Find a Dental Hygienist?

Living today has its perks, one of which is that you can find almost anything via the internet. You can check online for dental hygienists in your area if you need a dental hygienist.

Dental practices will have contact numbers, email addresses, and even social media accounts that you can use to communicate with them. If you need a dental hygienist, you can contact us at Tru Plano Dental, and we will set up your appointment.