There is no one better than a professional dentist to offer advice for dental care improvements. Whether you just had your first visit, or you’ve been going to the dentist for a while, these ten tips are universal and can be practiced and followed by anyone seeking improved dental hygiene. Taking care of your teeth might seem a frustrating and repetitive task at times, but ignoring your dental health doesn’t just add extra expenses to your health budget. Dental treatments are considered expensive and time-consuming, not to mention the headache and chronic pain that some conditions cause.
1. Practice makes perfect, so keep practicing your oral hygiene routine
A simple dental hygiene regimen usually means brushing and flossing, but cleaning your teeth isn’t the only important part of oral hygiene. Choosing the right dental hygiene products, such as a compatible toothbrush with soft bristles that won’t hurt your teeth and gums, and buying fluoride-rich toothpaste. One of the best additions to your routine can be the daily use of mouthwash, especially if you tend to have snacks that contain a lot of sugar.
2. Don’t forget to schedule annual dental appointments
With all the pandemic confusion and delayed visits in fear of contracting the virus or spreading it, a lot of people may have missed their dental appointments. While you can check out your teeth in the mirror to find out any obvious issues, a lot of dental health conditions are imperceptible in their early stages, and can only be detected through x-ray. Of course, more experienced dentists can diagnose some of these issues from signs like gum discoloration or gum retention, where your gums recede because of an infection.
It’s recommended by all dental professionals to have at least one dental appointment every year, to monitor your oral hygiene and avoid emergency visits.
3. Maintain a healthy diet
You’ll be surprised how many tooth decay cases are caused directly by sugar and similar foods, because of their easy consumption by bacteria, making it one of the worst enemies of your teeth. Removing sugar from your diet, or failing that reducing your consumption can increase the lifetime of your natural teeth, and keep your gums healthy as well. A lot of gum diseases like gingivitis are also caused by poor dietary choices, in addition to poor oral hygiene. So keeping a healthy diet isn’t just in the interest of your weight and looks, it has a serious impact on your teeth and oral hygiene. You can find out more about the effects of poor oral hygiene on overall health on our website.
4. Consider additional dental hygiene tools, such as night-guard braces
After a certain age, your teeth will require more than just brushing and flossing or even mouthwash. Your teeth especially need protection during the night, when the bacterial balance of your mouth changes and allows for tooth decay to progress. Using special plastic trays that can be fitted over your teeth, similar to sports mouth guards, you can prevent this build-up of bacteria, and protect your teeth physically, against involuntary teeth grinding. If you don’t suffer from grinding, the night guards are still a viable option to protect your teeth from your saliva.
5. Ask your doctor for a dental x-ray in check-ups
As we mentioned, certain issues can be predicted using x-ray imaging of your oral cavity, for example, growth patterns of wisdom teeth. With that information, your dentist can decide when you need to extract the wisdom teeth before it starts to damage the rest of your teeth or gums. X-ray imaging can also show early signs of tooth decay in the enamel, something that is impossible to determine early on without imaging. If you have sensitive teeth and you often experience discomfort after eating hot or cold food and drinking hot and cold beverages, you definitely need an x-ray imaging with your next check-up. Sensitive teeth are often considered early signs of tooth decay, but you can only be sure after an x-ray.
6. Find a dental professional with long-term treatment plans
If you only go to the dentist when you are forced by an emergency problem, like a broken or chipped tooth, or when the pain becomes unbearable, it’s time to make some changes. Finding dental professionals isn’t hard, but finding a health provider you can trust is a different story. If you’re looking for a reputed dentist in London with reasonable prices and affordable payment plans, Smile Clinic London with its team of exceptional dentists can be your new trusted dental clinic. We offer all types of dental services, including cosmetic, general, and orthodontic treatments. If you’re interested in our payment plans and wish to find out more, contact our office for information about our available treatments.