Beautiful and Healthy Smiles Ahead

Oral hygiene protects your teeth and gums and can help with your overall health. There is a saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but the mouth is the window into our body’s overall health. The mouth can show signs of nutritional deficiencies, infection and stress. The truth is, systemic diseases that affect our whole body can manifest in our mouths by way of lesions or other oral issues.
Statistics show that 90% of adults have had tooth decay in their lifetime and gum disease has been found in 40% of people age 30 and older.
There are many ways we can take to keep our teeth clean and healthy. The main key is brushing frequently. Brushing removes food as well as plaque, the bacteria filled film that forms on teeth and can cause decay. The American Dental Association recommends brushing at least twice daily for a minimum of 2 minutes with a fluoridated toothpaste. An electric toothbrush is proven to take away more plaque and does a better job than manual tooth brushing alone. The second step we need to adapt is flossing. These help remove the plaque and the food that gets in between the teeth. If plaque remains, it can harden into tartar which can cause gum disease. If floss is a challenge, you can try soft picks too.
Another way of ensuring our mouths are healthy, try using a water pick. These are electronic devices that flushes water into areas between the teeth to remove food particles. It’s not a replacement for flossing but it can reduce bacteria even below the gumline. It also help reach areas that are otherwise inaccessible. It is proven to help in areas to flush out food out of dental braces. Try using fluoridated mouth rinse. It can eliminate bad breath, can stabilize the Ph of your mouths thus making it not susceptible to caries forming bacteria.
When choosing dental products, please look for the ADA seal of approval because this means that those products have been evaluated by independents experts.
For any questions or concern, please call Kimberly A. Rosen’s dental office at (661)255-2545.