Your teeth are one of the most important parts of your body. You are only able to grow two pairs of them in your lifetime. You will for sure lose the first set, but if you lose both of them, then you are not going to have any more push their way down. Since your teeth are so important for basic functions like eating, talking and breathing normally, you need to protect your teeth’s enamel coating.
The enamel on your teeth helps protect the tooth from decaying, and when you lose it, you cannot get it back. Fortunately, there are things you can do to strengthen and preserve enamel. The following four tips are easy things you can do to prevent enamel loss and protect yourself against decay and cavities.
Take Care of Your Toothbrush
The bristles of the toothbrush can fray over months of use, making it difficult for them to scrub all the enamel decaying build-up off your teeth.
The enamel on your teeth is one of the strongest parts of the body and a poor brush can leave sugar, plague, and bacteria in the nooks and crannies of your teeth. This buildup, if left alone, can quickly deteriorate your teeth’s sensitive enamel, leaving your teeth vulnerable to decay. To avoid this, be sure to change your toothbrush every 3-4 months.
Use Dental Floss and Mouthwash
Getting all the plaque, tartar, sugar, and bacteria off your teeth is a hard job using just your toothbrush. To be positive you eliminate everything bad off your teeth that could help damage your teeth’s enamel, use floss and mouthwash after brushing. Dental floss helps eliminate food particles stuck between your teeth and rinsing your mouth with a fluoride mouthwash helps eliminate bacteria left on your cheeks, tongue, and roof of your mouth that could potentially also help decay tooth enamel.
Chew Sugar-Free Gum
It might seem odd to suggest chewing gum as a way to help your teeth. Some types of sugar-free gum can actually help strengthen your teeth.
When looking in the gum section of the store, check the active ingredients on the back of the package and look for an ingredient called “xylitol.” Xylitol is an all-natural sweetener made from plants. It helps neutralize the corrosive acids caused by soda and juice. Xylitol also helps build up saliva, which prevents plaque and sugar from sticking to your teeth.
Have a Dentist Clean Your Teeth Regularly
Brushing your teeth and using floss and mouthwash are great ways to protect your teeth’s enamel and prevent tooth decay, but they are not 100% effective. The only way to know for sure you have no plaque or tartar buildup destroying the enamel is to have your teeth properly looked at by a dentist, such as those at Matthews Smiles Aesthetic & Reconstructive Dentistry.
Your dentist has the right equipment to remove all the bad, enamel-removing build-up on your teeth. Going to your dentist every 6-12 months and having your teeth cleaned can help prevent any major cavities.
Not taking proper care of your teeth can be an awful habit to pick up. Having healthy teeth is a major factor in leading a healthy life. You only have a limited number of them so they are worth taking care of. By protecting your teeth’s protective enamel coating you can avoid major pains and even larger dentist bills. Following the above four tips will start you on the path of having a healthier mouth and a healthier life overall.