It may come as a surprise, but your teeth are NOT fancy facial bones. Healthy teeth are the foundation of overall good health and for good reason. Not only can you not eat well without them, but they are also necessary to speak properly. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the entire body and, sadly, dental bias is very real.
We want you to prioritize your teeth. At the end of the day, we only have 2 sets and we lost the first when we were 12 years old.
Dental Hygiene Tips for Healthy Teeth & Gums
Add Milk To Your Coffee And Tea
To keep your teeth shiny, you must first pay attention to what you put in your mouth. Enamel coloration comes from the chemical properties of food. Acidic foods stain because they damage enamel, and foods high in tannins, such as coffee or tea, stain because they change the pH of the mouth.
Balance the pH in your mouth by eating something neutral and rich in calcium after eating acidic foods. Pour milk into coffee or tea to weaken acidity, and add more cheese to meals with tomato sauce. Casein, a protein found in milk, particularly reduces tooth discoloration.
Eat Some Pineapple
Pineapple is the only food that contains the compound bromelain, excellent for protecting enamel and degrading tooth stains. It also reduces pain and swelling of the gums due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Don’t Whiten Your Teeth
Contrary to what the beauty industry would have you believe, your teeth should not be white. Naturally, they will look more ivory over time. Also, not all teeth are the same color. After all, they didn’t put them in their mouths to look good.
Whitening teeth weakens the enamel. And once the enamel’s gone, it doesn’t come back. Therefore, it is best to avoid charcoal and whitening toothpaste as it is very abrasive and will wear down your teeth.
Instead, use fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is one of the most powerful components in our oral hygiene and, in the last 30 years, it has reduced the number of cases in people, preventing tooth decay.
Keep Your Spit Flowing
Saliva helps protect teeth by constantly washing them, removing harmful bacteria, and strengthening enamel with calcium and phosphorus. If your mouth stops producing enough saliva, your teeth dry out, the pH of your mouth changes, and the enamel-destroying bacteria run wild.
Drink as much water as you can during the day and chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production.
Dry mouth is also a major side effect of many medications, such as antidepressants, and they can decrease the efficiency of the salivary glands. If you are taking medication, it may help to always have water on hand.
Use A Straw When Drinking
It turns out that not only what you drink affects your teeth, but also how you drink it. Your drinking method can also affect your oral health. Taking long sips and keeping the liquid in your mouth can contribute to enamel staining and eroding as it exposes your teeth to the sugar and acids in the drink.
As such, sugary canned drinks are the worst in terms of what and how.
Swallowing and using straws (positioning yourself correctly, without touching your teeth), on the other hand, are safer and healthier ways to drink. It helps to prevent discoloration and decay.
Brush Before Going To Sleep
Brushing twice a day is important, but if you can only do it once, do it before bed. Sleeping is when you are not swallowing or rinsing your mouth, and your saliva production is slow, so plaque buildup on your teeth remains stagnant and causes problems. It can cause a dry mouth and an increased risk of cavities.
As a side note, many people who brush regularly don’t brush long enough. 2 minutes is the recommended time. Spit out the excess toothpaste. If you want to rinse, please do so anytime other than brushing.
Otherwise, it will wash the fluoride out of the toothpaste you just applied, sabotaging the whole thing and leaving your teeth unprotected.
How do you take care of your teeth?
